Jack & Bet by Sarah Butler

Author:Sarah Butler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

MARINELA

She didn’t know what she’d been thinking. She had never thrown a party in her life. Though it was hardly a party, she told herself. A handful of people. Wine, vodka, mince pies, music on her laptop. She’d asked a couple of girls from her course, then a couple more, then she’d messaged Harry and told him to bring a friend so he wouldn’t be the only man there. And then last night she’d invited Jess without really meaning to. She’d gone out and bought cheap wine glasses, strips of tinsel, fairy lights.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t felt quite at ease in the flat since that evening with Tommy and just wanted some company. She’d talked to Bet, who had assured her Tommy had no idea where the flat was, and so wasn’t about to turn up and turf her out. Turf, which Marinela’s dictionary said meant grass and also territory. Tommy had given her a week and there was only one day of that week left. So maybe this was actually a farewell party rather than the Christmas drinks she’d described it as.

The girls from her course arrived first, glossed lips, perfumed, clutching bottles of wine. Marinela ushered them up the striped stairs, remembering that first time, Bet moving glacier-slow in front of her, the keys gripped in her palm. It was only six or seven weeks ago, but it felt like a year.

‘Is this Romanian?’ One of the girls gestured towards Marinela’s laptop.

Marinela nodded. ‘They’re called Vama. The title means, “Perfect Without You”.’

The girl lifted her chin into a half nod, and then drifted away.

‘Nice flat.’ Another girl from her course – Susie, long dark hair, a round, almost ugly face, who took photos through microscopes: pollen, bee’s wings, bacteria.

Marinela smiled. ‘I have to leave soon.’

‘No?’

Marinela shrugged.

‘Landlords, man.’ Susie shook her head. ‘They can do what they want, can’t they? Where are you going to go?’

She had no idea.

‘Well, shout if you’re stuck,’ Susie said, drinking her wine too fast so it spilt down her jumper – red, oversized, with a picture of a reindeer taking up most of the front. ‘I’ve got a friend who might be looking for someone.’

Marinela smiled stiffly. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she relax? Instead there she was wishing she’d invited Bet instead, cooked her a nice beef casserole and cake for afterwards – just the two of them sitting together at the table.

The doorbell rang and Marinela excused herself. There was no intercom, so she had to run down to the front door. Before she opened it, she stood for a moment in the hallway, thinking about the people in her flat, which wasn’t her flat, which had never been her flat, for all her pretending. She could just leave. She could just walk out of the front door and not go back. Someone would probably notice eventually, but she suspected it would take a while.

A knock on the glass. For a moment she had the ridiculous thought

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.