28
I do the only thing I can do: I call Mandy. I need someone to speak to, someone I can trust, someone I can depend on. I need to lay it on thick, though. If I try to hide how insecure and anxious I feel, Mandy will be her usual over-the-top aggressive self, which won’t help. I don’t need to know how much she wants to kick his head in or what she’s going to do to his testicles. I need her to be there for me, to comfort me, to tell me everything’s going to be alright.
‘Hey Alice. What’s up?’ she says as she answers the phone. I can hear a lot of noise and commotion in the background. It sounds like she’s in a bar.
‘Are you at home?’ I ask, knowing damn well she isn’t.
‘No, I’m away with work in Plymouth. Why’s that?’
‘Oh. No reason,’ I say. I struggle to hide my disappointment.
‘Is s
