The Other Woman

“You didn’t have to fly out here.” I grumbled, drowsy on pain medication.
“Yes I did. Now where do you keep your tumble dryer sheets.” My mother had flown in from her and my father’s home in Greece. After my brother decided to go travelling, and they had both retired, they decided to buy a holiday home on the Greek island of Rhodes. They visited for two weeks then decided not to come home, leaving me in the country on my own. After my accident in San Francisco, she insisted on babying me.
“They should be in the cupboard under the sink.” I winced as I sat down on a stool in the kitchen. With a broken shoulder and two broken ribs, getting around wasn’t easy. My mum had tidied the house from top to bottom, organised my wardrobe by colour and season, and had started to clean out my kitchen cupboards, all while constantly washing clothes.
“You need to rest.”
“I’m fine.” I whined, but I followed my mum’s orders as if I was a child again. I was of course followed by Alfie, who hadn’t left my side from the second I returned home. I don’t know whether it was because he sensed something was wrong or he was left scarred Mrs Bobbins’ incessant gossiping. “You don’t need to look after me.” I said slowly making my way to the kettle.
“Yes I do.” She piled another load of washing into the tumble drier. I flicked the switch on the kettle and reached up into the cupboard for a mug. Pain shot through my shoulder, making me wince. “See.” Mum raised an eyebrow and shooed me to the living room.
I hadn’t spoken to Harry since before the accident but he was supposed to be visiting on Sunday. Then again, Skippy had told me that Harry was on his honeymoon with Clarissa. I winced as I sat in my living room chair, Alfie curling at my feet. My phone buzzed to life.
Hi Wonder Woman, can I pop over this afternoon? S
After my ‘heroic rescue attempts’ Skippy had nicknamed me Wonder Woman. I texted him back and arranged that he would come over. I decided to get comfortable in the chair and flick through the movies on the TV. I could hear mum rifling through cupboards and unfolding the ironing board to start ironing clothes. I wondered what Harry was doing. ‘Should I send him a text?’ I thought. ‘But he is with Clarissa and she’d see the text. But it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.’ I got caught up in my thoughts. Was it bad to be so close to Harry?
“You look like you’re thinking hard.” My mum passed me a cup of tea and perched on the arm of the chair next to me. It snapped me out of the thoughts going round in my head.
“It’s nothing.” I shrugged. “Thanks for the tea mum.” I stared blankly at the TV. I was quickly pulled back to my thoughts; how did I feel about Harry? I enjoyed his company and he would always be a good friend contrary to how much he had broken my heart. But at the same time my entire week was filled with thoughts of the weekend when we would meet again. I would check my mobile phone time and time again to see if he had been in touch and I would be disappointed when he hadn’t. In that moment I wanted more than anything for him to be here. But was it a bad thing that we were beginning to become close? He was a married man for god’s sake! Did Clarissa know about him visiting me? If not how would she feel? I felt so helpless.
“You’re still in love with him aren’t you.” Mum snapped me out of my thoughts again with a start. I shook my head trying to deny it but the words just wouldn’t form in my mouth. “There’s no use denying it; it’s written all over your face.”
“Oh mum,” I started, attempting to hug her from the side. “You don’t know the half of it.”
*****
I felt a soft kiss on my head. I didn’t want to get up just yet. I moaned, attempting to swat at whatever was disturbing my sleep.
“We need to get up.” Harry whispered, his arm around my bare waist holding me tight to him.
“Not just yet.” I whispered back. I kept my eyes tight closed. Sunday mornings were intended for long lie ins, not early wake up calls.
“We have to leave in an hour.” I turned to face Harry to find his eyes still shut tight.
“Five more minutes.” I whispered, cuddling myself against his bare torso. His arms still locked around me. He mumbled his agreement. A comfortable silence took over us as we started to drift off to sleep again.
******
“She’s been asleep all afternoon, it must be the painkillers.” I slowly woke up from where I’d drifted off in the living room chair. Mum, ever the motherer, tucked me in with the blue knitted blanket I kept on the sofa. I hear another voice with her in the kitchen but it was just a mumble through the thick brick walls. “I am worried about her, you’re right. But she’s a grown woman, what can we do?” I heard the low mumble again and tried my hardest to pick out who it was. Wait, there were two mumbles, one deeper than the other. “She wouldn’t have been out there to prove anything.” I almost didn’t want to disturb their conversation but I wanted to know who was in my house. “She’s a good person. We can thank you for that.” I tried harder to listen but it was difficult. I slowly pushed myself up to sit on the sofa, the tatty blue blanket falling to my lap. “I know it’s such a messy situation but it it what it is.” I heard mum clinking teacups together and the kettle start to boil. I pushed myself off the sofa, wincing at the pain in my body and the sudden dizziness.
“You know I’ll always love her Julie.” It was Harry. Part of me wanted to run in there and see him but I was stunned. He said he would always love me. My heart did little flips and my stomach was filled with butterflies. I started towards the kitchen but caught a glimpse of myself in the hallway mirror. I looked like I hadn’t showered in days. Big dark bags hung low under my eyes and my hair was knotted in a wild bird's nest on my head. I tried to pat my hair down in the back of my head desperately trying to make myself look more acceptable. Alfie followed me as far as the hallway. Even he decided that my attempts to beautify the mess I was, was futile. He trotted away to the kitchen to see what treats my mum would smother him with.
“Someone’s awake!” A friendly voice said from the kitchen. I turned to see Skippy rummaging for biscuits as usual.
“I don’t really feel it.” I joked, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. I saw Harry snap his head up from staring miserably into the marble top at the breakfast bar. He had the most heartbreaking look on his face. He looked concerned but hurt at the same time. I attempted a reassuring smile but it must have looked more like a grimace as he jumped out of his seat to help me to sit down. “I’m not a cripple.” I tried to joke, but it fell on deaf ears. His hands went to my arms from behind and guided me to a stool. His hands felt hot on my hands but gave me goosebumps at the same time. I looked into his eyes, trying to reassure him but he looked to concerned to accept it.
“You’re alright?” he asked, still unconvinced. His hands still resting on my arms.
“I’ll be fine!” I sighed getting quite sick of the mollycoddling.
*******
“I told you we needed to be awake!” We headed towards the marquee.
“You fell back to sleep too!” I whispered back. Skippy and his wife Lara were greeting guests as they made their way into the reception. The queue was long and in the hot July weather, women were fanning themselves with clutch bags and men were looking for the quickest route to the already packed bar.
“It’s not my fault you kept me up all night.” Harry whispered into my ear as his hand rested on the small of my back to guide me forward.
“Don’t you dare Buster.” I smirked, remembering our activities the night before. “Or I’ll just have to tell Skippy -”
“Tell Skippy what?” We had reached the beginning of the line. Skippy had caught onto Harry’s sly grin.
“How lovely the service was!” I had to think quickly.
“There’s something you’re not telling me.” I hugged both Skippy and Lara while Skippy made jabs at Harry’s blushing cheeks.
“The boys are over there.” Lara said, pointing out a rowdy group at the bar. Harry left me and went straight there. She grabbed my elbow and pulled my ear closer to her, so she could whisper. “There’s a woman over there called Clarissa. She really has no idea of the dress code.” I spotted her. She looked more like an eighteen year old girl on her birthday night out than a guest at a wedding. “Either way she had chewed everyone’s ear off about Harry being here so I would be careful if I were you.” She patted my arm and I nodded my thanks.We nodded to each other. That nod said a lot of things; mostly ‘I’ve got you’. I gave her another hug and made my way to find Harry in the group of men by the bar. As I walked past a table I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“It’s Rebecca isn’t it? I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” I heard her voice before I saw her. I looked round to see her. The leggy, skinny, blonde woman held her hand out to shake mine. Her eyes squinted and her lips pursed into something between a smirk and a grimace. It was no means a friendly greeting. “I’m Clarissa.”