Page 39 of Mad About You

‘Yes. You don’t get to carry on making demands of me and setting rules. You don’t seem to understand that my telling you where I was living was up to me. I don’t have ongoing obligations to you.’

‘It’s not that you have obligations to me … It’s that you don’t seem bothered, Harriet.At all.You just declared you were on a new course, that night in the hotel, and set sail without me. It leaves me wondering what this was all about, if you ever loved me. I don’t know who you are.’

‘It’s funny you say that, as right now I’m not massively sure of who you are.’

‘Oh come on, don’t be so disingenuous. I’ve not covered myself in glory but I’m flailing. I’m in bits, my heart is broken. Whereas not only is your heart clearly fully intact, you don’t seem to have had a moment’s pain over us finishing.’

Her mouth fell open at this. She was damned if she’d soul-bare after the way he’d behaved. He now wanted her to describe her sense of loss, prove she cared?

‘I have. Sorry. I don’t know how this is relevant to what you did.’

‘No. Clearly.’

Jon stared at her intently.

The idea here was she left him with no hope of a way back. How had she been side-tracked into apologising?

‘You’resorry,’ Jon said. ‘It’s like you scraped my paintwork or fly-tipped my bin. You used me, didn’t you?’

‘Used you for what?’

‘Used me to get over something. Or someone.’

It occurred to her that Jon was saying the exact same thing she’d overheard Cal remarking to Sam in the garden, about her lack of possessions suggesting she was running away. Harriet never so much as hinted at the figure in her history and yet somehow, they all knew he was there. She balled her trembling fingers into a fist under the table, out of sight.

‘D.H. Lawrence said “women in their nature are like giantesses. They break through everything and go on with their own lives.” I never knew what he meant until now.’

Harriet rolled her eyes. At least he sounded more like himself. Classic Jon-ning.

‘Did he now. Sounds sexist. I’m not here to have another fight, Jon.’

‘OK, understood,’ Jon said, jutting his chin out. ‘You’re a free agent, and so am I. Message fully received, Harriet. Remember that’s what you said.’

‘How are you turning this into a threat?’

‘I’m merely reiterating that the same rules apply for all. You only hear a threat if you think we’re not equal.’

‘We are equal.’

Harriet stood up to leave, putting a five-pound note down for her coffee, and a tip.

‘Have you told your parents we’ve separated?’ she said. She’d had no further texts from Jacqueline, and despite the impossible position Jon had put her in, disliked how rude it had felt to ignore her. She wondered if Jacqueline raised it with Jon, and if so, what was said.

‘No, not yet, only because the barbecue wasteeming.I will tell them this afternoon, I think, in fact.’

‘OK. Enjoy your brunch.’

Jon looked contemptuous. He was no doubt made ratty by her ill manners in not staying until he’d finished the food he’d not said he’d ordered, and listening to more accusations of her emotional frigidity. Harriet said ‘bye’ to a stony countenance.

As she walked back through the city centre, she saw a missed call from Lorna. She called back.

‘Listen to this. Gethin’s booked a table at The Dive this Saturday. Keen, right?’

‘Yep.’

‘WRONG, he’s bringing two friends. Two!’

‘Is this less keen?’

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