42
The encounter
London, May 2010
Eleni rang the bell of his east London studio. In her brief walk from Old Street Tube, it felt like she was on a roller-coaster, her stomach jumping and her heart skipping. She had spent weeks handling the business card Martin Wheel had given her with his work telephone number inscribed at the bottom right-hand corner, taking it out of her purse to look at it for a few seconds and then quickly putting it back in. She had finally dialled the number. He gave her an appointment in two weeks’ time. He did not seem in a hurry to meet her after all.
She was breathless when she reached the top of the two flights of stairs to his studio, her pulse loud in her ears as she was going up. They nodded at each other, exchanging a short glance, and she was led to one
