mouth gaped open. She shook her head and shut it. ‘But, I don’t understand, if you’ve been sleeping with him, why is he getting rid of you now?’
‘I don’t know.’ She really didn’t. But she did know that she would never walk onto that trading floor again. Feel that exhilaration of anticipation of the day ahead. Hear the buzz of the phones ringing, computers beeping – her favourite music. How on earth was she supposed to live without that?
‘What a bastard. To do it just after you buried your dad. And not even tell you himself. I mean, I can’t condone you sleeping with a married man, Harry, that was wrong. Oh goodness, what a mess.’ Pippa sounded distraught. Harriet looked at her. She was no longer the kid that Harriet felt so maternal towards.
‘Exactly, without my job I’m nothing.’ She felt tears threatening her, and she was almost ready to welcome them.
‘Oh, Harry, I am so sorry.’ Pippa hugged her.
‘It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done it,’ Harriet stated, feeling self-loathing.
Pippa didn’t argue with her.
Harriet suddenly saw her life clearly. She worked long hours, mostly six days a week, she went to the gym to stay in shape, one of her closest friends was her personal trainer for goodness sake. She had a best friend, Mimi, who knew most things about her and a handful of social friends, all high-flying single career women who she drank cocktails, ate at the latest restaurants and bitched about work and men with – in that order. She had a beautiful but barely furnished apartment – who had time to decorate a place that she barely spent any time in? A wardrobe of fabulous clothes, ditto shoes, and a city life that she was in no way ready to leave behind. She was struck by the realisation that her life was lacking in real relationships, and maybe a bit lonely at times – was this what her father meant?
‘Ah. Well, listen, Harriet, I know now’s not the time to think about the future, because it’s so raw and such a shock, but we’ll sort it out. If you don’t want to fight them, then take the money, and at least you’ve got us and Meadowbrook,’ Pippa said.
‘Oh, Pip, I don’t know, I don’t even know how I feel. I mean, I had barely processed the fact that Dad’s gone and now I’ve lost my job, all in one fell swoop.’ She stopped for a minute and thought back to her father’s video. Was he right about her after all? She had worked tirelessly to succeed, to be the daughter that he wanted her to be, had she lost herself along the way? Surely not. She shook her head. He was just rambling because he wanted his children all together – still trying to control them from beyond the grave.
‘I guess that means that you can stay here for the year though,’ Pippa said, uncertainly. ‘Maybe it’s fresh starts all round, and maybe Dad knew more than we ever gave him credit for.’ Pippa sounded anxious but Harriet wondered if she could read her mind. ‘We’ll be together at least.’ Pippa squeezed her sister. ‘And get to run an animal sanctuary,’ she laughed. Harriet did not.
‘I’m used to running a trading floor, with millions of dollars at stake every day, so how hard can running an animal sanctuary be?’ Harriet asked, and then she finally burst into tears.
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