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Authors: Julie Morrigan
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or three weeks?’
‘Something like that,’ said Alex. She felt that the job was taking longer than it should, even allowing for the odd working arrangement.
‘What’s Johnny Burns like?’
‘He’s interesting. Easy to talk to, you know?’
‘You should get him up here, we’ll show him what a proper night out is.’ Carol drained her glass. ‘Unless you think he couldn’t take the pace.’
‘So,’ Alex said when she returned from the bar with another round of drinks, ‘tell me about Eddie.’
‘He’s okay. Couple of years older than me, divorced, no kids, nice flat, quick learner.’
‘Sounds promising.’ Alex sipped at her drink.
‘Yeah, I think so.’ She heard Carol sigh. ‘I wonder about people who are divorced, though.’
‘How’s that?’
‘Well, what’s wrong with them that they got divorced? You know, there had to be something, some reason they got dumped.’
Alex shook her head. ‘I reckon you’re looking at it wrong. There doesn’t have to be anything wrong with either of them, just with what they had together. Look at me and Dave. We could just as easily have been married and be getting divorced now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us.’ She sipped her drink. ‘Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me, anyway.’
‘Are you sure it’s over between you two?’ Carol asked. ‘He is lovely, Alex, no denying it.’
‘But not faithful.’
‘It was a one off. You were good together.’
‘Over and done with. No going back.’ She smiled. ‘Maybe things will work out for you and Eddie.’
‘That would be nice. I can hear the clock ticking, mate, and your Isabel being pregnant doesn’t help.’
Much later, she and Carol shared a taxi. When Alex got home, Dave was on her doorstep, a can of lager in his hand and a pile of empties at his feet. She sighed, ran her hands through her hair. ‘What do you want?’
‘You. I saw your car was back. I’ve been waiting for ages. Talk to me.’
‘Not when we’ve both been drinking.’
‘Alex, we really need to talk. Now. This is insane.’
‘Well if it is, it’s your fault.’ She got a lump in her throat when she remembered coming home early and finding Dave with a woman they knew from their local pub. ‘How could you, Dave? With Molly, of all people.’ She turned her back to him while she got things under control. Dave had been sitting on the floor with his back against the door of her flat. He put his can down next to the others and pushed himself up onto his feet, banging the door with his elbows as he got vertical.
‘Let’s go inside, Alex. I love you. Let’s talk.’
‘Christ, you sound like a stuck record. There’s nothing to say. Especially when you’re in that state.’ She wagged a hand at him.
Dave staggered. ‘I’ve had a few drinks, that’s all.’ He laughed, then shouted. ‘My girlfriend left me. I loved her, but she left me. So I had a little drink.’
‘Oh, Dave, shut the fuck up. I’ve got to live here, you plank.’ She heard a rattle and a clank and the door next to hers creaked open.
‘Are you all right, lass?’ It was Alf, her neighbour. He looked hard at Dave. ‘Is that lad bothering you, pet? I can call the police.’
‘No, Alf, it’s all right.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Really. Dave is just going.’ She turned to Dave. ‘Aren’t you.’ She made her voice cold and hard, just to make sure he got the message. He did. He put his hands up in mock surrender.
‘Okay, okay, I give in.’ He put a finger under Alex’s chin and kissed her nose. She pushed him away. He staggered into his pile of empty cans, scattered them all over the landing, almost fell but somehow kept his feet. ‘But just for now.’ He walked off unsteadily, waving a hand back over his shoulder. ‘I won’t give up on you, Alex, I’ll be back.’
Chapter 17
Next day Alex was on the road by early afternoon. She would have left earlier, but she’d downed a couple
‘Something like that,’ said Alex. She felt that the job was taking longer than it should, even allowing for the odd working arrangement.
‘What’s Johnny Burns like?’
‘He’s interesting. Easy to talk to, you know?’
‘You should get him up here, we’ll show him what a proper night out is.’ Carol drained her glass. ‘Unless you think he couldn’t take the pace.’
‘So,’ Alex said when she returned from the bar with another round of drinks, ‘tell me about Eddie.’
‘He’s okay. Couple of years older than me, divorced, no kids, nice flat, quick learner.’
‘Sounds promising.’ Alex sipped at her drink.
‘Yeah, I think so.’ She heard Carol sigh. ‘I wonder about people who are divorced, though.’
‘How’s that?’
‘Well, what’s wrong with them that they got divorced? You know, there had to be something, some reason they got dumped.’
Alex shook her head. ‘I reckon you’re looking at it wrong. There doesn’t have to be anything wrong with either of them, just with what they had together. Look at me and Dave. We could just as easily have been married and be getting divorced now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us.’ She sipped her drink. ‘Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me, anyway.’
‘Are you sure it’s over between you two?’ Carol asked. ‘He is lovely, Alex, no denying it.’
‘But not faithful.’
‘It was a one off. You were good together.’
‘Over and done with. No going back.’ She smiled. ‘Maybe things will work out for you and Eddie.’
‘That would be nice. I can hear the clock ticking, mate, and your Isabel being pregnant doesn’t help.’
Much later, she and Carol shared a taxi. When Alex got home, Dave was on her doorstep, a can of lager in his hand and a pile of empties at his feet. She sighed, ran her hands through her hair. ‘What do you want?’
‘You. I saw your car was back. I’ve been waiting for ages. Talk to me.’
‘Not when we’ve both been drinking.’
‘Alex, we really need to talk. Now. This is insane.’
‘Well if it is, it’s your fault.’ She got a lump in her throat when she remembered coming home early and finding Dave with a woman they knew from their local pub. ‘How could you, Dave? With Molly, of all people.’ She turned her back to him while she got things under control. Dave had been sitting on the floor with his back against the door of her flat. He put his can down next to the others and pushed himself up onto his feet, banging the door with his elbows as he got vertical.
‘Let’s go inside, Alex. I love you. Let’s talk.’
‘Christ, you sound like a stuck record. There’s nothing to say. Especially when you’re in that state.’ She wagged a hand at him.
Dave staggered. ‘I’ve had a few drinks, that’s all.’ He laughed, then shouted. ‘My girlfriend left me. I loved her, but she left me. So I had a little drink.’
‘Oh, Dave, shut the fuck up. I’ve got to live here, you plank.’ She heard a rattle and a clank and the door next to hers creaked open.
‘Are you all right, lass?’ It was Alf, her neighbour. He looked hard at Dave. ‘Is that lad bothering you, pet? I can call the police.’
‘No, Alf, it’s all right.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Really. Dave is just going.’ She turned to Dave. ‘Aren’t you.’ She made her voice cold and hard, just to make sure he got the message. He did. He put his hands up in mock surrender.
‘Okay, okay, I give in.’ He put a finger under Alex’s chin and kissed her nose. She pushed him away. He staggered into his pile of empty cans, scattered them all over the landing, almost fell but somehow kept his feet. ‘But just for now.’ He walked off unsteadily, waving a hand back over his shoulder. ‘I won’t give up on you, Alex, I’ll be back.’
Chapter 17
Next day Alex was on the road by early afternoon. She would have left earlier, but she’d downed a couple
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