Page 80 of The Winter of Second Chances
‘You’re impossible,’ said John and, without another word, he took his jacket from the hook by the door and left.
Damn, Annie thought.I guess the truce is over.
When she got back up to the flat she fed Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and got into her pyjamas. She couldn’t settle. She tried watching television, drinking hot chocolate with brandy and readingLady Audley’s Secretto soothe herself, but nothing held her attention. She was even too fidgety for Tiggs to bother with her.
She hadn’t wanted to argue with John. He just seemed to push her buttons. She harrumphed as she raked over their disagreement. So far, though bullish and self-righteous, John’s only real crimes had been to want to have enough money to look after an elderly aunt in her twilight years, and to suggest a sixty-something man shouldn’t be homeless. What had happened here, she surmised, was a classic case of transference: she was taking out her feelings of frustration and powerlessness with Max on John.
Max’s passive aggression bordered on abusive; even when she was aware of what he was doing, his words would leave her tongue-tied and impotent, like screaming through duct tape. She’d been frustrated for so long that John’s unthreatening, plain-speaking manner seemed to set all her pent-up words free. She knew instinctively there would be no repercussions with John. But feeling safe with him didn’t mean she could behave like an arse. In fact, she reasoned, it ought to garner the opposite response. He did still push her buttons, though...
‘Oh my God!’ she raised her hands heavenwards in exasperation. ‘Why is he so annoying?’ She was offered no response to her pleas, other than Tiggs regurgitating and waking herself up with a start.
‘Serves you right for eating your supper like a pig,’ said Annie.
Mrs Tiggy-Winkle eyed Annie with contempt and settled back down to sleep.
Annie huffed. ‘Oh, all right,’ she said irritably to no one at all. She picked up her phone and texted John.
I’m sorry. I don’t know why I snapped like I did. Well, actually, I do know but it’s too complicated to go into over text. The thing is, my anger wasn’t aimed at you and it was unfair of me to go off like that. I’m sorry that our truce ended. Thank you for helping to make my first ever Halloween party so enjoyable.
In less than a minute her phone pinged.
I’m sorry too. I came off as self-righteous and accusing and that isn’t how I meant that conversation to go at all. I guess the skeletons in both our closets were rattling their bones tonight. Of course you care about Alfred. I took my frustrations out on you and that was unfair of me.
Annie read and reread the text.Blimey!she thought.He’s like a real-life grown-up!Another text came through hot on the heels of the first.
I’m driving to Cornwall this weekend to visit Mari and Celeste but I’ll be back in Willow Bay on Wednesday to help Paul with the fireworks. Perhaps we can talk again.
Away till Wednesday? Don’t you ever work?
To which he replied:Ha! The benefits of working remotely. I work six days a week but pick my own hours. Can usually be found burning the midnight oil.
‘Hmmm,’ Annie mused aloud. ‘A workaholic?’
She texted:Inthat case...don’t you ever sleep?
The response was almost immediate:Not enough and lately even less!
Annie desperately wanted to ask why he wasn’t sleeping but given how quickly their conversations deteriorated, she decided to keep things light.
Well, you’ve got a long drive tomorrow, so hopefully you’ll get some sleep tonight. Nite nite.
She deleted thenite niteand then wrote it back in again three times; was it too cutesy? Too familiar? Too dismissive?
‘Oh, for the love of God, woman! Just finish the text already!’ she berated herself. She putnite niteback into the message and pressed send before she could change her mind again.
Sleep tight! J.came the reply.
Just one more thing...Annie messaged.
Yes??
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
He came back within seconds.
Spice Girls, Wannabe. Obviously!
Annie laughed out loud. She was still erupting into little guffaws as she settled herself down under a blanket to watch an oldHammer Horroron TV, starring Christopher Lee as Dracula nibbling on some prim ladies with jaunty hats and plummy accents. What better way to finish off a perfect Halloween?
