She felt terrible, absolutely awful. Both at accusing the shop girl – God, could she ever drink their lovely hot chocolate again? – but worse, she had accused Oke of being a rube, of not knowing what he was doing.
She caught up with him in the snowy street, the sound of everything muffled, no cars passing.
‘Oke!’
He turned round. She had forgotten to put her coat on and was shivering.
‘Look at you,’ he said. ‘You’re dressed worse than I am.’
He immediately went to take off his jacket and give it to her.
‘No, I don’t need it … I’m so sorry,’ said Carmen.
‘I don’t know why you’re apologising to me,’ said Oke.
‘Because I made it look as if you didn’t know what you were doing. Sorry.’
He shrugged.
‘Okay. Have you apologised to Dahlia?’
‘Who’s … ? Oh. The waitress.’
He nodded.
‘You slightly accused her of stealing?’
‘OhGod,’ said Carmen. ‘I always do this. I just dive straight in and speak and get myself into so much trouble.’
Oke smiled.
‘Have you ever thought aboutnotdoing that?’
‘All the time,’ she said, looking up at him. The snowflakes were settling on his hair. ‘But usually it’s exactly five seconds after I just said the thing that got me into trouble.’
He looked serious.
‘Well. Okay. You’re cold; are you sure you won’t take my coat?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous – you aren’t wearing enough as it is.’
‘Well, I’m glad you care,’ he said.
‘Did they not tell you in Brazil it was going to be cold here? Are Quakers not allowed Christmas, birthdays andweather?’
He laughed. She glanced over her shoulder into the shop. Blair was staring at his phone and frowning and sneaking looks at her.
‘I should go,’ she said. ‘Um, what are you up to?’
‘I am going to the Quaker house. They have a meeting there, and a homeless drive.’
‘Cor. You really are very Quakery.’
‘I’m not really,’ he said. ‘Well, apart from the Christmas thing. Loads of Quakers celebrate that. We just never got the habit. But sometimes it is … comforting. In a foreign land. To sit among brethren, doing familiar things. You don’t have to believe all of it. And it is good to sit among silence sometimes.’
‘I can see that,’ said Carmen. She frowned and remembered something she’d read somewhere. ‘Hang on. Is it true that Quakers can’t lie?’
‘Yes,’ said Oke. ‘Although that may be a lie.’
