‘I know,’ he replies. ‘And I’ve missed you, too, Kate but—’
‘I know, I know,’ I say. ‘Nothing has changed. God, I’m sick of hearing that. I should go.’
He doesn’t reply. Instead, he just bobs his head in acknowledgement. I pick up my bag and make my way to the door.
‘Happy New Year, Kate,’ I hear him say behind me.
‘Happy New Year, Ed,’ I reply, but I don’t look back. I say my goodnights to Tara, get the house keys from Lauren and slip out the front door. By the time my Uber comes, I’m a mess.
January
Kate
‘Well, it’s a little different from the photos but it’s definitely liveable,’ Lauren says, looking around. ‘I mean, it’s only temporary, right?’
The photos online of this 4.2-star-rated, one-bedroom Airbnb looked stunning. Clean, bright, modern, lots of leafy, green plants and a beautiful view of the river. However, upon closer inspection, the plants are fake, the dust is real and every cupboard and drawer practically unusable, due to the amount of junk left either by the owner or previous guests.
‘Why did I tell Ed to stay in the flat?’ I ask her. ‘I should have stayed there! Our lovely home with ample storage space, plenty of street parking and a comfortable couch that’s not made of the same material used in a fucking slip-and-slide!’
‘Maybe you should calm down a little,’ she suggests. ‘It’s not as bad as—’
‘It is! Every kitchen drawer and cupboard I’ve opened is crammed full of someone else’s clutter!’ I storm over to the kitchen and pull open the drawer under the oven.
‘A DVD player! Who the hell puts a DVD player in a kitchen drawer?’
‘People who have Netflix?’ she offers.
‘I’ll tell you who– the same person who stuffed these kitchencupboards full of books and empty photo frames!’
As I fling one open, a frame falls out and on to my foot, making me yelp.
Lauren comes over and takes my arm. ‘OK, let’s just have a seat on the slip-and-slide and take a breather, shall we?’
I half laugh, half sob and accept defeat. I’ve only been in here for a few days, but it already feels way too long.
We take a seat as she tries to comfort me but I’m now bawling.
‘I’ve even had to buy one of those portable clothes racks as the wardrobes are full of bed linen and jigsaws!’ I cry, like a toddler. ‘This is horrible.’
‘But the bathroom is nice,’ Lauren replies, reaching for any silver lining she can find. ‘Lovely wet room and those body scrubs beside the sink are spa grade.’
‘I know,’ I reply, sniffing. ‘My skin has never been softer.’
‘See! You can do this. You’ve lived in much worse. Now let’s open this wine, shall we?’
I nod and blow my nose while she goes to find a bottle opener. She may be some time.
Ed
‘Sir. . . Sir!’
I look up from my computer screen and see one of my most annoying year 10s waving both hands in the air like he’s trying to marshal a plane.
‘Yes, Soroush?’
‘I don’t get it,’ he informs me. ‘This notation stuff. Like, they all look the same, just weird symbols.’
I look at my watch. Eight minutes until the class ends and he’s telling me this now, instead of thirty minutes ago when he started. I signal for him to come to my desk, which he does, bringing his work with him.
