Getting him Back

by Anna Pescardot

  ‘I’d get you another drink but I see you already have one.’ He pointed to my lager.

  ‘Yeah.’ Boy, this conversation was awkward.

  Catherine intervened. ‘So, do you live local, Mark?’

  ‘Just round the corner.’

  Catherine offered him a crisp and he smiled as he took one. ‘We do too,’ she said, obviously enjoying every minute. ‘Do you work?’

  I thought this was a bit rude, asking somebody if they worked, but Catherine wasn’t the most tactful person. She spent her days chasing up people who didn’t pay their debts and so she could seem abrupt sometimes.

  ‘Yeah, I work for the Herald.’

  Catherine sat upright in her seat. ‘So you’re a journalist?’

  ‘Not quite. I’m in editing at the moment but I’m doing little bits. I hope to be one some day.’

  Catherine was impressed but I wasn’t. Well I was a little bit, but it didn’t change the way I felt about dating him. Mark continued talking to Catherine about work and various other boring things while I focused on Monica again. Things had gotten worse – now she was sitting on his lap facing him and from where I was sitting it looked like she had her tongue down his throat. I could see his hands roaming all over her backside. What a slag! I knew I had to find my Mark and tell him about this. He had to know that he’d dumped me for a total slapper. Then he would realize how good I was for him and get back with me. I interrupted Catherine and Mark’s conversation. ‘Cat, look!’ I pointed to Monica.

  Catherine wasn’t impressed. ‘What?’ she asked, irritably.

  ‘It’s her! Monica!’

  Catherine’s eyes widened as she took in the drama unfolding in the corner. She grabbed her mobile phone from her handbag and took a photo. It didn’t turn out very well though because of the lighting but it would do as evidence if Mark were to come into the club tonight.

  Freckly Mark looked surprised at Catherine’s actions. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m just taking a photo. It’s evidence.’

  He looked amused. ‘Evidence of what?’

  ‘Do you see that girl over there?’

  He smiled. ‘I see her.’

  ‘Well it’s a long story. But let’s just say her boyfriend won’t be too happy about her snogging another fella.’

  Mark laughed. ‘Moni has loads of boyfriends. She’s just having a laugh while she’s young.’

  Catherine and I stared at him. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked.

  He stretched his arms and seemed embarrassed. ‘That’s my sister,’ he said, before trying to take the mobile from Catherine. ‘Please delete that picture; she’s not a bad girl really. She really likes her new boyfriend. She’d be devastated if he found out.’

  Catherine was obviously torn. If she deleted it she knew I’d never forgive her and if she didn’t she would be ruining a potential future relationship for me. I could hear her brain whirring as she struggled with the decision. She could never make any simple decision – something she consistently blamed on being a Libran; so this would have been killing her. I made the decision for her. ‘Delete it, Cat.’ I said.

  She frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘I said delete it.’

  Mark turned towards me. ‘Thanks Tez,’ he said.

  ‘It’s Terri,’ I replied. Nobody calls me Tez, except Cat and my Mark.

  He turned back towards Catherine and watched her delete the offending photo. You must be wondering why I asked her to delete it, right? Well, I now had a potential opportunity to get to know Monica better- through her brother! He seemed to like me. Maybe I could get into some sort of relationship with him, then not only would I be able to find out more about Monica, I would also get to see my Mark again, because we’d be like in-laws! This was going to be more perfect than I’d imagined. It had to be fate. I was meant to come here tonight. Freckly Mark and I were meant to be – for a while, anyway – just not forever.

  Chapter Seven

  Hey ho the bitch is gone

  I went into work on Monday feeling pleased with myself. I couldn’t wait to tell Doreen all about freckly Mark. We’d spent the rest of Saturday night chatting and when we’d left the club he’d given me a quick kiss and his telephone number. We’d gone out to the cinema last night and even though I vowed not to fall for him, I did enjoy the feeling of being fancied again. He couldn’t keep his hands off me during the film and so don’t ask me what happened at the end. (Or the beginning – or the middle!). He was gorgeous too, in a cute sort of way. He was also funny. Before last night, I don’t remember the last time I laughed until my cheeks hurt. Catherine was right. Freckly Mark was exactly what I needed right now. I knew it wouldn’t get serious. We were having too much fun for that.

  I saw Doreen busily typing away. ‘Doreen, guess what?’ I said, throwing my bag down on the desk and putting my coat around the back of the chair.

  Her eyes widened. ‘What?’

  ‘I’ve found a way to get my Mark back!’

  I told her everything that happened. She continued to type as I spoke; she was the best at multi-tasking. ‘Well, I’m glad you’re happy, love, but I hope you don’t break this young man’s heart. He sounds ever so nice.’

  ‘You don’t need to worry about that, Dor. I’m not planning on dating him for long enough to break his heart.’

  She raised her eyebrows. ‘It’s not the length of time you are courting that matters, Terri.’

  I was about to question her further when her boss, Steve came over to us. ‘Terri, Mia’s asking for you. She wants to see you in her office, right away.’

  A feeling of dread came over me. I knew my happy feeling wouldn’t last long once I’d entered this place of evil. I smoothed down my skirt, tidied my hair and knocked on her door.

  ‘Come in.’ I tried to identify the tone in her voice but it didn’t sound evil or happy; just neutral.

  I opened the door and was surprised to see Mia looking bedraggled. Her usually neat hair was pinned into an up-do, with so many loose strands it looked windswept and her usually immaculate face was pale and drawn. Her eyes seemed red and puffy, as though she’d been crying. ‘Sit down,’ she said, pointing to the chair. ‘I just wanted you to know, that I’ll be taking some time off. I know I lectured you about not bringing your personal problems into the workplace and I need to lead by example. I told you I’ve been having personal problems, didn’t I?’ She moved some of the loose strands of hair from her eyes and attempted to put them back into her bun.

  ‘You did, yes. You said you don’t bring your personal problems into the workplace.’

  She nodded. ‘That’s right. Things have gotten worse, though and so I’m going to have to take some time off to sort them out. I can’t concentrate on work when things are this bad.’

  I wanted to ask her what problems she had but she was my superior and I knew my place.’ I hope you get things sorted,’ I said, ‘So who will I be working for while you’re gone?’

  She smiled. (The second smile this year, I think). ‘I don’t intend to be away for long and so I thought, from your experience and your qualifications, that you could take over for a while.’

  I felt my heartbeat speed up. Was Mia Cowell actually allowing me to take over her job? ‘That would be great,’ I said.

  ‘I knew I could count on you, Terri. I’ve left a list of things I need sorting. I hope to be back in two weeks. Can you manage until then?’

  I nodded. ‘Is there anyone I can go to for help if I need it?’

  ‘Yes. You can go to Steve. I’ve cleared it with him.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Oh and I’ve hired a PA from a temp agency for you. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Give her the work you would normally do for me, ok?’

  I nodded. She stood up, put on her coat and grabbed her handbag. ‘I’ll leave everything in your capable hands then. See you soon.’ And with that she was gone, leaving me to sit behind her desk. It felt weird, yet it was giving me a t
aste of what life could be like if I stopped being scared of responsibility and actually got my act together.

  I spun around in her chair and was amazed at the view from her window. Down below I could see people going about their daily business. An aeroplane flew past and I could almost see the passengers inside it. It was a great view. I was surprised she got any work done at all there were so many distractions outside. I was interrupted by a knock on the door.

  ‘Come in,’ I said, in my best Mia Cowell voice.

  It was Steve. ‘I’ve got your new PA here, Terri,’ he said.

  A small girl who looked like she should still be in school stood before me.

  ‘And you are?’ I asked, suddenly aware of how a small glimpse of power had turned me into a monster.

  She visibly quivered before me. ‘It’s Danielle,’ she said.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Danielle. Why don’t you take a seat outside and I’ll be out in a second to show you around.’

  She smiled. ‘Thanks.’

  She closed the door behind her. I took several deep breaths. I would not let power go to my head. I wouldn’t become like Mia. I wanted Danielle to feel happy in her work; there was no need to be a bitch. From now on, this department was going to be a bitch-free zone.

  After I’d spent the morning training Danielle I went back into Mia’s office to eat my lunch. I invited Doreen to join me but she had errands to run. I hoped she really did and it wasn’t just an excuse to avoid me now that I was a boss. I tucked into my tuna and mayo sandwich as I logged onto Facebook. I was the boss now so surely this was a perk! Mark’s page hadn’t changed much. I noticed some more messages from Monica. One of them said how much she’d missed Mark on Saturday and how she’d spent the night hoping he’d come to see her. What a joke! She was probably praying he wouldn’t. Who knows what she and Travolta got up to that night? Well, freckly Mark probably does. I’d get to find out tonight as I was meeting him again. I was quite looking forward to it. Last night was for getting to know each other, but tonight was about getting to know Monica. I needed ammunition. If I could get proof that she was a total cow then maybe my Mark would realize the mistake he’d made, dumping me and we’d have our dream wedding after all.

  Chapter Eight

  Twenty questions

  Freckly Mark looked quite smart when he picked me up. He was wearing a grey suit and a spotted tie. ‘Hi,’ he said opening the passenger door of his Peugeot. ‘Sorry I’m late; I’ve just got out of work. They sent me on a job, interviewing a woman about her stolen dog.’

  ‘That sounds, interesting,’ I replied as I stepped into the car and started to adjust the seat.

  ‘Yeah it was. Les was off sick and so I got to do his job. I hope he stays off all week.’

  I laughed. ‘My boss is off too. I’m doing her job while she’s away!’

  ‘Wow! Freaky!’ he said, starting the engine and revving it up so it screeched as he pulled away from my house. I’m sure I saw my mum poke her head around the curtains. She would think he was a right boy-racer!

  ‘So where are you taking me tonight then?’ I asked.

  ‘I thought we’d go to this nice restaurant we use for work sometimes. They do a nice Chinese if you’re interested.’

  ‘I love Chinese.’

  ‘Great. Me too.’

  The journey only seemed to take five minutes. He parked his car in the restaurant car park and we made our way to a table in a corner. It was nicely decorated; much like your usual traditional Chinese restaurant. There was a tank with some goldfish in it, right next to our seats. They were also playing traditional Chinese music over the speakers. There weren’t many other people eating and so we were served our food quite quickly.

  I started to twist noodles around my fork – I’d tried chopsticks once before but they weren’t for me – and I watched intently as Mark used his chopsticks like a professional.

  ‘So, have you got any other brothers and sisters then or just Monica?’ I asked.

  ‘No, there’s just Moni and me.’ He scooped some more noodles up and put them into his sexy, mouth.

  ‘So what does Moni do then?’

  ‘She’s a student over at the Uni.’

  This came as a surprise considering Mark had told me she was his new PA. ‘Oh? What is she studying?’ I asked.

  ‘Psychology, I think.’

  ‘Does she do any part-time work, then, to help pay her fees?’

  ‘Not that I know of. She lives at home so she hasn’t got any expenses or living costs to pay for – just her course fees and she doesn’t have to pay them until she gets a job.’

  I placed a mouthful of chicken satay in my mouth and enjoyed the taste of cream and peanuts. I enjoyed watching Mark eat. Even the way he ate was sexy. I was surprised at my feelings. I was doing my best not to get close to him but it was getting so difficult. ‘Is that where she meets so many fellas?’ I said giving a little giggle.

  ‘She’s not that bad! She’s only nineteen. She’s too young to settle down with one guy, anyway. We all keep telling her that.’

  ‘Who’s all?’

  ‘Me, Mum, Dad, you know.’ He took some gulps of his lager. ‘Wow, this Peking duck is seriously hot, tonight!’

  ‘My satay is too. I like it hot though!’

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘Do you now?’ he said, flirting with me.

  I felt my cheeks redden as I realized what I’d said. I smiled. ‘You know what I meant! So, you said she likes her boyfriend then?’

  He narrowed his eyes. ‘Oh, yeah. So you know her boyfriend don’t you. Some friend of yours isn’t he?’

  ‘He is yes, and Cat’s.’

  ‘Well she does like him, yes, but he knows she’s only young and as far as I know, they are both taking it easy.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘You know. They see each other but flirt with other people when the need takes them. They both don’t want to settle down just yet so it works for both of them.’

  That explained everything. My Mark didn’t want to tie himself down with marriage and he’d been with me since school so, he too, was probably sowing his wild oats, so to speak. ‘Well, she’s a pretty girl, so why not, eh?’

  He took another sip of his lager and stared right into my eyes. I felt my insides turn over. He was seriously gorgeous and sexy. I couldn’t let myself feel this way. I wanted my old Mark not new Mark. He leant forward. ‘So what’s your view on dating then?’

  I felt defensive. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Are you a one-man woman or do you like to keep things free and easy?’

  I wasn’t sure what answer he wanted to hear and I didn’t know what answer to give. I didn’t want to get serious with him but I didn’t want to spoil things either. I was always a one-man woman when I was dating someone so I thought it best to be honest.

  ‘I don’t cheat. If I’m seeing someone then I don’t flirt with other men. If I wanted to do that I’d stay single.’

  He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. ‘I was hoping you’d say that. I totally agree with you. I think there’s nothing worse than being cheated on so I wouldn’t do it to anyone else.’ He seemed upset.

  ‘Have you been cheated on then?’ I asked.

  ‘Yeah, a couple of times. Makes it hard to trust anyone else again, though.’

  I felt myself becoming closer to him. He too, knew how if felt to have your heart torn out. ‘I’ve been cheated on too,’ I said, before taking another sip of my drink.

  He seemed surprised. ‘Well he must have been a right idiot then that’s all I can say!’

  I realized that he may actually be right. Perhaps my Mark was an idiot. I knew I had to continue with my plan to find out more about Monica, though, so I could let him know exactly what she was like. There again, if he knew about her flirting and he did it too, then perhaps I was better off forgetting all about him and concentrating on the seriously sexy specimen of manhood sitting opposite me.

 
Chapter Nine

  The return of evil.

  Two weeks had flown by and I was pleased with the progress I’d made while Mia was away. Not only had I finished off every project on her list, I’d started several more which Steve had happily signed off. He was particularly impressed with my new ideas for promoting our pine collection. I’d used our computer graphics programme to come up with some graphics depicting gingham and sunflowers which produced the country cottage feel I was after. It looked great, even if I said it myself. It was even better when Steve came into my office to tell me that sales had increased by 45% since the country cottage campaign was launched. I was surprised then, when Mia verbally attacked everything I’d done. I didn’t ask whether she’d sorted out her problems but she certainly looked better than she did the last time I’d seen her. Her hair was thick and shiny again, left loose to fall in waves around her shoulders and her eyes and skin were back to their sparkling best.

  ‘Thank you for holding it together while I’ve been away, Terri. You’ve tried hard I can see that, but there are some things that need changing now that I’m back and I’ll pass them to you once I’ve sorted through my emails.’

  I went back to my desk and sunk into my chair. Doreen smiled and produced a bar of chocolate from behind her back. ‘I thought you’d need this,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘Oh, Dor, you’re the best. I hoped she’d be a changed woman when she got back but she’s still a cow.’

  ‘Yeah, once a cow always a cow, eh?’ Doreen laughed at her own joke and I couldn’t help joining in.

  ‘I thought she’d be pleased with my work,’ I said, taking a huge bite of chocolate and feeling the sweet sensation as it melted in my mouth.

  ‘She’s scared, hon. If your work was as good as Steve said it was, then she’d be worried you were going to take her job!’

  ‘Maybe you’re right,’ I said.

  ‘You’re too good for this place, Terri. Now you know you can do her job, then go and do it somewhere else.’