Chasing Men Read Online Free Page B

direction.
    ‘That’s different,’ her mother retorted. ‘We learned self-reliance in the war. Never short of a date then.’ Her eyes became dreamy. ‘Anyway, at my age there are so few men left. The rest are too decrepit for words. The ones who want a wife don’t deserve one. Or else they’re after a housemaid, cook and nurse in one.’ She glared. ‘I’ve washed enough dirty socks in my time, and wiped bottoms. I’m not about to start again.’
    Hetty and Sally giggled, and took refuge in their wine. ‘I feel much the same,’ Hetty responded at last, ‘though for the moment being alone is simply the result of being the innocent party in a divorce. It was devastating, but I don’t intend to get bitter if I can avoid it. On the other hand, I’m not about to pick up any old bloke on the rebound.’
    ‘Maybe that’s exactly what you should do.’ Sally brightened. ‘Find somebody else quickly, while you still can.’ Hetty brooded. Most of the crackers had gone. She tipped up the packet; salty crumbs cascaded on to the carpet. ‘Damn,’ she said, then shrugged. ‘But is that all there is? Hunting down a replacement for my erring ex? Isn’t there more to look forward to than that? Here I am, in the midst of the world’s greatest metropolis, compos mentis , more or less solvent and fancy-free. Lord, I sound like one of those contact ads in the Daily Telegraph .’ She struggled. ‘Up till this month I’ve lived with, and for, other people. My entire life, Sally, has revolved round other people – your father, Peter, you. Perhaps it’s time to find out what I want, how I’d like to spend my time. Who with. With nobody, maybe.’
    Sally dragged on the cigarette. ‘You’ll suffer from depression. Do you know what SAD means? Single and desperate. I’m seriously worried about you.’
    ‘I’ll manage – you’ll see. I’ll have to. And it might save me giving in to the pressure, and inviting you to come and live with me,’ Hetty added wryly.
    Sally looked aghast. ‘I don’t think that would be wise. Erik, for example. It’d put him off.’
    ‘Yes, I can see that,’ Hetty drawled. ‘And maybe, if I follow your advice and go chasing men, it’d cramp my style, too. There are advantages in living alone.’
    ‘You don’t mean it,’ Sally chided. ‘You’re probably still in love with Dad. Aren’t you?’
    Hetty sighed. ‘Maybe. We were together half our lifetimes. We had a lot of good years – in fact, I assumed it would simply go on for ever. My mistake.’
    Sally leaned back, eyes closed. It is so obvious, Hetty thought, that she longs for what I had. Happy marriage is still the ideal. How astonishing that they had never had this conversation before, these three women; it was as if they had never communicated anything of import till now. It had taken heartbreak to bring them together.
    Hetty’s head ached. She rose and put the empty wine bottle on the mantelpiece. There she played with the perfume phials, rearranging them, lifting each up to catch the light. ‘Loads of options, now,’ she observed. She prodded the wine bottle. ‘This is one, since I no longer have to be ultra-respectable. Or I could get fat – comfort eating can be very nice. Or become SAD, a depressive, and make a career of crying for help.’ She began to move an ornament with each sentence. ‘That’s three. I could, however, be sensible – get a job, find a new church and a local charity to potter about in. According to you two, I could chase men or be chased by them. That’s seven – or is it eight?’
    ‘You could go back to the country on your own and make a go of it there,’ said Sally.
    ‘A recipe for genteel poverty. This is where the work is.’
    ‘ You could go back to Dad .’ Sally again.
    Hetty’s chin came up. ‘That’s ten. Enough.’
    She put the gewgaws back in their original places, then laughed. ‘In a year or so we’ll see what I’ve done. Whether I’ve survived or not. Along with