stuck together or try out the perfumes. A used magazine is about as appealing as a half-finished yogurt. At least I know Sally would never leave me with either.
See also Houses; Routines; Velvet
marathons
The first time John and I had sex over the telephone, it was just a joke. Now we do it for hours. He once rang me up from the supermarket car park when he was supposed to be picking up some barbecue meat. He’d gone into the far corner where no one could see him. I felt incredibly sexy and strong, turning him on so much. I felt liberated.
I told him we’ll have to get each other those special hands-free headsets for Christmas. He said we will get so used to talking about sex that when we finally get together, we will have to have separate phone lines installed in the house so we can carry on doing it this way.
When we finally get together.
I didn’t say anything at the time, but I was desperate for him to get off the line so I could phone Sally. When I did, I could tell from her tone that Colin had never said anything like that to her.
See also Boxing; Endings; Heroines; Jealousy; Ultimatum;
Why?; Youth
mars bars
Sally and I used to buy Mars bars from the school store. Then we would wrap them in wet flannels and put them on the radiator so they’d get a mottled, almost moldy look. We became experts at writing disappointed complaint letters to the company using different names, and we’d get sent large selection boxes in recompense. It was fine at first, but the trouble was that we got greedy and the company got the school store shut down because they had received so many complaints about its hygiene.
We never told anyone it was us. Especially when everyone got so annoyed about not being able to buy snacks anymore. They might have forgiven Sally, but never me.
See also Blackbirds, Robins, and Nightingales; Outcast;
Vendetta
memory
Will you love me forever?
I will.
Will you ever forget me?
Never.
Will you remember me in one week’s time?
Of course.
Will you remember me in one year’s time?
Definitely.
Will you remember me in ten years’ time?
I will.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
See, you’ve forgotten me already.
Jesus, woman, just let me read the paper, can’t you? This is worse than being with the kids.
Verity?
Verity, oh, Verity, darling. Stop crying. I didn’t mean it. I’ll remember you forever. I promise. I’ll love you forever.
See also Endings
mirrors
A funny thing happened when I looked in the mirror this morning.
I saw I had tilted my head slightly to the left without thinking, and for a minute, it was my mother looking back at me. I was even making that half smile she made every time she looked in the mirror, as if she were greeting someone she hadn’t seen for a long time.
This might be a sign of age. I have noticed that the older women at work always put their heads to one side when they look in the mirror. It’s as if they’re afraid of what they’ll see if they face themselves straight on.
See also Daisies; Horror Movies; Mistaken Identity; Old;
Voyeur; Zzzz
mistaken identity
I once pretended to be my mother on the telephone. I didn’t mean to do it. It was just that the person on the other end automatically assumed I was Mrs. Bell. It felt wonderful, just like when I used to take my father’s car keys and walk up and down swinging them in my hand, hoping that people would think I was old enough to own a car. I started to feel that if only I really could take my mother’s place, everything would be all right. I would have somewhere to go where I could be me.
Maybe this is what we always feel about mothers. Their very presence stops us being us. Maybe this is why I hate Kate so much.
From what John says, she has always put being a mother first. She has been too busy with the kids to spend any time with him for a long time. She has no idea of how much he needed her, and now they have nothing in common but the children. I can’t help thinking this is the
See also Houses; Routines; Velvet
marathons
The first time John and I had sex over the telephone, it was just a joke. Now we do it for hours. He once rang me up from the supermarket car park when he was supposed to be picking up some barbecue meat. He’d gone into the far corner where no one could see him. I felt incredibly sexy and strong, turning him on so much. I felt liberated.
I told him we’ll have to get each other those special hands-free headsets for Christmas. He said we will get so used to talking about sex that when we finally get together, we will have to have separate phone lines installed in the house so we can carry on doing it this way.
When we finally get together.
I didn’t say anything at the time, but I was desperate for him to get off the line so I could phone Sally. When I did, I could tell from her tone that Colin had never said anything like that to her.
See also Boxing; Endings; Heroines; Jealousy; Ultimatum;
Why?; Youth
mars bars
Sally and I used to buy Mars bars from the school store. Then we would wrap them in wet flannels and put them on the radiator so they’d get a mottled, almost moldy look. We became experts at writing disappointed complaint letters to the company using different names, and we’d get sent large selection boxes in recompense. It was fine at first, but the trouble was that we got greedy and the company got the school store shut down because they had received so many complaints about its hygiene.
We never told anyone it was us. Especially when everyone got so annoyed about not being able to buy snacks anymore. They might have forgiven Sally, but never me.
See also Blackbirds, Robins, and Nightingales; Outcast;
Vendetta
memory
Will you love me forever?
I will.
Will you ever forget me?
Never.
Will you remember me in one week’s time?
Of course.
Will you remember me in one year’s time?
Definitely.
Will you remember me in ten years’ time?
I will.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
See, you’ve forgotten me already.
Jesus, woman, just let me read the paper, can’t you? This is worse than being with the kids.
Verity?
Verity, oh, Verity, darling. Stop crying. I didn’t mean it. I’ll remember you forever. I promise. I’ll love you forever.
See also Endings
mirrors
A funny thing happened when I looked in the mirror this morning.
I saw I had tilted my head slightly to the left without thinking, and for a minute, it was my mother looking back at me. I was even making that half smile she made every time she looked in the mirror, as if she were greeting someone she hadn’t seen for a long time.
This might be a sign of age. I have noticed that the older women at work always put their heads to one side when they look in the mirror. It’s as if they’re afraid of what they’ll see if they face themselves straight on.
See also Daisies; Horror Movies; Mistaken Identity; Old;
Voyeur; Zzzz
mistaken identity
I once pretended to be my mother on the telephone. I didn’t mean to do it. It was just that the person on the other end automatically assumed I was Mrs. Bell. It felt wonderful, just like when I used to take my father’s car keys and walk up and down swinging them in my hand, hoping that people would think I was old enough to own a car. I started to feel that if only I really could take my mother’s place, everything would be all right. I would have somewhere to go where I could be me.
Maybe this is what we always feel about mothers. Their very presence stops us being us. Maybe this is why I hate Kate so much.
From what John says, she has always put being a mother first. She has been too busy with the kids to spend any time with him for a long time. She has no idea of how much he needed her, and now they have nothing in common but the children. I can’t help thinking this is the
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