"No!" cried Hannah desperately. "You're going to turn her into a computer-geek!"

"Oh shut up and have another drink" replied Rona, pouring another glass of champagne for Hannah. She raised her own glass. "To the weekend!"

"The weekend!" Hannah clinked her glass against Rona's.

"Anyway" said Rona, "I don't think Sacha's in any danger of becoming a computer-geek, just 'cause she'll be writing a column about blogs . . ."

"Ugh" said Hannah, "don't use that word around me. It hurts me to hear it, honey, it hurts me."

Rona cocked her head, and then leaned closer towards Hannah. "Hannah" she said, "look at me." Hannah did so, raising an eyebrow and grinning suggestively. "Have you been smoking something?" asked Rona.

Hannah thought about this. "Define 'something'" she replied.

"Riiiight . . ."

Hannah held her glass up to the light that spilled through the leaves of the tree they were sitting under. "Dammit" she said, "it's always so long from the top of one glass to the top of the next one."

Rona gently took the glass from Hannah's hand and placed it on the table next to where they were sitting. "You're thirsty today" she said, "even by your own standards. What's up?"

"Apart from me?" Hannah collapsed in a fit of giggles. Rona smiled a little unconvincingly.
Hannah stopped giggling suddenly. "I've got to go and see my family" she said. "Yay, I get to butt heads with Mum. Big fun." She frowned. "What a fucking waste of a Saturday" she added bitterly.

"But you get to see your brother too, don't you? How's he? Is he in High School yet? I always forget."

Hannah shot her a look which Rona didn't see in her face often: a look that told her instantly to drop it, to change the subject.

There was an uncomfortable silence, made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that it was so rare between the two of them. Finally Rona spoke: "You really like her, don't you?"

"Who, my Mum?"

"No!" Rona laughed. "Sacha."

Hannah pursed her lips, and then broke out spontaneously into her familiar teeth-baring grin. "You know me" she said, "I like everyone."