On Friday, as Julia was about to walk into Mason’s office – she stopped by the half-open door. There was someone with him there, talking, and Julia did not want to be interfering.
Before she could turn round she heard a woman’s melodious voice, “You know I’ve always loved you, Mason.”
Julia froze. The voice was unfamiliar. Who could that be proclaiming her love for Mason?
Then Mason spoke.
“Yeah,” he said. Then an intake of breath, and then, “You must excuse me if I’m a bit overwhelmed. You can’t imagine what it’s like, to think that you’ve lost someone you love, forever, and suddenly have him walk back into your life. There’re so many feelings that I had buried for so long--”
It seemed his voice broke. Julia was petrified. Who on earth could that be?
For a shortest moment Julia even thought it could be Mary who’d come back from the dead, and so she peeped in. She could not see the woman’s face, but of course that was not Mary. Who else could that be if that was someone Mason loved and thought he’d lost forever? An old flame or something?
Julia saw Mason take a step towards the woman to embrace her, and recoiled. She would not be seeing it. But that was too late – she already heard Mason’s husky, “I missed you – oh I love you.”
Julia did not remember how she got to her office. She sat down reading a brief, but in an hour she still could not understand a word of it. Judging by what Mason was like just now, it was all over between the two of them. Time to ask for a new transfer, she said to herself bitterly. Maybe she’d better quit altogether and go to Alaska. Or to Russia – why stay as close as Alaska, really.
Mason walked in just as Julia had put the brief aside and was trying to remember when exactly Russia had sold Alaska to the US.
“Hi,” he said and sat onto the desk.
“Hi Mason.”
“You okay?”
“Fine,” she said raising her head. “You?”
He looked as if he had been hit by a truck. But evidently, he was not going to share it with her, not now. “Terrific. Coming tonight?”
Right, she thought. He would not break up with her in the office. At least he invited her over for the final farewell. Noble of him.
“Yes,” she said. “And now will you excuse me, I’ve got so much to do.”
In the evening, Mason picked her up and they went to his place. On their way, Julia was working herself up, and Mason seemed to have forgotten she was there at all. Neither spoke a word.
An hour passed: Julia still was playing with Matt, and Mason was watching them, keeping silent. Probably it was not so easy for him, either, to tell her to get lost, Julia thought. But must he prolong this agony for them both?
She replaced Matt in his playpen and walked out to the lounge. Mason followed her.
“What’s wrong, Mason?” she ventured.
“Nothing’s wrong. Why should you ask?”
Julia shook her head. “You think I cannot see it?”
Mason tried to shake it off. “Oh – I’m sorry. I’ve got something to think about, that’s all. I’m a poor companion today, Julia.”
He drew her to himself, and held her tight. Julia felt tears coming up blinding her. Then Mason kissed her, and she returned the kiss. ‘He would speak now,’ she told herself. He did not.
He kissed her neck instead, long, and then her ear, and when there was no doubt what he was about, Julia jumped back. She felt insulted.
“What are you doing?”
“I thought that was obvious.”
“Well – quite. Why, Capwell?”
“Why what?” he said, puzzled. “Why am I going to make love to you?”
“Oh yes, if you prefer to be as graphic!”
“Because you’re so desirable. Because we’re lovers. Because I want you!”
Here, he said it, and it all rang so hollow. Julia could not believe her ears, or her eyes.
“Why don’t you add you love me?” she asked with great bitterness.
“What’s wrong, Julia? Tell me,” Mason required, innocent - a babe unborn.
“Tell him!..”
He was proving to be just like any other jerk Julia had been with.
“So, you do make a difference between women you love and women you sleep with, don’t you!” she cried.
“I don’t understand where the WOMEN come from, and what WOMEN you are talking about, Julia,” he said, starting to get annoyed. “Sounds crazy to me.”
“Ah, I see. So you can look me in the eye and honestly say you’re not involved with another woman?” she said.
The disappointment fell like a heavy, heavy block on her heart.
“I am not involved with any other woman,” Mason told her.
It was just admirable, the way he could lie with a straight face – without batting an eyelid, even. If Julia had not seen them with her own eyes and heard them with her own ears, she actually could have believed him now.
“Okay,” she said. “And there was no woman in your office today, I guess.”
His face turned momentarily into a stone mask. If Julia had needed evidence, that alone would have been quite enough.
“There was no woman today in my office,” he said.
“Aww, Mason. And I’m blind and deaf, and an idiot!”
“No, Julia--”
“Yes, I accept it: I was an idiot, but I’m neither deaf nor blind!” she yelled.
“You are not--”
Matt, frightened by the adults’ quarrel, started whining.
“Could you keep your voice down,” Mason asked coolly. “You’re frightening the baby.”
That was too much.
“Julia, you don’t understand--”
“I do, I understand it very well, thank you. The same kind of perfidy I’ve had to deal with all my life; what’s not to understand! For all I know there can be more women to--”
“Julia--”
Matt’s crying was getting louder.
“Son, will you give daddy just a short break?!!” Mason shouted towards the nursery. “Julia. There was no woman today in my office – that is if anyone should ask. It’s important.”
Julia couldn’t take any of this any longer. She laughed to his face.
“Who, oh who should ask? A third mistress of yours?”
Mason shook his head in what looked like utter desperation. “Julia,” he said. “Just listen for a moment.”
“I’ve given you plenty of time and plenty of opportunity--”
Matt was panting with sobs. Mason held out his hand towards Julia. “Just wait a second, please, I’ll get Matt--”
As he rushed to the nursery, Julia turned on her heel and rushed out.
/Olga Lisenkova/
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