Valentine"s Day purely commercial, cynical enterprise, anyway. Matter of supreme indifference to me.
Tuesday 14 February
9st,alcohol units 2 (romantic Valentine"s units 2 (romantic Valentine"s Day Day treat treat 2 bottles Becks, on own, huh), cigarettes 12, calories 1545. 2 bottles Becks, on own, huh), cigarettes 12, calories 1545.
8 a.m. Oooh, goody. Valentine"s Day. Wonder if the post has come yet. Maybe there will be a card from Daniel. Or a secret admirer. Or some flowers or heart-shaped chocolates. Quite excited, actually. Oooh, goody. Valentine"s Day. Wonder if the post has come yet. Maybe there will be a card from Daniel. Or a secret admirer. Or some flowers or heart-shaped chocolates. Quite excited, actually.
Brief moment of wild joy when discovered bunch of roses in the hallway. Daniel! Rushed down and gleefully picked them up just as the downstairs-flat door opened and Vanessa came out.
"Ooh, they look nice," she said enviously. "Who are they from?"
"I don"t know!" I said coyly, glancing down at the card. "Ah . . . I tailed off. "They"re for you."
"Never mind. Look, this is for you," said Vanessa, encouragingly. It was an Access bill.
Decided to have cappuccino and chocolate croissants on way to work to cheer self up. Do not care about figure. Is no point as no one loves or cares about me.
On the way in on the tube you could see who had had Valentine cards and who hadn"t. Everyone was looking round trying to catch each other"s eye and either smirking or looking away defensively.
Got into the office to find Perpetua had a bunch of flowers the size of a sheep on her desk.
"Well, Bridget!" she bellowed so that everyone could hear. "How many did you get?"
I slumped into my seat muttering, "Shud-urrrrrrrp," out of the side of my mouth like a humiliated teenager.
"Come on! How many?"
I thought she was going to get hold of my earlobe and start twisting it or something.
"The whole thing is ridiculous and meaningless. Complete commercial exploitation."
"I knew knew you didn"t get any," crowed Perpetua. It was only then that I noticed Daniel was listening to us across the room and laughing. you didn"t get any," crowed Perpetua. It was only then that I noticed Daniel was listening to us across the room and laughing.
Wednesday 15 February
Unexpected surprise, Was just leaving flat for work when noticed there was a pink envelope on the table - obviously a late Valentine - which said, "To the Dusky Beauty". For a moment I was excited, imagining it was for me and suddenly seeing myself as a dark, mysterious object of desire to men out in the street. Then I remembered b.l.o.o.d.y Vanessa and her slinky dark bob. Humph.
9 p.m. Just got back and card is still there. Just got back and card is still there.
10 p.m. Still there. Still there.
11.p.m. Unbelievable. The card is still there. Maybe Vanessa hasn"t got back yet. Unbelievable. The card is still there. Maybe Vanessa hasn"t got back yet.
Thursday 16 February
8st12 (weight loss (weight loss through use of stairs), alcohol units 0 through use of stairs), alcohol units 0 (excellent), cigarettes (excellent), cigarettes 5 (excellent), calories 5 (excellent), calories 2452 (not vg.), 2452 (not vg.), times gone down stairs to check for Valent-ne-type envelope 18 times gone down stairs to check for Valent-ne-type envelope 18 (bad psychologically but v.g. exercise). (bad psychologically but v.g. exercise).
The card is still there! Obviously it is like eating the last Milk Tray or taking the last slice of cake. We are both too polite to take it.
Friday 17 February
8st 12, alcohol units alcohol units 1 (v.g.) 1 (v.g.) cigarettes 2 (v.g.), calories 3241 (bad but burnt off by stairs), checks on card 12 (obsessive). cigarettes 2 (v.g.), calories 3241 (bad but burnt off by stairs), checks on card 12 (obsessive).
9 a.m. Card is still there. Card is still there.
9 p.m. Still there. Still there.
9.30 p.m. Still there. Could stand it no longer. Could tell Vanessa was in as cooking smells emanating from flat, so knocked on door. "I think this must be for you," I said, holding out the card as she opened the door. Still there. Could stand it no longer. Could tell Vanessa was in as cooking smells emanating from flat, so knocked on door. "I think this must be for you," I said, holding out the card as she opened the door.
"Oh, I thought it must be for you," she said.
"Shall we open it?" I said.
"OK." I handed it to her, she gave it back to me, giggling. I gave it back to her. I love girls.
"Go on," I said, and she slit open the envelope with the kitchen knife she was holding. It was rather an arty card as if it might have been bought in an art gallery.
She pulled a face.
"Means nothing to me she said, holding out the card.
Inside it said, "A piece of ridiculous and meaningless commercial exploitation - for my darling little frigid cow."
I let out a high-pitched noise.
10 p.m. Just called Sharon and recounted whole thing to her. She said I should not allow my head to be turned by a cheap card and should lay off Daniel as he is not a very nice person and no good will come of it. Just called Sharon and recounted whole thing to her. She said I should not allow my head to be turned by a cheap card and should lay off Daniel as he is not a very nice person and no good will come of it.
Called Tom for second opinion, particularly on whether I should call Daniel over the weekend. "Noooooooo!" "Noooooooo!" he yelled. He asked me various probing questions: for example, what Daniel"s behaviour had been like over the last few days when, having sent the card, he had had no response from me. I reported that he had seemed flirtier than usual. Tom"s prescription was wait till next week and remain aloof. he yelled. He asked me various probing questions: for example, what Daniel"s behaviour had been like over the last few days when, having sent the card, he had had no response from me. I reported that he had seemed flirtier than usual. Tom"s prescription was wait till next week and remain aloof.
Sat.u.r.day 18 February
9st, alcohol units 4, cigarettes 6, calories 2746, correct lottery numbers 2 (v,g.).
At last I got to the bottom of Mum and Dad. I was beginning to suspect a post-Portuguese-holiday Shirley-Valentine-style scenario and that I would open the Sunday People Sunday People to see my mother sporting dyed blond hair and a leopard-skin top sitting on a sofa with someone in stone-washed jeans called Gonzales and explaining that, if you really love someone, a forty-six year age gap really doesn"t matter. to see my mother sporting dyed blond hair and a leopard-skin top sitting on a sofa with someone in stone-washed jeans called Gonzales and explaining that, if you really love someone, a forty-six year age gap really doesn"t matter.
Today she asked me to meet her for lunch at the coffee place in d.i.c.kens and Jones and I asked her outright if she was seeing someone else.
"No. There is no one else, she said, staring into the distance with a look of melancholy bravery I swear she has copied from Princess Diana.
"So why are you being so mean to Dad?" I said.
"Darling, it"s merely a question of realizing, when your father retired, that I had spent thirty-five years without a break running his home and bringing up his children - "
"Jamie and I are your children too," I interjected, hurt.
" - and that as far as he was concerned his lifetime"s work was over and mine was still carrying on, which is exactly how I used to feel when You were little and it got to the weekends. You only get one life. I"ve just made a decision to change things a bit and spend what"s left of mine looking after me for a change."
As I went to the till to pay, I was thinking it all over and trying, as a feminist, to see Mum"s point of view. Then my eye was caught by a tall, distinguished-looking man with grey hair, a European-style leather jacket and one of those gentleman"s handbag things. He was looking into the cafe, tapping his watch and raising his eyebrows, I wheeled round and caught my mother mouthing, "Won"t be a mo," and nodding towards me apologetically.
I didn"t say anything to Mum at the time, just said goodbye, then doubled back and followed her to make sure I wasn"t imagining things. Sure enough, I eventually found her in the perfume department wandering round with the tall smoothie, spraying her wrists with everything in sight, holding them up to his face and laughing coquettishly.
Got home to answerphone message from my brother Jamie. Called him straight away and told him everything.
"Oh, for G.o.d"s sake Bridge," he said, roaring with laughter. "You"re so obsessed with s.e.x if you saw Mum taking communion You"d think she was giving the Vicar a blow-job. Get any Valentines this year, did you?
"Actually, yes," I breathed crossly. At which he burst out laughing again, then said he had to go because he and Becca were off to do Tai Chi in the park.
Sunday 19 February
8st 13 (v.g. but purely through worry), alcohol units 2 (but the Lord"s Day), cigarettes 7, calories 2100.
Called Mum up to confront her about the late-in-life smoothie I saw her with after our lunch.
"Oh, you must mean Julian," she trilled.