What became of us

Brideshead Revisited. It’s what they do to Anthony Blanche. If you haven’t read the book, you might at least have watched it on television.’
    ‘All right then, you’re on. How do we get in?’
    ‘Just follow me,’ Annie said, jumping up.
    She threw her shoes over the waist-high railings. ‘Would you give me a leg up?’
    He put his hands on her waist and hoisted her over, then jumped over himself as they strode past Brasenose College towards the High Street.
    ‘I remember Christ Church as being a bit like a fortress. We’ll never get over the wall.’ Ian hurried along behind her.
    ‘Who said anything about scaling walls?’

    When they reached the lodge it looked forbiddingly closed. Undaunted, Annie rang the bell. A sleepy-looking porter eventually opened the door.
    ‘A very good evening to you, Jim,’ Annie leaned forward and kissed the surprised old man enthusiastically on both cheeks. ‘Don’t say you don’t remember me!’
    ‘Well...’ the man stood back to get a better look, and Annie stepped through the door, pulling Ian in behind her.
    ‘I was one of the first Christ Church girls. I can’t believe you’ve forgotten me!’ She stood under the dim light so that he could get a good look at her face. Because she was on television, people often mistook her for someone they knew. ‘I haven’t forgotten all the tellings-off I got from you, but listen, I know it’s naughty and I’m old enough to know better, and all those other things you used to say, but I’ve just got married and we’re spending the first night of our honeymoon in Oxford, you know, for old times’ sake. Did you know my husband Ian, by the way? He was here too. Not at this college, of course. St Gertrudes! Who’d have thought I’d end up with a St Gert’s man? But there we go. Anyway, he’s never been in Mercury and you don’t mind, do you? We’ll just be a minute or two... yes, I am on the telly now...’
    And with that she made a dash towards the fountain in the centre of the huge quad, still pulling Ian along behind her.
    ‘He’s just beginning to wonder why I’m wearing jeans and you’re in a dinner jacket,’ she said, looking back as they reached the pond. ‘We haven’t got much time, so you first!’
    Ian jumped in enthusiastically, losing his footing as he did and belly-flopping. Annie gingerly extracted her right foot from her mule and put a toe in. ‘A bit too cold for me,’ she announced, laughing and taking her toe out again.
    ‘Oh no, you’re not getting away with that,’ Ian said, standing up and pulling her in with surprising strength.
    ‘Ooh, you m...m...m... meaty boy!’ Annie said, doing an Anthony Blanche impersonation while trying to hold her hair up and out as he ducked her in the water. ‘Enough!’ she shrieked, seeing that the porter was beginning to walk towards them.
    ‘He’s just woken up enough to remember that he’s not called Jim,’ she said into Ian’s ear. ‘Time for us to go.
    They got out and walked dripping towards the lodge, picking up speed as they passed the porter who looked as if he still wasn’t quite sure what was happening.
    ‘I thought it was amazing that you could remember his name after all this time!’
    ‘They were mostly called Jim,’ Annie told him authoritatively.
    ‘So which charm school taught you how to do that?’ Ian panted, as they ran all the way back up to Cornmarket.
    ‘My mother was an Avon lady,’ Annie told him, ‘we were very good at getting ourselves into people’s houses. You just have to keep talking and keep moving forwards.’
    ‘So now that we’re wet and cold, and we’ve probably got incipient Weil’s disease, what’s next?’ Ian asked her.
    ‘Your turn, remember?’ she said, like a challenge.
    He seemed to be looking into the distance, ignoring her when suddenly he said, ‘Follow me!’ and started walking quickly down Cornmarket in the direction of McDonald’s.
    ‘Was this your first McDonald’s?’ Annie asked, as they found themselves under the yellow arches sign. ‘It was mine. Can you imagine what life before McDonald’s was like?’
    ‘Ssssh,’ he said.
    Inside there was only one till open and an attendant was sweeping up around the tables Two lanky men were the only customers. They seemed to be getting in a large order. Their server looked distinctly bored as she ferried shakes and polystyrene boxes in various pastel colours to the counter.
    ‘I bet they’ve got the munchies,’ Annie