Free Seeing Other People by Mike Gayle Page B

the garden through the French windows.
    For the second time that day, I felt my world imploding.
    ‘What?’
    ‘That woman today, the one we met at lunch, the tall willowy-looking one, Angela, that was her name wasn’t it?’
    ‘You think I’m having an affair with Angela?’
    ‘Had, have, is that how you think you’re going to get out of this – on a technicality? I was there, Joe. I saw the way she looked at you. There was something between you, I know it.’
    Brimming over with righteous anger I bounded from the room only to return moments later clutching my phone, which I slapped down on the table so hard that it skidded across the surface and was only prevented from falling off by Penny’s arm.
    ‘If you really think that what you’ve just said is true then call her up, speak to her and make up your own mind,’ I spat. ‘Tell her what you’ve just told me. Her number’s under Towney.’
    I didn’t dare to think, feel or move as we both stared at the phone. My entire life was held in the balance. One wrong move and it would all be over.
    Penny pushed the phone away, stood up and buried herself in my arms. ‘I’m so, so sorry, Joe. It’s just that when we bumped into her today, I felt, I don’t know, I just felt like something was . . . off. I felt sure that there was something between you. I should never have said that. I should never have said something so horrible. You’re not my dad. You’d never be like him.’ Sobbing even harder she clung to me fiercely like a child apologising for her accusation over and over again. ‘Please tell me you forgive me.’
    ‘It’s OK,’ I reassured her, ‘there’s nothing to forgive. Everything’s going to be fine.’

8
    That night as Penny fell asleep in my arms I went over the all-too-surreal events of the day. The image of Penny meeting Bella was burned into my brain, as was Penny’s accusation that I’d cheated on her with Angela. I’d escaped by the skin of my teeth but at what cost? Now Penny thought she was losing the plot. Seeing things that weren’t there. But she hadn’t been entirely wrong. I’d had an affair, just not with Angela. With all the time that had passed combined with my lack of memory of the night in question it was easy to kid myself that maybe it hadn’t happened at all. That it was just a bad dream. But the evidence was overwhelming, not least the look on Bella’s face when I asked her why she’d waited for me. It had been a look of hurt and betrayal of the kind that only former lovers use. It had happened. We’d slept together and nothing I said or did could change that.
     
    The following morning over breakfast I announced to the kids that both Penny and I would be taking them to school. To Jack this was like hearing that Christmas and his birthday had arrived early.
    ‘You’re both taking us. How come?’
    ‘Mum and I have both decided to take the day off work.’ I looked over at Penny sitting next to me and she squeezed my hand.
    ‘It’s one of the perks of being a grown-up,’ said Penny. ‘Every now and again you get to put your feet up.’
    Never one to miss an opportunity when one presented itself Rosie’s ears pricked up immediately. ‘Can Jack and I take the day off school too?’
    ‘Not a chance, Missy,’ I replied. ‘You’ve got a maths test today.’
    Rosie’s face became the very picture of despair. ‘That’s so unfair! How come you guys get the day off and we don’t?’
    ‘It’s just the way it is,’ I told her. ‘Now go and brush your teeth and grab your bags because we’re out of here in five minutes.’
    Talking Penny into calling in sick had initially proved harder than I had hoped. Having had the idea during the night I had put it to her as we lay in bed that morning but she was still so racked with guilt about the accusation she’d made it was obvious that all she had wanted to do was escape to work. In the end she’d only relented because in the heat of the moment I said,