Under His Influence

“Do you really think he’s been seeing Mimi behind my back?” she asked with a hint of desperation. “It’s so—weird. Weird of her. Weird of him. Just—not like them.”

“Dunno.” It was a hostile, hopeless grunt.

“I just can’t believe it. We must have got hold of the wrong end of the stick. He’ll have an explanation for me. It’ll be something silly. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

“Like he did about us?”

“He didn’t mean it. He was being insecure. Perhaps he was a little bit ill. But he’s better now. Maybe they’ve put him on medication.”

“Let’s hope so.”

“I’m going, anyway.” Anna stood abruptly and picked up her handbag.

Liam accompanied her out of the bar—the very place where Anna and John had first met—and stood with her on the pavement, feeling sick at the thought of letting her go.

“I’ll worry about you, you know,” he said, taking her hands and squeezing them. “If he does anything—even the slightest thing—that you aren’t comfortable with, get away from him as fast as you can. Call me. Call me as soon as you’ve finished. In fact, if you don’t call me by three o’clock, I’ll call you. Okay?”

“Stop fussing, mother hen.” She laughed. The glow on her cheeks was for John, Liam saw. She had hope. The lustreless Anna of the past couple of days was gone. That was the Anna he had had a chance with.

“Right,” he said. “Seriously, take care.”

He stooped to plant a light kiss on her forehead.

“Liam,” she chided, wiping the trace of moisture from her brow. “I’ll be fine.”

Then she turned and left him all alone.

“I don’t understand.”

“Is it so hard?” John, sitting beside Anna on the sofa, his hands twining hers around and around, tried his utmost to look sympathetic and sorry. “I know now that I made a mistake. I took advantage of you. It was wrong of me, and you are free to go. File for divorce. Cite whatever you like. I won’t offer any contest.”

“But…you love me. You have to. What we had…”

“It’s in the past. And I was ill. I realise that now.”

“You weren’t ill when we met. You were…wonderful.”

“I was ill. I was on the rebound. I hadn’t dealt with my grief.”

“I won’t believe it.” Anna’s voice, though querulous, teetered on the verge of tears. “You can’t make me believe it. What about the baby?”

“I’ll pay maintenance. We can sort out access. I’m not abandoning you.”

“Why does it feel like you are then?” Anna lost her battle with the tears and they leaked out willy-nilly, streaming down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Mimi waited for Liam to pick up his desk phone.

“Afternoon, Recorder and Sunday Post,” said his spiritless tone.

“Liam, it’s Mimi.”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Don’t hang up! It’s important. It’s about Anna.”

“What about Anna?” His concern cut through the hostility li

ke skate blades through ice.