'I'm right sorry, I had my bag on my shoulder, I must have caught it as I turned round. It was a lovely plant. Before you say anything, let me pay for the damage.'

'It wasn't even my plant.' I looked across at Andrew, who stood by the door looking open mouthed at the wreckage, his face alarmingly red. He waved a hand helplessly towards where the torn fragments of plant lay. 'Oh, good god, how on earth... it can't be? How could someone have...?'

The couple from room four appeared at the top of the stairs with their luggage, looked askance at the scene in the hall below, and walked down at a stately pace, determined that nothing should prevent their escape from the mayhem of the hotel.

I took the Geordies into the lounge out of Andrew's way and told them it would be best to make their way out quietly and leave us to clear things up. When their taxi arrived to take them to King's Cross they meekly picked up their bags and left.

Tom helped pick up handfuls of soil and pieces of plant from the floor, at first shoving bits of it back into the pot anyhow. Oddly his clumsiness seemed to calm Andrew, who remonstrated mildly, 'Not like that, Tom, you know how it should be done, the compost and rooty bits at the bottom, green leafy bits sticking out at the top,' and he knelt down to demonstrate. 'That's better, good lad, you've got the hang of it now.'

The accident took his mind off Darren. Perhaps we are capable of worrying about only one thing at a time. Having cleared up in the hall, back at our table again we talked about plans for the coming week, and an amiable mood took hold at last despite the trials of the afternoon. Half an hour later Andrew was much more relaxed. When he was preparing to leave for home I said, 'This has not been the happiest of afternoons at Goodmans Hotel.'

'Oh, no, no, you've given us an excellent meal, and nobody could complain the afternoon was uneventful. Don't worry about the plant, I was thinking of splitting it up anyway. You will let me know as soon as you have some news of Darren, won't you?'




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