Your Lying Eyes

Your Lying Eyes Chapter 34

The next day, Anna took her exam and hoped for the best.  She didn't feel that she had done herself justice as she had not spent a lot of time preparing for it.  The weekend had been a disaster.  All the upset with Howard had meant she hadn't been able to study. No matter how hard she tried to read her notes, it wouldn't sink in.  Time and time again, she read the same pages but could remember nothing.  When he'd got home all she'd wanted to do was to make things right with him again.  That had been the most important thing to her.

The morning of the exam he had kissed her good bye and wished her luck.  Telling her once more that it didn't matter if she didn't do as well as she hoped.  When the paper was put down in front of her, she couldn't think straight.  None of the questions on the paper made sense to her.  She did what she could.  By the end of the exam all she wanted was to be out of the room and forget it.

She decided to go around to the photographer's studio that Jason had recommended to her and book a sitting for the three of them.  Having looked at the examples of their work which were on display, she was impressed and managed to get them booked in for later in the week.  The photographer she booked with was called Norman, his work she had liked the best.  She was looking forward to seeing their first formal family portrait.

That night she told Howard what she had arranged, saying she was really excited about it.  He too thought it was a good idea.  They didn't have any pictures of the three of them as a family.

"It'll look good over the fireplace," he smiled at her.  "A real family portrait."

He hadn't asked her about her exam until she got a text from Jason wanting to know how it had gone, then he had made an obligatory enquiry.

"Do you think you've passed then?" he asked her, "Not that it matters if you haven't.  It doesn't matter you know.  Maybe if you fail, you'll give up the whole idea."

Anna shook her head at him, trying hard not to lose her temper and start another row about it.

"It matters to me," she muttered through gritted teeth, as he began to flick through the channels on the tv.  

"Yeah but the world won't come to an end if you do fail.  I mean it's not as if there's anything important depending on it is there?" he said as he continued to look for something to hold his attention.

"I'm going out!" declared Anna, getting up to her feet and leaving the room.  She knew that if she spent any longer in the same room she would hit him.  

"Where are you going?" he asked, not knowing why she was so upset.  "How long will you be?"

"I don't know and I don't care!  All I do know is that I'll not be responsible for my actions if I stay here with you much longer!"

Why couldn't he see how much it meant to her?  Why couldn't he be more supportive of what she was trying to do like she had with his music and his D.J.ing?

She drove down to the town centre, finally deciding to go to the café near Jason's apartment.  As she was about to sip her coffee, two figures appeared by her table.  She looked up to see Jason and a tall blonde haired woman standing there.  

"Hi Jason," she smiled at him and his companion, trying to cover her surprise at seeing them.

"Hello Anna," he replied, then turned to his friend to introduce her.  "This is Nina, she is one of the owners of the studio I was telling you about.  You know, where you and Howard are going to have those photos taken.  Nina, this is Anna, Howard's wife."

"Nice to meet you," said Nina briefly, nodding to Anna.  "Jason, I have to go, see you soon hopefully," she told him.  "Maybe we'll meet again too, Anna," she smiled at her.  Jason hugged her good bye and she disappeared back towards the inside of the café.

"What are you doing out by yourself?" asked Jason as he took a seat at the side of her.

"Don't you start!  Women are allowed out by themselves after six you know!"  she retorted sharply. "It is 2009!"

Her phone went off in her bag.  Anna took it out, looked at the caller display and turned the phone off.

"He can wait.  Do him good to stew a bit," she muttered as she rammed the phone back into the bottom of her bag.

"Wow, what's got into you?" he asked, pretending to back off in mock fear.  "Rather who's got into you?  Or maybe I don't need to guess!"

Anna sighed and put her coffee down onto the table.  

"Sorry Jason.  I just feel like screaming!" she tried to explain.  " I just don't understand why he's so against me doing this course.  I've asked and asked him, but he just keeps saying that there's no need for it."

"I don't understand it either," admitted Jason.  "If you were my wife I'd be really proud that you wanted to do something like this.  I'd support you, not try to put you off all the time."

"I'm not going to give in and give it all up," said Anna determinedly.  "Although I can see it causing a lot more rows before I qualify.  Must admit though, it makes me wonder if I can have both at times."

"What do you mean?" asked Jason not understanding what she meant.

"You know.  If Howard can't support me now, then what's he going to be like when I do qualify and start working as a solicitor?  There may come a time when I'll have to choose one or the other."  She looked at him fearfully, it was the first time she'd acknowledged that it was possible.

"It scares me Jay," she whispered, suddenly close to tears. "I want both so much, it would be impossible to choose.  If I choose the career then I'd lose How and I don't want that.  But if I choose him and give up the chance, I could come to resent him for making me do so."  A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

He reached across the table and covered her hand with one of his, the other going to her face and wiping away her tears.

"It may not come to that," he tried to reassure her, getting up and coming to her side, putting his arm around her shoulders.  "Once he gets used to the idea, he'll come around. It just may take some time for him to do that."

He pulled her close and hugged her tightly against him. Neither of them seeing the young woman taking the picture of them on her phone.

"He loves you Anna, he might be scared of losing you if you get to be too successful.  Men are like that you know," he said kissing her cheek as the woman continued to take photos of them.

"But Jason, I love him too much for that to happen," Anna mumbled against him.

"Just keep telling him that then and showing him how important he is to you," he said softly, kissing her cheek again.

"These are going to be so useful when I need them.  Of course I'll only use them if I have to," the woman thought to herself.

Anna pulled away from Jason, wiping her eyes and smiling at him.

"What would I do without you?" she asked him.  "You talk such sense.  For a man!" she laughed.

"Come on, I'll walk you to your car," he replied as they both stood to leave at the same time.

The woman followed unseen at a distance, getting more shots of them as Jason made sure that Anna was ok. He hugged her again as she got into the car.

"Come on Jay, get in," she told him.  "I'm going right past the flat, I can drop you off.  The least I can do as thank you for listening to my woes again!"

"Ok, then," he agreed and walked around to the other side of the car and got in. "Thanks."

The car left the carpark, more pictures were taken as it sped away.

She smiled to herself as she walked back to the café where she had first left them, knowing that they would help her carry out her plan.

Howard was waiting for Anna to get in, a mixture of emotions going through him.  He'd been so angry when she had got up and left like that.  Then when she hadn't answered his calls his anger at her walking out on him turned to anxiety, not knowing where she was.  He couldn't go and look for her because Chloe had gone out to meet a mysterious new boyfriend.  He'd have to sit and wait until she came back.