Page 110 of The Side Road
‘Every time we talk, you ask me how I slept, and then we talk about the weather.’
‘Everyone talks about the weather,’ Mia said. ‘I’m just making conversation. It’d be odd if we picked vegetables in silence.’
‘I pick vegetables in silence every day.’
‘Your wife might be addicted to Tramadol.’
‘And I’m addicted to onion-flavoured crisps and you’re addicted to coffee. Her pain is real. It’s one tablet.’
Mia nodded. Leo was in a serious mood.
‘Speaking of your wife. She asked me to come over. Where is she?’
He hesitated. ‘She’s out, running an errand. ‘You look like someone just stole your dog. What’s that August face for?’
Mia shook her head. ‘No.’
‘That’s a very small word. It doesn’t tell me much.’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Okay then, come help me pod the broad beans.’
Leo collected the container. They sat on the low retaining wall that ran along the edge of the garden. He handed her half the runners. ‘Let’s make it a competition,’ he suggested. ‘Loser makes the tea.’
Mia peeled her first runner, scooped the beans from the silky white flesh and dropped them into the container. Beside her, Leo steadily podded his beans.
‘Are you going to tell me why you’re so upset?’ he asked.
‘I ran away from someone. From a man.’
‘Why?’
‘My chest got tight, I couldn’t breathe, and I didn’t know what else to do.’
‘It’s your fight-and-flight hormone under stress. Keep peeling. I’m way ahead of you.’
Mia looked at her pile. She picked up another runner, broke open the shell, and popped the beans out.
‘I can see where you went wrong,’ Leo said. ‘You’re supposed to run toward him – into his arms – not in the opposite direction. You’re never going to get a man if you run away.’
‘I don’t need a man. I’m blissfully happy.’ Tears were welling in her eyes.
‘This is the happiest I’ve seen you in a long time.’
She offered him a pretend smile.
‘I’m not seeing teeth.’
She drew her lips back and bared her teeth.
‘How do you maintain a relationship and stay sane at the same time?’ she asked.
‘I’ve no idea.’
‘I’ve been seeing Oliver.’
‘We know. We like to think we helped get the two of you together. At Elsie’s wake, Blanche sent Oliver outside with the trash – it was a pretence so he could talk to you. It was my idea that Oliver drive you back to town after Elsie’s funeral.’
