I watch her from a distance as she slips out from behind the table and heads down to the bathroom. I ease myself out of my chair and follow her, not sure what I am going to do or say to her. But I can’t let Greg see me, so I make my way around the back of the table and down the stairs. She is already in the bathroom, so I wait outside.
I imagine what I am going to say to her. I want to slap her, tell her she has no idea who she is dealing with. I want to scare her away and allow Greg to understand that no matter who he gets involved with, they’ll never be as good as Vic.
After a few minutes of no one going into or coming out of the bathroom, I go inside.
And there she is, mid-fall, attempting to grasp onto the sink. I run to her and grip her by the arms. She looks up at me and I smile.
‘Are you okay? Do you want me to phone someone?’ I ask.
She gets to her feet and shakes her head.
‘Are you sure? You don’t look too well.’
‘I’m okay. Thank you.’
I look at her pretty face and for a moment I actually feel sorry for her. She has absolutely no idea what she is getting herself into being involved with Greg.
‘If you’re sure.’
She smiles. ‘I’m sure.’
I nod at her and I want to say her name, I want her to know that I know who she is. But I don’t, instead, I smile and leave the bathroom.
I pass Greg’s table; I’m so close to him that I know there’s a chance he will see me and this will end before it’s even begun. But he doesn’t look up from the menu and I want to lunge at him, pull him across the wooden surface and punch him so hard that I knock him out. I’m so angry that Vic was right. He’s nothing but a liar, just like the last one.
Exiting the restaurant, I stand on the corner of the street and light a cigarette. I haven’t had one in so long, but it feels wonderful as the nicotine snakes through my veins, even if I do cough and splutter on the first few draws.
Just as I’m about to drop the cigarette, I see her, coming through the door. He’s following her and they begin walking together, though they do not appear to be having any physical contact.
Surprisingly, they don’t end their evening together. Instead, he gets in a taxi and she begins walking down the main road. That’s when I follow her.
I watch as her brown curls bounce with every step she takes, her tall and slender figure matches that of a model. I catch myself when I feel unsurprised at how Greg’s attention was drawn to her. I shake my head at the thought and try to think of Vic and her pain. However, something niggles in the back of my mind and I can’t stop myself from admiring her, this stranger who is unknowingly killing my friend’s happiness, one little bit at a time.
I count my footsteps as a distraction as I follow her down the road.