Happily Ever After_ - Benison Anne O'Reilly [87]
‘We can’t all be natural wits like you Eleanor. You know I was thinking - I have all my best thoughts while taking a leak - you have this imagination and a gift with words. Have you ever thought about becoming a writer?’
‘I have but it’s a bit of a cliché isn’t it?’
‘That doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.’
‘I suppose so…If only I had the time. I don’t know - maybe I could write a novel about us one day.’
‘And would I be a human or alien character?’
‘You’re not going to let me live that down are you?’
‘Nuh - anyway I don’t mind either way, just as long as you make me devilishly handsome and an accomplished lover.’
‘Well that would hardly be much of a stretch.’
16
A night at the Opera House
Quite late in this period of madness, Tony and I had a curious encounter on one of our date nights. One of Tony’s school friends, Michael, offered us two tickets to a play. Mike and his wife Melissa had bought the tickets several months earlier but were unable to use them because Melissa had delivered their third child a few weeks earlier than expected. We were meeting another couple, mutual friends called Robbie and Anna, and I was looking forward to having the extra company to enliven the conversation a bit.
It was a Thursday. The play was being staged in the drama theatre at the Opera House and we parked in the car park. We were walking together to the theatre, Tony grumbling about the price of the parking, when in one of the packed bars on the concourse we ran smack bang into Alex. For a few seconds I was disorientated - now who did I come with again? - but it wasn’t long before I regained my composure. At least I hope it appeared that way. My heart was pounding so violently I was worried it might have been visible under my dress.
I was glad that I’d asked Tony to check he’d brought the tickets as he was rummaging around in his pockets at the time, rather than holding my hand as he’d been doing a few seconds earlier. In Alex’s carefully edited version of events my husband and I were barely speaking.
The thing is Alex was with a girl - an extremely attractive girl. She was very tall, with long red hair and equally long slim legs encased in a short skirt and knee-high black boots. She had legs that didn’t seem to get any bigger at the thighs, unlike the rest of us mortals. I know that I had no right to be jealous, but who was she?
‘Hi,’ I said.
‘Hi,’ he said back.
‘Are you going to introduce me?’ asked Tony.
‘Sorry…this is Alex - my boss - Tony.’
‘Oh, don’t call me your boss, Ellie.’
‘So, you’re the guy who keeps monopolising all my wife’s time,’ said Tony. I glanced his direction, but he was smiling.
‘And this is my husband, Tony. We’re just off to see a play at the Opera House.’
So my husband and lover shook hands. But who was the girl?
Then Alex remembered. ‘Oh, sorry, I’m being neglectful too. This is Stacey. We’re having a few drinks with friends. The rest of them are at the bar getting drinks. Stacey, I work with Ellie.’
‘Hi,’ I said.
Tony looked at his watch. ‘I don’t want to be rude - it would be nice to chat, but the play is starting soon. We’re meeting some other friends and they’ll be wondering where we are.’
‘Yeah we better go. See you tomorrow then,’ I said to Alex.
‘Hope the play is good.’
I can’t tell you if the play was any good because I was incapable of thinking about anything but the leggy Stacey all night.
As we were walking away Tony said, ‘So that’s the famous Alex you’re always going on about is it? I expected him to be older for some reason. But I must say his girlfriend is extremely hot.’
‘Oh, I don’t know that she is his girlfriend,’ I replied in an unnaturally high voice. ‘As far as I’m aware he doesn’t have one.’
‘What is he gay or something?’
‘No. He had a serious girlfriend in England but they split up.’
‘You seem to know a lot about his love life.’
‘I do work with him every day after all.’
‘Well he should make a move on that girl if he’s single. I would.’
‘Gee, thanks.’
‘I meant if I was single,’ he said, smiling and grabbing my hand in reassurance.