Running

Ellie was looking to her future – until she saw a face from her past

- Geraldine Ryan

When Ellie’s phone rang just as she had finally decided to get up in order to spend some time preparing for tomorrow's job interview, she couldn’t have been more relieved. Hearing all about her housemate’s travels abroad was the perfect excuse for even more procrastination.

‘Hey! How's life in Cambridge?’ Flora wanted to know.

‘Fine. What are you getting up to now that you’re back from Thailand?’

‘Oh, you know. This and that.’ Ellie would have liked to offload to her friend, but Flora gave her no space. ‘Look,’ she said. ‘I’m in a bit of a hurry. It’s crazy here. But I need a favour.’

‘Whatever I can do. You know that,’ Ellie replied.

‘Could you be an angel and return my graduation gown to my old college?’

‘To Denton? Sure, that’s no problem.’

‘You're a darling,’ Flora said. 'I just realised the deadline’s today and I don’t want to have to pay a fine.

‘Consider it done,’ Ellie said. ‘Where will I find it?’

‘Oh, it'll be somewhere,’ Flora replied. ‘But listen, somebody else is calling me. Let's speak soon. Text me when you’ve done it. Love you!’ And then she was gone.

Ellie and Flora had shared the Cambridge house belonging to Flora’s parents for the past two years. A couple of weeks before Ellie and Flora had graduated,

Flora’s parents had suggested that Ellie remained in the house she'd hitherto been paying them rent for. Given that Ellie’s parents lived up north, and most of the jobs she’d be going for would either be in Cambridge itself or London, they had argued that it would be more convenient if Ellie remained where she was. And — given the dependable young woman she was — she’d be keeping an eye on the place for them; while Flora - not quite as dependable - was making the most of the opportunities thrown at her by members of her well-connected family.