minute you get in.’
Suzi prickled. ‘Look, I’ve had a shit day so I’m in a mood already. Don’t make things worse.’
Kelvin scoffed. ‘When are you ever not in a mood?’
‘Is this still about last night?’ Suzi pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘I said I’d make amends by going out with you this evening, didn’t I?’
Kelvin had wanted to take her out last night but she’d fallen asleep as soon as she’d come home. When he’d finally rung from the club to see what time she would be there, thinking she was already on her way to him, it had been too late to take the boys to their gran’s. He’d come home fuming, hence the row.
‘You make it sound like a chore,’ he cried. ‘Is it too much to ask that you spend some time with me?’ Kelvin leaned on the table as he stared at her. ‘Honestly, I don’t know why I bother.’
Suzi noted the change of clothing and the smell of fresh aftershave, a clean white shirt. Kelvin always looked handsome in a rough and rugged way – round face, bald head, deep-set eyes and a boxer’s nose. But right now, she was too irritated to care.
‘Do you want me to come over to the club later or not?’ she asked, eyebrows raised.
‘As long as you don’t start an argument. We can do that here for free.’
‘Here we go,’ she sighed. ‘Making excuses up because you don’t want to spend any money. You’re such a cheapskate.’
Kelvin’s face contorted. ‘Don’t ever call me a cheapskate.’
‘But you are. Most men whose wives earn a lot of money would just enjoy the fact, but you,’ she leaned closer and pointed at him, stopping very close to his eye, ‘you just wallow in your own self-pity.’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Yes, you do.’
Kelvin glared at her for a moment longer and then reached for his car keys. ‘I’m going back to work, before I say something I’ll regret. I’m not staying to listen to your garbage.’
Suddenly realising he was about to leave, Suzi relented. ‘Don’t go, Kelvin.’ She grabbed his arm as he walked past. ‘I’m sorry. I was only having a laugh.’
Kelvin shrugged her hand away. ‘Too late. I’m gone.’
‘Kelvin!’ She followed him quickly to the front door. ‘Wait!’
‘I’ll be back around ten. Entertain yourself until then because I certainly don’t want to.’
Before she could stop him, he was gone.
‘Well, fuck you,’ she muttered under her breath. She went back into the kitchen and poured another drink, whiskey this time. Now that tasted much better.
The doorbell went a few minutes later. Suzi knocked back the drink and stormed back to it, yanked it open. ‘If you think you can –’ She stopped when she saw it wasn’t Kelvin. ‘Yes? What do you want?’ she added, half expecting the man standing there to thrust some handheld electronic contraption at her so that she could sign for a parcel.
‘Hi!’
Suzi didn’t reply.
‘You don’t remember me?’ The man feigned hurt.
‘Should I?’ She peered at him.
‘It’s me, Matt – Matthew Thompson.’ He raised a hand in greeting. ‘We went to the same high school, were in the same class, actually.’
Suzi paused. There had been a Matthew Thompson in her class at school but she would have remembered if it was him, wouldn’t she? He’d been one of the nicer-looking boys at Reginald High. Or would she remember him? Look at how different she looked nowadays with her fake breasts, lifted eyes and Botoxed forehead and lips. Images change through the years, as well as people.
As he stood there expectantly, she decided to play along rather than look stupid.
‘Matt!’ She smiled, beckoning him in. ‘Come on through. How the hell are you?’
‘I’m good, thanks.’
‘I didn’t recognise you at first,’ Suzi looked embarrassed.
‘Well, I suppose it has been a while. You don’t look any different, though. Still as gorgeous as ever.’
She laughed coyly. ‘Still the joker, I see!’
Suzi closed the front door, and led him
Suzi prickled. ‘Look, I’ve had a shit day so I’m in a mood already. Don’t make things worse.’
Kelvin scoffed. ‘When are you ever not in a mood?’
‘Is this still about last night?’ Suzi pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘I said I’d make amends by going out with you this evening, didn’t I?’
Kelvin had wanted to take her out last night but she’d fallen asleep as soon as she’d come home. When he’d finally rung from the club to see what time she would be there, thinking she was already on her way to him, it had been too late to take the boys to their gran’s. He’d come home fuming, hence the row.
‘You make it sound like a chore,’ he cried. ‘Is it too much to ask that you spend some time with me?’ Kelvin leaned on the table as he stared at her. ‘Honestly, I don’t know why I bother.’
Suzi noted the change of clothing and the smell of fresh aftershave, a clean white shirt. Kelvin always looked handsome in a rough and rugged way – round face, bald head, deep-set eyes and a boxer’s nose. But right now, she was too irritated to care.
‘Do you want me to come over to the club later or not?’ she asked, eyebrows raised.
‘As long as you don’t start an argument. We can do that here for free.’
‘Here we go,’ she sighed. ‘Making excuses up because you don’t want to spend any money. You’re such a cheapskate.’
Kelvin’s face contorted. ‘Don’t ever call me a cheapskate.’
‘But you are. Most men whose wives earn a lot of money would just enjoy the fact, but you,’ she leaned closer and pointed at him, stopping very close to his eye, ‘you just wallow in your own self-pity.’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Yes, you do.’
Kelvin glared at her for a moment longer and then reached for his car keys. ‘I’m going back to work, before I say something I’ll regret. I’m not staying to listen to your garbage.’
Suddenly realising he was about to leave, Suzi relented. ‘Don’t go, Kelvin.’ She grabbed his arm as he walked past. ‘I’m sorry. I was only having a laugh.’
Kelvin shrugged her hand away. ‘Too late. I’m gone.’
‘Kelvin!’ She followed him quickly to the front door. ‘Wait!’
‘I’ll be back around ten. Entertain yourself until then because I certainly don’t want to.’
Before she could stop him, he was gone.
‘Well, fuck you,’ she muttered under her breath. She went back into the kitchen and poured another drink, whiskey this time. Now that tasted much better.
The doorbell went a few minutes later. Suzi knocked back the drink and stormed back to it, yanked it open. ‘If you think you can –’ She stopped when she saw it wasn’t Kelvin. ‘Yes? What do you want?’ she added, half expecting the man standing there to thrust some handheld electronic contraption at her so that she could sign for a parcel.
‘Hi!’
Suzi didn’t reply.
‘You don’t remember me?’ The man feigned hurt.
‘Should I?’ She peered at him.
‘It’s me, Matt – Matthew Thompson.’ He raised a hand in greeting. ‘We went to the same high school, were in the same class, actually.’
Suzi paused. There had been a Matthew Thompson in her class at school but she would have remembered if it was him, wouldn’t she? He’d been one of the nicer-looking boys at Reginald High. Or would she remember him? Look at how different she looked nowadays with her fake breasts, lifted eyes and Botoxed forehead and lips. Images change through the years, as well as people.
As he stood there expectantly, she decided to play along rather than look stupid.
‘Matt!’ She smiled, beckoning him in. ‘Come on through. How the hell are you?’
‘I’m good, thanks.’
‘I didn’t recognise you at first,’ Suzi looked embarrassed.
‘Well, I suppose it has been a while. You don’t look any different, though. Still as gorgeous as ever.’
She laughed coyly. ‘Still the joker, I see!’
Suzi closed the front door, and led him
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