Virtual Strangers Read Online Free Page A

flanked by offspring and parent like a novelty wallflower, don’t know if I’ll bother to go. It’ll only be the same old crowd, and much as I love Caroline, you know how I feel about what she puts on her skewers.
    Still a bit fed up without Daniel/with Dad. Uncharacteristically fed up, in fact. Can’t remember feeling like this since Felix and I decided to file for divorce. Though I guess I do know where a lot of it stems from; not quite being able to quite believe that I am less than a year from my birthday and haven’t even come close to fulfilling my one big ambition. Which is ridiculous - I could have started saving five years back! And it’s not as if I want to climb the wretched mountain even! Just stand at the bottom - how hard can that be? Ditto the new kitchen, come to think of it. The one that I didn’t inherit. The one that doesn’t have cat claw trails up the cupboard fronts and wodges of brown stuff in the cutlery drawer corners. The one that I went into a shop and chose . The mythical, mystical, X-files, Star Trek Voyager kitchen of my dreams.
    I must make a serious mental note to ask everybody I invite to my birthday party to bring me an MFI voucher (must check if exist!) or Nepalese currency, or high energy biscuits and so on. Do you know what Phil said to me this morning? He said ‘I thought it might be fun to go on one of those Murder Mystery weekends,’ and all I could think was ‘Weekend from hell’. We are so pathologically unsuited! And, nice as he is, he can be such a prat at times, don’t you think? Have we a future, Rose? Seriously?
    Still, on a lighter note, here, as promised, is my latest shag list;
    New at 6: Hugh Chatsworth (who I’m afraid you’ll just have to take my word for. He’s the new boy at Willie JJ - Only 19! (Bless) Very short hair. Very long limbs. Bit nervous of me. Nervous of me ! Lots of scope for a dom/sub scenario...)
    5: Richard Potter (Who I spotted in town in his hard hat and boots last week. Yum yum. Would have climbed to number four if it hadn’t been for....)
    4: David Harris-Harper (WOW or what?)
    3: Adam Jones (bedside manner on top form, as ever.....)
    2: Your Matt (except beard tendency a worry, I have to say.)
    1: That new IT teacher at your party. Forgot his name/marital status. What is his name/marital status? Must know. Can’t ask Ben for obvious reasons!!!
    Email back soon,
    Miss you.
    Charliexx
    PS Really sorry to dump all my moans on you. Humour me! I promise I will snap out of it soon.
    Saturday lunchtime. A response at last! Though, has to be said, a disappointingly short one. Expect she is bogged down in dibbing or dobbing, or whatever it is that new post-downshifting ruralites do.
    [email protected]
    Dear Charlie,
    Sorry you’re feeling morose. I expect you failed to establish either status because you had lost the power of decipherable speech before ten.
    Why Adam Jones at number three?
    Rose.
    Teatime. Tried calling Rose for qualification of this worrisome and hitherto unremarked aspect of humiliation status, and possible further detail on the IT guy. New ansafone message (Matt, this time);

    Hi Guys,
    Matt and Rose are just too busy chilling. Hang up if you like or hold tight for the bleep. Leave a message by all means - then call again later. You know what we’re like. Hah!
    Chilling? Hah? A s eriously bizarre, yet somehow spookily inevitable development, Matt-wise. Didn’t bother again, as I’m complete crap at talking to ansafones - saying well! there we are than! so! well! anyway! yes! anyway! so! well! ho ho! yes! ooh! listen to me! anyway! etc. etc. ad nauseum, and sounding like an utter dingbat. Plus ansafones are seriously old-hat now anyway. Booted up (getting slick now) and sent an email instead.
    [email protected]
    Dear Rose,
    Didn’t think much of your new ansafone message. Have you gone all ironic on me? ( Please say yes). Or is ‘chilling’ Kent-speak for watching Neighbours, perhaps? Oh, and has Matt