Who is this? An ex-colleague? Pall Mall has downsized twice. Caroline frantically tries to place him, re-imagining him in clean clothes and short hair. "I'm fine thank you, how are you?"
He bellows. "Couldn't be better. You know I'm working on the Internet now? In fact I was speaking yesterday at the Marketing on the Internet conference."
"What a coincidence!" she says. "I was at that conference." Back, very far back at university, Caroline knew the band Genesis before they made it. She is beginning to wonder if this is one of the original members Ñ one who left too soon.
He pats his pockets. "I used up all my cards yesterday. Do you have one of yours?"
Something tells her no. She chuckles. "I used all mine up, too,"
She gets out at Waterloo and walks quickly away in case he follows. She feels sorry for him, and awful about her reaction. I used to know him, she thinks. Who, who, who?
And why?