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‘He’s called Dominic,’ I tell her and feel the smile returning to my face. ‘And he’s wonderful. For the first time in my life, my whole life, I feel . . .’ Dare I even say it aloud? ‘. . . I feel as if I’m in love.’
Nina looks taken aback. ‘Love?’
I shrug. ‘What more can I say?’
‘Love?’ she repeats, nonplussed. ‘Does he feel the same?’
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘Wow.’ She digs into her daily carrier bag of fruit. Clearly this news cannot be stomached without the aid of an apple or two. ‘When are you going to see him again?’
‘I don’t know,’ I admit. ‘That’s the tricky part.’
‘Where does he live?’
I look at her as if she’s mad. ‘In Africa. In Kenya. In the Maasai Mara.’
‘Oh,’ my friend says. ‘I thought that he was someone that you’d met on your trip, but that he was from England.’
‘No. He was our guide. He lives out in the Mara.’
‘You do know how to pick them,’ she sighs. ‘I might have known that you wouldn’t fall in love with someone who lives at the end of your road.’
I don’t remind my friend that when she thought ‘Miserable’ Mike and I were getting a bit too cosy that she wasn’t in favour of that either.
‘I’ve still had a dozen calls from Lewis while I’ve been away,’ I tell Nina. ‘I hoped he would have given up while I’ve been gone. Can you have another word with Gerry?’
‘Ah,’ Nina says, ‘that might be a bit tricky.’
I wait for her to explain.
‘Gerry and I aren’t really speaking at the moment,’ she says, avoiding my eyes. ‘He’s going through one of his funny phases.’
That means he’s disappearing without explanation, staying out late, coming home boozed up and smelling of other women’s perfume – and worse.
‘Oh, Nina.’
‘I’m sure he’s seeing someone else,’ she confides. ‘He swears blind that he isn’t but . . . you know how it is.’
This does seem to be a regular occurrence with Gerry. For as long as Nina and Gerry have been together, it’s been the same pattern, recurring with increasing regularity. And with the passing years, he’s showing no signs of becoming a one-woman man.
‘Are you at home?’
My friend nods. ‘Had a couple of nights at my mum’s while you were away, but I’m back there now. Things are a bit tense though.’ Nina chews furiously on her Golden Delicious. Sometimes I wish my friend would just take up smoking again.
‘You can’t go on like this,’ I point out.
‘What else do you suggest I do? Leave him? And go where? Do what?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘He’s been my life, Janie. He’s the only man I’ve known since I was a teenager. How do you turn your back on that?’
It’s probably best that I don’t point out that it seems to be no trouble for Gerry.
‘Has your new man got a fit brother? Perhaps that would give me the impetus I need.’ She laughs at her own suggestion. ‘Anyway, no more of my woes. Have you got a picture of this bloke?’
‘Not yet,’ I say. ‘I haven’t had time to look at my photos. I got home quite late and then Mike had cooked dinner for us both.’
‘Good God,’ Nina says. ‘He’s more like a husband to you than Paul ever was.’
We giggle together, but I don’t tell her about the kissing incident at Heathrow or Mike’s hesitant suggestion that we might take our friendship further. At the moment, the less Nina knows about that the better.
Cristal pokes her head around the door. ‘Your clients are here.’
‘Oh, joy,’ Nina says. ‘The tousled hair of Buckinghamshire awaits us.’
My holiday is now officially well and truly over. I push all thoughts of Dominic aside and prepare to pick up my scissors once more.
Chapter Thirty-Three
When I get home that night, Sean has kindly sent me an email with the photograph of Dominic and I under the acacia tree as an attachment. I stare at it for a long, long time, transfixed, my emotions whirling. Eventually, I go and borrow some photographic paper from Mike so that I can print it out.
‘Fancy a film tonight?’ my neighbour asks.
‘Maybe I’ll give it a miss,’ I say. ‘I’m still really tired.’
I daren’t admit to him that on the way home from work, I popped into the DVD shop and rented Out of Africa and The Lion King and that my plan for this evening is to watch them back-to-back. But as I might well cry, I also plan to view them alone.
