Working Wonders

Working Wonders by Jenny Colgan Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Working Wonders by Jenny Colgan Read Free Book Online
Authors: Jenny Colgan
time.’
    ‘Did you?’
    He ignored the obvious truth in her statement.
    ‘I don’t see why, just because we’re seeing each other … I mean, I don’t owe you anything.’
    As soon as he said this he realized how awful it was. She blinked twice rapidly and edged away from him. ‘You … you …’
    ‘Listen, Fay, I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t. It’s just … I’ve had a really tough day and you’ve just started in on this and …’
    But she had already stood up and was backing away across the room.
    ‘Look, Fay.’
    But she didn’t even look like Fay any more. She looked like some strange person he’d never met before in his life. Her eyes frightened him.
    ‘You don’t owe me anything,’ she echoed.
    ‘Oh, come on, let’s talk about it.’
    ‘No, no need for that. You don’t owe me a thing.’
    ‘ Fa-ay .’
    Now she looked around, bewildered. She stopped herself. ‘Well,’ she said.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Well, I guess I’ll be back to pick up my stuff … whenever …’ She cast an eye round the tasteful living room that they’d gone down to London to furnish – the brown leather sofa, the Habitat rug, the widescreen TV. Suddenly she had pulled herself together, and was eerily calm.
    ‘You owe me that sofa,’ she said. Arthur was standing now, casting his arms around, trying to say something, anything, but realizing as he did so that somewhere, underneath all of this, there was a definite feeling of relief – and that this was the biggest betrayal of all.
    ‘You … you betrayed me,’ she said, unnervingly voicing exactly what was going through his head. ‘Maybe not with another woman – but then, of course, I don’t know you at all, do I?’
    ‘There aren’t any other women,’ said Arthur dully, although he couldn’t help wondering – it was a flash, nothing more – about Gwyneth’s set up.
    ‘But you betrayed me, nonetheless. You saw me every day and you knew absolutely what I was in for, and absolutely what I was after and you spat on it and pissed it out the window the whole damn time. Did you laugh as the years went by, Arthur? Did you laugh every day because I still hadn’t cottoned on that nothing – nothing I did was any use? That there was nothing I could do? You stole that time from me, Arthur Pendleton. You stole it, and you know you did.’
    ‘I …’ Arthur exclaimed helplessly.
    ‘You absolute wretch . Well, fuck you! That’s my curse on you. Fuck you and everything that will ever happen to you.’
    ‘I wish people would stop saying that today.’
    ‘Fuck you,’ she said again, and it echoed around the room as she slammed the door. Arthur stood there for a second, until she marched back in, scooped up the television remote control, her bag, her dressing gown, then stood in front of him where he was frozen to the carpet and calmly blacked his other eye.

Chapter Three
    ‘I think I’d maybe … I’d quite like to come in and see you.’
    Lynne regarded the strange purple-eyed apparition peering round her doorway coolly. Arthur had driven in at five miles an hour.
    ‘ Can you see?’
    ‘Ha ha. Is this a good time?’
    ‘Time …’ mused Lynne. ‘What a funny question. All times are exactly the same.’
    She stared out of the window. Today she was wearing six layers of different colours of brown. They floated all over her chair. One layer looked like it might be made out of a piece of sacking.
    ‘Er, yes they are,’ averred Arthur. ‘Except you know, they’re not. When you’re doing something or, you know, waiting for black eyes to heal.’
    ‘Is that what those are? I thought you were turning into a panda. I saw that happen once …’
    Arthur threw up his hands in defeat. ‘Fine, I’ll come back later.’
    ‘No, no, come in.’
    Arthur mooched in and slouched onto the sofa. There was an expectant silence.
    ‘Well?’ said Lynne.
    ‘I don’t know … Can you give me some therapy or something?’
    ‘What, just like that?’
    Arthur

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