Marie cursed as she struggled to get in through her front door. Her bags of shopping somehow conspiring against her, one of them snagging on the frame, ripping open and spilling its contents onto the doorstep. It had been a bad day for her, but nothing more than was expected at the end of a bad week.
The message light flashed on her answer phone as she entered the kitchen, the display showed 4 new messages. Unceremoniously Marie dumped the bags on the kitchen work surface and reluctantly played back the tape, dreading what she would hear. A sickness set in her stomach as the machine rewound then started,
'You have 4 new messages, first new message' it stated, and then HIS voice spoke
'Hi babe, its me, again. Look, I'm really sorry, I love you more than anything, it was a stupid mistake. C'mon, it's been a week now, at least acknowledge my calls, and let's talk. She was nothing to me. We got carried away, please Marie, I'm begging you, just call me, please'
'No way', she said out loud, even though there was no one to hear.
'No fucking way' she said again, enjoying the desperateness in HIS voice. He was gone for good as far as she was concerned.
'Cheating little fucker' she thought to herself as the machine continued to play back.
The next message was also HIM, so she skipped it, quickly moving on to message three, her Mum, confirming details for the visit on Sunday, and finally, message four, her best friend Kate,
'Hi hon, how are you? Me and the girls are heading out tonight for a few drinks. We'd love to see you if you're feeling up to it, call me'. This brought a smile to Marie's face, but a night out was not what she needed right now. Picking up the phone she called Kate, but got straight to her answer service,
'Hi Kate its Marie, thanks for the invite, but I'm just gonna curl up in front of the TV tonight. Maybe we can do lunch tomorrow? Have a good one tonight, give my love to the girls and I'll call you tomorrow, I'm unplugging the phone tonight, that Bastards been calling again. Take care hon', and as she hung up, she leant down and pulled the phone wire form its socket. It was gonna be a quiet night in, just her, a good video and a bottle of wine.
After preparing and eating dinner, Marie went up stairs, took a long hot bath and dressed in her pyjamas, then came back down, opened her newly purchased wine and sat down on the sofa. As she took poured her first glass, she reflected on the last seven days. Coming early last Friday afternoon to find her boyfriend screwing some 18-year-old hussy.