Heads You Win

“Far more people than you realize,” said Ben before taking a long draft. “After your rousing speech in the Queen and Country debate, and then trouncing the entire Oxford chess team single-handed, they’d vote for you if you stood as a Russian Separatist.”

“Will you be standing, Ben?” Sasha asked.

“You bet. And Fiona’s put her name down for vice president.”

“Well, you’re guaranteed at least two votes from a couple of your most devoted admirers,” said Sasha.

“Thank you,” said Fiona. “But there are plenty of men, including some in my own party, who still think a woman’s place is in the kitchen.”

“Shame on them,” said Ben, raising his glass.

“Not to mention those members of the Labour Party who consider me to be somewhere on the right of Attila the Hun.”

Ben placed his empty glass on the table. “Another round?”

“No, thanks,” said Sasha. “I need an early night if I’m going to explain to Dr. Streator why I think he’s wrong about the Soviet people being best suited to living under a totalitarian regime, even a tsar.”

“Heady stuff,” said Ben. “I wouldn’t dare to disagree with my supervisor.”

“Would he even recognize you if you ever turned up to one of his supervisions?” said Sasha.

Ben ignored the comment. “What about you, Fiona, will you join me for another round?”

“Much as I’d love to, Ben, I also need to get to bed. I don’t want to fall asleep during tomorrow’s Torts lecture.”

“I’d join you,” said Ben, “but I’ve just spotted a group of Liberals who I need to butter up if I’m to have any chance of being elected to the committee.”

“Remember to put in a good word for me,” said Fiona. “And don’t forget you’ll be disqualified from standing if you buy them a drink this close to the election.”

“Ben’s right, you know,” she said to Sasha as they headed out of the Union bar and down the cobbled path to King’s Parade.

“Right about what?”

“That you should stand for the committee,” said Fiona. “You might not be elected first time, but you’d be putting down a marker.”

“A marker for what?”

“Higher office.”

“I don’t think so. I’ll leave that to you.”

“You should at least consider it. Because once you’ve decided which party you support, you could even end up as Union president.”

“I thought that was the job you were after.”

“I am. But as there’s a new president every term, why shouldn’t we both achieve it?”

“I hadn’t considered standing for the committee,” said Sasha, “let alone president.”

“Then it’s time you did. Are you going to walk me back to my college?”

“Of course.”

“You’re so wonderfully old-fashioned,” Fiona teased, as she took his hand.

Once again Sasha was taken by surprise that it was a woman who’d made the first move. Queen’s pawn advances one square.

As they walked hand in hand toward Fiona’s college, he couldn’t help thinking about Charlie. He knew she didn’t care much for the Union, and Fiona in particular.

“Will you be able to find your way home, Sasha?” Fiona asked when they reached the entrance to Newnham. But before he could reply, she added, “Perhaps you’d like to come up to my room for a drink?”

“How would I get past the porter’s lodge?” said Sasha, looking for a way out.

Fiona laughed. “Come with me.” Once again she took his hand, and led him around to the back of the building. “You see the fire escape? The window on the third floor is my room. When you see the light go on, come up and join me.” Without another word she left him standing there.

Sasha tried to collect his thoughts. He was thinking about going straight back to Trinity when the light on the third floor went on. She pushed the window open and smiled down at her unwitting Romeo.

Sasha mounted the fire escape and climbed to the third floor. He scrambled inside, and saw Fiona standing by the bed, unbuttoning her blouse. She moved across to join him, slipped his jacket off his shoulders, and began to kiss his neck, his face, his lips. When he pulled away, he found she had already discarded her blouse.

“But I thought you and Ben were an item,” said Sasha.

“It suits my purpose for him to think so,” said Fiona, pulling him toward the bed. “But my only interest in Ben is his ability to pull in the Jewish vote.”

Sasha immediately stood up and pushed her away.

“What did I say?”

“If you don’t know, Fiona, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to you.” He picked his jacket up from the floor and headed for the window. He looked back, and had to admit that even though Fiona couldn’t hide her anger, she still looked beautiful. It was after he’d climbed down the fire escape and was walking back to Trinity that he decided he would stand for the Union committee.

15

ALEX

New York University

When Alex ran out of money, he wasn’t sure whom he could turn to to bail him out.