The spare ticket

Source: an original fiction extract.

The spare ticket lay between two mugs on the table. Eva had won a pair of seats for a concert and promised the second to her friend Ruth. Now her cousin Daniel was visiting for the weekend, and he had mentioned the band three times since breakfast. Eva moved the ticket beneath a magazine. Ruth had said last month that she was trying to listen to different music. Daniel knew every song. It was possible, Eva thought, that the ticket would be better used by somebody who understood what he was hearing.

She sent Ruth a message asking whether she was still keen. Ruth replied almost immediately: yes, she had arranged to leave work early. Eva read it twice. Daniel was in the next room, playing a recording quietly through his phone. She could hear him singing the first line before the singer began. She typed that there might be a problem with the spare seat, then deleted it. There was no problem with the seat. The problem was that she wanted a different person in it.

At lunch she told Daniel that Ruth was coming. He said he had hoped there might be a spare, but he understood. His easy response made Eva feel worse, because she had already imagined him being disappointed enough to justify changing the arrangement. She explained that Ruth was not a particular fan. Daniel shrugged. 'She might become one.' Then he asked if she wanted to go for a walk before the concert. Eva agreed, though she kept thinking about how she would describe the evening to him afterwards.

Outside the venue, Ruth arrived carrying a bag from work and wearing shoes that looked uncomfortable. She thanked Eva and said she had been looking forward to an evening without having to organise anything. During the first song she listened with her head slightly tilted. She did not sing along. Eva found herself watching for proof that she was enjoying it, as if the invitation still needed to be earned. Then Ruth laughed at something the singer said between songs, and Eva realised she had missed the joke because she was studying her friend's face.

On the way home, Ruth said she had liked the slower songs best. Eva preferred the loud final set, but she asked which one Ruth meant and they worked out its title together. Daniel was still awake when she returned. She told him about the concert and admitted that she had nearly tried to change the plan. He looked surprised. Eva said she had not done it, then heard the self-congratulation in that sentence and stopped. She put the unused programme on the table between them and asked which song he would have wanted to hear.

Consider the whole source. A reader said: “Eva keeps her promise, but the writer shows that being fair involves more than simply allowing Ruth to have the ticket.” Evaluate how far you agree. Support your judgement with detailed references to the text and the writer’s methods.