The Tens, Vanessa Jones [i like reading books .TXT] 📗

CHAPTER FOUR

Underneath the doona on the couch and still in a state of shock, Sophie reflexively switched from looking at the muted TV, like a zombie, to her phone to the note that Alex left. And she stayed there until it turned dark outside. With nothing more than the TV light reflecting off her. Devoid of any reasonable thought or reaction. Her memory short-circuiting every ten seconds as she forgot what she was doing and lifts the strange note in her hand to her eyeline again.

She considers calling her new friend, Bree, but something stops her from going through with it. It’s the thought that their friendship is so new. So unformed. It almost felt inappropriate to Sophie to call upon her.

Sophie met Bree not long before her thirtieth birthday at an awkward group where everyone pretended they were happy and at peace with their life. Even the lady that was hiding her relationship with her first cousin. And the woman who paid for her husband’s mistress’s mental health treatment. And the woman who ate rubber bands. Sophie started going to the groups to get out of her head and heal herself from the nightmares. She thought that a little meditation wouldn’t hurt. But the whole time she just felt like a petulant teenager that couldn’t fit in.

The one good thing that blossomed from it was meeting Bree and how quickly they connected. It was the way the blonde shiny woman smiled at her that sucked her in. It was also the way the fresh-faced lady was cheerful but in which Sophie caught her smile fall away on her pearlescent pink lips too quickly. Her French-tipped nails were spotless, Sophie noticed, as Bree waved them around in direct cadence with how she spoke. A simple, understated wedding band adorned a finger, which felt in stark contrast to the overtly obvious diamond earring studs and designer label jeans.

It was in Bree’s sparkling, unhurried demeanour and the way she just let compliments somersault out her mouth that encouraged Sophie to relax a little inside; something that was few and far between. Each time they caught up for coffee, Sophie found herself more and more engaged in Bree’s life and warmth. And on the day that Bree referred to her as “Soph”, she thought she had truly found a friend. But without explanation, Bree hadn’t returned at least three of her recent calls. So she stopped trying. She knew a dismissal when she saw one. So Sophie continued to be held by her fugue state, alone, there on the couch trying to work out what the note really meant and if she had somehow mistaken its meaning. Perhaps Alex would simply be back after work? Maybe he meant to say ‘I have to leave you in bed.’ But Sophie knew. Deep down, she knew.

Once it was well and truly night time, somewhere in the back of Sophie’s mind a rational thought pushed its way through, like it was pushing through a crowd. The brainwave forced her into action, the doona dropped to the couch as she stood up and stalked out of the loungeroom into her bedroom where she flung open the cupboard doors. Desperately searching for any missing items, she was perplexed that there was barely anything missing besides a bag, one T-shirt and one set of pants. All his socks still seemed to be lined up in the drawer, grinning back at Sophie.

Stomping into the bathroom she spied his toothbrush missing from the holder. But as she scoured around, she discovered it was flung into the rubbish bin, its chewed head pressed into the plastic liner like it was ashamed of Alex's behaviour. He didn’t even take his toothbrush, she thought hopefully.

Armed with the new information, she tried to ring Alex again. And, again, it rung out. Spotting her dishevelled and utterly defeated appearance in the bathroom mirror, she hung her head over the basin and started to sob.

CHAPTER FIVE

During the promise of the next day, even after a seemingly endless night of no sleep, it dawned on her that something wasn't right. Husbands do not just decide to leave. Not on an ordinary morning, without a hint of unrest. Not when they'd only recently made love with a sweetness that they each thought was long forgotten.

She still could not bring herself to phone Bree. Who knows what the additional sting of her not answering the phone would do to her in such a fragile state. But even Sophie could see that she desperately needed a friend. Unfortunately, the only ones she had were Bree. And Alex.

There really was no place to go and look for him but what other choice did she have? The powerlessness of staying home, waiting and ringing, felt like it would decay her soul. She pulled into the car park of his work, despite being told by the main reception, several times, that he was not in the office. Sophie didn’t believe her. Instead, believing it was clearly a ploy to stop her hysterics that she was bound to unleash on Alex. Regretfully, she stopped ringing his work after the receptionist tactfully suggested she stop ringing, for her own sanity as well as his. But she had to see for herself.

Feeling conspicuous in her car she pulled up directly underneath where his office window faced down over the car park. If he was actually there, he would surely see her, come down to avoid any scene or abate her irrationality. There was no one in his office, as far as she could tell. But it wasn’t worth the risk of leaving. So, she waited some more. Every minute twisting at her gut. Time had stretched so much that she did not understand how it could ever go back to normal; cut into blocks, marked by normal