Cut And Dried

The Dreaded Visit

Chrissie

"Oh hi mum" it was rather a low key depressing greeting, but after all it was my mother and two of my sisters, so it will be a visit to remember, but not in a good way.

"Well if it's not my youngest daughter and she still knows and recognises me and she has actually spoken to me"

You can see where I get my sarcasm from now can't you.

"Mother, Jenny, Shelly" I acknowledged my family with a curt nod and a fake plastered on smile.

No hugs, or air kisses, not even a squeal of delight, just stone faced, arms folded pissed off family staring at me and if looks could kill, I would be six feet underground by now.

"Look you guys, I just need to pop down to work and make sure I still have a job, do you want to go up and wait in my flat"

"Oh can't wait to get away from us already eh?"

"Mum! I won't be long okay, I need to see Mrs Young about my job and then, I will be right back"

"Well if you weren't making a spectical of yourself in all the tabloids and on the TV with that actor fella then you wouldn't need to worry about your job would you"

"No mum" I capitulated, it's better to agree than argue, I have found this out over the years, grabbing my mother's hand I shoved the keys in her palm.

"Make yourselves at home be back in ten okay"

My mother grabbed my wrist and handed my keys back to me.

"No! I'm not going in their where you have had a man, meet us at that tea shop we usually go to, ten minutes young lady" she growled out the last part of the sentence, as my delightful family marched off in the direction of the Blenheim View tea room.

"Great, could my life get any better" no way could I tell them that Brent and I had split up, especially as I caught him cheating on me, they would be so smug, the 'I told you so' would go on forever, even when I'm in my grave.

Anyway let's deal with one problem at a time, first off have I still got a job, I ambled down the street feeling slightly worried, have I or haven't I still got a job, part of me wanted to hurry and find out the other part said hang it out as long as you can before you have to know.

If I have lost it, I may as well give up and go back to live with my family, because if they find out about my love life and that chasing after romance failed plus the consequences were I lost said job, my life would be hell.

Hurrying down the street to what I hoped would still be my place of work my mind kept drifting back to Brent, I couldn't understand where it all went wrong, Brent hadn't broken down my walls he had obliterated them, I thought we were happy together, but obviously that was a definite no.

Before I could keep up the depressing thoughts I realised I had reached my destination, taking a deep breath for encouragement I pushed open the door and stepped in before I could change my mind, only to find the whole shop glued to the TV.

As my eyes flicked up to the screen, my heart stopped as I saw Brent arm in arm with a beautiful woman everything I wasn't and he was talking and smiling at the camera, suddenly I became aware of the conversation passing between Brent and the interviewer.

"So Brent is the engagement to Miss Wallace off"

"Yes Walter it is" addressing the interviewer. "She decided to go back to her ex boyfriend and according to my PR team she tried to get two million pounds to keep her mouth shut about our time together, but having signed a non disclosure agreement, If she says anything, I will sue her, now if you would excuse me, my date and I have a party to attend, thank you"

I stood there with my mouth open, frozen to the spot, how could he, my family were 100% correct, men were arseholes after one thing and when they got it they dumped you, only I was being punished further to save his reputation.

As tears threatened to consume me, Mrs Young spied me and hurried over pulling me into a hug and that was enough my resistance broke and so did the dam holding back my sorrow.

I cried like I had never cried before, I couldn't have stopped even if I tried.

"There, there" comforted Mrs Young "Let it all out my dear, get it out of your system"

I hadn't noticed but Mrs Young had steered me into the small kitchen and as I managed to tone down the crying and turn it into a mild case of sobbing.

"It's wasn't like he said" I blurted out. "He cheated on me with an actress" I explained between the sobs.

"Dosen't surprise me, he's famous after all" she consoled me. "But he seemed so taken with you I don't understand, how this happened, still your here now, your job awaits you and we will help you mend"

Cue another round of tears, but these were more of relief, at still having a job, than regret of what had happened in the last 24 hours of my life.

Eventually I managed to calm down and get a grip on myself, thanking Mrs Young for allowing me to keep my job, though she had insisted it was mine as long as I wanted it, I now had to head to meet with the firing squad and it was well past the ten minute deadline, which will not be missed by my mother.

Feeling a little bit happier as I still had a job and that meant I didn't have to go back and live with my family.

Gathering myself together as my hand rested on the door handle of the tea shop, I drew in a deep breath and threw back my shoulders letting it out in one long gush, I opened the door and stepped inside mustering all the courage I could find.

Let's go face the inquisition I thought.

And on seeing my family grouped around one of the tables down the side, I headed over.

And no I wasn't disappointed, first my mother then my sister's laid into me, what was I thinking, didn't what happened to them mean anything, why would I go out with such a huge player and so it went on.

After an hour they had run out of things to chastise me over and the silence that followed was a god send, I had a splitting headache, my brain was frazzled and my mind had been overworked, but I had survived.

I felt I had defended myself quite well, explaining that as each of my family had done, I was to experience these things first hand so I can judge for myself and that Brent and I were okay with our relationship, no need to tell them we have split now was there, that is until the Large TV in the tea shop decided to show a rerun of Brent and the interview at the premiere.

Then all eyes in the room turned on me and worst of all the death glares I was getting from my family, who now had the full picture and when they simultaneously crossed their arms over their chests, I knew I was completely screwed.