'Part Two Chapter III\r'

'III\r\nGavin cooked for Kay at his tin that evening, opening tins and crushing garlic with a good sense of ill-usage.\r\nAfter a row, you had to interpret certain things to unattackable a truce: those were the rules, eitherone knew that. Gavin had telephoned Kay from his car on the authority spine from Barrys burial and told her that he wished she had been t present, that the whole twenty-four hours had been horrible and that he hoped he could see her that night. He considered these humble admissions no more(prenominal) or little than the price he had to pay for an evening of undemanding companionship.\r\nBut Kay seemed to consider them more in the unmortgaged of a down payment on a renegoti taked contract. You missed me. You needed me when you were upset. Youre sorry we didnt go as a couple. Well, lets not make that mis absent again. thither had been a certain complacency about the modal value she had treated him since; a briskness, a sense of re-create expectation.\r\n He was making spaghetti Bolognese tonight; he had by design omitted to buy a pudding or to mark the table in advance; he was at pains to take the stand her that he had not make much of an effort. Kay seemed oblivious, even determined to take this routine attitude as a compliment. She sat at his small kitchen table, talking to him over the pitter-patter of rainfall on the skylight, her eyes wandering over the fixtures and fittings. She had not often been here.\r\n‘I suppose Lisa chose this yellow, did she?\r\nShe was doing it again: break taboos, as though they had recently passed to a deeper level of intimacy. Gavin preferred not to talk about Lisa if he could avoid it; surely she knew that by now? He shook oregano onto the mince in his hot up pan and give tongue to, ‘No, this was all the previous owner. I havent got enlarge to changing it yet.\r\n‘Oh, she said, sipping wine. ‘Well, its quite nice. A bit bland.\r\nThis rankled with Gavin, as, in his opinion, the interior of the Smithy was superior in alwaysy government agency to that of Ten Hope Street. He watched the pasta bubbling, keeping his back to her.\r\n‘Guess what? she said. ‘I met Samantha Mollison this afterwardnoon.\r\nGavin wheel close to; how did Kay even know what Samantha Mollison looked like?\r\n‘ solely outside the deli in the Square; I was on my way in to get this, said Kay, clinking the wine bottle beside her with a flick of her nail. ‘She asked me whether I was Gavins girlfriend.\r\nKay said it archly, only actually she had been heartened by Samanthas choice of words, relieved to think that this was how Gavin described her to his friends.\r\n‘And what did you say?\r\n‘I said †I said yes.\r\nHer chemical formula was crestfallen. Gavin had not meant to ask the question quite so aggressively. He would have given a hoi polloi to prevent Kay and Samantha ever meeting.\r\n‘Anyway, Kay proceeded with a slight exhibit to her voice, ‘shes asked us for dinner next Friday. Week today.\r\n‘Oh, bloody(a) hell, said Gavin crossly.\r\nA lot of Kays cheerfulness forsake her.\r\n‘Whats the problem?\r\n‘Nothing. Its †nothing, he said, prodding the bubbling spaghetti. ‘Its only that I see enough of Miles during work hours, to be honest.\r\nIt was what he had dreaded all along: that she would twine her way in and they would become Gavin-and-Kay, with a shared social circle, so that it would become progressively more difficult to excise her from his life. How had he let this egest? why had he allowed her to move down here? Fury at himself mutated easily into anger with her. Why couldnt she realize how little he wanted her, and take herself off without forcing him to do the dirty? He run out the spaghetti in the sink, swearing under his breath as he speckled himself with boiling water.\r\n‘Youd give away telephone call Miles and Samantha and tell them â€Å"no”, indeed, said Kay.\r\nHer voice had hardened. As was Gavins deeply ingrained habit, he sought to circumvent an imminent conflict and hoped that the future would look after itself.\r\n‘No, no, he said, dabbing at his wet shirt with a tea towel. ‘Well go. Its fine. Well go.\r\nBut in his undisguised lack of enthusiasm, he sought to put down a marker to which he could refer, retrospectively. You knew I didnt want to go. No, I didnt enjoy it. No, I dont want it to happen again.\r\nThey ate for several minutes in silence. Gavin was afraid that in that location would be another row, and that Kay would force him to discuss cardinal issues again. He cast around for something to say, and so started sexual intercourse her about bloody shame Fairbrother and the life insurance company.\r\n‘Theyre macrocosm real bastards, he said. ‘He was heavily insured, scarcely their lawyers are looking for a way not to pay out. Theyre trying to make out he did nt make a full disclosure.\r\n‘In what way?\r\n‘Well, an uncle died of an aneurysm, too. Mary swears Barry told the insurance agent that when he sign(a) the policy, yet its nowhere in the notes. Presumably the crack didnt realize it can be a patrimonial thing. I dont know that Barry did, come to …\r\nGavins voice broke. scare and embarrassed, he bowed his flushing face over his plate. at that place was a hard chunk of grief in his throat and he couldnt shift it. Kays chairman legs scraped on the floor; he hoped that she was off to the bathroom, but then felt her arms around his shoulders, drawing him to her. Without thinking, he put a single arm around her, too.\r\nIt was so good to be held. If only their kindred could be di comforted into simple, wordless gestures of comfort. Why had humans ever learned to talk?\r\nHe had dribbled snot onto the back of her top.\r\n‘Sorry, he said thickly, wiping it away with his diaper.\r\nHe withdrew from her and bl ew his nose. She dragged her chair to sit beside him and put a hand on his arm. He liked her so much better when she was silent, and her face was soft and concerned, as it was now.\r\n‘I still cant … he was a good bloke, he said. ‘Barry. He was a good bloke.\r\n‘Yes, everyone says that about him, said Kay.\r\nShe had never been allowed to meet this famous Barry Fairbrother, but she was intrigued by the show of emotion from Gavin, and by the person who had caused it.\r\n‘Was he rum? she asked, because she could imagine Gavin in thrall to a comedian, to a rowdy ringleader, propping up the bar.\r\n‘Yeah, I spose. Well, not particularly. Normal. He liked a laugh … but he was just such a … such a nice bloke. He liked people, you know?\r\nShe waited, but Gavin did not seem able to elucidate boost on the niceness of Barry.\r\n‘And the kids … and Mary … poor Mary … God, youve got no idea.\r\nKay continued to pat his a rm gently, but her sympathy had chilled a little. No idea, she thought, what it was to be simply? No idea how hard it was to be go forth in sole charge of a family? Where was his blessing for her, Kay?\r\n‘They were really happy, said Gavin, in a crazy voice. ‘Shes in pieces.\r\nWordlessly, Kay stroked his arm, reflecting that she had never been able to afford to go to pieces.\r\n‘Im all right, he said, wiping his nose on his napkin and picking up his fork. By the smallest of twitches, he indicated that she should call back her hand.\r\n'