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.