The Writers' Circle

Larissa

	Of course I didn't have the courage to destroy my life in that hotel bath tub. Instead I drank two bottles of wine and cried myself to sleep. My next assignment takes me to California to seek out an English golfer. The day before the Buick Invitational tournament, I watched him play the last three holes of his Pro-am round. He looked in good spirits and had plenty of time to chat to his three amateur partners, sharing a laugh with them on more than one occasion during those three holes. After the round he shakes all three of there hands and bids them a fond farewell, before heading for the car park with his female caddy. They both get into the same car and I get into mine and follow them. A few miles down the road they stop off at a little Italian restaurant, selecting a table outside. After they order, his caddy goes inside, presumably to go to the bathroom. I swoop to talk to him alone.
'Mr Summers,' I say as I stand over him.
'Rob suits me much better,' he replies looking completely unflustered by my sudden appearance. 
'I'd agree with that Rob, I'm Larissa.'
'Hello Larissa, are you going to sit down? I'm not used to having to look up at many people, let alone ladies.'
'Thanks very much,' I say as I lower myself into one of the three empty chairs around the table. 
'How can I help you?'
'We can help each other.'
'Sounds perfect.'
'I work for this company.'
'Oh, perfection slipping away.'
'We help sports stars supplement their earnings.'
'Getting the feeling that perfection is a dim and distant memory.'
'I'll get straight to the point.'
'Think that'll be best, I'm running out of perfection references.'
'We're a betting syndicate.'
'Guess I won't be needing the word perfection anymore. Think I might have heard of you guys, have to say sending a lady is a good touch.'
'Glad you appreciate my feminine charms. Let's be honest Rob, you're having a lousy spell in your career, may as well make some money out of it. With the way you've been playing, no one will ever know.'
'I'll know.'
'Just by guaranteeing us you'll shoot over a certain score in one round, we'll make sure you're handsomely rewarded.'
'Larissa are you sure?' He looked intently at me.
'Absolutely certain, I can guarantee an amount right now if you like.'
'No I mean are you sure Larissa is your name.'
'What?'
'You sure it's not more like Sastia Breck?'
A chill goes down my spine. 'Who are you? How do you know that?'
'I'm a lousy professional golfer, remember? Don't worry, I'm not part of any group that likes to assassinate ex-sports stars.'
'But how did you know?'
'Funnily enough I was watching a sport documentary the other day and it had a piece on you. When you first appeared today I couldn't help but notice your athletic, but might I say no where near too butch to be sexy, figure. Definitely look like swimmers shoulders and arms to me. You've tanned extremely well over the years and it's been over twenty years since anybody's seen you in a pool, but looking closely I can still see it in your face. A resemblance to that young girl who seemed to get that purest of joys, from the simple act of swimming.'
'Sorry to have bothered you Mr Summers,' I say and hastily make my exit.
'It's Rob don't forget, no bother at all, privilege to have met you,' he says as I'm walking away.
I get back to my car and ring my boss straight away.
'You'll have to get someone else to do Summers,' I tell him.
'Why?'
'He knows me.'
'What do you mean?'
'He knows who I am, who I was, who I should have been. Not this hurtful bitch I've become.'
'Steady on dear, there's no need to get philosophical. I think the feminine route is still the best for him. I'll assign Monika to him, nothing to worry about dear.'

	Of course I hadn't forgotten my real name, what I had done and who I used to be. But I had repressed them, deep to the back of my mind and almost out of my soul. Having a complete stranger remind me of all of those things made me physically sick. I had to stop the car twice during the short ride back to my hotel, so that I could throw up on the side of the road. The ghost of my dreams was well and truly haunting me now.
	As soon as I got back to my hotel I sent a text to three sports stars who I thought might be in the area. One of them was and didn't need any convincing to come round to my room and spend a night with Larissa. I wasn't near ready for anybody to be spending any time with Sastia.