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Rona finished calling all
her friends and then went into the sitting-room to return the 'phone
handset to its cradle, and she turned to Miranda, who was sitting
in there watching T.V. "You're
coming, right?" Rona asked Miranda.
"Saturday?"
"Yeah."
"Of course! But .
. ."
"But what?"
"I just hope it's
not too expensive" Miranda said.
"More bills?"
"Two bills and one
reminder to pay a bill."
"Fuck"
Rona said, exasperated. "Why do they all come at once?"
Miranda just shrugged,
because she couldn't be bothered explaining. She didn't like to
complain too much about things that were unavoidable. Instead she
asked Rona casually:
"Did you invite Matt?"
Rona looked at her with
shock.
"Too soon?"
"I haven't even talked
to him since -" Rona didn't finish the sentence.
"Seriously?"
"It's just, I haven't
had a reason to."
"So make one up! Rona,
you can't let it just fester."
"God!" Rona exclaimed.
"The work's never done. I have to break up with him, then that's
not enough and I have to call him. What next, do I have to
help him move house?"
"Is he moving?"
"He better not be!"
"Listen, Rona,"
Miranda said, and Rona could tell she was about to adopt the lecturing
tone of voice to which she was occasionally susceptible, "it's
either that, or you go back to living in your own little world again.
Which would you prefer?"
"Right now?"
Rona asked with a raised eyebrow. "Anyway I'm not living in
my own little world. I'm organising this thing on Saturday night
aren't I!"
"Okay, okay, just
forget about it" Miranda said placatingly. "I don't wanna
hassle you about it."
"Thanks" Rona
said wryly.
There were a few moments
of silence while they watched the T.V. - Seinfeld repeats
- and then in an ad-break Rona said: "Hey,
have you heard from Will?"
"I got a message from
him on Facebook a couple of days ago" Miranda said. "Just
to say he'd arrived back home."
"A couple of days
ago? Took his time, didn't he?"
"Yeah" Miranda
said, pleased to have her own opinion vindicated. "Probably
been drinking for the last month." Drinking and screwing,
she thought.
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