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arms around her and she leaned on him for a second or two, tempted to
cling, to confide, then felt Matt rest his cheek on her hair, his arms
tightening.
Darling Fran, he said huskily, and she turned rigid, her hidden face
stricken. She had never meant to hurt Matt, to encourage him to grow too
fond of her, but for days she had secretly been aware that his friendship
was becoming something else, and she was ashamed. She should have
made it crystal-clear that she didn t feel anything but a sisterly affection for
him. She had been hoping it would never need to be said, but the moment
she had hoped to avoid was here, and what on earth was she going to do?
Her brain raced, looking for a way out that would save Matt s face,
somehow make it possible for them to go on being friends.
Tell me what s wrong, Matt whispered, his lips on her hair.
She was already on the verge of tears; she let them come, sobbing audibly.
Oh, Matt...it s Oliver...
What has he done to you? Matt growled, sounding very aggressive.
I just wish I didn t love him so much, she whispered, and felt Matt
tighten. He stood still and she gave another little sob. I can t help being
jealous over Janice.. .they re having an affair, I know they are, but l can t
stop loving him just like that. . .you can t shut love off like a tap. Well, I
can t. I m a one-man woman, even if at the moment I d like to kill Oliver.
Matt still had an arm around her, but he was no longer kissing her hair, or
holding her quite so tightly.
He isn t worth crying over, he s a selfish bastard, he muttered thickly,
then pretended to cough to clear his throat, and in doing so let go of
Francesca, who hunted for a handkerchief, wiped her eyes, blew her nose,
her body half turned away from Matt so that he could not see her face. She
could not see his, either, which gave them both time to don protective
expressions.
I thought I d drive to Jon s school this weekend, she said quietly, still not
looking at Matt. I can visit Jon, take him out for a drive and some lunch.
But don t tell Oliver, will you? He mentioned something about visiting
Jon, and I don t want to find myself forced into a threesome. I ll make sure
I get there really early, then I can drive off with Jon before Oliver can
catch up with us. Oliver can see him some other time. I want Jon to myself
for a few hours. He may be worried about what s happening at home; you
never know what boys are thinking. If he sees me, it will reassure him.
Promise me you won t breathe a word, Matt.'
I won t, he said flatly. You can trust me.
She smiled at him then, sadness in her eyes as well as affection. I do,
Matt, you know that.
She should have been more careful with him, kept a distance between
them. It had been selfish and thoughtless of her to let Matt s feelings
change without doing anything about it.
She couldn t say it was a complete surprise; she had begun to sense that he
was looking at her in a new way. He hadn t even given her a second look
before. Oh, he had liked her, maybe Oliver was right about a hidden
attraction--Oliver knew Matt far better than she did, and Oliver was a man,
he might well pick up such secret feelings in another man! But it wasn t
until he thought she had left Oliver for good, and was available, that Matt
really felt free to let himself be attracted to her. He was that sort of man; he
had simple, traditional attitudes, and Francesca admired them in him. Matt
was the faithful type; he had a strong code of morality. He wouldn t betray
a friend by trying to steal his wife, any more than he would betray his wife
with other women.
A pity Oliver was not more like Matt!
I ll tell Oliver you asked for the day off to buy some clothes, Matt said.
Good idea! That will put him off the scent for a while, anyway.
But you d better go now before he comes looking for you! Matt sounded
more like himself. He would soon get over her; his feelings had not had
time to put down deep roots and, as Matt did not suppose she had any
suspicions, he would not have to feel guilty or self-conscious in her
presence. He could revert back to his old cheerful, friendly self--as a
disguise at first, and then quite naturally when the pretence became the
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| Cytat |
Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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