6. Olivia
1156 Words
After living for over ten years in this house, it was weird to ring the bell and wait at the front door. A stranger in my own home, even though I was well aware this was no longer home.
“Liv!” Rebecca greeted me with the same casualty as she greeted all her friends. Except I wasn’t just a friend, I was her ex-wife, but she seemed to conveniently forget that when it suited her.
“Hey. I’m here to pick Tilly up,” I said.
“Of course. Come in, come in.”
I grimaced at being welcomed in my own house, but I bit my tongue. Instead, I followed Rebecca through the hallway, trying not to notice all the difference. The bookcase was gone, the coat rack had moved. There was a new painting, which clashed with the colour of the curtains.
I gestured to the oil painting of a rooster. “Bette’s?”
“Yes. Isn’t it beautiful?”
I nodded. “Yes. What lesbians wouldn’t want a c**k hanging in the hallway?”
wouldn’t“Olivia.”
“Rebecca,” I mimicked.
“Do you have to comment on everything?”
“No…” I paused, trying to suppress the urge. “But the colours don’t match the wallpaper.”
Oops.
My ex sighed loudly and shook her head in the same fashion as the last year of our marriage. “I like the rooster. And we’re changing the wallpaper.”
“Really?” I followed her into the kitchen, a little taken aback. “You… You’re changing your wallpaper… Willingly?”
“Yes.” Rebecca pulled a mug from the drying rack and held it up. “Tea?”
“No, thanks. I’d rather have some gin.”
My ex blinked slowly. “It’s eleven in the morning.”
“I was kidding,” I deflected. “I’m not an alcoholic.”
“I didn’t say anything.” She popped the kettle on and grabbed her favourite teapot from the shelves. “Could you get me a—”
“Spoon?” I finished her sentence while pulling open the cutlery drawer. “I remember. Here.”
“Thanks.” The first smile tugged on her lips. “You were always an excellent tea aid.”
“You trained me well.”
“So I did.”
We waited in silence for the kettle to come to a whistling boil. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but there were many things I’d rather be doing. Eating at a good sushi place, finding a new gin, watching beautiful women—
“Ah, there’s Tilly,” Rebecca said, waving through the glass door. A bouncy dog jumped up against the glass and scraped her paws along it, leaving streaks of mud.
Before I could let her in, the handle twisted and Bette entered the house with my dog.
“Olivia. You’re here.” She tipped off her wellington boots and reached across to kiss Rebecca. “Hi.”
“Hey.”
I averted my gaze, trying to ignore the personal exchange. I’d known Rebecca long enough to recognise her intimate voice. It was all kinds of weird to watch her do it with someone else.
Instead, I focused on the chocolate cockapoo jumping against my legs.
“Hey, Tilly. Who’s a good girl?”
“Wraf!”
I spoiled her with kisses and rubs, and a lot of vocal affirmation. Just to make it clear I wasn’t listening to Rebecca and Bette’s conversation.
Only when they broke apart, I turned my attention back to them. “Nice rooster.”
Bette frowned. “Sorry?”
“In the hallway. Your painting.”
“Oooh! Thanks. That’s nice of you to notice,” she said, letting the conversation die.
So much for that…
Luckily, the tea seemed ready. Rebecca stirred the leaves loudly and threw the spoon in the sink. “Could you grab me the honey, babe?”
“Yeah, sure.” My hand was halfway to the cabinet before I caught myself. “Sorry. You weren’t talking to me, were you?”
Bette and Rebecca exchanged an awkward glance, only made worse with the tense chuckle.
I stepped aside so Bette could grab the honey and gestured to nowhere in particular. “I should really get going.”
“You’re sure you don’t want tea?” my ex asked.
“No, I couldn’t.” I reached down to click a lead on Tilly and shuffled towards the front door. “I’ve got some paperwork to deal with.”
“Oh? Paperwork for Rainbow Central?” Rebecca accompanied me to the exit, the tension evaporating slightly when it was just the two of us.
I pulled the door open, all too eager to get back home. “Yes, I’m hiring a new girl.”
“So business is going well then?”
The image of the empty bar yesterday sprung in my head, but I didn’t want to tell my ex about that. “Ehh, so and so. You know, ups and downs. Summer is not too far away now.”
“Of course.” She bent down to fuss Tilly and kiss her curly ears.
Just before I left, I shot a last look at the rooster painting. “Were you serious about the new wallpaper?”
“Goodbye, Olivia.”
“You were so adamant on keeping it when you were with me.”
She ushered me out the door. “That’s because you decided everything else.”
“What? That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. Bette asks me what I want. Now, goodbye.”
“But— Well, at least I don’t make paintings of c***s!” I managed to get in before she closed the door. Weak blow, but worth getting in. It would give me something to chuckle about later.
I tugged on Tilly’s lead, urging her to follow to the car.
“Let’s go. Good girl. Come on, Till.”
“Wraf!” The cockapoo bounced after me, her curly ears flopping in the wind.
“You’re such a beautiful girl,” I said. It was good to have her with me again. It brightened my grey days and at the moment, there were many of them. They were dark, blurry, and hazy.
I couldn’t even properly remember last night. What terms did I tell that new girl? A trial for a month?
That sounded about right. I’d draw up the paperwork later and get it emailed over. It was still a little before the busy summer season came bustling in, but I learned my lesson last year. Just hiring some temporary students only brought in chaos.
This time, I would do it differently. Caspian would train Quinn and she’d be fully worked in by summer. With a new pretty face, maybe I could turn things around. If not, I’d have to put the bar up for sale.
- Writer
