|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Two's company, but three's a crowd | ||||||||||||||||
| I had always known about Sophie from the outset, to say anything else would just be ridiculous and a lie. I am not a liar. The minute I set eyes on her, I knew there would be trouble. She had 'spoiled little daddy's girl' written all over her. You know the kind I mean. One look at that face, with it's perfect rose-bud lips, ready smile and long-lashed eyes...who could resist? And Geoff was only human after all. | ||||||||||||||||
| She behaved perfectly. I couldn't fault her on that score. There was never a breach of etiquette, no embarrassing scenes, just me, Geoff and the oh-so-perfect Sophie. | ||||||||||||||||
| Over the weeks that followed , Sophie intruded into our lives more and more. Hardly a conversation passed without the mention of her name, it seemed that everyone was enthralled by her. How could I compete with such perfection? Why would I want to? | ||||||||||||||||
| I began to long for those heady days of not so long ago, when it was just me and Geoff. We had had such fun in those pre-Sophie days. Why did she have to come along and spoil it, spoil everything? | ||||||||||||||||
| I had first met Geoff at college and we were both eighteen. I was short and plump and very insecure. Geoff was tall and slim and brimming with confidence. We made a peculiar couple some said, and most gave the relationship about six weeks. I even heard rumours that there were bets placed... | ||||||||||||||||
| The gamblers would have lost their money. Geoff and I have been together for ten years, married for the last two and a half. He is still tall and slim and brimming with confidence and I remain short and plump. The confidence that I had accumulated over the ten glorious years with Geoff, evaporated the minute Sophie arrived on the scene, all those horrid insecurities came flooding back. Sophie had unlocked the closet and all my skeletons came tumbling out, those demons of yester-year were as strong as ever. | ||||||||||||||||
| I felt pretty low about my feelings towards Sophie. I hated to admit to myself that I was jealous. Everyone thought she was so pretty, beautiful even. People would comment on how nice she looked, the stylish outfits she wore, what a lovely smile she had, what a pleasing personality.... I began to hate her. Nobody called me beautiful. Sophie was oblivious to all the fuss, she really had no idea of the effect she was having . And my resentment simmered under the surface, eating away at me, making me hate myself almost as much as I hated her. | ||||||||||||||||
| Knowing Geoff was in the garden with Sophie and the couple from next door was grating on my nerves, already frayed from having to host a summer lunch in the July heat. | ||||||||||||||||
| Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and still Sophie encroached on our lives. It seemed that no part was sacred when it came to Sophie. I was beginning to feel like an outsider, a child staring through the window of a house where the party was going on...the only one not invited. It hurt. Even the sound of her name was an irritant. I could feel my teeth clench, the tension building up with each compliment paid. I was going to have to do something about her. | ||||||||||||||||
| I looked at myself critically in the mirror, naked after my shower. My eyes scanned the woman reflected back at me...Hmm, not bad. Firm thighs, stomach still reasonably flat, full breasts...a little on the heavy side but, hey, nobody's perfect.... Leaning forward I peered at my reflection, gazing intently into my own eyes. It was the same face that stared back at me on a thousand other mornings, just me...Jane...plain old Jane. | ||||||||||||||||
| Refreshed from my shower and dressed in a cool cotton sun dress I rejoined the others in the garden. I heard the tinkle of Sophie's laughter as I approached and heard the murmurs of approval from the group gathered on the lawn. No doubt Sophie had done something marvellous yet again....I forced a smile as I drew nearer. | ||||||||||||||||
| I really don't remember much else about that July afternoon, it all passed in a bit of a blur. I recall that Pete and Cindy left with their children at around six o'clock. I haven't seen them since, I wonder how they are doing? | ||||||||||||||||
| To be honest I haven't seen much of anyone these days. I really don't understand it. Even Geoff stays away. They tell me it is because he cannot understand what happened, doesn't even want to think about it. I am confused by all of this. I really can't understand. All I know that it has something to do with Sophie. | ||||||||||||||||
| The people here say that it is probably for the best that I can't remember, that it is a defence mechanism, whatever that means, and that it will come back when I am able to bear it. In the meantime they think it best that I stay here for now. I don't mind. It's quite nice here really. There's one thing bothering me though. The other day I heard these people standing outside my room talking . They were speaking about some woman who had killed her own baby daughter. They say she was jealous of all the attention the baby got. Surely that can't be true? | ||||||||||||||||
| As they were leaving, I heard one voice say | ||||||||||||||||
| 'Well, you know what they say...two's company and three's a crowd' | ||||||||||||||||