Chapter Forty-Four
“It has just been the biggest roller-coaster of a week,” Sasha confessed as she curled up on the end of her sofa. She was wearing her pyjamas and cosy socks. Not a scrap of make-up was on her face and her hair was tied back into a ponytail.
Her friend Tanya looked at her, listening intently, waiting for her to continue. Tanya had emailed her completely out of the blue. They hadn’t seen each other for ages. Since Sasha had dated Kirk in fact. Tanya was a mutual friend of hers and Kirk’s and, although they weren’t extremely close, Tanya often popped up at the same gigs and in the same circles as Kirk.
Sasha had received Tanya’s text: “Hey luv! Haven’t seen you in ages! It’d be great to catch up! X”
Initially, Sasha had squirmed. Did she really want to be meeting up with Kirk’s friends? What if the conversation was awkward? And then she scolded herself. Did she really want to lock herself away and cut off all her old friends just because of Kirk? Definitely not. So with open arms, she’d arranged to have Tanya call around to her apartment one evening after work.
“Well, first there was Sam…” Sasha began. “He asked me to move in with him!” Sasha exclaimed, noticing the raise of Tanya’s eyebrows; her surprise too.
“I know…” Sasha said, as if answering her unspoken question. “I mean, it feels like we’ve only been together – two minutes.”
Tanya smiled, her cute little pixie face creasing up into a sunshine grin.
“And then…” Sasha took a deep breath. “And then Kirk arrives…” Her voice rises at the mention of Kirk. Tanya’s eyebrows rise even further with surprise on hearing his name.
“Yeah, I know, Kirk!” Sasha exclaimed, again answering Tanya’s unspoken question. “He just turns up out of the blue and says he misses me and still loves me and… wait for this… wants to marry me!”
Tanya gasps in surprise, clapping her hand to her mouth. “No way!”
“Yes, way! I couldn’t believe it either!” Sasha pulls a cigarette out of her packet and lights it, inhaling deeply. “Want one?” she offers Tanya.
“Go on, then…”
Tanya joins her for a smoke as Sasha tells her tale; the engagement ring, the confession of his feelings, the desire to start again.
“My. God.” Tanya exclaims, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I know, right? And I mean, all these things happening in one week! It’s like a cosmic shift in the Universe or something.”
“I swear men have a radar,” Tanya said.
“Exactly!” Sasha exclaimed. “I thought the same thing too!”
Tanya bit her lip then. She suddenly looked awkward. She played with the frayed thread on her tartan skirt.
“Thing is, Sasha…” she began, squirming in her chair.
“What?” Sasha exclaimed. “What’s up?” she inhaled her cigarette deeply as though calming herself.
“Well…” Tanya’s eyes darted awkwardly. “I kind of know stuff about Kirk… that might influence your decision…” she bit her lip again, as though wishing the ground would swallow her up.
Sasha groaned inwardly. “Oh no… what?” she asked, yet not wanting to know the answer.
“Well…” Tanya began, taking a drag of her cigarette as though for courage. “I know that he proposed to Denise as well, only a few weeks ago.”
Sasha gasped. “What?”
The two of them stared at each other; Sasha shocked and furious, Tanya scared and guilty.
“I really didn’t want to have to tell you, Sasha – honestly I didn’t. But I’d hardly be a friend if I didn’t warn you about what was going on.”
Sasha softened. “No, you’re right,” she agreed. “I’d rather know.” Even if her head felt like it was going to split open.
“Apparently…” Tanya began. “They’ve been having problems for ages. He’s been abusing drugs and she’s sick of it. She threatened to kick him out. Then he suddenly proposed, as though some big romantic gesture would suddenly make everything okay.”
Sasha shook her head in disbelief. “My God,” she muttered.
“So anyway, apparently she said no,” Tanya continued. “That the proposal made her realise that she can’t do it any more. So she called it off completely.”
Sasha’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “So basically I’m the booby prize?” she asked fiercely. “Number one said no, so he thought he’d cash in before it was too late?”
Tanya looked at her with pitying, sympathetic eyes. “Well, that’s one way of putting it,” she admitted. She stubbed out her cigarette. “I guess the guy’s really mixed up. He’s just very needy – needs someone.”
“You can say that again!” Sasha retorted.
Tanya held up her hands. “I’m sorry. I really am. To be the bearer of bad news. But I really think it’s best you know the full story.”
“No, you’re right,” Sasha sighed. “It is.” She continued to puff on her cigarette. “I just don’t know what to do now.”
Tanya gave her a side-long glance. “This Sam guy sounds nice?” she ventured. “If you don’t mind me saying?”
Sam. Sasha sighed. Lovely Sam who had treated her so well, and was ready to move in with her any day.
“Look,” Tanya sighed authoritatively. “Why don’t you keep things simple? Don’t make any decisions today. In fact, don’t make any decisions this week.”
Sasha nodded her head slowly in agreement.
“Put Kirk and Sam on hold. The answer will come to you in time. Don’t force it.”
Sasha gave a small smile. “You’re right. You’re so right.” She rested her hand on top of Tanya’s. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“I know,” Tanya smiled. And they hugged tightly.