Chapter 2: Manic Monday

Ever had one of those days when everything goes wrong?

It was six o' clock when the alarm trilled through the bedroom, interrupting my dreams of mauling the face off of my favourite actor in a quaint little Italian town. Edward and I both had early starts this morning; he had a meeting and I had a report hanging over my head, so there was no time for morning nookie. There was barely time to make the bed...

I tripped over the cat going down the stairs with mole eyes, still half asleep. I was not a morning person. People knew to keep away till I'd had caffeine and checked my e-mails in case something epic had happened during the night, when everyone was asleep… Why must Marcus the cat dose there of all places? Why must I always forget he does so? One of these days he was going to cause me a serious injury. It wasn't as if I was the most graceful girl to begin with.

I burnt the toast and dropped a tea bag. I ran out of my favourite strawberry body gel in the shower...

"See you later, sweetheart." Edward kissed my cheek over my shoulder, to soften the blow of his stealing the last little buttered square on my plate, taking it with him out the door. He was driving his car to the office to go over some stuff before the meeting commenced. With my car being repaired, because of the moron that went into my side and put a dent in it, this meant I'd be taking the train to get to work by nine. We could have our own helicopter and I'd still probably have been late.

I had a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear. In the end, I went for a purple blouse, black pencil skirt, thigh high stockings and satin wedge shoes with ankle straps. As I pulled my stay-ups over my knees, I smiled to myself; just because the day was starting out as a shocker, didn't mean it had to end up as one…

My fashion dilemma meant I missed the train I'd intended on getting, and had to get the next one. Typical! It wasn't like I could blame the train; my boss travelled into work that way, too, and he was already there when I arrived. I cursed myself, Edward and Riley for a minute for choosing last night of all nights to meet up, but then I figured there are some things you can never really bring yourself to regret.

The report took up hours, but as morning turned into afternoon, my thoughts turned to other matters: I must fill out my tax return. Did I need to clean the oven? How the hell do I cook a dinner to follow last night?

At four o' clock, on a trip to the ladies', I noticed the ladder in my stockings and wondered how long it had been there. I tried the old trick with clear nail varnish to stop it spreading further. I don't know if the ladder was the reason for some random man staring at my legs the entire train journey home, or if he was just a letch.

I'd been in the house about an hour when Edward called. He probably wanted to know if he needed to pick anything up on the way back, so I tried to think of a list as I answered. That wasn't the case, however...

"Bloody car wouldn't start!" He was harassed. It sounded like his day had gone about as smoothly as mine. Maybe it was down to the flooded roads from the rain- good old British Summer…I was a bit damp myself, and not in the sense I'd hoped to be by now. I needed a bath. Or a shower. Or both…

"It's getting picked up," he said. "I'm grabbing a lift from Garrett. Got to go. I'll tell you more when I see you."

I was a good wife and sorted out some food for us while Edward was on his way. I ordered Chinese; I wasn't that good a wife... I whacked out two wine glasses- God, I needed to, and filled one to the highest level you can get away with without looking like the highest degree of Wino.

Edward walked through the door half an hour later.

"Well, I had a lovely day- how about you?" he dead panned.

"Oh peachy!"

It was only when we put our arms around each other that we were truly both home.

However, it was not to last; there was a tap at the door. We didn't have anything-or anyone-on the agenda for tonight, which was just as well. Who would be knocking at this time? I thought and then voiced, as if I would be answered without actually answering the door . I was always amused how people did that, same as whenever the phone would ring when it was getting late.

Ring ring

Really?

I reached for the phone and Edward got the door, paying the window cleaner who was on the other side and after the money we owed him for shining up the double glazing.

It was Tanya on the phone, wanting to know when we could have a repeat performance of our little roll around together. I couldn't think.

"I'll have to clear it with Edward, Tanya. I'll let you know. Yeah, ok. Yes, right. Yes, I will. You too, Tanya. Bye."

"Clear what with me?" Edward said, massaging my shoulders from behind me, but there was no time to explain. The telephone broke the welcome silence for a second time before I could: Bree from number sixty reminding me that my Avon order to her was due. She could take that 'tawny brown' lipstick and stick it where the sun don't shine!

Who was next? His parents? My parents? A salesperson? Not on my watch-I switched the phone off at the base.

Edward and I bathed together, finally getting to talk about the events of the day. We wolfed down wontons and beef with black bean sauce, sipped our wine and drifted off on the couch with A place in the Sun on TV. We so needed a holiday. Maybe we could own our own haven overseas? That was my last thought before I went back to my dreams of my actor in Italy. Edward was around in them too this time-an interesting development...

In time, Edward woke me to take me to bed, where we lay side by side, sleeping on. There was no naughty business; we knew when we were beat, but we were nestled close nevertheless. How you coped on the bad days, as a couple, was as telling as how you bounced through the good days.