Thursday 3 August
8st 11, thigh circ.u.mference 18 inches (honestly, what is b.l.o.o.d.y point), alcohol units 0, cigarettes 25 (excellent, considering), negative thoughts: approx. 445 per hour, positive thoughts 0.
Head state v. bad again. Cannot bear thought of Daniel with someone else. Mind is full of horrid fantasies about them doing things together. The plans to lose weight and change personality kept me aloft for two days, only to collapse around my ears. I realize it was only a complicated form of denial. Was believing could totally reinvent self in s.p.a.ce of small number of days, thereby negating impact of Daniel"s hurtful and humiliating infidelity, since it had happened to me in a previous incarnation and would never have happened to my new improved self. Unfortunately, I now realize the whole point of the aloof over-made-up ice-queen on anticellulite diet palaver was to make Daniel realize the error of his ways. Tom did warn me of this and said 90 percent of plastic surgery was done on women whose husbands had run off with a younger woman. I said the rooftop giantess was not so much younger as taller but Tom said that wasn"t the point. Humph.
Daniel kept sending me computer messages at work. "We should talk," etc., which I studiously ignored. But the more he sent the more I got carried away, imagining that the self-reinvention was working, that he realized he had made a terrible, terrible mistake, had only now understood how much he truly loved me, and that the rooftop giantess was history.
Tonight he caught up with me outside the office as I was leaving. "Darling, please, we really need to talk."
Like a fool I went for a drink with him to the American Bar at the Savoy, let him soften me up with champagne and "I feel so terrible I really miss you blar blar blar." Then the very second he got me to admit, "Oh, Daniel, I miss you too," he suddenly went all patronizing and businesslike and said, "The thing is, Suki and I . . . "
Suki? Pukey, more like," I said, thinking he was about to say, "are brother and sister," "cousins," "bitter enemies," or "history." Instead he looked rather cross.
"Oh, I can"t explain," he said huffily. "It"s very special." I stared at him, astonished at the audacity of his volte-face.
"I"m sorry, love," he said, taking out his credit card and starting to lean back to get the attention of the waiter, "but we"re getting married."
Friday 4 August
Thigh circ.u.mference 18 inches, negative thoughts 600 per minute, panic attacks 4, crying attacks 12 (but both times only in toilets and remembered to take mascara), Instants 7.
Office. Third-floor toilets. This is just . . . just . . . intolerable. What on earth possessed me to think it was a good idea to have an affair with my boss? Cannot deal with it out there. Daniel has announced his engagement to the giantess. Sales reps who I didn"t think even knew about our affair keep ringing up to congratulate me and I have to explain that actually he has got engaged to someone else. I keep remembering how romantic it was when we started and it was all secret computer messages and trysts in the lift. I heard Daniel on the phone arranging to meet Pukey tonight and he said in a topsy-bunny voice, "Not too bad . . . so far," and I knew he was talking about my reaction, as if I were an emotionally unbalanced ex-wife or something. Am seriously considering face-lift. This is just . . . just . . . intolerable. What on earth possessed me to think it was a good idea to have an affair with my boss? Cannot deal with it out there. Daniel has announced his engagement to the giantess. Sales reps who I didn"t think even knew about our affair keep ringing up to congratulate me and I have to explain that actually he has got engaged to someone else. I keep remembering how romantic it was when we started and it was all secret computer messages and trysts in the lift. I heard Daniel on the phone arranging to meet Pukey tonight and he said in a topsy-bunny voice, "Not too bad . . . so far," and I knew he was talking about my reaction, as if I were an emotionally unbalanced ex-wife or something. Am seriously considering face-lift.
Tuesday 8 August
9st, alcohol units 7 (har har), cigarettes 29 (tee hee), calories 5 million, negative thoughts 0, thoughts, general 0.
Just called Jude. I told her a bit about the tragedy with Daniel and she was horrified, immediately declared a state of emergency and said she would call Sharon and fix for us all to meet at nine. She couldn"t come till then because she was meeting Vile Richard, who"d at last agreed to come to Relationship Counseling with her.
2 a.m. Gor es wor blurry goofun tonight though. Ooof. Tumbled over. Gor es wor blurry goofun tonight though. Ooof. Tumbled over.
Wednesday 9 August
9st 2 (but in good cause), thigh circ.u.mference 16 inches (either miracle or hangover error), alcohol units 0 (but body still drinking units from last night), cigarettes 0 (ugh).
8 a.m. Ugh. In physically disastrous state but emotionally v. much cheered up by night out. Jude arrived in vixen-from-h.e.l.l fury because Vile Richard had stood her up for the Relationship Counseling. Ugh. In physically disastrous state but emotionally v. much cheered up by night out. Jude arrived in vixen-from-h.e.l.l fury because Vile Richard had stood her up for the Relationship Counseling.
"The therapist woman obviously just thought he was an imaginary boyfriend and I was a very, very sad person."
"So what did you do?" I said sympathetically, banishing a rogue disloyal thought from Satan that said, "She was right."
"She said I had to talk about the problems I had that were unrelated to Richard."
"But you don"t have any problems that are unrelated to Richard," said Sharon.
"I know. I told her that, then she said I had a problem with boundaries and charged me fifty-five quid."
"Why didn"t he turn up? I hope the s.a.d.i.s.tic worm had a decent excuse," said Sharon.
"He said he got tied up at work," said Jude. "I said to him, ""Listen, you don"t have a monopoly on commitment problems. Actually, I have a commitment problem. If you ever deal with your own commitment problem you might be brought up short by my commitment problem, by which time it"ll be too late. too late."""
"Have "Have you got a commitment problem?" I said, intrigued, immediately thinking maybe I had a commitment problem. you got a commitment problem?" I said, intrigued, immediately thinking maybe I had a commitment problem.
"Of course course I"ve got a commitment problem," snarled Jude. "It"s just that n.o.body ever sees it because it"s so submerged by Richard"s commitment problem. Actually, my commitment problem goes much deeper than his." I"ve got a commitment problem," snarled Jude. "It"s just that n.o.body ever sees it because it"s so submerged by Richard"s commitment problem. Actually, my commitment problem goes much deeper than his."
"Well, exactly," said Sharon. "But you don"t go round wearing your commitment problem on your sleeve like every b.l.o.o.d.y man over the age of twenty does these days."
"Exactly my point," spat Jude, trying to light up another Silk Cut but having trouble with the lighter.
"The whole b.l.o.o.d.y world"s got a commitment problem," growled Sharon in a guttural, almost Clint Eastwood voice. "It"s the three-minute culture. It"s a global attention-span deficit. It"s typical of men to annex a global trend and turn it into a male device to reject women to make themselves feel clever and us feel stupid. It"s nothing but fiickwittage."
"b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" I shouted happily. "Shall we have another bottle of wine?"
9 a.m. Blimey. Mum just rang. "Darling," she said. "Guess what? Blimey. Mum just rang. "Darling," she said. "Guess what? Good Afternoon! Good Afternoon! are looking for researchers. Current affairs, terribly good. I"ve spoken to Richard Finch, the editor, and told him all about you. I said you had a degree in politics, darling. Don"t worry, he"ll be far too busy to check. He wants you to come in on Monday for a chat." are looking for researchers. Current affairs, terribly good. I"ve spoken to Richard Finch, the editor, and told him all about you. I said you had a degree in politics, darling. Don"t worry, he"ll be far too busy to check. He wants you to come in on Monday for a chat."
Monday. Oh my G.o.d. That only gives me five days to learn Current Affairs.
Sat.u.r.day 12 August
9st 3 (still in very good cause), alcohol units 3 (v.g.), cigarettes 32 (v.p. bad, particularly since first day of giving up), calories 1800 (g.), lottery tickets 4 (fair), no. of serious current affairs articles read 1.5, 1471 calls 22 (OK), minutes spent having cross imaginary conversations with Daniel 120 (v.g.), minutes spent imagining Daniel begging me to come back 90 (excellent).
Right. Determined to be v. positive about everything. Am going to change life: become well informed re: current affairs, stop smoking entirely and form functional relationship with adult man.
8:30 a.m. Still have not had f.a.g. Vg. Still have not had f.a.g. Vg.
8:35 a.m. No f.a.gs all day. Excellent. No f.a.gs all day. Excellent.
8:40 a.m. Wonder if anything nice has come in post? Wonder if anything nice has come in post?
8:45 a.m. Ugh. Hateful doc.u.ment from Social Security Agency asking for 1452. What? How can this be? Have not got 1432. Oh G.o.d, need f.a.g to calm nerves. Mustn"t. Mustn"t. Ugh. Hateful doc.u.ment from Social Security Agency asking for 1452. What? How can this be? Have not got 1432. Oh G.o.d, need f.a.g to calm nerves. Mustn"t. Mustn"t.
8:47 a.m. Just had f.a.g. But no-smoking day does not start officially till have got dressed. Suddenly start thinking of former boyfriend Peter with whom had functional relationship for seven years until finished with him for heartfelt, agonizing reasons can no longer remember. Every so often - usually when he has no one to go on holiday with - he tries to get back together and says he wants us to get married. Before know where am, am carried away with idea of Peter being answer. Why be unhappy and lonely when Peter wants to be with me? Quickly find telephone, ring Peter and leave message on his answerphone-merely asking him to give me call rather than whole plan of spending rest of life together, etc. Just had f.a.g. But no-smoking day does not start officially till have got dressed. Suddenly start thinking of former boyfriend Peter with whom had functional relationship for seven years until finished with him for heartfelt, agonizing reasons can no longer remember. Every so often - usually when he has no one to go on holiday with - he tries to get back together and says he wants us to get married. Before know where am, am carried away with idea of Peter being answer. Why be unhappy and lonely when Peter wants to be with me? Quickly find telephone, ring Peter and leave message on his answerphone-merely asking him to give me call rather than whole plan of spending rest of life together, etc.
1:15 p.m. Peter has not rung back. Am repulsive to all men now, even Peter. Peter has not rung back. Am repulsive to all men now, even Peter.
4:45 p.m. No-smoking policy in tatters. Peter finally rang. "Hi, Bee." (We always used to call each other Bee and Waspy.) "I was going to ring you anyway. I"ve got some good news. I"m getting married." No-smoking policy in tatters. Peter finally rang. "Hi, Bee." (We always used to call each other Bee and Waspy.) "I was going to ring you anyway. I"ve got some good news. I"m getting married."
Ugh. V. bad feeling in pancreas area. Exes should never, never go out with or marry other people but should remain celibate to the end of their days in order to provide you with a mental fallback position.
"Bee?" said Waspy. "Bzzzzzzz?"
"Sorry," I said, slumping dizzily against the wall. "Just, um, saw a car accident out of the window." I was evidently superfluous to the conversation, however, as Waspy gushed on about the cost of wedding cakes for about twenty minutes, then said, "Have to go. We"re cooking Delia Smith venison sausages with juniper berries tonight and watching TV."
Ugh. Have just smoked entire packet of Silk Cut as act of self-annihilating existential despair. Hope they both become obese and have to be lifted out of the window by crane.
5:45 p.m. Trying to concentrate hard on memorizing names of Shadow Cabinet to avoid spiral of self-doubt. Have never met Waspy"s Intended of course but imagine giant thin blond rooftop giantess-type who rises at five each morning, goes to gym, rubs herself down with salt then runs international merchant bank all day without smudging mascara.. Trying to concentrate hard on memorizing names of Shadow Cabinet to avoid spiral of self-doubt. Have never met Waspy"s Intended of course but imagine giant thin blond rooftop giantess-type who rises at five each morning, goes to gym, rubs herself down with salt then runs international merchant bank all day without smudging mascara..
Realize with sinking humiliation that reason have been feeling smug about Peter all these years was that I finished with him and now he is effectively finishing with me by marrying Mrs. Giant Valkyrie bottom. Sink into morbid, cynical reflection on how much romantic heartbreak is to do with ego and miffed pride rather than actual loss, also incorporating subthought that reason for Fergy"s insane overconfidence may be that Andrew still wants her back (until he marries someone else, har har).
6:45 p.m. Was just starting to watch the 6 o"clock news, notebook poised, when Mum burst in bearing carrier bags. "Now, darling," she said sailing past me into the kitchen. "I"ve brought you some nice soup, and some smart outfits of mine for Monday!" She was wearing a lime green suit, black tights and highheeled court shoes. She looked like Cilla Black on Was just starting to watch the 6 o"clock news, notebook poised, when Mum burst in bearing carrier bags. "Now, darling," she said sailing past me into the kitchen. "I"ve brought you some nice soup, and some smart outfits of mine for Monday!" She was wearing a lime green suit, black tights and highheeled court shoes. She looked like Cilla Black on Blind Dat Blind Date.