It’s Monday, and it’s an almost calamity Monday
for me. I updated my phone last night and something went wrong, and my phone
crashed. All attempts to recover it through iTunes failed repeatedly so that I
was kicking myself for putting my whole life into one electronic device. This
was ios 9.0.2 if you’re wondering. The update didn’t fully install and then
iTunes couldn’t download it so it was close to a disaster. I ended up using
gamer son’s computer to install the update and recover my phone. I have got to
have a backup backup for when backup fails.
And now it’s Tuesday, sorry guys. The intention
was there but then life got in the way. But here is Cassie, home from the
hospital, although still a bit shaky.
“Tea?”
I accepted the cup proffered by Mark, smiling
into his worried face. “Thank you, that’s just what I need.”
He huffed out a breath in relief before sitting
in the lounge chair closest to me, still looking worried.
Matt came in as I was sipping the tea
gratefully. The hospital had looked after me well for the few days I was there,
but the tea was always lukewarm and tasteless.
“Right, Pebbles and BamBam are fed, and there
is a casserole in the fridge which I’ll put in the oven for your dinner.”
I blinked at him. “A casserole? Where did that
come from?”
“Saffron made it, and there are offerings from
her and Bev in the freezer too.”
“Oh gosh, Saffron shouldn’t be making food for
me, she’s doing enough handling the coffee run on her own. And Bev is not well
enough to be cooking. I’ll be fine by tomorrow anyway now I’m home.”
Matt came and sat on the lounge beside me. “No
you won’t, you’re supposed to be resting for the rest of the week and we are
going to make sure you do. Head injuries have to be treated with respect.
Saffron was happy to do something to make up for the way the night ended, and
Bev told me she feels so much better these days.” He held up a hand as I opened
my mouth. “I know, she’s lying through her teeth. But, I do believe that cooking
for you has given her a lot of pleasure and that’s more important than your
pride isn’t it?”
I closed my mouth again, since he was right as
he annoyingly was most of the time. Instead I shrugged. “Well Saffron does have
some making up to do, in fact she should be sucking up to me big time. If it weren’t
for her we would not have been there so late.” I ignored the little voice
inside that reminded me that I had in the end been a willing participant to the
shenanigans – well apart from the hit on the head concussion part. I had woken
the next day in hospital with a dry throat, roiling stomach and splitting
headache which could only partly be attributed to the concussion.
“That she does, I had a word to her about
involving you in her attempts to distract herself from her own problems.”
I felt my mouth drop open and my eyes begin to
bug out. Mark, taking in my expression, remembered some homework that needed to
be done and vanished. I never used to allow my expression to change from
pleasant and cheerful, at least not around Nathan, but these days I had learnt
to allow my face to mirror my emotions. I had also learned that it was ok to
express my emotions. I set about expressing.
“You did what? What do you mean distracting
herself from her problems and how is it your business to talk to her about
involving me? When did you become my keeper?”
Matt gave me a level look, a very long level
look. I thought back to the times he had rescued me from certain situations
with Nathan and felt a touch of embarrassment. But still, this was different,
this was a night out with my best friend.
“It was just a night out, and if that girl hadn’t
smacked me in the head I wouldn’t have ended up in hospital.”
Matt inclined his head, but he was still
wearing his serious policeman face. “Nonetheless it was irresponsible of her to
involve you in this.”
“But I wanted to be involved, I wanted to go
out with her, I wanted to be foolish and silly and carefree. What’s so bad
about that?”
“Nothing, except that you and I both know
Saffron has problems she is trying to avoid. And you are testing yourself,
doing things you couldn’t do before because of the repercussions. So the two of
you together is a recipe for disaster.”
I could feel the heat under my skin, and the
nagging headache that hadn’t properly subsided sent a few stabs into my brain
to remind me it was still there. “That’s not fair, I am a responsible person,
you know that. Heavens, I was still there because I knew I shouldn’t leave Saffron
alone. I mean, I was having fun but I was mostly looking after Saffron.” I
paused, before admitting, “I may have drunk a teensy bit too much.”
Matt gave me an old fashioned look. “You think?”
I huffed a bit, I didn’t really have a leg to
stand on in this aspect of the argument, but he only saw me after the girl had
hit me. “How would you know? I was concussed, of course I was not at my best.”
“True, but you had put on your lipstick with
your eyes shut I think. It gave an effect a bit like the joker.”
Oh please no. Had I tried to apply lipstick in
the bathroom before all of the excitement? Surely I hadn’t done, for if I had it
would indeed have been a disturbing look.
Matt grinned at the expression on my face. “Gotcha!
No you weren’t wearing any lipstick. But the fact that you don’t remember, and
looked worried at the possibility tells me you were very drunk.”
I shrugged. “I was concussed, it’s normal to
lose parts of the events when you’re concussed.”
His eyes narrowed, Matt leaned towards me. “Have
you lost parts of the night?”
I shook my head. “Sadly no, I remember
everything.” I thought back to the drunken flailing of arms and legs that I had
considered dancing. It was as uncoordinated as anything Saffron could produce. Had
I made a fool of myself in any other way? I didn’t think so, but then when you’re
drunk you tend to think you are being normal when of course you are not.
“Is this something you and Saffron used to do a
lot?”
I shook my head, wincing a little as the
movement started a hammer inside my head. “No, we went out occasionally for
dinner. Nathan never minded that, I wonder why?”
“Did you get drunk?”
“No, not really, although sometimes when I hadn’t
eaten all day I did get a bit squiffy.”
Matt smiled at my choice of words. “Did that
make you, er, friendly when you got home?”
“Oh, yes I guess it did.” That was why Nathan
didn’t mind me going out with Saffron, I came back tipsy and he got the kind of
sex he preferred. Thinking of Nathan made a bit of darkness slide into the room
so I shook off the thoughts.
“Saffron and I hadn’t met before I married
Nathan, so she has not met the wild and free me.”
Matt gave me a smile that bordered on a leer. “I
wish I’d met the wild and free you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Make up your mind Matt!
One minute I’m getting a lecture on responsibility and the next you’re leering
at the thought of a wild and free me.”
Leaning forward Matt came right into my comfort
zone and kept on coming, until his lips met my forehead in a gentle kiss. “If I
had met you first Nathan would not have stood a chance.”
He stood up, smiling at my shock. “I’d better
head off, I’ll put the casserole in the oven for you on my way out. Let Mark
get your dinner, he knows how and he’s keen to help. He’s been worried about
you too. I’ll be back in the morning to take the dogs out and get you
breakfast. Don’t even think of trying to do it before I get here.”
So saying he left without looking back. Good
thing really since I was sitting staring at him with what was bound to be an
unflattering stunned fish kind of expression.
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