She knew she was lucky to have a friend like Darla and it was lovely that she was staying with Ros for a few days as there was a gap in the house-sitting jobs. Within the hour Darla and Ros were curled up on Ros’s sofa sipping glasses of well-chilled wine as Ros relayed the overheard conversation.
‘Chuffing heck. I wasn’t expecting that,’ said Darla when Ros had finished. ‘How are you feeling?’
Ros had to think for a moment. ‘Is it bad that I’m a bit cross?’ She felt awful for feeling that way. ‘I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve explained that I don’t need a blooming man to complete me and yet he still wants to see me in a relationship.’
‘But that wasn’t what he was saying. He even acknow-ledged that you’re a strong independent woman.’ They spontaneously clinked glasses at that. ‘He’s always been there for you unconditionally and he’s worried that when he goes you won’t have that anymore. I mean, you’ll have me and whilst I am frigging marvellous, it’s not the same,’ said Darla.
‘I’m frustrated that I can’t say anything. I can’t tell Dad that I’ll be fine on my own because then he’ll know I’ve been eavesdropping. But worst of all I feel so sad that with everything he’s dealing with, that’s what he’s worrying about and I can’t fix it.’
‘Being a strong independent woman doesn’t mean you can’t be in a secure, supportive relationship too. They’re not mutually exclusive. I mean they are about as easy to find as a dodo’s tooth, but some people seem to manage it.’
Ros sighed heavily. ‘I respect that but I think I’m better on my own. I don’t have the time or the inclination to search out a mate. It’s all a bit of an effort having someone else to constantly think about.’
Darla sipped her wine. ‘At least you’re not considering rushing into something just to put your dad’s mind at rest.’
‘And I feel bad about that too. It wouldn’t take too much effort to hook up with someone so Dad could go to his grave at peace. Would a good daughter do that?’
‘You’d hate yourself for it,’ said Darla. ‘And even if you could get past that, your dad is savvy enough to know if it was a casual fling, which is definitely not what he meant by wanting to see you settled.’
‘Then we’re agreed – there’s nothing I can do and I just need to forget about it.’ Ros nodded to herself as if in agreement. Although it was going to be very hard to stop her dad’s words from repeating in her head like a bad TikTok video.
They’d drunk enough wine so Ros went to make two cups of vanilla and camomile tea as she found it was good for helping her to relax, especially before bed. When she returned to the sofa Darla was scrolling through her phone.
‘Everything okay?’ asked Ros, passing her a mug.
‘I cleared another credit card this week. That’s one down, one to go.’
‘You’re doing really well. I think your parents would be proud of you if you told them.’
‘Maybe when it’s all over and I’ve got enough money to get my own place back in Oxford.’
‘You don’t plan to stay in Southampton then? I thought you liked it here.’ Ros didn’t like to think of Darla moving away. She had very few friends. To be precise, Darla was the only one.
‘I do, Southampton is great, but I feel I’ve got something to prove. Like I need to set everything straight so I can go home again. Not that I don’t like the house-sitting.’
‘But it’s not the same as your own place,’ added Ros.
‘It’s not. I’m still waiting on the agency to confirm my next job but don’t worry, I’ll definitely be out of your hair soon.’
‘It’s fine. You are welcome to stay as long as you like.’
‘I know and I really do appreciate that but I can’t pay you the going rate and that’s not fair.’
‘But we are friends. Which means you don’t need to pay at all,’ said Ros.
‘Thank you. It’s really kind of you but I also have my pride. I just don’t want to feel that I owe anyone else a thing. Does that make sense?’
‘I understand.’
‘And anyway I quite like stopping for the odd night here and there; it feels like a sleepover, minus the sugary treats.’
‘I have apples,’ offered Ros.
‘They’re not Jaffa cakes now, are they?’
Ros and Darla had missed each other the next morning as Darla left for work before Ros’s alarm went off. But even so Ros was a little surprised to get a phone call at work.
‘What do you mean, you’ve solved my problem?’ asked Ros, trying not to sound as harassed as she felt as she fired off another chaser email to a tardy colleague. If they worked for her, most of them would be on Performance Improvement plans.
‘Meet me at the cocktail bar at half seven and I’ll explain,’ said Darla.
‘Are you working?’
‘Nope.’
‘Cocktails? On a Monday?’ Ros was dumbfounded.
‘They do soft drinks too. Don’t question it. Trust me.’
‘Then why not meet at . . . Hello, Darla?’ But she had hung up.
Ros spent the day firing off chaser emails, fielding Alastair’s stupid comments and going over in her mind too many times what on earth Darla wanted to see her about that required her to go to the cocktail bar on a Monday. It wasn’t exactly convenient and why couldn’t they talk at the flat? Despite her irritation Ros was intrigued so after work she had a shower and a very quick stir-fry before putting on a jacket and walking the twenty minutes to the bar, even though it definitely wasn’t a night of the week she would usually be drinking. She liked to keep a healthy eye on her alcohol intake. The risks of liver damage were to be avoided.
Darla was already sitting on one of the tall bar stools chatting to the barman when Ros arrived. They hugged and Ros ordered a lime and soda water with crushed ice and a slice.
‘Are you okay, Darla? Because you weren’t making a lot of sense on the phone.’ Ros always felt it best to be honest.
‘Feels a bit weird to be on this side of the bar but I am fine and so are you going to be. Now I know you can sometimes be a bit negative—’ Ros wobbled her head but didn’t completely disagree; if she was one thing it was that she was pretty self-aware and knew her own limitations ‘—but I need you to listen right to the end of what I’m about to say before making any comments. Okay?’ Darla locked her with a serious gaze.
