You, Me and Other People Read Online Free Page B

her head away and slowly begins to fold her long legs into the booth I’ve reserved for lunch. I hand her an envelope.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I could’ve just sent it by BACS, but I wanted to apologize in person. That brings us all up to date.’
    She nods, doesn’t look at me and immediately begins to remove her limbs from the booth again.
    ‘What? That’s it?’ I hear my voice sound as if I’m fourteen and it’s about to break.
    She looks me up and down. ‘Adam, I agreed to meet you when you guys owed me six grand. I thought I’d have to butter you up to be paid. I thought I’d get quoted the fact that times are bad, that we’re all still feeling the pain of recession. That your clients haven’t paid you, so you’re a little slow in paying contractors, but hey …’ She waves an arm dramatically as she swings her designer handbag over her other shoulder. ‘Here we are and you’ve already paid me!’
    ‘Stay for lunch …’
    ‘I’d rather starve.’
    ‘Please.’ I meet her narrowed eyes. ‘I need to talk to you, to someone.’
    ‘Try Yell.com. Look under “Counselling for fucktards”.’ She is still standing.
    ‘Please? Beth won’t talk to me.’
    She relents a little and sits down, no legs under the table, just seated on the edge, ready for a speedy exit. It’s good enough for me.
    ‘Drink?’
    She shakes her head.
    ‘Do you mind if I have one?’
    More head-shaking. I motion to the waiter by pointing to my empty G&T glass, mouthing ‘another’ to him. Karen is looking at her feet.
    ‘Where do I start?’ I place both my palms on the table, clutching the edge with my thumbs.
    ‘Well, you could explain why you’re playing hunt the sausage with some blonde waitress?’
    ‘She’s not a waitress,’ I begin, ‘she part-owns the restaurant.’ I’ve recently learned this fact and feel eager to share it with Karen.
    ‘Bully for her. Explain then why you’re playing hunt the sausage with a blonde part-restaurant owner.
Again
…’
    She spits the last word out. For a moment I’m confused. Then I realize. This is Karen; Beth tells her everything. Of course she would know about the last time, but that was different. And it was such a long time ago.
    ‘That was a long time ago,’ I whisper.
    ‘What? I can’t hear you,’ she says, raising a palm to her ear. ‘I’m assuming it was an apology for breaking Beth’s heart.
Again
.’
    I almost snatch the G&T from the waiter’s tray as he walks by.
    ‘I am sorry. Of course, I’m sorry. Every day I’m sorry—’
    ‘Words, Adam, just words … Thank you for the cheque.’ She stands up, straightens out her tailored trousers and eyeballs me. ‘I do hope that we can continue a working relationship, but when it comes to your behaviour and Beth, don’t ever expect me to take your side.’
    ‘I don’t, Karen.’ I reach out and grab her arm. ‘Look, I only want to talk to her. Just talk to her, try and explain.’
    ‘Don’t you get it?’ She pulls away. ‘You’ve hurt her too badly this time. There is no explanation you could possibly offer.’
    ‘But we’ve been married for—’
    Karen tuts loudly, shakes me off her and walks away. Men stare in her wake, then look back at me. It looks like a lovers’ tiff and I’m the baddie. Well. They’re half right.
    ‘Twenty years,’ I finish my sentence, addressing my G&T. I swallow back the remains of the drink in one gulp, realizing for the first time that this is it, the possible end of my marriage, and I wonder how the hell I ended up being so arrogant. What had I thought? That she’d just take me back again. Yes. That’s exactly what I’d thought. That I could have a bit of fun, admit my mistake and that Beth would take me back. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. The words roll around my head and I hear myself speaking just like her. I’m trying ‘Beth-speak’, potty-mouth stuff. I leave the restaurant, thinking I’m due at Emma’s in five hours for dinner. Fuck. Double plus