As a matter of fact, I think there are more important things in life than ―relationships‖.‘

What, like your career, you mean?‘ She shot him a look. Sorry.‘They  turned  back  to  the  sky, shading  into  night  now  and  after  a  moment  she  said, 

Actually my career took a bit an upturn today if you must know.‘

You got fired?‘

Promotion.‘ She started to laugh. I‘ve been offered the job of manager.‘

Dexter sat up quickly. In that place? You‘ve got to turn it down.‘

Why do I have to turn it down? Nothing wrong with restaurant work.‘

Em, you could be mining uranium with your teeth and that would be fine as long as you were happy. But you hate that job, you hate every single moment.‘ 

So? Most people hate their jobs. That‘s why they‘re called jobs.‘

I love my job.‘

Yeah,  well, we can‘t all work in the  media, can we?‘ She hated the tone of her voice now, sneering and sour. Worse still, she could feel hot, irrational tears starting to form in the back of her eyes.

Hey, maybe I could get you a job!‘

She laughed. What job?‘

With me, at Redlight Productions!‘ He was warming to the idea now. As a researcher. You‘d have to start as a runner, which is unpaid, but you‘d be brilliant—‘

Dexter, thank you, but I don‘t want to work in the media. I know we‘re all meant to be desperate to work in the  media  these days, like the  media‘s the best job in the world—‘  You sound  hysterical,  she  thought,  jealous  and  hysterical.  In  fact  I  don‘t  even  know  what  the media  is—‘  Stop  talking,  stay  calm.  I  mean  what  do  you  people  do  all  day  except  stand around drinking bottled water and taking drugs and photocopying your bits—‘

Hey, it‘s hard work, Em—‘

I mean if people treated, I don‘t know, nursing or social work or teaching with the same 

respect as they do the bloody media—‘

So be a teacher then! You‘d be a fantastic teacher—‘

I want you to write on the board, ―I will not give my friend careers advice!‖‘ She was talking too loud now, shouting almost, and  a long silence followed. Why was she being like this? He was only trying to help. In what way did he benefit from this friendship? He should get up and walk away, that‘s what he should do. They turned to look at each other at the same time.

Sorry,‘ he said.

No, I‘m sorry.‘

What are you sorry for?‘