It doesn’t take much to break a promise Megan realised this, but surely something so momentous should have taken more words. A gentle build up? A “sorry to disappoint” an explanation perhaps?
“I won’t be coming “screamed at her in Mark’s beautiful handwriting, and nothing else it was so harsh. Not even “sorry I can’t make it” to imply the broken promise was beyond his control. No softening of the message at all. Megan could not deny her disappointment and hurt. Her eyes pricked with tears as she read the note again searching for something that was clearly missing. Some reason for his breaking his Promise that did not somehow make her feel that she was to blame.
She went back into the kitchen and put the kettle on, resisting the urge to have a good cry she viewed the situation as dispassionately as she could. Of course she was not to blame. It was typically Mark, a game he would play to make her feel that she was somehow to blame for something, so he had an excuse to go off and do something he wanted to do that did not involve her. Looking back over the 3 or so years they had been together Megan could see a pattern emerging. It was not the first time he had done this. Doubtless he would ring on Sunday night to make sure she would be available the following weekend. The terse note was to make sure he couldn’t be questioned about why he was not coming. She knew from past experience that he would not answer if she phoned him.
It suddenly occurred to her that she would not be available next weekend. The very thought carried such a feeling of relief and freedom that she felt quite breathless. Yes, she could do that. She recalled that her friend Mary had suggested they go to see a band they both liked in Chester. It would be a long drive home and Mary had found a reasonably priced b&b on the outskirts of the city. Megan had been noncommittal in case Mark was available.
Megan had been seeing Mark almost every other weekend for the last three years. He lived and worked in London and always came to Shropshire for their meetings. He said it was because the countryside was more beautiful, but she was beginning to think he was married or at least living with someone . She thought of all the things she had missed out on to leave herself free in case he came. She realised that she did not care if it was because he was married or whether it was just that he wanted to control her. She was not going to be controlled any longer.
She rang Mary and was overjoyed when she found her friend had not got anyone else to take her place. “We could go up early if you like,” she found herself suggesting, “have a day exploring the city before the gig.” It didn’t take Mary long to work out that something about Megan had changed.
“Have you finally finished with that secretive bloke you never let us meet?” she asked.
“Do you know I believe I have although I haven’t told him yet.”
“Thank God for that! All he did was make you miserable! Does that mean you’re free to come out tonight?”
“I suppose I am,” Megan replied.
“Great. Be ready at 7.30. Karen, Isabelle and I are getting a taxi to Shrewsbury. We’re going to try out that new club everyone is talking about, but we’ll have a few drinks in our usual haunts first. I know they’d love you to join us it’d be like old times again. Can you do it?”
“Yes, yes I can.”
Megan rushed up to change realising she felt more excited about going out with her friends than she had felt recently anticipating Mark’s arrival. She took care of how she dressed, although they were starting off in familiar haunts, it was so long since Megan had been out without Mark that it was something of a new experience and they were finishing up at a new venue completely.
Megan heard the taxi draw up outside, she ran lightly down the stairs checked her appearance in the hall mirror and went out to have a new adventure.
3 comments:
A lovely little short story that held my attention and just the kind of thing I had in mind. I really don’t know why you say writing is not your thing because it certainly is. You write naturally, creating interesting stories, apart from the brilliant songs for which you compose words and music. Just keep doing it!
Thank you xx
Good for Megan! I like that it took her a while to realise Mark was bad news, because that's often the way it is, not always as straightforward as people often think it should be.
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