wondered what instinct it was that had made us dress up to the nines. In these more casual days dressing up for dinner is less common but at the restaurant to which Roberto took us it was de rigueur. Even then, we made an entrance. With three stunning women on our arms, how could we not? Roberto and Maria treated the attention as if it was an everyday occurrence. Tonia and Lola, of course, took it as their natural right and even I, the original shrinking violet, was becoming accustomed enough to the stares and whispered comments to feel no more than a momentary flutter in the pit of my stomach. Roberto was obviously a regular for we were escorted to our table amidst a flurry of waiters.
In another of my rare flashes of insight, it occurred to me that Roberto had made the reservations before we had properly met.
"Another test?" I murmured.
"Guilty as charged."
"It just might have worked."
He gave me a quizzical look but we arrived at our table and became involved in the rituals of getting seated and obtaining menus. I didn't look at the prices; not after I realised that a starter cost what I would have paid for a three-course meal not all that long ago.
Roberto leaned across the table. "The food here is good but not exceptional. One comes for the ambiance; to see and be seen. If you will permit, allow me to take care of the ordering."
This seemed like an excellent plan. For a start, the menu was in Spanish none of us understood a word of it and for another I had thrown Roberto a number of wobblies and some instinct told me I had to let him regain the upper ground for a while.
"Quite right," came Charles's voice in my head. "A cusp is approaching. Be cautious."
It was most disconcerting, the way he popped up at the oddest moments; almost as if he could read my mind.
"What's a cusp?"
"A point where nexus converge and the fabric of the space-time continuum acquires a number of possibilities."
"I'm sorry I asked. I take it we're still on track, then?"
"We are," he said complacently.
I leaned towards Lola and said quietly, "Charles says that a cusp is approaching and we are to be cautious. Don't ask." I saw she was about to ask the obvious question. "He's confident it'll all turn out well."
"That's what I was going to ask," she replied.
She passed the message on to Tonia who looked at me enquiringly. I nodded briefly.
It was Tonia who started the ball rolling. We were sipping an excellent wine and absorbing the ambience while we waited for the starters.
"Right, now you can tell me what I was right about," she said.
I looked puzzled as I'd forgotten, for the moment, what I had said.
"Just before you and Roberto went ga-ga over our appearance, you said to Roberto that I had been right. It's not often you admit that so I want to know the circumstances."
I laughed and glanced at Roberto who looked embarrassed but nodded.
"Roberto was explaining to me his reasons for inviting us to stay. They were as you thought."
With a sideways glance at Maria, Tonia exclaimed, "You wanted to seduce us? I'm flattered."
Roberto was looking even more embarrassed and Maria was regarding him with a questioning look. I decided I'd better try to come to his rescue.
"I had abandoned Tonia and Lola," I explained to Maria. "I was away trying to calm myself down after an unfortunate experience with airport security. If I had been in Roberto's position I'd've done exactly the same; struck up an acquaintance and extended a general invitation to make contact in the future."
"Trust men to stick up for each other." Maria was trying to appear cross. She turned to Lola and Tonia. "They're all the same. Flash them a bit of leg and all their sense disappears."
"You're being too generous," Lola said.
"Too generous? In what way?"
"By assuming that they've any good sense to disappear in the first place."
Maria appeared to consider this. "I am noted for my generosity," she said loftily. She turned to Roberto. "And the only reason I am thinking of forgiving you, querido, is because they have turned out to be such nice people."
Roberto twirled an imaginary moustache. "I am noted for my refined taste and excellent judgement," he said.
Before Maria could think of a come-back, our meal arrived and we were too occupied with eating to converse much. I thought the food was pretty good but, considering the price it was, perhaps Roberto was right.
"You may recall some time ago I asked you a question," he said as the plates were being cleared.
I considered a witty rejoinder but suspected it would not be appropriate so I simply said, "Yes."
"Are you in a position to provide a reply?" he said in a serious tone.
"Having given the matter due consideration, I believe I am," I said equally solemnly.
"Might I ask as to the nature of your reply?"
The ladies were looking at us as if we'd gone mad.
"What are you two playing at?" Tonia asked.
"Earlier, Roberto asked me a question of vital importance." I said. "At the time I was not prepared to answer it. Having debated the matter within myself and examined the implications from every angle, I am now prepared to answer it."
"Okay, okay," Lola said. "And just what is this question that the fate of the world hangs on?"
"He wished to know the colour of my socks."
"But surely…" Maria began, then sighed as I was set upon by both Lola and Tonia but discreetly as this was a quality restaurant.
"Ladies. Ladies," I protested. "Such behaviour is most unbecoming."
"Serves you right, buster," Lola growled. "Can't you be serious about anything?"
I pretended to think about it. "No," I said at last then, seeing I was about to be assaulted again, added, "Except about my feelings for you."
"Hrmph," Lola grunted but subsided.
"Actually, Roberto asked what sort of business we were in," I said. I turned to him. "Lola, Tonia and I are the Thompson Partnership, a small, new but very ambitious investment company. We have no preferred policy and are willing to invest in any venture that will provide an excellent rate of return." I went on to explain that we had all, independently, acquired some capital, had met up by accident and decided to join forces.
"Why the Thompson Partnership?" Roberto asked. "None of you is called Thompson."
"It's in honour of our sleeping partner and advisor, Charles Thompson," I said blandly.
"I am not asleep," Charles protested.
"A figure of speech. I'll explain later."
"I'm intrigued," Maria said. "A sleeping partner?"
"Yes. Charles is…"
"An eccentric recluse," Tonia cut in.
I smiled. "That's a good description. Charles is an elderly and eccentric recluse. He lacks the wherewithal to take an active part in the business but he has plenty of ideas and an unerring instinct for a good investment." I was rather proud if this description.
"You forgot to add, 'irascible'," Tonia said.
"So I did but we'll let it pass." I could feel Charles bristling at our description.
"So part of the reason for your visit is to look for investment opportunities in Spain?" Roberto asked.
"If the right ones should turn up."
"And you have no preference as to what sort if investments you make? I mean, you do not have any fixed ideas about what sort of market to invest in?"
"No, providing it's legal," Lola said.
"And preferably with a reasonably fast rate of return," Tonia added.
"Are you willing to take risks?"
"Within reason," I said.
"If you will allow me a day or two to make some enquiries, I may be in a position to assist you," Roberto said.
"We're always willing to listen," I said.
"Can I ask what line of work you're in?" Lola said.
Roberto smiled disparagingly. "Manufacturing. Not very exciting, I'm afraid. We make metal components."
"What sort of components?"
"Anything. From computer casings to frames for chairs. How much do you know about manufacturing?"
"Nothing," Lola grinned.
"I once put together a flat-pack bookcase," I said helpfully. Lola and Tonia glared at me.
"I don't think that qualifies," Roberto said diplomatically. "I will spare you the details, then, but the most expensive part of the process is the tooling-up; the time and effort it takes to convert your production line from one item to another. We have made a very large investment in the latest technology and are one of the fastest in Europe in this area. This means we can reduce overall production costs and so offer a more competitively priced service to our customers." There was real pride in his voice.
"Wow. Sounds impressive," Tonia said.
"You have to keep on your toes. There's much competition from Eastern Europe these days, especially with the expansion of the EU."
"Do you do any precision engineering?" Lola asked.
"No. The start-up costs are too high. Why do you ask?"
She grinned. "We just happen to know of a company that's just gone into receivership."
"Bad business model," Tonia added at Roberto's enquiring look. "It was too dependent on a single large customer."
"Not a good idea," Roberto agreed. "Who is it?"
"Baxindale Engineering."
Roberto was surprised. "I have heard of them. They do good work. You say they've gone bankrupt."
"Yes."
His face took on a thoughtful look. "If you know nothing about the manufacturing industry, how do you know about Baxindale? They're not exactly a household name."
I tapped the side of my nose knowingly.
"Imbecile," Tonia said. "We're buying the ex-managing director's house," she said to Roberto.
He nodded. "It's sad when all you have is tied up in your business. He must be pretty upset."
"His wife is. I'm afraid her husband had a fatal heart attack."
"I am truly sorry to hear that." He sighed. "How terrible for his family." He turned to Maria. "My dear, I am sorry to talk business at dinner, especially with such tragic consequences."
She smiled at him indulgently as if she was well used to it. "Promise me you will never get like that," she said.
"With you to keep my feet on the ground," he laughed. "I don't think there is any danger of that."
The conversation turned to lighter topics. Even if the food was not outstanding, the company was. We found out that Roberto had almost as many letters after his name as Tonia and Lola. He had trained as an engineer and, according to him, a series of fortunate events had propelled him to the top in a remarkably short time. It was my private opinion that good fortune had very little to do with it. He did not strike me as being a ruthlessly ambitious man, desperate to make it to the top at whatever cost, but a true enthusiast with intelligence, drive and determination and that rare ability to fire others with equal enthusiasm. Oh, I was fairly certain he could be as ruthless as the best of them if necessary but I instinctively felt he did not believe it necessary to step on others' faces to make his mark.
Maria was his equivalent. She had left school early and become an office junior. Six months of the mind-numbing boredom of clerical work had her determined to better herself. She had attended night school and done correspondence courses to gain qualifications which had allowed her to rise through the ranks to be Roberto's PA. She attributed her success to education but I detected in her the same drive and enthusiasm as Roberto possessed. It was a humbling experience to hear their stories, knowing that I was here merely through the flash of sunlight on a remote hillside. I resolved to use Charles's gift in the best ways I possibly could.
After dinner, Roberto and Maria took us to the old town. We spent some time promenading up and down La Rambla. Even at this time of the evening it was thronged with people, eating, drinking, talking, walking under the tall plane trees. Kiosks selling, books, magazines, ice cream and knick-knacks lined the edges. Jugglers, acrobats, mimes and musicians plied their precarious trade. Waiters, balancing impossibly large trays laden with plates of food nimbly dodged the traffic as they made their between the kitchens that lined the street and the tables that occupied the broad pedestrian area in the centre. We were entranced and enchanted. Even though we were grossly overdressed, we didn't feel out of place: we were by no means the most outrageously dressed. We sat and sipped wine and watched the world go by in all its glorious variety.
"You should see it when Barça win," Roberto said with a smile.
"I would guess it's a deal more civilised than Rangers or Celtic," I said.
"Most definitely," he said with a shudder.
"I take it you've experienced it?"
"Yes. Once. It was enough."
"I've been meaning to ask you," Tonia leaned forward. "I get the feeling you have a Scottish connection."
Roberto raised his hands in mock horror. "Is there nothing you don't know about me?" he laughed.
Tonia leaned further forward, giving Roberto a clear view of her cleavage. "Oh, yes. There's lot's we don't know… yet," she breathed in a sultry voice, pouting furiously.
Roberto looked decidedly interested.
"Tonia, behave," I chided.
"Yes, boss," she smirked, pulling back.
"My mother came from Ayr," Roberto said. "My full name is Roberto Juan Alvarez Sinclair. I still have relatives on the West coast."
I wanted to ask why he wasn't known as Roberto Sinclair rather than Roberto Alvarez but then realised that that would mean he would be known by his mother's maiden name and, at that point, gave up.
"Small world, isn't it?" Lola said. She turned to Maria. "Don't tell me, you have an uncle in Inverness."
Maria laughed. "No, I'm Catalan, through and through; not a half-breed like some." She smiled fondly at Roberto.
"In me you have the best of both worlds," he said haughtily, then laughed.
"Do you have business interests in Scotland?" Lola asked.
"No. And it isn't really a small world, you know." We looked at him curiously. "A moment ago Lola commented that it was a small world, struck, no doubt, by the coincidence of me being part Scots. But when you think about it, it isn't a coincidence at all. If I hadn't had some connection with Scotland I wouldn't have been at the airport in the first place."
Lola looked at him. "You sure you're not a lawyer?"
"I am, but I've had many years of sitting on the opposite side of the table from them."
"Och, you take all the fun out of it," she pouted.
"Out of what?" I asked.
"Bamboozling men who assume that, because I'm only a woman, they're automatically smarter than me."
"No danger of that as far as I'm concerned."
"I'll second that," Roberto said fervently.
When we finally returned to Roberto's flat, he and Maria fixed nightcaps and we sat on the balcony in the balmy night air looking out over the lights of the city. Barcelona seemed like a very civilised place to live, at least from the cocoon of money and privilege though I supposed it must have its problems just like any other city. I had never experience my home city as a tourist so I didn't see the centuries of history, the uniqueness of the architecture or the hundreds of cultural activities except as a backdrop to the daily business of earning a living and keeping body and soul together. I suppose it was rather unfair to compare Barcelona on a balmy early summer evening with Princes Street on a dreich November afternoon.
"You're very pensive," Lola remarked.
I told her my thoughts. "I would probably have a very different attitude if I had to fight my way through the traffic every day in the heat of mid-summer to a job I didn't particularly like because I had to keep up the payments on a mortgage on a small house in the suburbs where I was forced to live because I couldn't afford to live in the city centre."
Maria was nodding soberly. "As the Americans say, 'been there, done that'. Unfortunately no-one was handing out t-shirts."
"Don't you like your city?" Roberto asked.
I was forced to think. "Yes, I suppose I do. I don't like what the Council are doing to it but, as a city, it's probably one of the better ones."
"If I was to live anywhere else, it would probably be there," he said.
"Rather than Paris or London or Madrid or Prague or Rome?" Tonia asked.
"Yes," he said decisively. "I don't know Prague or Rome but, while I love visiting the others, I wouldn't want to live there. There are only two drawbacks; it isn't warm enough and it's too windy."
"Oh, I don't know," Lola drawled. "On a fine summer's day you can sometimes even go out without your overcoat on."
Everybody laughed but Maria.
"One day, querido, you will have to take me to this remarkable city so I can judge for myself whether you are really insane or not."
"Just remember to pack your thermal underwear," Lola teased.
"It cannot be that bad, can it?"
"It isn't. It's what you're used to," I said and told them the story of being in a small shop in the city centre on a sunny summer's day. It was busy, the shop was crowded and it didn't have air-conditioning. Almost everyone was dressed in light summer clothing and feeling the heat except one couple who were wearing jumpers and jackets. I overheard them talking and realised they were speaking Spanish. To us, used to the cold, the day was warm verging on hot: to them, used to the Spanish sun, the day was cool.
Roberto commented on the opposite in Spain where the Brits on winter holidays would parade around in shorts and bikinis to the amusement of the locals who felt that, if the temperature dropped even one more degree, they would be heading for another Ice Age.
"It's all about tolerance," Lola said. "It's easy to poke fun at someone who's different and assume they're stupid but, when you find out the facts, it's because they come from a different country or culture or something. To them it's perfectly normal."
"Talking of tolerance," Tonia said. "You two seem remarkably unfazed by us."
"I admit to having to swallow sometimes," Roberto said with a grin, "but that's more because of you and Lola rather than the fact you're a trio. One beautiful woman I could understand, but two…" he shook his head in admiration. "How do you keep up?"
"By letting them think I believe I rule the roost while doing exactly what I'm told," I laughed.
"You have to admire a man who knows his place," Lola remarked to the world at large.
"Someone might like to take some lessons," Maria said, looking playfully at Roberto.
"I don't think so," Roberto responded mock-snootily. "I hold exactly the same opinion."
Maria's response was a derisive snort.
"You managed to avoid my question quite adroitly," Tonia said. "But I'm going to do a Lola and keep asking until I get an answer. Maria, we only met today yet you seem to have no problem with our relationship. Why?"
"Excuse me, but before Maria answers, may I ask you why you wish to know?" I had been wondering the same thing, myself.
Tonia frowned in concentration. "Back home, we haven't really been seen as a three-some yet. The hotel here is just a hotel and I'm sure they've seen stranger groups than us so they don't count. You and Maria are the first people we've met as people, where we've had an opportunity to show our relationship openly. While it's possible that you're so overcome by our overwhelming beauty…" here she grinned at Roberto, "…as to have lost your reasoning powers, I'm sure Maria isn't so easily swayed. I really would like to know because, I don't know, I suppose I anticipated people might be upset… antagonistic… perturbed…" she shrugged.
Maria gave a little grimace. "You know you are putting me on the spot, here. I don't know if my English is good enough to explain without appearing to be offensive."
"Don't worry," Lola said. "If we can put up with him, nothing you can say will seem offensive. I must confess Tonia's got me intrigued."
"I think I'm offended," was my contribution.
"Well, okay," Maria said. "Roberto had said that he was expecting three acquaintances from Scotland but he didn't say in what context. When I first saw you, you were clearly close but I assumed you were business friends… partners as you have said. When Roberto insisted I take you shopping I was a bit taken aback but…" she shrugged, "…he's the boss, at least in the office." She smiled fondly at Roberto who managed to look innocent. "In the shops, it became clear that you were much more than business partners but I was so caught up in the goings-on that I didn't really think about it and you…" she nodded at me, "…kept asking embarrassing questions."
"You have my interest," Roberto said.
Maria blushed. "He seemed to know all about us even though we had only just met."
I managed not to smirk. "I told you I had a dirty mind."
"So you did," Roberto laughed. "Sorry for the interruption, mi amor."
Maria took a deep breath. "By the time we were going out to dine, I had stopped even thinking about it. There were three of you. You were partners… lovers." She shrugged. "It didn't seem to matter." She paused and stared out over the city for a moment before continuing. "I think it is because you seem to act as one, as three parts of the same unit, if I am making any sense. You are not the same but you seem to have a connection. One of you says or does something, another picks up on it instantly and, suddenly, the three of you are moving off as if you had planned everything out in detail beforehand. Yet I know that cannot have happened. I'm sorry. I did not make myself very clear."
"Maria, you do yourself a disservice," I said. "Most native English speakers would be unable to express themselves half so eloquently."
"She's right, too," Lola said, excitedly. "We do behave like that, don't we?"
"I hadn't thought of it before but, yes," Tonia said.
They both looked at me with a strange expression on their faces. I knew quite well that the unspoken question was whether Charles was behind all this.
"I'm as baffled as you as to why it happens," I said. "But Maria is right. And it isn't just me to you. It works the other way round, too." I hoped that coded reply would tell them that, as far as I was aware, Charles had nothing to do with it.
"I had nothing to do with it," Charles said suddenly, startling me. "I, too, had not seen this until the other female mentioned it but she is correct. I will give the matter some thought."
"Just do it quietly. I nearly spilt my drink," I retorted.
"Have you had a satisfactory answer, Tonia?" Roberto asked. I noticed he did not express his own opinion.
"And then some. Maria, thank you. You've given us much to think about."
"This is a very serious conversation for people who have only just become acquainted," Roberto said.
"I think that indicates our relationship will develop beyond the merely casual," Lola said.
Roberto looked momentarily surprised. "You could well be right. I think I am looking forward to it."
"I suppose we could talk about Barça's chances in the Cup," I said with a grin in an attempt to lighten the mood, "but I'm sure I wouldn't understand a word."
"Indeed," Roberto grinned back. "Or we could discuss whether anyone stands a chance of catching Celtic."
"And I still wouldn't understand a word," I laughed.
"Men!" Tonia exclaimed. "Give them five minutes and they start discussing football."
Roberto raised a sardonic eyebrow. "You would prefer it if we discussed make-up?"
"Possibly not," Tonia admitted with a shudder.
We all laughed and the conversation turned to other, lighter matters. But we were all aware that there was a serious undercurrent. I think we were all aware, as Charles had predicted, we were somehow destined to become much closer but didn't yet know how or when.