"The Oakley's will be here in a minute, Love. You'd better hurry and get ready."
She nodded her head and gave her husband a fake smile but she made no effort to hurry herself along. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror she sighed, age was certainly not her friend. The face that stared back at her was not the one she was expecting, this person was old. Dark shadows framed her wrinkled eyes which stared back at her, hollow, empty.
After fixing her hair and doing the best she could with make-up, she went to change out of her tattered, old robe.
The doorbell rang.
"Are you nearly ready dear?" Ted called as he ran down the stairs
"No, I'll be down in a minute!" She snapped.
Andromeda hated Fred and Gina Oakley. Fred was Ted's boss, and she was sure he and his wife only accepted Ted's invitations to dinner, to boast about their fabulous lives.
Opening her bedside drawer, Andromeda pulled out a small vial. Euphoria Elixir. Normally only a couple of drops would get her through but tonight she was going to need more. She poured five drops onto her tongue and swallowed.
After smoothing down her golden cocktail dress, she walked down the stairs as the fast acting potion began to kick in.
Immediately she began to feel it. She had been pulled from the depths of despair. She was happier, more confident.
Ted had already seated is guests in the lounge, she walked up to him and linked her arm in his.
"Gina, Fred. So wonderful to see you. Gina, I love your hair, you must tell me where you get it done."
"Well, I used to go to-" Gina started but Andromeda wasn't listening. Feeling Teds glare boring into her neck, she turned to face him.
He knew, but she did not care. She wouldn't have had to do it if it wasn't for him.
Droplets of sweat had begun to form in her brow.
"I'll go and check on dinner" she said floating from the room "Can I get anyone a drink?"
Leaning against the tall larder cupboard, Andromeda stood with her eyes closed, panting. Her heart had begun to race. Maybe she had taken too much. She was starting to feel giddy, almost giggly. She needed to reign it in, calm down a little bit.
Pulling herself together she focused on pouring the drinks.
"Here we go" she said a little too cheery whilst passing out the drinks, Ted's icy stare returned.
The conversation lagged. Andromeda remained silent, and just listened as Fred droned on and 's food extravaganza seemed to be taking forever.
"Will we be eating soon Darling?" She asked her husband in a sickly sweet voice, that did not belong to her.
"Another 20 minutes" he called back from the kitchen.
"Its been an hour already" she said slightly disgruntled.
The night was dragging on and she was beginning to lose her high. She needed a top up. Finding her chance to escape, Andromeda excused herself to go to the bathroom, but as she reached the stairs Ted scuppered her plan.
"Where are you going?" He asked, walking out of the kitchen with a tray laden with food.
"Just to the bathroom"
"Why don't you just use the downstairs one?" He was challenging her and she knew it.
She felt his eyes on her as she walked back down the hall but she wouldn't look up at him. She didn't bother turning the bathroom light as she entered. She stood perfectly still for thirty seconds and the headed back to the "party".
Ted always ruined everything. She loathed him.
As dinner progressed her mood sank lower and lower. The company was hideous, the food unappetizing and the conversation boring.
If she had to hear another story out of Gina's mouth she was going to scream. Even the woman's facial movements bugged her.
"So Andromeda, Ted told me you enjoy yoga, I might try it myself but"
"Ha, we all know the only exercise you do is with your credit card!" She replied waspishly.
Gina was offended and Ted apologised.
"Don't apologise for me, we were all thinking it, I just had the bollocks to say it!"
"Andromeda, I think that's enough. Apologise."
"Look at you, thinking you're a big man telling me what to do! You're nothing, a fucking loser!"
"I think we should go" Gina said meekly in the midst of the shouting. Grabbing Fred's arm, they both bade Ted goodbye, whilst Andromeda sat glaring at him.
"I think we need to talk about your problem, Andromeda." Ted said nervously.
"You are my problem. Nothing else."
"I was referring to your elixir problem." He replied a little more confidently.
"Ha, thats rich! It's because of you, I take it. After 27 years of misery, its the only thing that makes me feel something, anything."
"Well, addiction will make you feel like that, Darling." Ted said in a voice that would soothe a crying baby.
"Addiction? I was someone before I met you. I was of noble blood, a family of honor, of wealth. And now I'm nothing. Wife of a nobody, a pathetic excuse of a man."
"We have a great life, Dromeda. You just cannot see it through the drugs haze."
"Where is my great life Ted? Im miserable. You've got a shitty job that barely pays, we struggle to make ends meet. We live in a crappy house, I've got no friends. My family disowned me because of you!"
"What about our daughter?" He begged.
"Nymphadora, is the only thing that has brought me any joy out of this marriage! But she is still the thing that caused this!" Glaring at him, her eyes full of hate, she finally prepared to tell him the truth.
"You were a fling to me, an act of rebellion and then you got me pregnant."
"You say that like I impregnated you on purpose" Ted spat, his anger breaking the surface.
"I wouldn't put it past you! And then I was stuck. Pregnant with a mudbloods baby"
"You needn't have done me the favour, you had other options."
"Marry you or have a bastard baby, I was an outcast either way. I, at least, thought with you, I would be looked after. How fucking wrong I have been."
"Is that really how you feel?" He gazed at her, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"I hate you." She replied coldly.
Silently, Ted rose and went upstairs. Andromeda could hear him banging and clattering about in their bedroom. She didn't ade what he was doing. After bottling up her misery for so long it felt good to finally let some of the anger out. She felt freer.
After a few minutes Ted returned with a large blue rucksack on one shoulder.
"I'll collect the rest of my stuff at the weekend."
Without looking back, her left.
As she heard the front door close, a smile crept upon her face.