Page 111 of Things We Need to Say
‘I didn’t speak to management. I was going to. I was angry, but then I thought better of it and went to calm down. Then I heard you’d gone home and I was busy with the functions, so I never said anything.’
Heather frowned at her.
Emma was conscious of being on the landing. ‘Can we talk about this inside?’
Heather eventually spoke. ‘I suppose so,’ She turned and led the way into the living room. Emma followed her, shutting the door behind her.
Inside, the air smelled stuffy and, when Emma walked into the living room, she could see the reason why. The table andfloors were littered with old takeaway cartons, dirty plates, mugs and glasses that looked like they’d been there for weeks.
‘You’d better sit down.’ Heather pointed to a sofa, which was littered with clothes and old newspapers. ‘Just push everything to one side.’
Emma cautiously did as she was told — she didn’t know what she would find beneath — and gingerly sat down on the edge of the sofa.
Heather plonked herself down into a battered armchair. ‘So come on, out with it, what are they saying about me?’
Emma paused. It was obvious that Heather wasn’t taking care of herself and she was reluctant to tell her the truth. She wasn’t here for revenge.
‘That you jumped before you were pushed.’
Heather laughed scornfully. ‘That’s very true. Largely thanks to you.’
This was the Heather of old. Twisting things so that everything was Emma’s fault.
‘No, actually, Heather, it’s largely down toyou. Like I said, I never made a complaint about your bullying, but when I was asked questions I answered them honestly.’
‘What questions?’
‘Like where I was up to on my training programme. The training programme I didn’t know existed. You were supposed to be my line manager, there to support me, yet all you did was bully me. I wanted to learn, but all you wanted was to shove me into menial jobs and do the paperwork you were supposed to do but couldn’t be bothered.’
‘That was all for your own good.’
‘How was that for my good?’
Emma flinched as Heather jumped up, but thankfully she just began to pace the cluttered room.
‘Because you came in, little Miss Perfect, thinking you knew everything. You needed to be brought down a peg or two.’
‘I didn’t think I knew everything.’
Heather turned towards Emma and laughed. ‘Oh, yes, you did.Why do you do it this way? Why don’t you do it like this?’ She mimicked Emma’s voice.
‘I wanted to learn why things were done a certain way, that’s all.’
‘No, you didn’t. You wanted to criticise. Because you were so perfect, with your perfect looks, your perfect boyfriend and your rich friends.’
‘You were jealous.’
‘Damn right I was jealous.’ Heather was almost screaming at her. ‘You’ve never experienced half of what I have, never had to deal with the shit that life throws at you, and there you were thinking you were better than me.’ She began to cry and slumped back down in the armchair with her head in her hands.
Emma was so shocked it was all she could do not to stare at her. Liz had been right all along — the bullying came from Heather’s own insecurities. But no matter what Heather had gone through, it didn’t give her the right to treat other people the way she had, even if it did explain it.
‘That’s not true. I wanted us to be friends. How many times did I ask you to come out for a drink with me? And how many times did you turn me down?’
Heather mumbled, ‘You only asked me out of pity.’
‘No, I didn’t.’ And while Emma didn’t want to tell Heather the real reason she had asked her, the truth was she had wanted to try to understand her. ‘I wanted to get to know you.’
‘Why?’
