– Hi, is this Sarah? Sorry to bother you. Im your downstairs neighbour.
– Oh, Ill turn my music down, no problem, – replied the girl in a light dressing gown, swirling a glass of wine in her hand.
– Oh, dont worry about the music thats not why Im here. My husbands work just called; they need him to come in urgently.
– Is everything alright? Is he okay?
– They didnt say. Just said hes needed straight away. I cant get to my mums in time. Would you mind keeping an eye on my son? Hes seven and a half, and technically fine to be on his own, but Ill be too anxious. Im already on edge as it is…
– Of course. Ill just get changed and pop down.
– Hes pretty quiet, sits on his tablet or asks endless questions.
***
Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, the girl was at the kitchen table quietly sipping tea and chatting on her phone.
– That Louise from accounts is a complete cow. You can tell shes all over Peter, cant you?
Just then, a young boy wandered into the kitchen, a tablet clutched in his hands, the sound of the MythBusters arguing echoing from it. Across his t-shirt read the words, The Future Belongs to Robots.
– Oh, one sec, Ive got to go. Charitable duties, you know! she laughed. Hello, Im Auntie Sarah. Fancy a cuppa?
– No, thank you. Im David. Mum told me. She also said youre pretty but Mum reckons all pretty women are unhappy. Then Dad tells Mum that by her logic, shes either plain or their marriage is a disaster.
– Blimey, your parents are a real pair. But cheers for the compliment. As for the unhappy bit…
– Wheres your husband?
– Oh, lets say he went out about three years ago. Grocery shopping and never came back.
– Ah, right! So he left you!
– Tell you what, have you anything stronger than tea in this place? These conversations make me nervous
– Theres wine in the fridge, I think.
– Cheers, but Ill stick with tea. Cant go getting tipsy when Im the guest.
– Auntie Sarah, you need a new husband.
– David, Ill wait until you grow up. Unless you know where to find one
– Who are you looking for? I watched a programme about this you have to picture what you want clearly.
– Send me a link. Basically, someone rich, good-looking, kind. Someone wholl love me, look after me, give me everything…
– And whats in it for him?
– What do you mean, in it for him? Ill love him back, get pampered at spas.
– But what use is that to him? If hes clever, hell want a partner, not someone cluttering up the flat, like a stray bug
– Where did you say that wine was? The girl opened the fridge, replaced her tea with wine in a mug.
– I saw a show about tycoons wives. It said they all become alcoholics, living in big houses, cracking up.
– That, dear David, is whats called loneliness. Want to drink with me? Only joking!
– Do you know who Ill marry?
– Me, obviously!
– No, I mean actually.
– Who then?
– Sophie, from robotics. Shes smarter than me. At a competition, two modules were meant to link via Bluetooth but wouldnt. I panicked the robot failed. She calmed me down, tried reconnecting, spotted there were ten devices nearby but not our module. So she dragged us outside, into the little woods. No interference modules connect instantly. We won the competition! Shes my team. I trust her! Plenty to love!
Sarah downed her mug of wine and poured another.
– Well, looks like Sophies snatched herself quite the husband. So youre saying I should hunt for a husband at work?
– Strong people find each other! Youre not picking up tomatoes at Sainsburys.
– Oi, psychologist, whats that supposed to mean?
– Become rich, beautiful, and kind yourself! Make sense?
– Why bother, then? If I had all that, Id travel, pick up French, join dance classes, learn to cook proper tacos!
– So whats stopping you now?
– No husband to pay for it all.
– So youre basically, as you said, a bug. Living off someone else.
– Hey, enough with the insults. I just want a bit of ordinary happiness.
– You watch too many movies! Youll spend your life searching for some daft non-existent bloke instead of just living!
– Thats enough! What do you know? Go to your room, clever clogs! Its bedtime!
The boy left. The girl blinked back tears, finishing her wine. Her phone buzzed. She ignored it. The front door opened, and a couple came in, tipsy and glowing with happiness.
– Sarah, thank you so much for looking after him, – sang the neighbour.
– Its alright. I, erm had a glass of your wine
– Dont worry about it.
– Everything alright with your husband?
– Oh, he set the whole thing up with his colleagues what a clown. Its our anniversary today, first kiss! So I went to see him at his office, and hes lying on the floor with a sign saying, Sleeping Beauty Kiss Me! Then we bought wine and went to the pictures, just like in uni.
– Did you lot plan this? Anyway, Id better be off.
– How was David? his mum asked in the hallway.
– Terrible, simply dreadful. Any chance I could babysit more often? He could use a bit of disciplineDavid reappeared at the door, tablet forgotten. He looked at Sarah for a long moment, as if weighing something bigger than his years.
– Auntie Sarah?
– Yeah?
– Good night. Youre not a bug.
And then, solemnly, as if passing on a secret code for happiness, he grinneda seven-year-olds lopsided, gap-toothed smile.
Sarah laughed, the weariness slipping from her shoulders. She ruffled his hair gently.
– Night, future tycoon.
Walking out into the night, Sarah paused on the stairwell. The hum of the city floated through open windows. Maybe, she thought, happiness wasnt waiting for her in someone elses story. Maybe it was already here, unexpected and unpolisheda messy kitchen, a borrowed mug, a boys stubborn wisdom.
She pulled her jacket closer, looking up at the sky, and smiled up into the darknesssuddenly certain, for the first time in a long while, that tomorrow could be something bright.
