keep calm and you ’ ll get through tonight.
She repeated this mantra over and over to herself as her therapist had suggested. Concentrating on the words helped focus her mind, keeping her thoughts off the catastrophe that had been her last dinner party.
A plate in each hand, she plastered the smile to her face and strode confidently into the dining room. The first thing she saw was her husband Peter ’ s water glass sat on the table cloth and not the coaster where it belonged. A drop of moisture slowly slid down the exterior of the crystal, widening the stain that already defaced the pristine white material.
The knot of anger twisted inside her, causing the muscle at the base of her jaw to pulsate angrily.
“ Sabrina are you alright? ” said Janet, her best friend with concern.
She realised the whole room had gone quiet and everyone was staring at her uncertainly as she stood rigid in the doorway, clutching two steaming plates of beef wellington.
Just keep calm .
The artificial smile returned.
“ Fine thank you, ” she chirruped, putting one of the plates before her friend.
“ Looks lovely, ” Janet smiled and everyone nodded in agreement.
When she put Peter ’ s dinner before him she placed the water glass back on the coaster with a meaningful look. He bowed his head and glanced nervously at the rest of the table, who all appeared glad they weren ’ t him.
“ Sorry Sabrina, ” he mumbled.
Just keep calm.
“ It ’ s fine, ” she replied with forced cheer.
The conversation gradually recovered as she brought out the remaining four plates and they all tucked in eagerly.
“ Another triumph Sabrina, ” smiled her brother, Dale.
Everyone mumbled their concurrence through enthusiastic mouthfuls.
“ Thank you, ” she preened, basking beneath the praise. The tension inside her relaxed and she took a swig of wine to steady her nerves.
It ’ s all going well, they like it.
At that moment, her other friend, Kelly, scraped her knife across Sabrina ’ s best china plate, setting her teeth on edge. The room filled with an anxious silence, all seven heads slowly turning to look at Sabrina whose hand gripped the stem of the wine glass so tightly it threatened to snap. She glared at Kelly with barely-concealed fury.
Just. Keep. Calm.
They all leant back in their chairs, as though expecting Sabrina to leap across the table at the offender.
“ S … sorry Sabrina. I d … didn ’ t mean it, ” stammered Kelly.
Deep breath. Relax.
“ I know, ” she smiled, the muscles in her face aching with the effort of twisting her features back into that insincere grin.
As Sabrina returned her attention to her plate there was a collective sigh of relief. The main course passed uneventfully and everyone drunk deeply of the wine to settle their jangling nerves. By the time dessert was finished the majority of the guests were rather inebriated. Sabrina brought out the cheese board, her forced smile turning into a happy, relaxed one.
I ’ ve done it, she thought with relief. Almost there.
Her calm was shattered when she saw Dale quietly arguing with Anna, his perfectly blond perfectly botoxed wife.
“ Would you care to share with the group? ” frowned Sabrina, green eyes narrowing.
“ It ’ s nothing, ” spat Dale, his furious gaze fixed on his wife.
“ Anna? ” said Sabrina, her voice icy.
“ You ’ re all too afraid to say it but I ’ m not, ” she snapped, getting to her feet and staring at Sabrina defiantly. “ I ’ ve had enough of tiptoeing about, afraid of upsetting you. I want to know what happened at the last dinner party. What made you go mental and start throwing hot food at us? ”
“ Anna sit down, ” thundered Dale, horrified.
“ No I wont. For God ’ s sake Dale she scalded you with gravy and Janet, you had second degree cauliflower
She repeated this mantra over and over to herself as her therapist had suggested. Concentrating on the words helped focus her mind, keeping her thoughts off the catastrophe that had been her last dinner party.
A plate in each hand, she plastered the smile to her face and strode confidently into the dining room. The first thing she saw was her husband Peter ’ s water glass sat on the table cloth and not the coaster where it belonged. A drop of moisture slowly slid down the exterior of the crystal, widening the stain that already defaced the pristine white material.
The knot of anger twisted inside her, causing the muscle at the base of her jaw to pulsate angrily.
“ Sabrina are you alright? ” said Janet, her best friend with concern.
She realised the whole room had gone quiet and everyone was staring at her uncertainly as she stood rigid in the doorway, clutching two steaming plates of beef wellington.
Just keep calm .
The artificial smile returned.
“ Fine thank you, ” she chirruped, putting one of the plates before her friend.
“ Looks lovely, ” Janet smiled and everyone nodded in agreement.
When she put Peter ’ s dinner before him she placed the water glass back on the coaster with a meaningful look. He bowed his head and glanced nervously at the rest of the table, who all appeared glad they weren ’ t him.
“ Sorry Sabrina, ” he mumbled.
Just keep calm.
“ It ’ s fine, ” she replied with forced cheer.
The conversation gradually recovered as she brought out the remaining four plates and they all tucked in eagerly.
“ Another triumph Sabrina, ” smiled her brother, Dale.
Everyone mumbled their concurrence through enthusiastic mouthfuls.
“ Thank you, ” she preened, basking beneath the praise. The tension inside her relaxed and she took a swig of wine to steady her nerves.
It ’ s all going well, they like it.
At that moment, her other friend, Kelly, scraped her knife across Sabrina ’ s best china plate, setting her teeth on edge. The room filled with an anxious silence, all seven heads slowly turning to look at Sabrina whose hand gripped the stem of the wine glass so tightly it threatened to snap. She glared at Kelly with barely-concealed fury.
Just. Keep. Calm.
They all leant back in their chairs, as though expecting Sabrina to leap across the table at the offender.
“ S … sorry Sabrina. I d … didn ’ t mean it, ” stammered Kelly.
Deep breath. Relax.
“ I know, ” she smiled, the muscles in her face aching with the effort of twisting her features back into that insincere grin.
As Sabrina returned her attention to her plate there was a collective sigh of relief. The main course passed uneventfully and everyone drunk deeply of the wine to settle their jangling nerves. By the time dessert was finished the majority of the guests were rather inebriated. Sabrina brought out the cheese board, her forced smile turning into a happy, relaxed one.
I ’ ve done it, she thought with relief. Almost there.
Her calm was shattered when she saw Dale quietly arguing with Anna, his perfectly blond perfectly botoxed wife.
“ Would you care to share with the group? ” frowned Sabrina, green eyes narrowing.
“ It ’ s nothing, ” spat Dale, his furious gaze fixed on his wife.
“ Anna? ” said Sabrina, her voice icy.
“ You ’ re all too afraid to say it but I ’ m not, ” she snapped, getting to her feet and staring at Sabrina defiantly. “ I ’ ve had enough of tiptoeing about, afraid of upsetting you. I want to know what happened at the last dinner party. What made you go mental and start throwing hot food at us? ”
“ Anna sit down, ” thundered Dale, horrified.
“ No I wont. For God ’ s sake Dale she scalded you with gravy and Janet, you had second degree cauliflower
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