by Lacey London
‘Get to the point, Jasper.’
‘What I am trying to say is… you guys work so well together.’ He said softly. ‘You’re made for each other, Mollie. You know you are.’
Tipping back her head, Mollie prayed that the waitress would hurry up with the wine.
‘It’s not an affair, is it?’
‘No!’ Mollie snapped, wondering why everyone and their dog thought she was having an affair. ‘There’s been no affair or anything like that. It’s just… it’s just…’
‘An accumulation of stuff?’ Jasper finished for her.
‘Exactly.’
‘Ah…’ He mumbled. ‘Like the carrier bag thing?’
‘The what?’
‘The way he leaves a carrier bag on the door handle as a makeshift bin?’ Jasper explained, demonstrating with his hands. ‘Because I have to tell you, that drives me crazy.’
‘It’s not that, but now that you mention it…’
‘Or how he leaves dirty dishcloths over the damn tap once he has used them?’ Jasper continued. ‘I mean, just put it in the washing machine! How hard is it?’
Shaking her head, Mollie took a gulp of wine the second her glass was placed in front of her.
‘Whatever it is, I really hope you manage to work things out.’ Jasper said hopefully, pulling his wine towards him. ‘All relationships have ups and downs, Mollie. With any luck, this is just a rough patch. I can talk to Max for you, if you think it would help?’
Not wanting relationship advice from a perpetual single like Jasper, Mollie stared at the flickering candle between them. The reality is, she didn’t know what would help her marriage anymore, nor did she know exactly why she was doing this. The initial reasons she told herself seemed to be wearing thin. They suddenly sounded so trivial, causing doubts to creep into her mind.
These doubts, however small, were starting to make Mollie feel increasingly nervous. She wasn’t happy in her marriage, that she was sure of, but was everyone else right? Was she really walking away from her marriage unjustifiably?
‘Are you ready to order?’ A waiter asked, stopping at their table and whipping a pencil out of his apron pocket.
‘Yes.’ Jasper answered, sitting up straight. ‘Ladies first.’
‘Great. What can I get you?’
‘I’ll take the duck…’
Chapter 18
‘The cocktails were amazing, the food was incredible and the company was simply perfect...’
As Mollie listened to Margot rave about her heavenly date with Joel, she used her shoulder to hold the phone against her ear and continued with the rather mundane task of brushing her teeth. After her own date was sabotaged by Jasper, she wasn’t feeling quite as fantastic. Her notepad, which was earlier filled with lovely positive words, was now overflowing with a bunch of ugly ones. As the evening rolled by, Mollie couldn’t shake Max from her mind. She could see him littering the carpet with empty bottles of beer, and she could hear his judging words when she tucked into her main course. The latter is probably the reason why the duck she was so excited to eat turned out to be tough, dry and left a rather bitter taste in her mouth.
Once she had left Jasper, Mollie continued to the cinema and bought her single ticket. As she walked along the iconic red carpet that led to the big screen, she clutched her popcorn to her chest and tried to claw back some of the enthusiasm she felt at the start of the night. Despite her giving it two hours of thought as the movie played out, Mollie failed to pinpoint exactly where her evening went awry, but Jasper begging her not to leave his brother was certainly a contributing factor.
‘He’s just so different to any man I’ve met before.’ Margot continued, causing Mollie to roll her eyes as she twisted her hair into a bun. ‘He’s… special. Do you know what I mean?’
‘No.’ Mollie answered bluntly. ‘Men are all the same, Margot. Some just hide it longer than others.’
‘When did you become so pessimistic?’ Margot asked.
‘When did you become so optimistic?’ Mollie fired back, flicking off the bathroom light.
‘Oh, Mollie. You being in therapy for your marriage doesn’t mean all other relationships will suffer the same fate.’ Margot said, in a voice so patronising Mollie had to stop herself from biting back. ‘Besides, if Evangelina Hamilton is all she is made out to be, you might be eating your words very soon.’
‘On that note, I am going to bid you goodnight.’ Mollie grumbled, forcing a yawn in a bid to get Margot off the phone.
‘Goodnight, Mollie. Stick with the counselling. Don’t give up on it like you did with the trombone lessons, the South Beach Diet, the ballet classes…’
‘Bye, Margot!’
Ending the call, Mollie walked down the hall and paused before entering the bedroom. She hadn’t spoken to Max since she arrived home earlier. Mainly because he was passed out asleep in an armchair at the time, but also because she couldn’t bear to hear that he’d had such an amazing time alone when her night wasn’t quite so enjoyable.
Cautiously walking into the dark bedroom, Mollie breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered Max was already asleep. As she climbed into bed and pulled the duvet up to her chin, she closed her eyes and yawned loudly.
‘Tired?’ A voice asked, causing Mollie to glance over at the camp bed.
‘Very.’ She mumbled. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m going to bed.’ He replied, pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it onto the floor. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Don’t be funny, Max.’ She growled, turning to face the window. ‘It doesn’t suit you.’
‘You used to find me funny.’
‘And you used to eat meat.’
Frowning as Max shuffled around to find a non-existent comfortable spot, Mollie buried her face in her pillow.
‘So, how was it?’ Max asked, causing Mollie’s stomach to churn. ‘How was the best first date ever?’
Feeling as though they were in competition, Mollie held her cards close to her chest.
‘How was yours?’
‘I asked you first…’
Staring up at the ceiling, Mollie tried to find the right words to describe her night without revealing it wasn’t the spectacular date of her dreams she wanted him to believe.
‘I had dinner with Jasper.’ She said eventually,
‘You went on a date with my brother?’ Max asked, sounding completely appalled. ‘That’s your perfect date?’
‘I ran into him at the steakhouse.’ Mollie explained, much to Max’s relief. ‘His meeting got cancelled and he asked if he could join me.’
‘Oh.’ Max mumbled. ‘Did you tell him about us?’
‘Your mum had already told him we are in therapy, so I didn’t really have a choice.’ Mollie answered, deciding to leave the whole anatidaephobia lie out of the conversation. ‘How was your date?’
‘It was lonely.’ Wrapping the duvet around his body, Max let out a yawn. ‘I wanted someone to cheer when my team scored and to taste the food. I wanted someone to fall asleep next to. This camp bed is hardly big enough for Buddy Holly, but it still feels empty. I don’t know how.’
Taken aback by Max’s honesty, Mollie gave him a sideways glance.
‘Does that someone have a name?’ She asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
‘It used to be you, obviously.’ Max said quietly. ‘Now, I’m not so sure. Maybe there are better people out there for us.’
‘If Evangelina’s right, we shall know before the week is out.’ Mollie whispered in response, not being able to bring herself to look at him. ‘That’s the whole point.’
‘I guess so…’
Ignoring the unbearable atmosphere, Mollie cleared her throat and clutched her bedding closely.
‘Anyway, some of us have work to go to tomorrow.’ She mumbled. ‘I’m going to sleep.’
‘Is that your way of wishing me goodnight?’ Max teased, ignoring the sound of the squeaky camp bed. ‘Let’s not forget o
ur core rules now. We have to wish each other goodnight in a respectful and caring manner.’
Cursing under her breath, Mollie exhaled loudly.
‘Goodnight, Max.’ She said through clenched teeth. ‘Sleep tight...’
‘Don’t let the bed bugs bite.’ He sang. ‘Although, I think I’m the one who should be worried about bugs. This camp bed has been in the basement for the last three years. I should probably take an antihistamine before I…’
‘Goodnight, Max!’ Mollie said more firmly.
Taking that as an end to the conversation, Max kept quiet and reached for his mobile phone. Moments later, the sounds of the rainforest that Mollie despised so very much filled the air, and just like that, she was firmly back in the separation court…
Chapter 19
‘Mollie, when we first met, you rated your desire to separate as an eight out of ten.’ Evangelina said thoughtfully, studying the paperwork in front of her. ‘Would you say that number has changed at all?’
Mollie locked eyes with Evangelina and considered her question carefully. What Evangelina didn’t know was, when Mollie circled the number eight on the questionnaire, she secretly wanted to circle ten. She had knocked one point off out of guilt and another so that she didn’t come across as a heartless cow.
‘Mollie?’ Evangelina pressed. ‘On a scale of one to ten, where are you now?’
As much as Mollie didn’t want to admit it, her number had changed. She was probably at a seven, a genuine seven, but she was clueless as to why.
‘Probably a seven.’ Mollie replied honestly, trying not to stare at Evangelina’s very obvious cleavage.
‘How about you, Max?’ Evangelina asked. ‘You initially marked your desire to separate as a two. Where would you put yourself now?’
‘I’m going to go with a five.’ He said without hesitation. ‘A strong five.’
Making a scribble on the page in red ink, Evangelina reached for another file.
Mollie didn’t need Evangelina to tell her she and Max were moving in different directions. It just wasn’t the direction Mollie expected. When she first told Max she was leaving him, all Mollie wanted was for him to make the split amicable. She simply wanted him to agree their relationship was dead in the water and to bring it to its natural end. But hearing him edge closer towards the big number ten made her feel something she couldn’t quite describe. All she knew was that she didn’t like it one little bit.
‘To what extent did your date last night influence your decision to change your number?’ Evangelina asked Max, hovering her pen over the page.
‘Massively.’ He answered. ‘Throughout the evening, I found myself comparing how very different it was to having Mollie with me. There was no complaining, no criticising, no talking over the match…’
‘I don’t talk over the match!’ Mollie protested.
‘Are you kidding me? I can’t remember the last time I watched a game without hearing you whine about not understanding the offside rule!’
‘I do apologise for taking an interest.’ She retorted, anger rising in her throat. ‘Wasn’t that one of our core rules? To take an interest in each other’s hobbies?’
‘Another of our core rules was to avoid sarcasm, but you seem to have conveniently forgotten that one.’
‘Alright…’ Evangelina interrupted, holding up her hands to intervene. ‘Good communication is essential to building a happy relationship, and that is clearly something we are going to have to work on. Having the ability to listen to your partner’s concerns and really process what they are saying is incredibly empowering.’
Mollie screwed up her nose and looked away as Evangelina continued to speak.
‘Communication is a key area of marriage where couples generally face problems. Many of us, myself included, often think we are listening, but the reality is we are simply hearing words and responding without giving proper thought to where those words have come from.’
While Max nodded in agreement, Mollie shook her head. Communication is the last thing Mollie wanted to work on right now. She was starting to learn that everything Max said in therapy either annoyed, infuriated or upset her.
‘Let’s try a little role-play.’ Evangelina said suddenly. ‘Max, could you please join me in the meditation room?’
Standing up, Max smiled thinly at Mollie as she reached for her handbag.
‘Not you, Mollie.’ Evangelina instructed, handing her a touchscreen device. ‘If you could wait here, that would be great.’
Watching Max and Evangelina disappear out of the room, Mollie waited until the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance before letting out a groan. She could just about manage talking therapy, but she drew the line at acting out a pantomime in Evangelina’s office. As she debated making an escape, Mollie jolted to attention when an image of Max and Evangelina appeared on the screen in her hands.
‘So, Max, how are you?’ Evangelina asked, crossing her long legs and smiling broadly. ‘Tell me about your day.’
‘I’m alright.’ Max draped his arm across the back of the sofa, completely unaware he was being filmed. ‘I answered a few emails over breakfast. Spoke to a couple of investors about my new business proposal…’
‘Played video games and ordered yet more trainers you’ll never wear.’ Mollie translated, scowling at the screen.
‘How do you feel about your new business venture?’ Evangelina asked.
‘I’m feeling pretty good about it.’ Max replied, his lips springing into a smile. ‘I’ve had so many unsuccessful ideas over the years, some better than others, but this one, I don’t know, I’ve got a great feeling about it.’
‘Congratulations.’ Mimicking his grin, Evangelina nodded encouragingly. ‘That must be a great position to be in.’
‘You won’t be smiling like that when you hear what it is.’ Mollie scoffed.
‘Thank you.’ Max tapped his fingers on the arm of the sofa and sighed. ‘It feels strange to talk about my ventures. I’ve started to keep my business ideas to myself lately. Most people think I’m just some dreamer who’s refusing to join the real world.’
‘How does that perception of you make you feel?’ Evangelina asked.
‘I suppose I’ve become used to it over the years, but it still hurts.’
‘I’m sure it does.’ Evangelina said gently. ‘That must be difficult for you.’
‘I can deal with the jibes from other people, but not having Mollie’s support is what I struggle with.’ He admitted, his face falling. ‘Your wife is supposed to have your back, isn’t she?’
Mollie felt a pang of guilt, but stuck her chin out boldly. Evangelina could give him all the sympathy she wanted, but Mollie would never support an edible toilet paper enterprise. Even if Richard Branson himself declared it pure genius, she would still label it was the worst idea since alcohol-free gin.
‘In what ways could Mollie be more supportive?’ Evangelina asked.
‘Simply showing an interest rather than rolling her eyes whenever I dare to mention something I’m working on would help. I’m not against constructive criticism, but sometimes she is just mean.’ He said slowly, scratching his stubble. ‘The ironic thing is, I don’t think she even knows she’s doing it.’
‘If Mollie doesn’t know she’s doing it, how do you expect her to change?’
‘That’s a good point.’ Max observed. ‘Maybe I should speak to her about it.’
‘Maybe you should.’
‘Thanks, Evangelina. I’ll do that.’
Evangelina stared back at him intently before breaking into a smile.
‘Do you realise we got all this simply from asking how your day went?’ She asked, clasping her hands in front of her proudly. ‘You told me about your day and I listened before responding. I focused on what you were saying and recognised the feeling behind the words. As I said before, good communication can solve ninety-nine percent of your relationship’s problems...’
Placing the tablet face down on t
he desk, Mollie allowed Evangelina’s words to sink in. Communication. There was a time when she and Max discussed just about everything. What they were having for breakfast. Who they were voting for in the next election. Where they were going for their next dirty weekend. These days, their communication extended to a series of simple grunts, but that wasn’t solely Max’s fault. Mollie was just as much to blame, if not more.
Hearing the door open behind her, Mollie looked up to see Evangelina and Max striding back into the room.
‘So, Max.’ Evangelina said, once they had both retreated to their seats. ‘Why don’t you ask Mollie about her day?’
‘How was it?’ He asked blankly, not bothering to look directly at her.
‘Fine.’ Mollie answered.
‘Let’s try that again, shall we?’ Evangelina interrupted, narrowing her eyes at Max. ‘And this time I want you to do it exactly how we just did in the meditation room.’
‘So, Mollie, tell me about your day.’ Max grumbled with forced enthusiasm.
Smirking with delight at finally witnessing Max be reprimanded by Evangelina, Mollie smacked her lips together.
‘Well, I spilt coffee down my favourite blouse, my heel got stuck in a grid… Oh, and I accidentally sent an email meant for my gynaecologist to a potential new client, but apart from that, things couldn’t be better.’
‘Okay.’ Max replied, trying not to laugh. ‘How do you feel about the email mix-up?’
‘It’s not ideal that the owner of Centrifugal Media knows the date of my upcoming smear test, but worse things have happened.’
‘Like being in marriage therapy with your husband?’ He offered.
‘Exactly.’ Mollie agreed, looking him in the eye for the first time that session. ‘But God loves a trier.’
‘He certainly does.’
The room fell into silence as Max and Mollie stared at one another tensely, neither one breathing a word.
‘So, do you think this whole therapy thing was a good idea?’ Max eventually asked. ‘Because in the beginning, it felt like you were just going through the motions to keep me happy.’
