Emma parked the car on a quiet street and rummaged around in her bag for a piece of paper with an address on it. She double-checked the house number. Yes, she was at the right place.
She got out of the car and looked at the house she came to view. It looked a little shabby, she observed. Her phone rang: ‘I’ll be with you in five minutes’, said the letting agent she was meeting.
‘OK’, she replied. At least it gave her a little time to look at the area properly.
Up until now, she only ever lived in London. This was a village, still close enough to her son’s high school on the outskirts of London, but far enough from her problems, she hoped.
As she thought of herself running away from a man like a fugitive, at 34 years old, she felt embarrassed and angry. Why on Earth did she start a relationship with a new, married neighbour? Although they were both at fault, she still had only herself to blame.
It all started innocent enough. She saw him move in with his wife a few months back. Their house was flashy, expensive cars parked in front. She met Tom, the husband, a few weeks later at a local cafe. He was alone, drinking his coffee. They started talking and hit it off straight away.
They began secretly meeting. He was a very generous man, a quality very hard to find these days. He claimed, as all married men do, that he was not happy with his wife. However, to conceal an affair when you’re neighbours is impossible. Soon, his wife knew all about it.
The situation became too unbearable. Both women issued the ultimatum: Choose!
He couldn’t choose. So Emma decided to make a decision for him. She would move away, far enough to forget him, yet close enough to her son’s school. And this village seemed perfect.
As she waited, thinking how foolish she had been these last six months, her phone beeped. It was a text from Tom: ‘How is the house?’ Clearly he hoped she would continue with the affair in her new house. ‘No,’ she said resolutely to herself, deleting his text. ‘I deserve much better.’
And as the smiling agent finally arrived, his hand outstretched to welcome her and waving the keys to what would be her new property, she suddenly knew everything was going to be all right.
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