I pee, and as I wash my hands, I contemplate Heather’s words. I need to pull myself together. Stop dwelling on the things that have happened. The things I can’t change. An attitude adjustment, I think it’s called. I pause at the full-length mirror before I leave, contemplating my waistline as I run my hands over my hips.My attitude isn’t the only thing that’s about to change. I know it’s silly, but as I press my hand over my stomach, I feel an odd sense of contentment. A kind of warmth. But then the bathroom door opens, voices and music flooding in, and the moment is gone again, worries flooding back in.
I’ll be fine. It’ll all work out as it’s meant to. Hopefully.
When I return to the table, true to her word, cups and a teapot sit on the table. I smile as I take my seat, realising that for the next few months, this could be a regular thing.
Bye-bye Prosecco.
‘So,’ she begins as I settle.
‘Hmm?’
‘I was just wondering what you’re going to do with the ring now?’
I feel myself frown. ‘I hadn’t really thought about it. It’s a bit of a non-topic now.’
‘I don’t think that’s true. You need to do something epically awful with it.’
‘I don’t care about it anymore,’ I protest. ‘Before, when it was worth something, I was torn between doing the right thing and doing right by me.’
‘That I get. That is classic Miranda.’ She shakes her head. ‘After all he did to you—seriously, I’d have dumped in the Thames.’
‘I know. We’ve had this conversation.’ Many, many times.
‘Yes, but we haven’t talked about this. So Friday night you found out, and it knocked the wind out of your sails.’
I wrap my fingers around my cup and blow out a breath.
‘I’m not even sure it was about what the ring was worth in monetary terms. I felt like I’d been kicked in the guts. How little did he really think of me?’
‘In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. He’s as worthless as the promise he made you when he gave you that ring. None of it was a reflection on you.’
Yeah. That’s about it in a nutshell.
Feckless man. Meaningless promises. Worthless ring.
‘And you know what else? Your feelings didn’t change because it was of no use to you. Your mindset shifted because you’re moving on.’
‘I moved on months ago, Heth.’
‘Nope, you were stuck. And now you’ve been released. And you’re moving onto bigger and better things.’
‘I love your optimism,’ I reply, unconvinced.
‘I’m serious. Coke can-size better things.’ She cups her hands together as though to indicate the size.
‘I wondered how long it would take before we got back on the topic of him.’
‘Hold that thought,’ she says, swiping her phone from the table and her backpack-sized purse from the floor. ‘I’ve got to go visit the little girl’s room.’
‘I can be trusted with your phone, you know.’
‘I might need it to keep me occupied,’ she replies, pausing next to my chair. ‘I don’t know how long I’ll be in there.’
‘I don’t need to hear this.’ My expression twists. ‘We’re not still eight, you know.’
‘Then you should think carefully before you ask questions,’ she retorts. ‘Because you might not like the answers. See you!’
As she almost skips across the pub, I return my attention to my cuppa and take the opportunity to scroll through my social media apps. True to her word, Heather takes her sweet time with whatever she’s doing in the bathroom, so I flick over to my E-Volve app. I don’t pay for the service, but get it as part of my package. In truth, I haven’t done anything but look at it. My profile is basic, and I’ve included no photographs.
