Page 63 of Did My Love Life Shrink in the Wash?
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. I don’t think I can deal with that now. I give it back to him. He presses all the buttons leaving a contrast/colour menu up that I don’t know how to remove. What is he trying to tell me? That he needs the remote control? That the batteries need changing? Maybe he’s telling me doesn’t like Saturday night TV.
I lie down again next to him. He switches remotes to suck the remnants of milk out of an old muslin. That’s just rank. Have the remote control again. Let’s stay here until we both fall asleep, eh? Will I ever sleep again though? What is my next move? Sit here until Will comes back?
Reliving our conversation from last night makes tears run down my temples. He’s not called or messaged. Has he spoken to anyone? Jason. Maybe I should call Jason to find out what’s going on. I log on to social media. Lucy and I have expert-level stalking skills and it’s not too hard for me to find Shu, Will’s kissing partner. I shouldn’t do this – it’s not healthy – but what else is there to do? She’s skinny and pretty, slightly preoccupied with bubble tea, and now all I can see in my head is her and Will kissing. With such imagined passion that it makes me want to retch. I cannot stomach the fact that, every day, he would have returned to that office where she was. Did they kiss again? Was she good at kissing? Does she like him? Does he like her? I stare at her profile for too long when my phone suddenly vibrates in my hand. It’s not Will but I inhale deeply to see a foreign number appear on the screen.
‘B? Can you hear me? See me?’
‘Gracie?’
‘Wait, I’m going to sit on the roof.’
The roof? I imagine her scaling roof tiles to get better reception. Suddenly, her picture comes into view and I smile to see her face. Grace is our traveller, the sister lost in space and time who decided she couldn’t sit still after the death of her husband but had to keep moving. Am I allowed to say that out of all of us sisters, I miss her the most? I think I’m allowed.
‘I can see you. Where the hell are you?’
‘Somewhere on the coast here in Vietnam.’
Behind her a night sky shines brighter than I’ve ever seen it here, untainted by pollution and clouds. She looks tanned and relaxed in a white vest top and her brown hair is sun-kissed, streaked with blonde. I scrunch up my face.
‘Girl, is that a tattoo?’
She pulls a face at me. ‘Yes?’
‘Is that a shark?’
‘I panicked in the shop. We wanted a fish but now I have this monstrosity on me. And the red bits look like it’s demonic. I’ll have to get it covered up when I get back.’
‘Can I screen grab that for the sisters?’
‘No, you can’t. I was ringing to wish you a happy birthday. Sorry I’m late…’
‘God, even Lucy got in before you.’
‘I hear she put on a party. Was it as good as my eighteenth when she punched the DJ and Dad and Meg had to carry her home?’
‘Better.’
She smiles through the screen. It’s so silent where she is, just the sea breeze, the night air… even to see it feels soothing. I angle the camera at Joe.
‘Little pudding! Oh, B! Hello, hello…’
She waves at the screen and smiles while Joe looks at it blankly. He seems more entranced by the fact someone’s just fallen off a rotating log on the television.
The doorbell suddenly goes.
‘Hold up, I just need to get the door.’
Resting the phone on a coffee table, I pick up Joe and shuffle to the hallway. Standing behind my front door is a man with a pizza box in a red baseball cap and beaten-up trainers.
‘Beth Callaghan?’
‘Yes?’ He hands me the box. ‘I didn’t order this.’
He holds a piece of paper up and reads the order. ‘Someone did.’
My mind goes through what’s happened here. Stolen credit card, prank, maybe I am stealing someone else’s meal.
‘Happy birthday, by the way.’
