Page 95 of A Spell of Midlife Mayhem

Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know and capable of more than you imagine. Go after your dreams and don’t let anyone put you in a box.

Raven

My heart melted like whipped butter on French toast. I read the note over and over. People surged around me. I didn’t move until someone almost fell over the trolley.

The phone rang, shaking me out of my introspective state of mind. Terry.

‘Where the bloody hell are you? We have to check in.’

His anger flustered me. ‘I’ll be right there. Two minutes.’

I stuffed the note in my pocket and referred to the map. The information desk didn’t look far on the map, but it took me ten minutes to walk there. The airport was like a small town.

‘About time,’ Terry grumbled. ‘I’m glad you’ve come to your senses, Heather. Now let’s get checked in and get out of this godforsaken place.’

‘The airport?’ I asked.

‘The whole bloody country.’

I followed him as he headed for the check-in counter, not knowing even what airline he’d booked on. Turned out it was one of the better ones. It must have cost a packet.

‘How did you pay for this, Terry?’

‘I extended the mortgage by a bit.’

‘A bit?’

‘Enough for business class.’

‘That’s a lot more than a bit.’

He turned, snarling. ‘I had to come and get you. If you’d not run off here, I wouldn’t have had to do it. It’s your fault I’ve had to spend our money on the flights.’

‘Our money? We separated. The only asset we have in common is the house, and you can’t extend the mortgage without asking me. You should have spent your own money on these airfares.’

‘Let’s not have a fight now, Heather. Just be grateful I came to get you before you got into too much difficulty over here by yourself.’

‘Difficulty?’

‘You know you need me by your side.’

‘Actually, I managed damn well by myself.’ I bit my lip. That was a lie. I’d screwed everything up, but I wasn’t going to admit it to him.

We reached the counter. I dug in my purse for my passport. Terry handed over his own and the tickets. A minute later, he’d checked in our bags, we had our boarding passes, and we were heading for departures.

With each step, my mood worsened. I had a headache coming on, and my feet dragged as if my shoes were made of lead. Raven’s words echoed in my mind like lottery balls bouncing around in their randomiser machine. Rose’s assertion that Terry wasn’t good for me and my life shouldn’t be about his needs rang in my head. The messages competed for my attention.

The departure gate came into view. Terry grabbed my arm as if to prevent me from bolting. Did he think I might?

‘This is going to be a big weight off my mind,’ he grumbled, ‘going back home and getting back to normal.’

Normal. Overworked in a shitty job. Unappreciated by my cheating husband.

Nothing to look forward to.

We reached the departures gate. Another few steps, and there would be no turning back. Ever. A mundane, ordinary, thankless life waited for me on the other side of that gate.

I pulled my arm free.

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