Free Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk Page B

some?’
    â€˜Yes please,’ said Merlin politely, recovering his spirits. ‘That’s very generous of you, Tom.’
    Agnes fled to the kitchen for another glass.
    â€˜Don’t mention it,’ said Tom behind her. ‘Actually, do mention it. Mention it often.’
    When she returned, Tom was easing the cork from the bottle with his large thumbs. Merlin cringed. Agnes, confident that Tom’s removal of the cork would be consistent with his general demeanour – a smooth pop and fizz as opposed to a loud racing-driver’s bang and a foaming geyser – remained calm.
    â€˜Hey presto.’ He put the cork on the table and began pouring champagne into the glasses.
    â€˜You’ve done that before,’ said Merlin.
    â€˜All in a day’s work,’ replied Tom. He was a management consultant in the City, and, Agnes reflected, was probably being truthful.
    â€˜How’s work?’ she inquired.
    â€˜Fine.’ He leaned back into the sofa, his legs firmly spread in a V emanating from his crotch. Agnes looked away, obscurely embarrassed. ‘I’m on a job for a publishing firm, actually, which might interest you.’
    â€˜Oh, really?’ said Agnes brightly. She was unaccustomed to talking shop, and was prepared now to enjoy its new intimations of adulthood. ‘What are you doing for them?’
    â€˜Usual sort of thing. Getting rid of dead wood, tightening things up. It’s not difficult, seeing as they’ve got three people doing one person’s job. We’re slimming down editorial at the moment.’
    â€˜Oh.’ Agnes felt rather cold. ‘So what happens to the other two?’
    Merlin shifted on the sofa, perhaps made uncomfortable by the prospect, albeit theoretical, of brother reducing sister.
    â€˜Sacked.’ Tom elaborated his succinct reply with a throat-cutting gesture.
    â€˜But – but what are they supposed to do? What’s to become of them?’
    She fixed him with a glance intended to mortify him. He looked back at her for a minute and then stared into mid-air, as if considering the problem for the first time.
    â€˜Oh dear,’ he said finally. ‘They’ll all probably kill themselves, won’t they?’ He sighed exaggeratedly. ‘Don’t be so soft, Agnes. They’ll get other jobs, of course. Better ones, hopefully. It’s not my problem.’
    â€˜No!’ she cried. ‘But it’s theirs! They might have –
circumstances.
For all you know, they might have five children each and sick relatives to look after!’
    Merlin guffawed delightedly.
    â€˜Christ.’ Tom clasped his forehead. ‘Look, they could have enough dying aunts to hold a wheelchair rally for all I care. It still doesn’t make sense to keep them on.’
    â€˜Sense!’ shrieked Agnes. ‘How does it make sense to sacrifice innocent people on the – on the altar of capitalist greed? And even if it does make sense to you, why does that make it right?’
    â€˜I never said it did. You said that.’
    â€˜But don’t you
care
?’
    â€˜No.’ He grinned infuriatingly. ‘That is what you wanted me to say, isn’t it? I’m an unprincipled capitalist pig. I drink the blood of unemployed people.’
    â€˜I think I’ll leave you guys to it,’ said Merlin, getting up to leave. ‘Nice to have seen you, Tom.’
    â€˜Bye, Merlin.’ Tom raised his hand in farewell. ‘I mean, oink.’
    Merlin laughed as he retreated up the stairs. Agnes glowered after him. They all banded together in the end, she thought.
    Had Agnes had a sister, she might have found that feelings of sisterhood came to her more easily; as it was, such emotions were left to her imagination. Her early needy conjectures had sculpted only a more perfect version of herself in their quest for female companionship, and while at first Agnes had been content to trail around