Chapter Four
Birthday Surprise
Catherine placed another mouthful of rice into her delicate mouth. She looked amazing. She’d had her hair cut into a geometric bob, which sharpened her round face and gave her some cheekbones. She’d dyed it a darker brown and it shone whenever the light hit it. Graham looked good too. He’d put gel on his mousy hair and it looked funky and cool. He’d dressed casually in khaki combats, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket.
‘So how are you doing, pet?’ Graham asked, his face showing concern like a parent trying to comfort an injured child.
‘I’m fine, considering,’ I said, taking a forkful of Cantonese chicken and putting it into my mouth. The flavour was hot and made me cough. I took a sip of my lager.
Mum started patting me on the back. ‘We can’t take you anywhere,’ she said with a giggle. I felt embarrassed that Mum still kept treating me like a child. It was Mum’s fiftieth birthday and since Dad was no longer with us, Catherine and I had decided to take her to her favourite Chinese restaurant. I was glad because it meant I could have a good heart-to-heart with Catherine later, now that they were staying at our house. Since Dad and Catherine moved out it was just Mum and me, and the house sometimes felt too big for just the two of us. As great as Mum was, she’d sided with Claire when it came to Mark. She said she’d never forgive him for what he’d done to me and she meant it too. Mum held grudges. Mark’s name had been added to her grudge list, right underneath Dad’s. ‘Terri’s trying to forget about “you-know-who” and get on with her life. Isn’t that right?’ Mum said, before taking a sip of her red wine.
‘I guess.’ There was no point in arguing. I saw Catherine and Graham exchange looks.
Catherine smiled at me. ‘We can have a good girly talk later can’t we, Tez?’
My mood brightened. ‘That would be great.’
***
Graham headed to bed first and my mum seemed to hang around for ages making small talk. I wanted to speak to Catherine alone. I rarely got to see her these days and although Mum didn’t see her much either, I needed some big-sisterly advice on how to get Mark back. After an hour of drinking wine and listening to music, Mum could no longer keep her eyes open so she went to bed.
‘Thank God for that – I thought she’d never go,’ I said collapsing onto the settee, my legs outstretched.
‘It is her birthday!’ Catherine put her feet up as well. ‘So, come on then – what do you wanna talk about?’
‘I know Mum told you I was over Mark, but I’m not. I want him back, Cat. What do you think I should do?’
Catherine looked up at the ceiling, her fingertips brushing her forehead. It was her way of trying to look intelligent. ‘Do you want my brutally honest opinion?’
‘I wanna know what I should do…’
‘After what he did to you I wouldn’t want anything else to do with him.’ She sipped her wine and avoided eye contact.
‘I know all that – but I can’t help still being in love with him can I? I don’t want anyone else. I know if I don’t get back with him then I’ll be on my own forever.’
Catherine laughed. ‘Oh my God, you’re so dramatic. You might not think you’ll meet anyone else like him, but believe me, you’ll meet someone better than him – I did.’
‘Yeah, but you weren’t engaged before Graham, were you? Me and Mark were together nine years!’
‘What does that matter? I’ve been in love before, too.’
‘Ok, ok, I know all that, I still want to know how I can get back with him though. What should I do?’
Catherine sat up and stretched. ‘I don’t know. Phone him. Tell him you miss him and you’d like to go out as friends and catch up.’
‘That won’t work. Ever since we cancelled the wedding and sorted all that mess out he hasn’t spoken to me. The last thing he said was that he hoped I’d get over it.’
‘Oh, bully for him. He sounds a right prat, Tez. I always knew he was.’
‘He’s not. I know he won’t go out with me though – not even as friends. He’s got a new girlfriend now and she’d probably go mad anyway.’
‘Is he on Facebook?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Can you still see his wall?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well then. Find out what he is up to and accidently bump into him.’
I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought of Facebook. It was perfect. She was bound to be on there. I would find out everything I could about her and then I would accidently bump into her, not him. I would be her new friend and then I would become her enemy. My plan was perfect. I ran to get my laptop so Catherine could help me.
Chapter Five
The good book
I’d never been so happy to see Facebook. I must admit, I was starting to get a little bit bored with it; all people seemed to do was bitch at each other and fall out. And, I knew for a fact that some of the girls from my old school had touched up their photos – how else would Lisa’s spotty skin look so smooth and tanned? It took a while to load but the first thing I noticed when I looked at Mark’s page was the new photo. It used to be one of us together from our holiday in Vegas, but it had now been callously replaced by one of him with her! Catherine took out her glasses from her handbag. Her mouth dropped open. ‘She’s not that nice, Tez,’ she said, obviously trying to make me feel better, as in my eyes she was absolutely gorgeous. They both had their arms around each other’s waists and they were smiling into the camera. I moved my face closer to the laptop and stared intensely at this girl. She had long, glossy, brown hair and dark eyes. Her skin was tanned and her white, cropped-top and mini skirt showed her slim, toned figure off to perfection. Her teeth were straight and white and she had a smattering of freckles across her snub nose which gave her an “all-American” look, which I envied. She was the total opposite of me. My naturally curly red hair was frizzy in comparison to hers and mine stopped growing once it reached my shoulders; hers was halfway down her back. My light, grey eyes felt dull compared to her sparkling peepers and my size 12 figure felt flabby and hideous next to her tiny frame. They do say men go for the opposite of their partner when they are looking for an affair and I realized that there was no way on earth he would have me back now. Why would he want a frump like me when he was with a supermodel? I turned my attention to Catherine. ‘I don’t know who you’re looking at, Cat, but she’s gorgeous!’
Catherine shook her head and took off her glasses, ‘Nah, she’s a dog. A cheap, tart. He’ll soon get bored of her. Girls like her are ten-a-penny round here.’
‘Well I haven’t seen that many girls like her, I can tell you.’
‘Yeah, well she’s too obvious. That hair and tan are false for a start and her boobs probably are too. You’re much nicer than her, Tez.’
I was getting fed up with Catherine now. She was trying too hard to make me feel better but it wasn’t working. I’d seen the picture. I’d seen the smiles on their faces and their arms around each other. They were happy. ‘Why would he want me when he’s got her?’ I said, despondently.
‘Because you’re gorgeous; with your red curls and big blue eyes. You’re loads of fun too. She’s probably boring.’ She sipped some more wine.
‘My plan was to meet her and find out what she had I didn’t but I don’t think I need to now. It’s obvious what she’s got, innit?’
Catherine sighed. ‘Don’t bother yourself with it. He’s in the past. Just forget about it now.’
‘And my eyes are grey not blue,’ I said before glugging down my full glass of wine in one go.
Catherine’s mouth gaped open. ‘You need to sort yourself out. You’re not ‘avin any more wine if you’re going to drink it that fast!’
‘I need more,’ I said trying to wrestle the bottle from her perfectly manicured hands.
She glared at me. ‘Look, you wanted to see what she looked like and now you have. You still don’t know anything about her as a person. She might be a total
psycho.’
‘So what if she is? Mark prefers her.’
‘So what are you going to do now then? Let it eat you up forever?’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know.’ I started to move the cursor on my laptop in an attempt to find out some more information about this man-stealer. I glanced down and noticed a message she’d left on his wall. Her name was Monica (typical of her to have an exotic name). Her message mentioned she would miss him when she was out with the girls on Saturday. I scanned further; another message mentioned she’d be at “Zanzibar” if he wanted to meet up. This was perfect. I knew she’d be out on Saturday and I knew where she’d be too. There could be a problem if Mark turned up but I knew I should go and meet her somehow; find out what she was like.
Catherine didn’t approve of my plan to meet up with Monica but as she was staying tomorrow night she agreed to come with me – if only to stop me making a total fool of myself.
Chapter six
One of the girls
Catherine looked amazing in her fitted blue shift dress and silver high-heels. She’d clipped a diamante hair-slide into her sleek hair which matched her necklace perfectly. ‘Come on then,’ she said, ‘let me at ya.’ She stood behind me and proceeded to straighten my rough curls. I could smell the burning as my hair frazzled between the ceramic plates. It did look pretty good once she’d finished though. She then started to apply my make-up. I usually did my own but it consisted only of a swipe of clear lip-gloss and a dusting of powder blusher. I never enhanced my eyes, though, because eye make-up irritated my sensitive eyes (that was my excuse anyway). Catherine used her make-up to underline my small eyes with an indigo blue pencil. She then applied some turquoise shimmering eye-shadow and navy blue mascara. I didn’t think it was going to look as professional as it did. I looked quite good for me. She then dusted on my blusher and outlined my lips with a dark coral lip-liner. Next, she filled in my full lips with a similar coloured lipstick. I loved it. It made my teeth look so white and I looked like Nicole Kidman.
‘Wow,’ I said, ‘you’re moving back in here and doing my make-up every day!’
Catherine laughed. ‘You look great. I hope Mark does turn up and then he’ll see what he’s missing.’
I moved my fingers through my straight, glossy hair, which suddenly seemed much longer. I was definitely going to start using my straighteners much more often. I couldn’t stop staring at this person in the mirror. It wasn’t me. My hair and face was transformed and my black jumpsuit made me look two dress sizes smaller. I too hoped that I’d see Mark. The last time he’d seen me I’d had my hair scraped back in a pony-tail, my face was bare and I’d been wearing my green velour tracksuit which he’d said he hated several times. Why hadn’t I taken any notice of his words? Why did I continue to dress so frumpily? He’d told me he’d hated the tracksuit yet I’d carried on wearing it. I’d always said I hadn’t seen it coming and him dumping me was a total shock but now I think about it there were some little clues, like the time I went to kiss him and he told me I should stop eating garlic so much because it was off-putting. Maybe this was why he’d looked elsewhere. I suddenly understood that maybe Mark leaving me was my fault after all.
***
I’d only been in “Zanzibar” twice before and both of those times were with Claire. We’d have a good enough time but as I was coupled-up I didn’t flirt with guys like she did. They usually didn’t want to flirt with me anyway because Claire always stood out more – I was always second-best. That was another reason I was glad to have Mark. I didn’t need to impress him; I could be myself. That thought hit me again – I didn’t need to make an effort, so I didn’t. That’s why he left me. At first I thought it was going to be another one of those nights where I was second-best. Most men’s jaws fell open as Catherine walked past, yet, for the first time ever, some of them dropped open for me! I couldn’t believe it. Men were actually looking at me appreciatively.
We were in the middle of ordering our drinks when a man came over. He was quite good-looking with short auburn hair and friendly brown eyes. He had loads of freckles which made him look like a cheeky schoolboy. He was the total opposite of Mark. ‘Hi, there,’ he said, looking directly into my eyes.
‘Hi,’ I replied, feeling slightly embarrassed and unsure as to what to do next.
‘Would you like a drink?’ he asked.
‘My sister’s getting me one, thanks,’ I said.
He looked at Catherine and took a step back. ‘Oh, well, in that case…’ He started to walk away but Catherine, realizing what I’d said, called him back. ‘It’s ok. You don’t have to go,’ she said.
He turned around and smiled. ‘I thought she was giving me the brush-off.’
Catherine placed her arm around my shoulder. ‘She’s been out of the dating scene for a while. She hasn’t got a clue. She turned towards me. ‘Have you?’ I shook my head and she giggled. ‘I’m Cat and this is Tez.’
He frowned.
‘It’s Terri,’ I said.
‘Oh, right. I’m Mark.’
That was it. It had all been going so well until he’d said that. I didn’t want another Mark – I just wanted my Mark.
He held out his hand for me to shake and I offered mine. It felt nice to touch another man’s hand but I felt self-conscious too. I did feel some sort of spark but I felt guilty, as though I were cheating on my Mark somehow. I noticed Catherine’s expression- smug and self-satisfied.
‘I just remembered, I’ve got to make a phone-call,’ she said, and before I could stop her she was striding half way across the dance floor leaving myself and Mark nervously facing each other. This dating lark was horrible. I felt so exposed; so vulnerable. Right now, this man thought I was potential girlfriend material, it was a nice feeling, which after a few months would be replaced with arguments and me wearing my green velour tracksuit and him eyeing up other women. I couldn’t let it happen.
‘I think I’m going to find out where Cat’s got to,’ I said before walking slowly away. I turned back to see the look on Mark’s face – disappointment. Well it was better to be disappointed now and not two weeks before the wedding, wasn’t it?
I was scanning the room, looking for Cat, and that’s when I saw her – Monica; in the flesh. She seemed smaller and slimmer. She’d tied her hair up into a high ponytail but I knew it was her because of the sparkling eyes and freckles. She was in the middle of a group of girls who could have been cheerleaders. Her dirty laugh echoed over the music. Catherine was right – she did seem cheap and slutty, especially now I could see how she dressed. She wore a pair of hot-pants which were so high up her thighs you could see her bum cheeks and on her top half; she wore a matching bra-top. The other girls weren’t much better. I noticed half the men in the room were slavering over them. I knew I had to get to know her better so I could find out what Mark found so fascinating, other than her stunning good looks, of course. I didn’t know how to do it though. Girls didn’t approach girls, unless they were lesbians. I looked at the other girls, hoping I’d know one of them from school, or something, but they were all strangers. One of them caught me staring and glared at me. I moved towards the corner and found a seat. I kept on looking for Cat, but I also kept one eye on Monica and her gang.
I saw a group of men approach them. There was an obvious leader – he looked like John Travolta in his white t-shirt and leather jacket. He moved closer to Monica and she seemed flattered by his obvious leering. At one point he had his hand on her bottom as he whispered in her ear. I found it odd that she didn’t slap him. All she did was move closer and whisper replies into his ear, at the same time placing her hand on his arm. She was a total flirt. How could she do this to Mark? I never did anything like that when I was with him – granted nobody approached me in the first place, but that wasn’t the point. I’d never flirt with another man like that when I had a boyfriend. I watched as he sat down and pulled her onto his knees. I saw his hand rubbing her thigh and I heard her dirty laughing again
. I felt like going over to her and punching her in the face but fortunately for me Catherine suddenly appeared and sat down opposite me. ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you,’ she said placing a glass of lager down in front of me.
‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you. In future, don’t run off like that, ok?’
‘I was leaving you two to get to know each other. I didn’t want to be a gooseberry.’ She looked behind her and then scanned the room. ‘Where is he anyway?’
‘I don’t want another boyfriend, Cat. It’s too soon.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Well, I thought he was lovely. He seemed like a really nice lad. Just what you need.’
‘You know what I need.’ I sipped my lager and resumed my spying on Monica. She was now sitting next to Travolta, with her head resting on his shoulder while he continued to stroke her thighs. The other girls were talking to his friends. Only one of them was left by herself and the poor thing was sat on a stool, twisting her hair around her fingers and sipping what dregs remained in her wine glass. I felt sorry for her. That used to be me. She was probably single too. It didn’t seem fair that Monica had my Mark yet she was also about to have Travolta too by the looks of it- the greedy cow.
Catherine opened her crisps. ‘Do you want one? I didn’t get you any ‘cause I thought you’d left with that nice guy.’
I took a crisp and savoured its cheesy flavour. ‘I don’t know why you thought that – you must know it’s too soon.’
‘It isn’t too soon at all. If you leave it any longer you’ll end up a lonely old woman.’
‘Stop being so dramatic, Cat!’
We were in the middle of a sisterly argument when the Mark from earlier came and sat down next to Cat. He looked at me. ‘So you found each other then?’
He obviously couldn’t take a hint. ‘Yeah.’ What else could I say?
Getting him Back Page 2
