A couple of nights later after walking the streets for over an hour she made her way to a small café in Smith Street that was open late.
Her acute depression had returned and she was engulfed in terrible feelings of despair. Earlier that afternoon she had telephoned Dr Golde but was told by his secretary that he was attending a conference in Alberta, Canada, and would not be available to see her for another ten days. Nobody was there for her, she felt. She had great difficulty in rejecting a bout of self-pity; she was alone and lost.
Whenever Gareth Hamilton pushed himself into her mind she pushed him back out again.
She seated herself at a table by the window from which she could see the road outside. The street was dark and almost empty. She ordered a strong coffee and a toasted sandwich and waited for her order to arrive.
Looking around the café she noticed another customer sitting in the far corner with his back towards her. He was absorbed in a newspaper.
There was something familiar about him but it took her more than a moment or two to realize that the man in the café was Aidan Riodan, the man she'd had a brief affair several months ago. Suddenly he turned, stood up and walked over to her table just as the waitress brought her order.
Normally Aidan wore a suit and tie. Tonight he was dressed differently in leather jacket and jeans. With his shaggy black hair falling over his face and a heavy stubble on his face, he looked as tough as a street fighter.
'Leona. Leona Nelson!' - exclaiming - 'then putting his cup on her table and sitting down opposite her. 'You don't mind do you?'
'Aidan. You never wrote me.'
Lost your address,' - carelessly - 'and I was caught up in a deal overseas. But tell me, how have you been?'
'Okay,' - sipping her coffee - 'it never occurred to you to let me know if you were still alive!'
'I'm not much of a writer. Accept my apologies.'
He ordered another coffee for them both, even though she had not finished her first cup, then they talked. 'You're looking beautiful,' - smoothly - 'and I'd say you've lost a fair bit of weight since I last saw you.'
'And it looks like all has been going well for you,' - smiling briefly.
'Yes,' - importantly - 'I've been negotiating an export/import arrangement in Singapore over the past few months. I didn't know if I would be coming back to Melbourne.' This was the only reason he gave for not keeping in contact with her.
She began to feel at ease with him as they chatted and he ordered some more sandwiches when their coffee arrived.
'You're not dating anyone at the moment?'
