Free Sin Tropez by Aita Ighodaro Page B

he cried in a broad American accent, pumping her small hand with his strong, neatly manicured one. ‘So sorry to be late. And I’m afraid Gloria fell ill and
is unable to be here.’
    ‘Oh that’s quite alright, I’ve been having a drink at the bar, I haven’t waited long. Very sorry to hear about Gloria though, I hope she feels better soon. Now tell me,
would you like to sit up on the gallery, or by the window?’
    ‘Wherever’s fine. I’m easy. Just put me where ya want me.’
    Sarah was surprised at how open and friendly Willy was. She’d been expecting diva-like behaviour but he was charm personified. Physically, he was shorter than she’d imagined, but
other than that he looked exactly as he did in photos. At forty, with sandy hair, even features and a slim, athletic build she supposed he was suavely handsome, but she’d been with Si for so
long that she no longer looked at men in that way.
    They both ordered quail eggs to start and these arrived quickly.
    ‘Say, are you French?’ Willy asked the waiter. ‘You are? Oh la la! Fabulous place.’ He put up a hand to high-five the bemused French man and Sarah was impressed to see
Willy being chatty and interesting with the waiter. She mustn’t be so prejudiced, she chastised herself; not all famous people are monsters.
    ‘So, tell me about student life here. The lady at the Gazette told me you went to Oxford. Is it all homo-erotic high jinx, plummy accents and posh tomfoolery like in Brideshead ?’ Willy gave a hearty chuckle.
    She laughed. ‘Well, if that’s what you go in for, Willy, I think we’ve got the beginnings of a very juicy interview already. This is far easier than I expected … But,
actually, no, you can involve yourself in whatever scene takes your fancy. I got really into student journalism. Have you been to Oxford?’
    ‘No, not yet,’ replied Willy. ‘I gotta. I’ve barely even had the chance to explore the sights of London – visited tons of times but all I ever get to see are the
insides of airport lounges, offices and restaurants! It’s a real shame, there’s such a wealth of culture here.’
    ‘Oh yes there is; in Oxford you must have a wander through the colleges and go punting along the Cherwell. It’s ravishing in spring, particularly with a group of friends or a partner
…’ she trailed off, blushing.
    Willy nodded vigorously. ‘My wife and kids would just adore that.’
    He looked thrilled, so Sarah started to list all the things she thought he might like about the city. ‘Christ Church is marvellously old and beautiful and of course Harry Potter was
filmed there, so your boys might like that,’ she began.
    It seemed like only a minute had passed since they’d sat down to dinner but already they were almost through their mains: sea bass for Willy and scallops with risotto nero for Sarah. Willy
reached for the aged Gavi di Gavi, but it was already empty.
    ‘Ooops, looks like we need another.’
    ‘Whoops,’ Sarah giggled. ‘I thought LA people didn’t drink anyway.’
    ‘Actually I’m not a heavy drinker, but, hey, when in Rome! Anyway I’m not exactly an LA person.’
    ‘Hey!’, she laughed, remembering why she was there, ‘you’ve managed to evade interrogation thus far, but we’re here to talk about you! Come on – so what
really made you give up singing so suddenly? It looked as though you were on a winning streak.’
    ‘I’ll tell you what,’ Willy replied, ‘I am happy to tell you anything you wanna know, but first, why don’t we pay up in this posh joint and go get some dessert, or
“pudding” as you guys would say, at a great place I know a block from here?’
    ‘Sure.’ Sarah signalled for the bill, curious to see what sort of place he would take her to.
    A waiter placed the bill discreetly in front of Willy, at which point Sarah retorted that he should ‘pass that over here right this minute’. She reached into her purse and placed her
tatty debit card on the small