Who the hell do you think youre needed for? Paul shouted, spat on the pavement and walked off.
She bolted to the windowsill and watched him disappear, the man shed spent fifteen years with. Shed thought they were soulmates, but as he left he gave her a cold glancejust for convenience.
Emmas flat was always spotless, she cooked like a pro, and shed have done anything for him. She even thought she should fling the window open and scream for him not to walk away.
She was ready to swallow that humiliationlet him stay, even if he only dropped by for a few days, juggling his life with hers and someone elses It seemed better than being a lonely, abandoned 45yearold. She opened the window, but her eyes fell on a portrait of her father in his army uniform, chin lifted, staring proudly at the camera.
Suddenly Emma felt ashamed of her own weakness.
She glanced again at her handsome, elegant husband, coat flapping, getting into a sleek car with a suitcase.
She walked down the corridor to the kitchen. A fulllength wardrobe, a handmedown from her grandmother, stood there, its glass reflecting a heavyset, tired woman with silver hair and dull eyes.
Emma knew she wasnt a beauty. Her health was fading, her teeth were crumbling, and she didnt have the cash for replacementsher husband needed a new car, and his job demanded expensive, flashy outfits.
Honestly, what a farce! her colleague Lucy berated. Your Paul dresses like an actor, and youre stuck in a stretchedout sweater, a prehistoric skirt, a couple of blouses, wornout shoes and cheap trainers. That coat with the big collarmy grandma wouldnt even wear it. He expects restaurantgrade mealssteak, steamed meatballs, stuffed crêpes, the lot. And you think hell stick around? You cant keep chasing after a man, love!
Emma listened, but she did things her own way. Then her husband announced he was leaving for a 27yearold girl with four kids.
Shes so young, Emma sighed after that.
Lucy, who was also a bit of a gossip, had been digging online, asking neighbours, and then dropped this on Emma:
Dont even think about trying to get back together! He called you barren, said you came from a respectable family, yet youre at rock bottom. Never held a job. All the kids are from different fathers. She never stopped being pregnant, even in her eighth month. Her mothers as scandaly as she is. So shut up about youth. Men like him love a lighthearted flirt. Its not a family thing. I dont know why youre surprised. Hang in there, love!
Emma clung to what she had. Her parents had left her a nice flat right in the city centre. Her father, as if sensing something, had arranged everything so Paul never set foot on her square metres. She decided to rent out a room to make ends meet.
Construction crews were buzzing around the neighbourhood, and an engineer named Victor Whitaker stopped by. He was cleanshaven, polite, and quite the gentleman. He gave Emma a lingering look and then said:
Let me pay you in advance! Go and get those teeth fixed. Youre a lovely lady, you dont have to suffer.
Emma flared up. She wasnt a knockout, but she did want her teeth sorted.
Victor handed her more cash, saying she could pay him back later if she wanted. Later, his brother arrivedsomething Emma had never seen before. He strutted in a canary jacket, violet trousers, and a wild haircut, introducing himself as Cyril, a stylist.
Cyril took Emma under his wing. While she was serving tea and pastries to the other tenants, he suggested a makeover. She went for it. Her hair was dyed a bright shade, makeup highlighted her features, and her teeth were straightened. She started walking to work, shedding extra kilos, even jogging in the park each morning.
She turned into a sweet woman with a gentle smile and dimpleslike a butterfly emerging from an ordinary cocoon.
One afternoon the doorbell rang. The resident opened it and shouted:
Emma, theyre at the door for you!
At the threshold stood her exhusband, barely recognizable. Paul had aged a year, looking pale, gaunt, and bewildered. All his former shine was gone. He stood there with a couple of bags.
What do you want? Emma asked.
She remembered how shed tried calling him at first, but he never wanted to talk, eventually blacklisting her.
Now he was there.
What a change Paul gawked.
Emma felt none of the flattery. She recalled sleepless nights, the urge to settle scores with life, endless tears, panic.
Emma, Ive been a wreck. That last hour has drained my wallets dry. The kids seemed fine at first, then undisciplined, screaming all the time. They never want to learn. They sit on their phones, never help around, and Ive been buying them dumplings and instant noodles. Can you imagine? Noodles! My shirts are all faded from washing. I havent bought a single thing for myself. Ive spent everything on them. It feels like Ive gone mad. Emma Im back for you. Being with you felt right. Lets start over, okay? he pleaded.
But Emma only heard his harsh whisper:
Who the hell do you need? Toothless, barren, useless Emma.
She looked at him again, and the door swung open. In stepped Victor Whitaker, looking concerned, and said:
Emma! Need a hand? Whos this gentleman?
Paul sprang up and shouted:
Who the hell are you?
Its my husband, Victor, Emma snapped, slamming the door in Pauls face, leaving him gawking with his mouth agape.
She turned to the neighbour and apologised. He sighed and blurted out:
It must be time for explanations. I love you, Emma! How could I ever dump such an extraordinary woman? Marry me, really.
He was on one leg, but Emma accepted. Within two months he was showering her with roses, they bought a country cottage together.
Emma never noticed that sometimes, from behind a hedge, her former husband watched them, cursing his own foolishness for trading a good woman for a fling.
In the end, Emma and Victor stroll handinhand down the high street, happy and in love, and shes even expecting a baby.
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