Sushi - Sushi by Leona Sheehy

Sushi by Leona Sheehy

Janet looked down at her plate at the precise, circular parcels, rolled up perfectly.

“I made the sushi myself. I once took a business trip out to Japan and I learnt how to make it when I was over there. Don’t you just love it?”

Janet continued to stare at her plate. The smell, reaching her nostrils, was already starting to make her feel sick. How was she going to tell Francis that the one thing she hated most in the world was fish? Fish in any shape or form - cooked, raw or swimming.

“Is there something wrong, Janet? You look like you’ve gone a bit pale around the gills.”

Was this man obsessed? It was bad enough that he had a massive aquarium built into one of the walls in his penthouse apartment but now the sushi as well. She’d definitely need therapy after all this.

********

They had met on the beach at Brittas Bay. Janet had been taking her usual slow walk, head down, scouring the sand for any glint of the sea glass she collected. It had started years ago with a pale green piece sticking out of the sand. Each piece she collected made her wonder where it had originated from and how old it could possibly be.

Bracken, her Red Setter, romped along the sand. On this cold winter’s day the beach was completely deserted so there was no need to have him on his leash. Every so often a bark made her lift her head but otherwise she was completely engrossed in her task. She rarely found any, which made the pieces she found all the more precious to her.

It was a gorgeous day - cold but fresh and clear with no hint of a cloud in the sky. Janet wore her favourite scarf - an eclectic mix of colours and textures, and her three cornered hat. She had picked it up in a second hand store about five years ago and, although she knew it wasn’t the most conformist item of clothing, she didn’t care because living alone in her cottage there was nobody to constantly tell her how she may or may not dress.

“Madam, could you please get your dog away from me!” She instantly emerged from her reverie and, to her surprise, saw Bracken running circles around an impeccably dressed man, kneeling in the sand.

“Bracken, here boy, here!” Janet ran over to her incredibly frisky dog and grabbed him by the collar. “I’m so sorry. Here let me help you up.” She took the man’s hand ‘goodness, they’re soft,’ and helped to pull him to his feet. He didn’t say a word as he brushed the sand from his knees, leaving two wet patches on his trousers.

“You know you really should keep your dog under control. He could have bitten me!”

“I apologise for my dog’s behaviour but I really don’t think that biting is his thing!”

“Are you being flip? Because I’m quite serious.”

“No, honestly, I’m not being flip at all. All I’m trying to say is that Bracken is really the sweetest dog and I’m sure he would never bite anybody. Look, your trousers are very wet. Why don’t you come back with me to my cottage and I’ll make you a hot cup of tea while they dry off a bit.” She knew she shouldn’t take a chance like that with a strange man but he looked harmless enough; even quite ridiculous with two wet splodges on his trousers.

“Ok. Look, I’m sorry for being so mad but these are a brand new pair of trousers. Hugo Boss, you know. And I really thought they would last longer than a day before being consigned to the scrap heap. And, on top of that, I’m not great with dogs. Cats are more my thing. I’ll gladly take you up on your offer of a cup of tea, but answer me something first will you. Where the hell did you get that hat? It looks like it may have belonged to Nelson.”

Janet quickly swiped the hat from her head, not caring how her hair looked underneath. She knew that her hat probably made her look slightly eccentric but without a mirror in front of her she suddenly suffered from a fit of self-consciousness and didn’t dare put it on again.

As they walked back to the car in companiable silence, with Bracken larking about around them, Janet couldn’t help thinking about how good looking this man was. And she didn’t even know his name.

“O goodness, how rude, I just realised that I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Janet and this is …”

“Bracken,” they chorused together. “Yes, I know his name is Bracken as I saw his collar flapping in front of my face as he had me pinned to the sand. My name is Frances, Francis Chambers.” With that they both started laughing at the memory of Francis being brought to his knees by the overly excitable dog.

They tracked through the sand dunes back to Janet’s car and found that they had plenty to talk about on the way back to Janet’s house. Bracken knew when he was in trouble so he kept a low profile on his blanket on the back seat.

Once they were back at the house, Janet stashed her hat at the back of the coat stand. Note to self, try hat on with various outfits tomorrow to see if I metamorphosise into a stunner; or otherwise.

Janet showed Francis into the living room and removed several books, a t-shirt and a pair of socks from one of the armchairs in order to make space for him to sit down. She could see him looking round the untidy room as if he were making his own private list of how he would decorate it differently.

“Do you live round here, Francis?” she shouted in from the kitchen as she rinsed a couple of mugs under the tap and turned the kettle on.

“No, I actually live in the City. I work there so I have an apartment near work. It’s easier that way.” His voice became louder and he appeared right beside her in the kitchen. “When I have a big project on at work and I’m a little bit stressed out I like to drive down here and it helps me to clear my head.”

“What about you? What do you do?” He pulled out one of the stools from under the counter and sat down.

“Oh, I’m a proof-reader. Note the amount of books. The publishers send me a few at a time and so that’s why I always have a few on the go at once. I also find it quite peaceful down here and that helps when you get paid by the book.”

“You should get paid by the mistake – give you more of an incentive. Would it be a bit forward for me to ask you to dinner one day soon? I’m really enjoying your company and as I have to be getting back shortly I thought it would be rather nice for us to get together again.”


Janet felt her knees go weak. She hadn’t been asked out for absolutely ages, unless you included Simon the postman but as he was at least ten years younger than her she always refused on the grounds that they would seem just that little bit too desperate if they actually went out.

“I’d, er, love to see you again. When?” Be calm Janet – not too eager.

“Let’s think, not Sunday because I have to go to mass with my mother.”

He can’t be that serious, Janet thought. I’d have given the old bird the boot right away.

“How about Thursday evening. About seven thirty?”

“That would be fabulous. Let me give you my number so you can call me with your details. Do you want me to bring anything?”

********

So that lead to her being here, sitting with a plate full of something the dog dragged in. Or in Francis’ case something the cat dragged in, considering all the cats he had. Janet counted five and she’d only been in the kitchen-diner and the bathroom. Three of them were sitting with their noses an inch from the blessed fish tank.

“I’m so sorry but I can’t eat this.”

“Why the hell not,” asked Francis as he chewed on a piece of his. He looked like he was chewing on a bee by the way his face was gyrating.

“I’m just not very good with fish,” Janet could taste bile in her mouth and hoped that swallowing would be good enough. She pushed herself away from the table in order to escape from the fishy smell.

The next thing she knew she was laying on the black leather couch with a cold face towel on her forehead and her feet propped up on a couple of cushions. God, please don’t let me have been sick, was her first thought.

“Thank goodness. Are you OK? You fainted and all I could think was to pull you onto the couch until you came to.”

Oh no. Not only have I to apologise for possibly being sick all over the place but I also have to apologise for putting his back out. Janet had had enough. She tried to pull herself up into a sitting position but Francis wouldn’t let her. He pushed her gently back onto the couch.

“You’re not going anywhere until we’re both sure you’re OK.” Janet sank back into the soft leather cushions of the couch. She tried to stop a smile spreading over her face. Not only because she was incredibly happy about staying longer in Francis’ company with him nursing her but also because as she had tried to get up she had glimpsed a cat silently leaping onto the table and eating the sushi she had left behind.