Chapter 14
2.15 p.m.
‘I remember that first morning as a married woman. The warmth of Bernie’s body spreading through my left side as I lay on my stomach in the bed. I gave myself permission to enjoy the feeling. I mean, I’d enjoyed it once before, the closeness of a man’s body against mine. I don’t want to go into that. But this time it was my husband and I should be able to enjoy it, but it would take me a while to get used to it, I knew that. This was how it would be from now on. My husband. It made me sound so respectable. And then there was the touch of Bernie’s warm fingers, curling tenderly, tentatively, around the top of my shoulder, and I shifted myself onto my elbow to face him.
‘“I have a wedding present for you,” he whispered. He switched on the lamp; he stroked my face and
