Page 83 of The Missus
‘Yes, I know, but, haha, I just thought it might be nice… You see, in my youth, we asked the father. And of course, he’s not…’
‘Yes, well, if that’s what floats your boat, you could try asking her last husband, I suppose.’ Jonty’s face fell. ‘Sorry, sorry,’ Alanna said quickly. ‘I’m just… I prefer to keep out of my mother’s love life.’
Jonty’s anxious laugh got a little louder. ‘Yes, well, I was only… I mean, we’re going to be a family, aren’t we?’
Alanna somehow managed not to laugh directly into the old man’s face. ‘Didn’t you only meet a week ago?’
‘At my age, you can’t mess about when you meet the one.’
Alanna suppressed an eye roll. ‘Well, that’s between you and her. Please don’t drag me into this—’
A hand came down on Alanna’s shoulder, and she spun around to face its owner, relieved for the rescue. Until she saw that it was Kelly. She was practically vibrating with anger, a stark juxtaposition to their last conversation a minute ago.
‘You know she doesn’t love you, right?’ Kelly spat.
Keira appeared, looking a little nervous, trying to drag her away with no success. Alanna looked at her for some clarification of the situation. She didn’t find any.
Alanna looked back to Kelly. Alanna didn’t know what was happening or how she was supposed to react. This wasn’t news, but Kelly thought it was supposed to be. ‘Oh?’ Alanna eventually replied.
Kelly looked even angrier. ‘Yeah. She’s been hiding out every night at a twenty-four-hour coffee shop on Stafford Street. Tapping away on her laptop, all sad looking because she doesn’t want to come home.’
Now, thatwasa surprise. Keira wasn’t out working her way through the female population. She’d just been… writing? Why wouldn’t she have done that at home? Keira didn’t even like coffee shops. She’d made that clear on several occasions. So this wasn’t the exposé Kelly thought it was. But there was something off here.
She looked at Keira for confirmation that any of this was even true. But Keira was looking at the floor, shoulders low. It was true. And Keira hadn’t wanted her to know it. Why?
There wasn’t time to figure that out right this second. Because most of the population of the apartment block was looking at her, waiting for some manner of reaction.
‘Well?’ Kelly demanded, still angry for reasons Alanna couldn’t begin to understand.
‘Well,what?’ Alanna asked.
‘Aren’t you going to do something? Dump her or something?’
‘Kelly, what’s going on?’ Benjamin said, jumping into the action, pulling his rubber gloves off.
‘Oh Christ,’ Keira whispered to herself.
Kelly spun around. ‘I was just telling her what I told you about Keira hiding in that coffee shop on my route.’
Benjamin nodded, but he looked baffled. ‘OK, but it’s none of our business, is it?’
Kelly didn’t say anything to that.
‘Is it?’ Benjamin asked again, nervously. Alanna was pretty sure he was putting something together at the same time she was. Kelly was not truly over Keira.
Kelly rolled her eyes and huffed. ‘I’m getting out of here.’ She slammed out of the flat.
Benjamin scanned the room, that particular vein in his temple looking ready to blow and take everyone with it. ‘Everyone, get out.’
Alanna didn’t have to be asked twice, and she trundled out with a muttering crowd, including her mother and Jonty.
‘What have you done now?’ her mother hissed at her. Alanna gave her a look but said nothing as the music went unceremoniously silent.
Out in the hall, people dispersed quickly, though there was loud chatter now, people talking to each other about the odd little drama that had just broken out. Jonty followed Alanna’s mother up the hall to the elevator and as many as possible squeezed in, the rest taking the stairs.
Alanna went into her flat, ready to ask some questions herself. But her intended respondent wasn’t there. Alanna checked the whole place, no Keira. Somehow, in the chaos, she’d slipped away.
Alanna stood in the middle of the flat, wondering what the hell had just happened and where Keira could have vanished to. The answer to the first question was beyond her grasp. But the answer to the second question presented itself to Alanna rather quickly. She knew exactly where Keira would be.
