Chapter Two
B ea stepped out of the bedroom and promptly tripped over a box.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” Marilyn said. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Bea, sitting on the floor and rubbing her stinging shin. “I should look where I’m going.”
“I’m really sorry,” said Marilyn. “I didn’t think you’d be up yet and, well, Rob’s gone to buy milk and I thought I could get some of this stuff moved around and out of the way.”
Bea surveyed her once minimalist living room. There were boxes piled up in all the corners, garment bags slung over the couch, a collapsible treadmill by the coffee table, and a stack of IKEA plastic containers leaning precariously on the armchair. “Out of the way,” she repeated softly.
Marilyn pulled a face. “I know, I know. I’m so, so sorry. It’s all just temporary, just until we find a place. It’s such an imposition.”
“It’s fine,” Bea said, standing up. “Totally fine. I agreed to all of this.”
“I suppose you did, didn’t you?” laughed Marilyn. “Little saint that you are. I’m not sure I’d have done the same in your shoes.”
Bea wasn’t at all sure that she should have done it either, but then, she hadn’t really known what else to do when Robbie came pleading. In the end, it had all been easier just to give in and let him stay than it had to demand anything .
“What about some tea?” Bea said, anything to get the conversation away from boxes and moving.
“Sounds lovely,” beamed Marilyn.
She wasn’t a bad person, Bea reminded herself. A person was not, after all, a simple sum of their actions. And even if she were, she was vaguely sure that Marilyn had done many things in her life, of which stealing Bea’s boyfriend was only one.
“Oh, except Rob’s gone out for milk,” Marilyn reminded her.
Bea gritted her teeth and then forced herself to smile. Paint the smile on and the attitude will follow, she told herself. She also inhaled deeply and thoroughly through her nose, counting in her head before breathing out. Cleansing breaths.
“I’ll get us some herbal tea then, shall I?” she said cheerfully as she dodged boxes in the hallway to get to the kitchen.
“I’ll be off to work in an hour or so,” Marilyn said, following her. “Out of your way, I mean.”
“Oh, okay then.” Bea pushed aside a box of pans to open a cupboard.
“I just mean, um, you know, if you wanted privacy or something.”
Privacy in her very own flat. How lovely. Nope, that was uncharitable and unkind. She was doing a good thing. Robbie and Marilyn could hardly live on the streets, could they? If she practiced kindness, then the world would give kindness back to her.
“I’m actually going out tonight,” she said, filling the kettle. “Speaking of privacy and all. You and Robbie will have the place to yourselves. I’ll be back around ten, I suppose.”
It would probably be better if she had a job to go to. A place to spend all the hours of the day, and then she wouldn’t have to look at Marilyn’s boxes. Or think about what went on in the spare room. It would definitely help on the financial front.
“Oh, that’s lovely,” smiled Marilyn. “Someone nice? I do hope that…” She trailed off a bit.
“Just Liz,” Bea said, saving Marilyn her embarrassment. “Don’t think I’m quite ready to start dating again, to be honest.” No point in saving her that much embarrassment.
“Yes, yes.” Marilyn cleared her throat. “Um, Rob’s told me about Liz. She sounds nice.”
Liz was nice. Liz was a fellow yoga teacher and a good, kind human being. She also had a string of jobs lined up and a lovely husband and a dog and a flat and a life that was even and calm and so lovely that Bea couldn’t help but be a bit jealous of it.
Marilyn was also nice. Nice and blonde and chirpy and not always terribly smart or diplomatic, but then all people can’t be all things. She did have an annoying little habit of calling Robbie ‘Rob’ which Bea didn’t particularly like. But she supposed that was what happened when you met a man as an adult, rather than having known him since he was fourteen.
“Oooo, lovely,” Marilyn said when Bea handed her a cup of tea. “Just what the doctor ordered.” She took a sip and, to give her credit, controlled her expression quite well. She was rescued by the front door banging closed. “That’ll be Rob,” she said, looking relieved as she put her cup down, and she ran out to meet him.
Bea sipped her tea thoughtfully. Rob. He almost sounded like a different person really. Except when he came into the kitchen two minutes later he looked exactly the same as he’d always looked, with his chipped front tooth and his hair that never lay flat.
“I’ll move all the boxes out of the way,” he said, putting milk on the table. “Sorry about the mess.”
“It’s alright,” said Bea even though it wasn’t at all alright.
Robbie reached over like he was about to take her hand, but then didn’t. “It won’t be for long.”
Bea nodded. “Take as long as you like,” she said politely.
Robbie’s face cleared a little bit. “Thanks, Bea. You’re a star.” He grinned at her and went off to find his new girlfriend and Bea found herself drinking two cups of herbal tea and trying not to hear what was happening in the spare room again.
“HE’S YOUR EX,” Liz said, rolling her eyes. “He cheated on you. Worse, he cheated on you with the woman that he’s now moved into your flat. Jesus, Bea, I’m not sure things could get much worse.”
“It’s not bad,” Bea said, picking at her salad. There were onions and she hated onions.
“Not bad?” Liz took a long drink from her wineglass. “My love, you can’t live like this. Why don’t you come and sleep on our couch?”
“Because sleeping in my own bed is better,” Bea said. But she smiled. “Thanks for the offer, though.”
“You can’t do this,” Liz said. “It’s not… normal.”
“Normal? It’s kind. They can’t afford another place right now, they’re saving up. Besides, with the housing market the way it is…”
“Then you move out.”
“With what money exactly?”
Liz sighed. “Still no sign of a job, huh?”
“I pick up a few classes at the sports hall down the street,” said Bea. “And I’ve had a few interviews.”
Liz rubbed her face. “Okay, listen, I just signed up for a new gig at some health resort or something. It’s only for a couple of weeks and the pay isn’t brilliant, but it’s enough. I’m hoping that it’s going to turn into a regular thing. Who knows, maybe they’ll expand and need more teachers. I’ll put your name in. It won’t be for ages, of course, and that’s only if they do expand, but it’s something to look forward to.”
“Thanks,” said Bea. “That’s kind.”
“And kind is important,” Liz said with a sigh. “But so is not being a walk-over. You can’t just—” She broke off as the waitress came over to their table.
“How is everything?”
“Lovely,” Bea beamed. “Delicious, thank you.”
The waitress was about to walk away when Liz spoke up. “Actually, whilst the food is very nice, I’m afraid you got the order a bit wrong. My friend ordered the tuna salad without onions. ”
The waitress blushed. “Oh god, I’m sorry. Did the kitchen forget? Here, let me take that, I’ll just be a minute.” She swooped the plate from under Bea’s nose and left.
“See?” Liz said. “You can be polite and kind without having to sacrifice your own needs. There’s nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and what you want and need, Bea.”
Bea looked down at the empty table in front of her. “Well, I’d already picked most of the onions out. And now that food will probably be thrown away and go to waste.”
Liz groaned. “Babe, come on. You see what I’m trying to say here.”
Bea closed her eyes. “I know, I know. I let people walk all over me.”
“Bea, you’re such a lovely person. You’re kind and generous and pretty and a million other things, but you can’t live your whole life letting everyone take everything from you. You’ll end up getting hurt.”
Bea opened her eyes again. “No one’s getting hurt. It’s just… a bit uncomfortable right now.”
Liz picked her wine glass up. “Alright, I give up. We’re not ruining our night over this. You’re a grownup and get to make your own choices. But can we drink to independence?”
“Yes,” Bea said with greater certainty than she felt. She picked up her own glass and clinked it against Liz’s. “To independence.”
“And cheating lying boyfriends falling down the stairs and breaking their legs,” added Liz.
Bea cringed. “You can’t say something like that. The universe is listening.”
“Well, let it listen to this.” Liz blew a raspberry. “Now drink up and let me tell you about this new client that I got. She can literally bend over backward, it’s amazing.”
And Bea listened as she kept drinking. Hopefully, the wine would send her to sleep fast enough that she wouldn’t hear anything from the spare room at all tonight.