at Brixton Bus Depot. He drives a number 159 bus up to Marble Arch every day.” He was still laughing.
She smiled in surprise because she had assumed from his Eton accent that he was the son of a merchant banker or a QC. It was funny to imagine him as the son of a bus driver.
“Are you disappointed Mel, did you think I was the son of a warrior chief or something?”
They laughed together as they shared the oysters.
Melanie opted for Dover Sole as this would not lay too heavily on her stomach. She couldn’t forget that this was only her first date of the day. In six hours time she had a dinner date with her husband. Ratty opted for the same main course as her. They were sharing an experience more intense than either had believed was possible.
“Where do you live now, Ratty?” Mel asked.
“If you lean out of this window and look about half a mile to the right you will see my apartment on the top floor of the new Quayside development overlooking the river, but I think its best you don’t lean out so far because you may fall. It would be easier if I took you there and showed you it in person, maybe next time we meet?”
They made easy conversation until the coffee was served, when Mel glanced at her watch. It was a quarter past three. It was time to leave him, but just like last time she found every possible excuse to delay their parting.
It was Ratty who finally made the move. “Melanie, I have to return to my office to read some papers and file a defence before I can go home tonight, however I can’t leave until I have extracted from you an agreement to meet me again, soon.”
“Ratty, I feel like the accused in the witness box. Can you forget your legal speak and ask me properly?”
Fully a minute passed before Ratty uttered another word.
“Melanie, I think I’m falling in love with you. I realise you can’t love me back and it’s unfair of me to say such a thing, knowing as I do, that you’re a married woman, but I can’t pretend this time that I want to meet for any other reason than that I love being with you. Can I see you again, tomorrow or maybe the day after?”
It was Melanie’s turn to be silent, shocked in fact. “Ratty, I have it on reliable information that you have half the women in your office chasing madly after you. Young women, beautiful women, single women... I am eight years older than you, why me?”
“If I knew the answer to that, Melanie, I’d gladly tell you, but as yet my heart hasn’t shared this secret with my head.”
“Ratty, I should say no, I should thank you for lunch and leave now and yet I don’t want to. You know I’m married, yet even so you may find what I’m about to tell you hard to believe. Tim and I have been married for eighteen years and he is the only man that I have ever slept with. For some strange reason I don’t feel guilty for being with you, it seems so right, but I know I should be. You must accept that it can’t go any further. If you really enjoy being with me, as I enjoy being with you then we can meet again, perhaps like today, but only as friends. Do you understand how difficult this is for me? After only two times together I have strong feelings for you, feelings that are not right. How am I supposed to feel when I go home to Tim, my husband? Tonight Tim is taking me out for a meal. I don’t even want to go but he is trying hard to mend our relationship. We had a huge row a couple of weeks ago and we haven’t been getting on very well since then. I’m feeling confused at the moment. I enjoy being with you, you can see that, but I can’t betray Tim. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He loves me and he loves our three children. You must see that I can never be anything to you; you’re wasting your time with me. You’d be better to let me work things out with Tim and take out some of the girls Nina told me about, they’re just waiting for you to invite them.”
“Melanie, if it were that easy I would do as you ask. Since that
She smiled in surprise because she had assumed from his Eton accent that he was the son of a merchant banker or a QC. It was funny to imagine him as the son of a bus driver.
“Are you disappointed Mel, did you think I was the son of a warrior chief or something?”
They laughed together as they shared the oysters.
Melanie opted for Dover Sole as this would not lay too heavily on her stomach. She couldn’t forget that this was only her first date of the day. In six hours time she had a dinner date with her husband. Ratty opted for the same main course as her. They were sharing an experience more intense than either had believed was possible.
“Where do you live now, Ratty?” Mel asked.
“If you lean out of this window and look about half a mile to the right you will see my apartment on the top floor of the new Quayside development overlooking the river, but I think its best you don’t lean out so far because you may fall. It would be easier if I took you there and showed you it in person, maybe next time we meet?”
They made easy conversation until the coffee was served, when Mel glanced at her watch. It was a quarter past three. It was time to leave him, but just like last time she found every possible excuse to delay their parting.
It was Ratty who finally made the move. “Melanie, I have to return to my office to read some papers and file a defence before I can go home tonight, however I can’t leave until I have extracted from you an agreement to meet me again, soon.”
“Ratty, I feel like the accused in the witness box. Can you forget your legal speak and ask me properly?”
Fully a minute passed before Ratty uttered another word.
“Melanie, I think I’m falling in love with you. I realise you can’t love me back and it’s unfair of me to say such a thing, knowing as I do, that you’re a married woman, but I can’t pretend this time that I want to meet for any other reason than that I love being with you. Can I see you again, tomorrow or maybe the day after?”
It was Melanie’s turn to be silent, shocked in fact. “Ratty, I have it on reliable information that you have half the women in your office chasing madly after you. Young women, beautiful women, single women... I am eight years older than you, why me?”
“If I knew the answer to that, Melanie, I’d gladly tell you, but as yet my heart hasn’t shared this secret with my head.”
“Ratty, I should say no, I should thank you for lunch and leave now and yet I don’t want to. You know I’m married, yet even so you may find what I’m about to tell you hard to believe. Tim and I have been married for eighteen years and he is the only man that I have ever slept with. For some strange reason I don’t feel guilty for being with you, it seems so right, but I know I should be. You must accept that it can’t go any further. If you really enjoy being with me, as I enjoy being with you then we can meet again, perhaps like today, but only as friends. Do you understand how difficult this is for me? After only two times together I have strong feelings for you, feelings that are not right. How am I supposed to feel when I go home to Tim, my husband? Tonight Tim is taking me out for a meal. I don’t even want to go but he is trying hard to mend our relationship. We had a huge row a couple of weeks ago and we haven’t been getting on very well since then. I’m feeling confused at the moment. I enjoy being with you, you can see that, but I can’t betray Tim. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He loves me and he loves our three children. You must see that I can never be anything to you; you’re wasting your time with me. You’d be better to let me work things out with Tim and take out some of the girls Nina told me about, they’re just waiting for you to invite them.”
“Melanie, if it were that easy I would do as you ask. Since that
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