Page 67 of The Missus
Alanna couldn’t see it either. Their relationship had never been something Alanna had received much from. Not comfort, not support, not unconditional love. Still, the woman had nothing. And shewasher mother. That kind of relationship wasn’t easy to set aside, even when it was toxic. But she couldn’t make it Keira’s problem because she wasn’t actually her partner. Keira’s tolerance for the situation, while so far gargantuan, had to have a limit. Alanna was in a serious pickle.
Keira started to laugh.
‘I can’t imagine what you’re finding funny right now,’ Alanna said.
‘I was just thinking about Kelly and Benjamin. I can’t believe she’s going to be my neighbour now.’
‘Again, how the hell are you getting any laughs out of that? She’s fixated on you, and now she’s metres away.’
‘She’s moved on,’ Keira shrugged.
‘So shesays.’
Keira seemed unworried. ‘I wish her the best. I do. Shame it’s with your dildo ex. No offence.’
Alanna smiled. ‘None taken.’ She chewed the situation over. It would have been easy to stress about the circumstances. But Keira wasn’t. So maybe there was nothing to worry about. ‘I guess it’s a relief that they found each other. Hopefully, that means Benjamin will stay out of my way from now on, too.’
‘Your mother’s gonna be gutted. I think she was probably hoping to get you and him going again.’
‘She’s got bigger fish now anyway.’ Alanna shook her head. ‘A fuckingastronaut.’
‘Do you think the conman made one up, or do you think she thought it was one of the existing ones? Like Buzz Aldrin or something?’
‘Feel free to ask her. I’m certainly not. She can keep her secrets if they’re all like that. It’s funny. I’ve always known she had issues, but I never thought she was stupid.’
‘As you said, people believe what they want to believe,’ Keira said.
‘Like Benjamin and Kelly thinking it could work?’ Alanna asked.
‘Yeah. Like them.’ Keira took a thoughtful sip of her beer.
Alanna thought about that for a moment. For a second, James had her believing there was a chance that her feelings for Keira might be returned. So yes, she could understand how you could fool yourself into believing something. Maybe Alanna had the same kind of stupidity as her mother, though hopefully in smaller doses. Then again, Alanna was probably as close to being with Keira as her mother was to snagging a guy who’d gone to the moon. So perhaps they were peas in an idiotic pod.
Alanna realised that she and Keira had both sucked those beers down kind of fast. ‘Shall we have another?’
‘It’s either that or risk going home and walking into the middle of astronaut-gate. So yeah, hit me,’ Keira smiled.
Alanna went to get them.
***
Alanna counted the dead soldiers on the table. They were each four deep. But no one wanted to go home yet.
‘So he poured your makeup down the sink?’ Keira asked, shocked.
‘He sure did.’
‘Fucking hell. That’s, like, what’s the phrase people always use? Toxic.’
‘It most certainly is,’ Alanna said with a small hiccup.
Keira laughed at her. ‘You’re cartoon drunk right now.’
Alanna laughed back. ‘It feels good to relax. I’ve been tense since my mother knocked on the front door. My shoulders have been around my ears all day.’
‘Tell me about it. After the shower incident, I was grinding my teeth. I haven’t done that since I was a kid,’ Keira said.
‘But you had an out, surely. I mean, youcouldhave,’ Alanna pointed out.
