didn't. Your guy didn't say much, just that he'd gotten out of a bad relationship and he wanted to have some fun. You okay with eggs and bacon?”
“Oh god,” Kathy said, putting her head in her hands. She was developing a headache. How many other times had Mark gone out chasing tail when she was away? She had been at one other large conference this year, and had taken three business trips. What else had been a lie?
“Okay, I'm just going to make eggs and bacon with toast,” Gina said quickly. She puzzled her way around the kitchen, opening every cupboard and drawer to find what she needed, without help from Kathy. She knew how to cook at least, and the smell of breakfast filled the room soon enough.
Kathy stared listlessly at the table until a mug of coffee was plunked down in front of her. She stared at it, then sniffed. As she pulled it towards her, tears dripped down her face and into her hands. She looked at her reflection, and it seemed as if it had aged twenty years overnight. Her hair, which she had protected so carefully the night before, was limp and lifeless, and hung in frizzy brown curls around her face. Her skin was pale and sickly, with none of her usual sparkle. Her eyes looked dead and jaded, and her mascara had run.
“We were going out for a year,” she blubbered. “I got an early flight back just so I could be here on our anniversary, and he...” She began to cry again, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the reality of it all over again. Mark had been so good for her. She had even planned to ask him to move in with her – he spent all his free time at her townhouse anyway, rather than his own small apartment. Now the suspicion arose that he was just using her; for sex, for money, for a comfy place to stay in a nice part of the city... Kathy sobbed her broken heart out.
“Hey,” Gina said gently, “hey, it's okay, at least you found out now, right? It'd be worse if you were married or something.” She patted Kathy's arm in sympathy, and passed her a plate of eggs and slightly burnt bacon. “Here, just eat something, you'll feel better. There's toast here too.”
Kathy tried to pull herself together. Yes, at least all he had really hurt was her feelings, but it didn't make it any less hurtful. She could cut him out of her life without too much trouble – but she didn't want to. She wanted to go back to yesterday, when he wasn't a two-timing bastard.
The eggs weren't bad. She forced herself to eat. Gina only helped herself to a cup of coffee, and watched as Kathy picked through the food.
“He came to my bar every night this week, that's how I met him,” she said. “I bartend at this really cool place called Gun Metal. He seemed like a nice guy, you know? I mostly see these grungy rockers, and that gets kinda old. He said his name was Dave.”
Kathy just kept her eyes on her mug. This was hard enough to listen to without having to look at the woman who was screwing her boyfriend last night – and yes, that thought was completely irrational. It wasn't Gina's fault that Mark was an asshole.
“I saw him flirting with a few of the regulars, so I figured he was available, and we got talking.” She shrugged. “He looked cute, so I went home with him. He said this was his place too.”
The words twisted in her gut like a knife wound. “I don't need to hear this,” Kathy said. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I feel sorry for you, okay? I've been cheated on too, and it sucks. I know he's going to come back and spin some line of bullshit to convince you it's all just a big misunderstanding, and he'll try to make me look like a crazy bitch, as if the fact that I like to sleep around makes me nuts.” Gina sneered into her coffee. “Fuckwads like him don't deserve a second chance. I'd like to make sure you don't give him one.”
“What did you do when you found out your boyfriend was...?” Kathy asked.
“Piled all his stuff in his front yard, threw petrol all over it and lit it
“Oh god,” Kathy said, putting her head in her hands. She was developing a headache. How many other times had Mark gone out chasing tail when she was away? She had been at one other large conference this year, and had taken three business trips. What else had been a lie?
“Okay, I'm just going to make eggs and bacon with toast,” Gina said quickly. She puzzled her way around the kitchen, opening every cupboard and drawer to find what she needed, without help from Kathy. She knew how to cook at least, and the smell of breakfast filled the room soon enough.
Kathy stared listlessly at the table until a mug of coffee was plunked down in front of her. She stared at it, then sniffed. As she pulled it towards her, tears dripped down her face and into her hands. She looked at her reflection, and it seemed as if it had aged twenty years overnight. Her hair, which she had protected so carefully the night before, was limp and lifeless, and hung in frizzy brown curls around her face. Her skin was pale and sickly, with none of her usual sparkle. Her eyes looked dead and jaded, and her mascara had run.
“We were going out for a year,” she blubbered. “I got an early flight back just so I could be here on our anniversary, and he...” She began to cry again, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the reality of it all over again. Mark had been so good for her. She had even planned to ask him to move in with her – he spent all his free time at her townhouse anyway, rather than his own small apartment. Now the suspicion arose that he was just using her; for sex, for money, for a comfy place to stay in a nice part of the city... Kathy sobbed her broken heart out.
“Hey,” Gina said gently, “hey, it's okay, at least you found out now, right? It'd be worse if you were married or something.” She patted Kathy's arm in sympathy, and passed her a plate of eggs and slightly burnt bacon. “Here, just eat something, you'll feel better. There's toast here too.”
Kathy tried to pull herself together. Yes, at least all he had really hurt was her feelings, but it didn't make it any less hurtful. She could cut him out of her life without too much trouble – but she didn't want to. She wanted to go back to yesterday, when he wasn't a two-timing bastard.
The eggs weren't bad. She forced herself to eat. Gina only helped herself to a cup of coffee, and watched as Kathy picked through the food.
“He came to my bar every night this week, that's how I met him,” she said. “I bartend at this really cool place called Gun Metal. He seemed like a nice guy, you know? I mostly see these grungy rockers, and that gets kinda old. He said his name was Dave.”
Kathy just kept her eyes on her mug. This was hard enough to listen to without having to look at the woman who was screwing her boyfriend last night – and yes, that thought was completely irrational. It wasn't Gina's fault that Mark was an asshole.
“I saw him flirting with a few of the regulars, so I figured he was available, and we got talking.” She shrugged. “He looked cute, so I went home with him. He said this was his place too.”
The words twisted in her gut like a knife wound. “I don't need to hear this,” Kathy said. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I feel sorry for you, okay? I've been cheated on too, and it sucks. I know he's going to come back and spin some line of bullshit to convince you it's all just a big misunderstanding, and he'll try to make me look like a crazy bitch, as if the fact that I like to sleep around makes me nuts.” Gina sneered into her coffee. “Fuckwads like him don't deserve a second chance. I'd like to make sure you don't give him one.”
“What did you do when you found out your boyfriend was...?” Kathy asked.
“Piled all his stuff in his front yard, threw petrol all over it and lit it
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