The Optician's Wife by Betsy Reavley Read Free Book Online Page A

the paper into my rucksack I made my way towards the café I often met Larry in. I would read about it later.
    When I reached the café Larry was standing outside leaning against a wall talking to a beautiful brunette, who curled a long lock of hair in her fingers and giggled. I stopped just out of sight, uncertain whether I should interrupt. The young woman was wearing a pale pink vest and denim shorts that showed off her long thighs. She dropped the cigarette she had been smoking and stubbed it out with one of her clean white sneakers before sauntering away. When I was sure she was gone I scurried out from my hiding place and approached Larry.
    ‘Hi Dee.’ He hugged me.
    ‘Sorry I’m late.’
    ‘Only a minute or two. Doesn’t matter. I just bumped into Lorna.’
    ‘Who is she?’ I tried my best to disguise my jealousy.
    ‘One of Eric’s girlfriends.’ Larry rolled his eyes.
    ‘How many does he have?’
    ‘Too many. Lorna was trying to find out what he’d been up to and why he hadn’t contacted her.’
    ‘Oh.’ Relief washed over me.
    ‘I really don’t understand where he finds the time to juggle all those ditsy girls. One girlfriend is enough for me.’ It was the first time he had referred to me, as that and I loved how it sounded.
    I was someone’s girlfriend.
    ‘I’ve been thinking,’ he continued, ‘it’s about time you met my family.’ I was horrified and thrilled all at the same time. ‘Why don’t you come over for Sunday lunch? My ma does a good roast.’
    ‘If you think it’s OK.’
    ‘OK? I’ve told them all about you. They’re dying to meet my mystery woman.’
    ‘OK then. That sounds nice.’
    ‘Great. I’ll tell Ma to set another place at the table. She’s going to be so excited.’
    This was a big step. It was huge. I was going to meet his family. My stomach filled with butterflies.
    ‘Now,’ he put his arm around my shoulder and started to guide me away from the café, ‘I want to buy my girl something to wear for the special occasion. We want you looking your best.’ Was he really suggesting we went clothes shopping? I hated the idea but remained silent as he led me by the hand towards the shopping centre. ‘Come on, look, Topshop has a summer sale.’
    I had never been clothes shopping with anyone other than my mum and certainly never somewhere like Topshop before.
    ‘I don’t know.’ I freed my hand from his and stopped outside. ‘I don’t think it’s really me.’
    ‘Sure it is. Just come in and have a look. If you don’t see anything you like we won’t buy anything.’ His boyish enthusiasm was hard to refuse.
    ‘OK. Just looking.’
    When we entered the shop we were subjected to loud music blasted out of speakers on the wall. David Bowie’s ‘China Girl’ filled the air. The room was filled with racks of clothes all hanging neatly. It was so colourful. So unlike what I was used to. Gaggles of girls stood fingering through the clothes. They all looked like adverts for the store. I stood out like a sore thumb in my Woolworths uniform. One or two of them looked at me with disdain.
    ‘Over here,’ Larry called out. He was standing holding a pink dress with puffy arms and frilly skirt. I’d never seen anything like it. ‘What about this?’
    ‘No, I couldn’t.’ The idea of it was horrible.
    ‘Too much?’ he examined the dress.
    ‘Just a bit.’ I didn’t want to be rude but there was no way I was going to wear something like that.
    ‘OK. So we keep looking,’ he hung the dress back on the rack. ‘Seen anything you like?’
    ‘Not so far.’
    ‘Let’s keep looking.’
    I followed him around the shop as he picked up clothes that I continued to reject until finally I spotted something bearable.
    ‘This is nice.’ I held up a plain white cropped T-shirt.
    ‘OK.’ He didn’t sound convinced. ‘I suppose that’s a start.’
    I clung on to the top for dear life hoping that the shopping trip would now end. But it didn’t.
    Larry went over