I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Sixty-One

My birthday came at the end of term. Alex made a supper for me out of habit and we had a lovely meal in the dining room. A lovely, quiet meal. Very quiet. Our life had become rather silent anyway. We didn't even exchange cordialities any more. We really didn't have to, as we only saw one another at supper, but it would have been nice to hear something from her other than, "Chinese all right this evening?" She wasn't even cooking anymore—the people at the takeaway knew me by my first name.

After supper, Alex placed a large box on the table and I opened it to reveal a huge robe. She said, 'For lounging about the house.'

'I do work, you know.'

'I know. I only want you to be comfortable. And I'm rather sick of seeing your other robes.' I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, as she hadn't made a quip in ages I was inclined to think she wasn't joking.

After pudding she said, 'I have one more present for you.' I unwrapped the rectangular box to reveal a videocassette.

'A film.' It featured one of my favourite actresses, but it still wasn't the most personal of gifts.

To my less than thrilled tone she asked, 'Do you have that one?'

'No.'

She sipped her wine, 'I didn't think so.' She then pushed back from the table, 'I'll do the washing up.'

That was the end of my birthday evening? 'All right.' I took my presents upstairs, fighting the urge to cry. I sat in the bath until the water was cold then went to bed. Happy twenty-second birthday, Catherine Elisabeth Perfect.

Next morning I went to Elysium, considering moving there permanently, and considered chucking out the video. The only thing that kept me doing so was the fact that my very favourite actress was in it and I hadn't seen the thing before. After some deliberation I settled in my living room and put it on. It was about a woman, who'd had a nervous breakdown and had recently been allowed to go home from hospital. The people in the small island town treated her as if she had some sort of contagious disease and she stayed in the house most of the time and slept. I immediately identified with her. Then the summer came and the woman's husband hired someone to help the woman with their two sons so he could go back to work on the mainland—he was a banker or something like that.

At first, the woman didn't much care for the helper she'd been given and was cruel to her. The girl was good with the woman's sons and they find out that her mother committed suicide and that her sister was in an institution for being crazy. After she finds out about that she softens towards the girl and they get to be friends and the woman begins to feel better. She takes them out in a little red convertible and they go to the beach and generally have a great time. The affection between the women was tangible and I thought it was very sweet, as it reminded me of the way Alex and I had been. She'd definitely brought me out of a depression I hadn't even known I was in. At one point the oldest son, who was probably about ten, said he wished that they could remain that way for ever. I agreed with him and wished it could, as well.

Then one day when they were out on the beach the woman fell asleep and when she woke up she thought the girl had drowned and went running up the beach, shouting for her. The girl came out of the house and said she'd been up making lunch and that the woman had fallen asleep. They went tromping up the beach and the woman asked if the girl didn't see what was going on. She said she didn't and the woman kissed her on the mouth. Where did that come from? Though I was surprised by that I thought it was sweet and I wanted them to be together, but the girl only whispered that she couldn't and ran away. I felt horribly for the woman, I mean, she was finally happy and comfortable and the girl obviously loved her in return, so what was the problem?