Page 31 of The Second Ending
Ashleigh slept badlyand woke late. She threw on her clothes and rushed to work, arriving just in time for their weekly staff meeting. Thank heavens for the office coffee machine and the pile of granola bars she kept in her desk drawer. Then she responded to a rather urgent call about a new domestic abuse case that needed some immediate attention, and ignored about seven texts from Masako. It was unlike her friend to be so insistent. She’d need to call right after her scheduled phone call with the social worker. But first, she needed to get in touch with Marcus.
It was just before noon when she dashed off a quick email. It was short and sweet, just a hello, really. They’d probably get together later on, and she could talk to him properly then.
He didn’t respond right away, which she expected. He was a busy man, and sending an email, rather than a text, was a bit of a hint that this wasn’t anything urgent. She settled into her phone meeting, and then replied to Masako’s texts.
Masako didn’t respond either. Fair enough. She had her own obligations and was probably with a client.
By two o’clock, she’d still heard back from neither of them, and by three, she was starting to feel concerned.
Marcus, is everything okay?She texted.Coffee?
He’d be happy to meet after work and talk through anything that was bothering him, wouldn’t he? And she could explain that she’d rather have gone out with him after the concert than with Sebastian.
But his response was not encouraging.
No, nothing is okay. Too busy.
Oh heavens, what did that mean? Was he that upset at Sebastian coming to the concert? Surely she’d said enough, suggested enough, to assure him that it was him—Marcus—she was interested in, and not anyone else. Fine, they’d never really discussed it in a deliberate conversation, but could Marcus think she was the sort to two-time on a man? If he did, was he really the right person for her? After all…
After all, that’s what he’d believed once. Long ago. Back when things all fell apart.
Oh, hell. Her bloody parents’ machinations were never going to be put to rest, were they?
Take a deep breath, Ash, she told herself.Maybe he really is just up to his earlobes in work. Give him until tomorrow. Try again then. Everything will be fine.They had been getting on so well. One little hiccup wasn’t going to destroy everything again. They’d be fine.
She had almost convinced herself of this when another message buzzed through on her phone. She grabbed for it, hoping it was Marcus, but it was only Liora.
And then she chastised herself for denigrating her best friend as ‘only Liora’. There was nothing ‘only’ about Liora. She tapped on the notification and her friend’s message popped up on the screen, another invitation for coffee.
Oh, God, yes. She could use some distraction and someone with a clear mind. Something was weird, and she needed to talk it through.
Coffee,as always, turned into dinner, and after her second glass of wine, Ashleigh was ready to talk. She knew she’d regret it inthe morning—both the wine and the confession—but right now, she needed to talk.
“Let me get this straight,” Liora said. “You’re worried that Marcus won’t talk to you because he saw Sebastian at the concert and thinks you’re seeing Sebastian behind his back?”
Ashleigh nodded.
“So, you and Marcus are dating?”
“No, not really. I mean, we’re going out, getting to know each other again, but…”
“No smooches in dark corners? No hanky-panky in the broom closet?”
Ashleigh couldn’t stifle the burst of laughter that escaped her. “The broom closet? I think we’re past that. We lived together for years. But, no, right now we’re just talking. If we’re going to try again, we need to put old demons to rest first.”
Liora’s eyes bored into hers. “And…?
“And… I think the demons are still there. I mean, why else would he have been so short with his reply earlier. If he thinks I’m cheating on him again—”
“Again? What is going on, Ash? There’s something you need to spill. Did you seriously cheat on him? Is that why you broke up?”
“No! I’d never do that. But he thought I did. And I thought… It was my parents. They’re awful.” She took another sip of her wine and sighed. “I’d better give you the whole story.”
Liora clucked her tongue. “Yes, I think you should.”
“My parents didn’t know about him for the longest time. They didn’t ask, and I didn’t tell, because I knew how much they’d disapprove. But you can’t live with someone for years, in the same city as people, and keep the secret. All our friends knew, of course, and it was a matter of time before they found out. They were furious. He wasn’t from the right circles. He wasn’t related to the right people. And when they found out thathis background was in construction, they blew their tops. How could I do this to them? How could I debase myself so much? How would they ever live down the ignominy of being connected to someone so ordinary? Working class! The shame of it! You don’t know how horribly snobbish they can be.”
Her friend gave a sympathetic hum and poured a bit more wine into Ashleigh’s glass. “This much you’ve told me. What happened?”
