car. I’m learning Spanish. I just bought some new knives for my apartment. I really like my job. This is it.”
“But didn’t you say that about LA Galaxy before you came to Manchester? And you said that about Manchester…”
“Yeah, well, you move around when you have to, for various reasons, but I really think I’m putting roots down.”
I have to admit, it feels good to say it out loud.
“So, what, you’re just going to fall in love with a Spaniard?”
I blink, pressing my lips together as I grip the steering wheel. “I don’t know. Who said anything about love?”
“You know I talked to your mother the other day.”
Oh my god. Instinctively I hit the brakes which makes the car behind me honk.
“Goodness, these are touchy brakes,” she comments.
“Why did you talk to my mom? When?”
“The other day.”
“What did she tell you?”
“Nothing. And don’t get so worked up. I had such a hard time getting a hold of you that I thought I would call her and see if she heard anything.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have heard anything. If I’m too busy to talk to you, I’m too busy to talk to her.”
“You know, Stewart has always had a higher position than you — I mean, he’s the manager, and yet he finds the time to come over and hang out with his friends.”
My knuckles are ghost white on the steering wheel. I have to physically grip it as a way of holding it together so I don’t lose my temper and snap at her, which I am so very close to doing.
As a result, it takes me a moment to say anything. I just drive and stare wide-eyed at the road before I whisper, “Can we please not talk about my ex-husband?”
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Helen says, staring at me. “Look, I’m sorry if that rubbed you the wrong way, but it had to be said. You have to put in the effort, Thalia. Into every relationship you’re in.”
Oh, she did not.
I slowly turn my head and stare at her. “Every relationship I’m in?”
“You know what I mean,” she says quickly, looking away.
I know I’m giving her a look that could slice her down the middle. My resting bitch face has always been pretty good, but it’s my glares that I really excel at.
And I know what she’s saying. That somehow it’s my fault with Stewart because I didn’t put in the effort. I mean, I don’t even know what to say about that.
But I do know that this trip is starting off on the wrong foot.
I count down from ten and inhale deeply through my nose.
Let’s start over.
Put on a good face.
Try to have a fun time. It’s only two days.
“So, what do you feel like doing tonight?” I ask her, and just like that, the conversation changes to something lighter. I’m still seething a little from her implications but maybe if I try hard enough, shit like that won’t come up again.
We get to my apartment and she seems mildly impressed at the space, particularly the age of it. She has a shower to rinse off the “airplane smell” and then we both doll ourselves up for a night on the town. I have work the next day, but as long as I don’t lose my head and get drunk, I’ll be okay.
I really want to take Helen to the Last Resort, and I hope to run into some of the players so I can show off to her a little. I know that’s pretty petty of me, but I can’t help it. I get this feeling that she wants to keep undermining me, and I can be too, I don’t know, humble or something to really feel proud about things.
Instead, we go to Bar Cock, the first place I went with Mateo and Vera for drinks. It’s just flashy enough for Helen to be impressed but has that flair of Madrid so she can feel like she’s actually in another country.
We settle at a high-top table near the bar, and order martinis.
“Your team has been doing well, though,” she says to me, seemingly out of the blue since we were just talking about clothes.
I nod. “Yup, we just won against Lille in the Champions League, so we’re waiting for the draw for matchday five of six, which we’ll play later this month. But we’re in good standing so far.”
“Things really turned around because you guys were bloody shit for a while.”
I try not to take offense. I