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'It's Cal,' said her mum, holding out the phone. Angel
shook her head. She didn't want to speak to him, didn't
want to listen to him shouting at her for walking out on
him like that. But her mum continued to hold out the
phone and Angel knew she had no choice. Sighing
deeply, she took the handset. Michelle picked up Honey
from her highchair and tactfully left the kitchen.
'Hi,' said Angel tentatively, bracing herself for the
onslaught.
'What the fuck is going on?' Cal demanded. He
sounded absolutely furious.
'I come back from my trip and find that you've
gone and all you've left is a scrap of paper saying " Sorry,I had to go home ." What kind of shit thing is that to do to
me?'
'I'm really sorry, Cal, I just couldn't stay there any
longer, really I couldn't. It was making me feel so
unhappy. And I was worried about how it was affecting
Honey.'
'Bollocks! You were only thinking of yourself. You just
wanted to get back to your friends and your work, and
never mind me. We're married, Angel, we're supposed to
be together. You were barely out here a month, you
didn't give it a chance.'
'I did, Cal, honestly, and –' she hesitated here,
wondering how best to continue, '– you were distant with
me as well.'
'What!' he exploded. 'I bought the villa, hired a nanny
for you, bought you a new horse! What more could you
want?'
'It wasn't about all those things. I need you to talk to
me, to open up. I felt so lonely, Cal.'
'Yeah, well, I've got a hell of a lot on my mind at the
moment, can't you understand that?'
'Of course I know that, and I want to be there for you,'
she replied.
'So when are you coming back?' he demanded. 'You
know I'm signed for the next two years. Do you really
think our marriage can survive just seeing each other
every two weeks?'
'I can't come back yet, Cal. I will soon, I promise, I just
need you to give me some time,' Angel pleaded with him.
Maybe now was the moment to tell him how she had been
feeling? 'I'm really sorry, it's just that I've felt so down
lately . . .' There, she had said it. But Cal's response was
not what she had hoped for.
'Yeah, well, so have I – married to someone who
doesn't give a shit about me and walks out when things
get slightly tough. "For better, for worse" we said,
remember?'
'You make it sound like I've left you, Cal, but I haven't.
I just can't stay in Italy at the moment,' she said
despairingly, wishing he could understand how she felt.
'Yeah, whatever,' Cal answered, and all the fight
seemed to have left him. 'I'd better go, I've got things to
do.'
'Will you be able to come over soon?' she asked.
'Not for a couple of weeks. I'll speak to Lucy about her
joining you in a few days,' he said abruptly.
'Okay,' she answered, feeling terrible, 'I'll call you
later.'
'You can try. I might not be in,' he said. 'Give Honey a
kiss for me.'
And then he was gone, and for the first time in their
relationship there was no I love you . What had she done
to their marriage? She'd told him she was down and it
didn't seem to register, but then he was angry with her,
so that was hardly surprising. And he was not himself
either. They seemed locked in parallel worlds, not even
close anymore, not the way they used to be.
She walked wearily into the living room where her mum
and dad were looking after Honey. Both of them looked
up at her expectantly and her dad said, 'Well? When are
you going back?'
She shook her head. 'I can't go back at the moment,
Dad.'
Frank frowned. 'I'm sure you've got your reasons but
it really isn't good for your marriage to spend so much
time apart. Cal needs to be with you and Honey. It isn't
fair on him.'
'I know, Dad. I can't really explain how I feel. I just
know I can't live in Italy at the moment. Maybe in a few
months' time . . .'
'A few months!' Frank exploded. 'Well, I just hope you
have a marriage to go back to. You should be with him,
especially now. The World Cup means everything to him!'
That was her dad all over; everything was
'It's Cal,' said her mum, holding out the phone. Angel
shook her head. She didn't want to speak to him, didn't
want to listen to him shouting at her for walking out on
him like that. But her mum continued to hold out the
phone and Angel knew she had no choice. Sighing
deeply, she took the handset. Michelle picked up Honey
from her highchair and tactfully left the kitchen.
'Hi,' said Angel tentatively, bracing herself for the
onslaught.
'What the fuck is going on?' Cal demanded. He
sounded absolutely furious.
'I come back from my trip and find that you've
gone and all you've left is a scrap of paper saying " Sorry,I had to go home ." What kind of shit thing is that to do to
me?'
'I'm really sorry, Cal, I just couldn't stay there any
longer, really I couldn't. It was making me feel so
unhappy. And I was worried about how it was affecting
Honey.'
'Bollocks! You were only thinking of yourself. You just
wanted to get back to your friends and your work, and
never mind me. We're married, Angel, we're supposed to
be together. You were barely out here a month, you
didn't give it a chance.'
'I did, Cal, honestly, and –' she hesitated here,
wondering how best to continue, '– you were distant with
me as well.'
'What!' he exploded. 'I bought the villa, hired a nanny
for you, bought you a new horse! What more could you
want?'
'It wasn't about all those things. I need you to talk to
me, to open up. I felt so lonely, Cal.'
'Yeah, well, I've got a hell of a lot on my mind at the
moment, can't you understand that?'
'Of course I know that, and I want to be there for you,'
she replied.
'So when are you coming back?' he demanded. 'You
know I'm signed for the next two years. Do you really
think our marriage can survive just seeing each other
every two weeks?'
'I can't come back yet, Cal. I will soon, I promise, I just
need you to give me some time,' Angel pleaded with him.
Maybe now was the moment to tell him how she had been
feeling? 'I'm really sorry, it's just that I've felt so down
lately . . .' There, she had said it. But Cal's response was
not what she had hoped for.
'Yeah, well, so have I – married to someone who
doesn't give a shit about me and walks out when things
get slightly tough. "For better, for worse" we said,
remember?'
'You make it sound like I've left you, Cal, but I haven't.
I just can't stay in Italy at the moment,' she said
despairingly, wishing he could understand how she felt.
'Yeah, whatever,' Cal answered, and all the fight
seemed to have left him. 'I'd better go, I've got things to
do.'
'Will you be able to come over soon?' she asked.
'Not for a couple of weeks. I'll speak to Lucy about her
joining you in a few days,' he said abruptly.
'Okay,' she answered, feeling terrible, 'I'll call you
later.'
'You can try. I might not be in,' he said. 'Give Honey a
kiss for me.'
And then he was gone, and for the first time in their
relationship there was no I love you . What had she done
to their marriage? She'd told him she was down and it
didn't seem to register, but then he was angry with her,
so that was hardly surprising. And he was not himself
either. They seemed locked in parallel worlds, not even
close anymore, not the way they used to be.
She walked wearily into the living room where her mum
and dad were looking after Honey. Both of them looked
up at her expectantly and her dad said, 'Well? When are
you going back?'
She shook her head. 'I can't go back at the moment,
Dad.'
Frank frowned. 'I'm sure you've got your reasons but
it really isn't good for your marriage to spend so much
time apart. Cal needs to be with you and Honey. It isn't
fair on him.'
'I know, Dad. I can't really explain how I feel. I just
know I can't live in Italy at the moment. Maybe in a few
months' time . . .'
'A few months!' Frank exploded. 'Well, I just hope you
have a marriage to go back to. You should be with him,
especially now. The World Cup means everything to him!'
That was her dad all over; everything was
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