People

Okay, here's a well long bit of writing.

People, People Who Need People (The Luckiest People?)

1
He said I was beautiful as if saying it would make it true. He was saying what he thought he was supposed to. He didn’t believe it though and neither did I.
I liked Daniel and he liked Michelle but they wouldn’t consider either of us for a second so we teamed up. We didn’t like each other that much. We went everywhere together and held hands on the street. On Valentine’s Day he took me to see Lost in Translation and then we went to Café Rouge. We bought cards and he gave me flowers. But the whole time we kept our eyes open, looking out for something better. We were together for three years but we never really liked each other that much. We just happened to be free on the same days.


2
On Thursday the post is always late. That’s because we’ve got two different postmen now- Martin and Barry. We’ve known Martin for years, he delivered all the children’s 11 plus results and is always so nice and friendly but he’s only working part-time now so we have to put up with Barry three days a week. Barry is incompetent. Always late, uniform not ironed, headphones in his ears. He’s a disaster- did I tell you he’s got a tooth missing? He has tattoos all over his arms and he doesn’t even have the decency to cover them up, he always wears the same grubby blue short-sleeved shirt, hardly buttoned, with nothing underneath.
“Alright Mrs. King?” he says, handing over my Lakeland catalogue and Ted’s Private Eye. “Hmm thank you” I always reply before quickly closing (and locking) the door.
At night when Ted is asleep, the garage door is locked and the teasmaid is set, I put my fingers deep inside myself and think of Barry and his ghastly unbuttoned shirt.



3
We are sitting in the back yard. My mum is talking about her new boyfriend:
“He says he is going on a walk. Whenever I call him he’s in Heaton Park. Always in Heaton Park”
“Right”
“I’ve heard things about Heaton Park. I’ve heard you can go down there and… see sex”
“So that’s what you think he’s doing, dogging?”
“I don’t know. He never tells me anything”

Wojtek comes through the backdoor

“Wojtek?”
“Yes”
“Where have you been?”
“Park”
She looks at me
“What were you doing there?”
“Drink”
“Drinking? Alone?”
“No, with friends”
“Which friends?”
“New friends I meet today”
She looks at me
“Polish or English?”
“English”
“Men or women?”
“Yes. One man, one woman”
She looks at me
“Where are you going now?”
“I go bath”
“What are you eating?”
“Potato”
“Where did you get that?”
“Shop”
He disappears indoors.

She turns to me
“See?” she says, “He never tells me anything”

4
Friday night was Film Night and it had been for two years exactly. They watched two films each time. Usually American indie films as those were their favourite but every now and then they’d try a blockbuster for size. He had a big widescreen TV in his room and they usually sat on his bed while they watched. Afterwards they’d discuss each film in detail and give it a mark out of 10. Then he’d walk her home.
But not tonight. Tonight she’s not coming. She’s got a date, she says, with Bill from the video shop.
He’d always assumed that they’d end up together. One Film Night he’d pluck up the courage to kiss her and soon after that they’d get married. And be together forever. But that couldn’t happen now, no, not after this, no way.

5
She knew there was a way to eat spaghetti without making a prat out of yourself but her mind had gone completely blank. She could barely hold a fork, let alone remember how to use it.
She liked him. He had nice eyes and teeth. The rest of his face wasn’t all that but she didn’t think that was important, really. What counted was that he wasn’t a complete monster and he liked her, liked her enough to ask her out and she was grateful for that.
It had been so long since she’d kissed someone that she worried she might have forgotten how to. She’d practiced earlier on the back of her hand but it wasn’t really the same. Maybe he didn’t even want to kiss her. Maybe he thought of her as a friend. Maybe he only asked her out because he felt sorry for her. God, that didn’t even bear thinking about.
He said something she didn’t quite hear or understand but she laughed anyway. Hahaha, yes.
He didn’t seem to be having any trouble with the cutlery. Did he go on a lot of dates? He probably did, all the time, loads. Non stop.
He didn’t look very happy, he was probably ruing the day he asked her out. She asked how work was and concentrated on smiling and nodding at the right times and pretending to eat.
Jesus, he just looked at his watch. It’s over before it’s even begun. She should just excuse herself now and save them both a lot of awkwardness. If she left now he might ask her out again. Before she got drunk and vomited on him or started talking about her childhood. She should leave now. Right now, while they still have a chance.



6
Our whole relationship was built on lies. LIES. Two years ago, when we met, he told me that he was a doctor at Great Ormond Street. I was impressed, obviously. He moved into my flat after a couple of months and we were Very Much In Love. After work he’d come home and tell me about how he’d just separated some Siamese twins or given a nine-month-old baby a heart transplant. It made me feel bad- he saved the lives of children and I answered the phone for a company that made chairs. Compared to him I was a complete waste of space. But I though that by being his girlfriend I’d be special too, a bit of his magic might rub off on me.
On my birthday he brought home a card signed by all the terminally ill children at the hospital. I wept over it, I really did. And he was so wonderful to me- always telling me how amazing and beautiful I was. How he’d never met anyone like me, never had a connection like this with anyone else. He talked about the future- babies, a house in country, holidays in Switzerland.
One night in August it all came out. He didn’t work at Great Ormond Street. He wasn’t even a doctor. He was assistant manager at a branch of Superdrug on the other side of town. He didn’t think someone as special and amazing as me would even consider someone like him. So he bended the truth a little. He didn’t intend to carry it on for so long but he was scared. Scared I’d leave him. But now he knew that I loved him for him, not for his occupation. I did love him for him didn’t I? We’d be okay wouldn’t we?


In my opinion- the best thing about this is the title. But it seems that a lot of people don't know where it's from which is just disgraceful. If you don't know I won't tell you.
Anyway, yes.