style="font-size:15px;"> ‘He’s gorgeous.’
I laughed. ‘Fred wouldn’t like to hear you say that.’
She studied her fingernails and lifted her eyebrows. ‘He’s asked me to go to the Pearl for lunch.’
‘The Pearl? That’s very fancy.’ I was confused by this, as Fred was not the spontaneous, romantic type. Then it hit me. ‘He’s going to propose!’
Amelia couldn’t keep a straight face any more, clearly thinking the same thing. ‘I mean, he might not, he probably won’t, but you know …’
I gasped. ‘Oh my God, I’m so happy for you!’ We hugged excitedly.
‘It hasn’t happened yet.’ Amelia hit me. ‘Stop jinxing me.’
‘Can you put this on the tab?’
Amelia looked at my book selection. ‘At last! Christine, that’s great,’ she said, with relief.
I frowned. ‘It’s not for me. What do you mean?’
‘Oh. Sorry. Nothing. No. It’s … Nothing.’ Her cheeks pinked and she changed the subject. ‘Barry called me last night.’
‘Oh?’ Fear flooded my body.
‘It was quite late. I think he’d had a few drinks.’
I nibbled on my nails.
Adam joined us. He was like a shark, sensing blood: he knew exactly when to be around me each time my life was being chipped away at.
‘I’m sure it wasn’t true, or maybe it was, but … but he shouldn’t have said it to me anyway. Whatever you two talk about together really should be kept private, even if it is about me, so I’m not blaming you for what you said about me.’ She looked hurt, her face contradicting everything she had said.
‘Amelia, what did he say?’
She took a deep breath and went for it. ‘He said that you think I’m a loser for living at home with my mother, that I need to get a life and move out. That I need to put her in a home and move in with Fred or else you wouldn’t be surprised if he left me.’
‘Oh my God.’ I hid my face with my hands. ‘I am so sorry he said that to you.’
‘It’s okay. I told him that I knew he was hurting but he was disgusting. I hope you don’t mind.’
‘No, that’s fine, you’re totally entitled to say what you like.’ My face was red and I knew it, revealing my guilt. I couldn’t deny that Barry and I had discussed those things, but how dare he tell Amelia. I wondered how many phone calls he’d made last night and how many truths he’d told to the people I loved, hurting them in order to hurt me.
Amelia waited for me to tell her it wasn’t true.
‘Look, I obviously didn’t phrase it like that.’
She looked offended.
‘I just worry that you’re always looking out for other people and not for yourself. That it would be nice for you and Fred to live together, to have a life together.’
‘But this is how it’s been since I was twelve, Christine, you know that.’ Amelia was becoming angry. ‘I’m not going to ship her off to a home while I go live the life fandango.’
‘I know, I know, but you haven’t even been out of the country … ever. You’ve never taken a holiday. That’s all I said – promise. I was worried about you.’
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