right again.
‘Sometimes relationships go through these patches when they’re more about tolerating someone and putting up with all their annoying habits,’ Elaine mused. ‘Other times, the magic and the romance comes back, even though you hadn’t even noticed they were missing. When Simon was in the band, he’d disappear off in a transit van for weeks on end,
and
he wore leather trousers, for God’s sake.’
‘You think he had groupies?’
‘I think that I wasn’t sitting at home twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to call me from the Newport Pagnell services. If he was out having a good time, then I was going to make bloody sure that I was too,’ Elaine said with a rueful smile. ‘Which didn’t mean I stopped loving him or he stopped loving me, but our relationship went through a phase. A phase when we shagged other people.’
‘But you’re all right now, though? ‘Cause you’ve talked it through and …’
‘… and he got dropped by his label and stopped touring,’ Elaine corrected. ‘We had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which worked for us then, but now, if he even thought of getting his leg over some other woman, he’d be walking funny for the rest of his life.’
‘I should probably give Jack a break,’ Hope decided, but she wished that she didn’t sound so uncertain. ‘I mean, I think we’ll be OK, and maybe we needed this to happen to show us that we both need to put a bit more time and effort into our relationship.’ Even as she said it, Hope wondered why relationships needed time and effort like lesson plans and redecorating the kitchen, which they’d been talking about ever since they’d bought the flat, but hadn’t got much further than picking up paint charts.
‘The course of true love never runs smooth, dearie,’ Elaine said, picking up the wine bottle and glaring at it as if its emptiness was a deliberate act of wilful behaviour. ‘Or love conquers all. Take your pick. I mean, you do love Jack, don’t you?’
‘Of course I love him. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like without him,’ Hope said immediately, and there was no need for Elaine to be giving her the same funny look that she gave Dorothy when she was banging on about STPCDs, SIDPs, PPAs and the many other acronyms that littered her conversation, most of which Elaine and Hope didn’t understand. ‘So, that’s good, right?’
‘Of course it’s good. And it can’t do any harm to buy some new underwear.’ Elaine paused delicately, then lowered her voice. ‘Nothing crotchless or nippleless though, you wouldn’t believe the chafing.’
‘Eeewww!’ Hope squealed, even as she made a mental note to pop into M&S on the way home. Mopey, self-pitying alone-time was one thing, but maybe they should be having more sexy together-time. Her mind made up, she hauled herself to her feet. ‘I need to get going.’
‘To the bar?’ Elaine asked hopefully, holding up the ice bucket. ‘Same again?’
‘No, I need to buy tasteful but sexy underwear and get something nice for Jack’s tea. Are Marks still doing those dine-in-for-a-tenner promotions?’
‘But it’s early! It’s not even five, and these are our last precious moments of freedom until half-term,’ Elaine protested. ‘Have one more for the road. One as in bottle, not glass, in case you were wondering.’
Hope wavered. If she glugged down half a bottle of rosé in record time, she could still get to Marks and be at home in her new fancy undies with the smell of something delicious wafting from the oven by the time Jack got back from work. ‘Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter too much if I have a tiny little hangover tomorrow.’
‘Exactly! By the time they’ve written their names on their folders and told you what they did in the summer holidays, it’ll be time to go home,’ Elaine said, because she was a terrible enabler – almost as bad as Susie had been, but no, Hope wasn’t going to think about
‘Sometimes relationships go through these patches when they’re more about tolerating someone and putting up with all their annoying habits,’ Elaine mused. ‘Other times, the magic and the romance comes back, even though you hadn’t even noticed they were missing. When Simon was in the band, he’d disappear off in a transit van for weeks on end,
and
he wore leather trousers, for God’s sake.’
‘You think he had groupies?’
‘I think that I wasn’t sitting at home twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to call me from the Newport Pagnell services. If he was out having a good time, then I was going to make bloody sure that I was too,’ Elaine said with a rueful smile. ‘Which didn’t mean I stopped loving him or he stopped loving me, but our relationship went through a phase. A phase when we shagged other people.’
‘But you’re all right now, though? ‘Cause you’ve talked it through and …’
‘… and he got dropped by his label and stopped touring,’ Elaine corrected. ‘We had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which worked for us then, but now, if he even thought of getting his leg over some other woman, he’d be walking funny for the rest of his life.’
‘I should probably give Jack a break,’ Hope decided, but she wished that she didn’t sound so uncertain. ‘I mean, I think we’ll be OK, and maybe we needed this to happen to show us that we both need to put a bit more time and effort into our relationship.’ Even as she said it, Hope wondered why relationships needed time and effort like lesson plans and redecorating the kitchen, which they’d been talking about ever since they’d bought the flat, but hadn’t got much further than picking up paint charts.
‘The course of true love never runs smooth, dearie,’ Elaine said, picking up the wine bottle and glaring at it as if its emptiness was a deliberate act of wilful behaviour. ‘Or love conquers all. Take your pick. I mean, you do love Jack, don’t you?’
‘Of course I love him. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like without him,’ Hope said immediately, and there was no need for Elaine to be giving her the same funny look that she gave Dorothy when she was banging on about STPCDs, SIDPs, PPAs and the many other acronyms that littered her conversation, most of which Elaine and Hope didn’t understand. ‘So, that’s good, right?’
‘Of course it’s good. And it can’t do any harm to buy some new underwear.’ Elaine paused delicately, then lowered her voice. ‘Nothing crotchless or nippleless though, you wouldn’t believe the chafing.’
‘Eeewww!’ Hope squealed, even as she made a mental note to pop into M&S on the way home. Mopey, self-pitying alone-time was one thing, but maybe they should be having more sexy together-time. Her mind made up, she hauled herself to her feet. ‘I need to get going.’
‘To the bar?’ Elaine asked hopefully, holding up the ice bucket. ‘Same again?’
‘No, I need to buy tasteful but sexy underwear and get something nice for Jack’s tea. Are Marks still doing those dine-in-for-a-tenner promotions?’
‘But it’s early! It’s not even five, and these are our last precious moments of freedom until half-term,’ Elaine protested. ‘Have one more for the road. One as in bottle, not glass, in case you were wondering.’
Hope wavered. If she glugged down half a bottle of rosé in record time, she could still get to Marks and be at home in her new fancy undies with the smell of something delicious wafting from the oven by the time Jack got back from work. ‘Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter too much if I have a tiny little hangover tomorrow.’
‘Exactly! By the time they’ve written their names on their folders and told you what they did in the summer holidays, it’ll be time to go home,’ Elaine said, because she was a terrible enabler – almost as bad as Susie had been, but no, Hope wasn’t going to think about
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