Page 11 of This is Where I Leave You

Marcus looked at Angela and tried in vain to think of a reason. God she was nice looking, she looked fit to eat in her ivory silk blouse and tight charcoal pencil shirt. And those fuck me heels, well, they had already gotten him into trouble. He cringed again, this time at the memory of the night of the funeral. A drunken flirtation and a bottle of JD resulting in a frenzied shag on his living room rug. Since then, he had been avoiding Angela like one would a leper or a swamp monster, avoiding calls, being alone with her; she was getting more and more determined though. Eventually they would have to have ‘the talk,’ he was sure of it but for now he would rather swerve that little chat. Angela was a very hard as steel solicitor type, all balls and no baking, as they would say, and she was not a woman to be crossed by any means. The fact is, he didn’t even like her personality; sure the package was smoking hot but he could never have a relationship with her, even if he wasn’t already hung up on Cady. Truth was, that night he was drunk, sad and lonely and after seeing Cady’s outburst and sudden departure, he had slipped into a dark mood and Angela had just simply been there.

Aware that she was now staring at him questioningly and tapping her slender foot, he cleared his throat quickly and started to shuffle papers on his desks. “Er no, sorry, I can’t, too much on, been playing catch up since Richard..you know, picked up his cases too while they find a replac…a new solicitor.”

Angela clenched her jaw and tossed her head, flicking her hair away from her face. “Yes well, Richard left a large hole in..the firm. I will leave you to it.”

Marcus smiled in relief at her retreating back and jumped when she twirled around to face him. “BUT, Marcus dear, we DO have to talk. Friday night, La Rustico, 8pm. No raincheck, ok?”

Her stern set face showed she would book no refusal. Marcus tried to smile at her, only managing to bear his gums in a wolf-like grimace, and nodded. “See you then,” he said through suddenly dry lips, his whole mouth making a smacking sound at the words. Angela beamed back and power walked back to her office, barking orders to book a table at her brow-beaten secretary on the way past. Marcus went to sit in his chair, instead hitting the floor and laying there with his legs in the air.

Bollocks, he thought, rubbing his elbow, which had hit the desk on the way down. Friday. Great, he now had less than 4 days to either contract the zombie virus, flee the country or face the music. Eating brains looked good about now.

CHAPTER 13

Cady walked out of the clinic with Trudy running after her. “Er, Cady, I don’t think you should be alone right now, please wait till I call someone, ok? Please?”

Cady rounded on her. “Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. I will make an appointment with my GP for a blood test like you said, but for now I just want to be alone.”

She stormed down the path, heels smashing into the pebbled driveway. She was, was…furious! Pregnant! Jesus Christ! What the hell was she going to do now??? Pregnant and widowed by 30 was not the life plan of anyone, any careers advisor at school would surely baulk at that one. Well, Miss, when I grow up, I want to marry a total bastard, get knocked up, then be a single parent no man in his right mind will touch! Cady was walking fast now, through the town, past shops and pubs and people, not seeing or registering anything. Her mind was a whirl of activity and random thoughts. She had no career, no husband, no life, no chance. She couldn’t be a mother, it would be an utter disaster.

Passing the Angel arms pub, she spied a couple sipping beers in the rare April sunshine. Oblivious to others, they mooned at each other, talking quietly. The woman stroked her beau’s wrist while he stroked her bare tanned leg absentmindly. They looked as though they lived on their own little orbit, happy and content, comfortable. Cady looked away and kept walking, forcing down the huge lump in her throat. The noise from the traffic eventually pushed its way through her thought pattern, and she realised that she was heading far out of town, and more importantly from the car park her Astra waited in. Probably with a ticket, she had only put two hours on the meter and she could not even bring herself to lift her wrist to look at her watch. Stopping to gain her bearings, she realised she was outside the grey Hepworth Building. A Gallery full of peace and quiet, and beautiful things. Just what she needed to silence the ugly thoughts she was having. Her tummy gurgled, and more importantly, it had a café. She walked over the causeway and entered the Gallery, heading straight to the café. The café itself was even beautiful, and thankfully quiet. A family and a single person were seated. Letting her growling belly do the ordering she bought a ham, cheese and pickle sandwich, a large coffee, and a huge slice of chocolate cake. She stacked it all up onto a tray and selecting a table overlooking the river, she sat down, staring at the fast moving river and wishing she could float away on it.

“Er..hi!”

Turning to the voice, she looked straight into a pair of huge blue eyes. She had a feeling she knew the owner but…then it clicked.

“Liam, right?”

“Luke actually,” the man grinned. “I think I caught you at a bad time the other day, my digits paid the price!” he raised his frankly gorgeous thick manly hands and showed her his fingers, which were now covered in plasters.

“Oh no! I am sorry, er, Luke, it was a bad morning.”

He grinned and shrugged. “No problem, I figured you were suffering after a big night on the sauce,” he said chuckling, showing off a set of neat white teeth.

Cady stared back at him with a shocked expression. Had he said wrong?

“Er sorry, I meant no offence, it’s just that I saw the cards and you looked a bit hungover,” he shifted from foot to foot, obviously more uncomfortable by the second. They both stood and stared at each other, the awkwardness nipping at their ankles.

“Birthday was it?” he ventured, trying to save the situation.

Cady smiled at him, amused by his persistence. I bet he wished he hadn’t bothered coming over. “I am really sorry about your fingers, and getting your name wrong. Are you ok now?” she said soothingly, reaching for his fingers and stroking the plasters. He jumped slightly in surprise but didn’t move his hand away. Meeting each other’s eyes, they both burst into laughter at the weirdness of the situation. Luke smiled and ruffling his slightly messy brown hair, said “Can I join you? I was about to grab a sandwich myself, unless you are waiting for someone?” He looked to the door, as though expecting The Rock to muscle into the room and punch him for talking to his woman.

Cady shook her head. “No, I am not waiting for anyone. I am alone.”

Luke nodded and went to get some lunch.

Cady cradled her coffee and took a large gulp. What the hell was that? Kissing Marcus, stroking stranger’s fingers in galleries, what next, rubbing up against the postman like a bear against a tree? She flushed as Luke turned to stare at her in return and their eyes locked. Man, he had great eyes. She pondered her response as she watched him getting his lunch. She said she was alone. And she was, seemingly. Aside of course, from the little life growing inside her. What was she supposed to do, snuff out the last legacy of a dead man? The baby had done nothing wrong, and she did not think that she could in all honestly even consider an abortion. It was not for her, she had always felt the same. She was pro-choice, and she made her choice sat right there in that café. As Luke passed her a fresh coffee, having noticed hers was cold and had a skin floating on top, she suddenly had a vision of Priscilla in a baby bonnet. She took the mug gratefully and deleted that little horror from her memory banks.

CHAPTER 14

Georgina arrived at the door brandishing the promised goodies, right on time. Cady answered the door chewing a banana, a puzzled faraway look on her face. Scratching her head, creating a comical look akin to an ape, she frowned at George, then her face turned to recognition.

“Oh shit, sorry! I forgot you were coming, come in. Oooh, that curry smells gorge, I am starving.”

George kicked off her flats and followed Cady through the hallway into the kitchen. “You ok, mate? How did today go?”

Cady was busy ripping into the two large bags that George had plonked on the table. Spying the two bottles of wine, she whipped them both into the fridge and proceeded to load two plates with curry, shoving a vegetable samosa into her mouth as she piled on the pilau. George stared at her. Something was wrong. Normally Cady would have chosen to sort the wine out first before the food, it was just their way. She knew she had not been taking good care of herself recently, but was this her friend’s first meal of the day?

“Have you not eaten today?”

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