A Nerd, a Tough Kid and the Wonder of Dance

Chapter 16: breaking away

I was sitting at the dining table have a second round of tea and toast, when Sapphire came out. She was wearing her silk wrap; she sat down at the table with me. Her face looked washed out and her voice was slurry as she said, "Good morning, sweetheart."

It was now actually afternoon, Sunday afternoon - I'd found that out, but I didn't correct her, instead I asked, "Would you like something to eat or drink . . .?"

"Just black coffee, thanks love. Man, that was some party."

I made the coffee and brought it over to her. "Have your bedmates gone?"

"Er, no. They're still asleep."

"I'll tell them to go."

"Yeah, okay."

I think her name was Willow and he was Karl, or something like that. I didn't offer them the option of a shower. They gave Sapphire a kiss goodby as they left; they didn't bother with me.

"Love, what's wrong? You don't look too pleased. Didn't you enjoy the party; that chick with the big boobs was all over you . . ."

I felt surprisingly calm. The strange feeling had gone, replaced by a sense of resolve.

"Sapphire, the way we are living, what we are doing to ourselves, is quite simply destructive. We are destroying ourselves."

Her face began to look a little uncertain. "I guess we have been overdoing it a bit, we can cut back."

"No. We've tried that. It doesn't work."

"Oh," She paused, trying focus on me directly. "Garth, what are you saying?"

"It stops completely, all of it. We go back to uni and to dancing . . ."

"Or . . ."

"I leave."

"We love each other, Garth," Her voice was now full of anguish.

Despairingly, I replied, "I'm not so sure anymore if that's what it is. Maybe we have just been using each other."

We sat in silence for some minutes, then Sapphire said quietly, "I'm going to go and lie down and have a think."

"Sure."

I did some more cleaning up and after about an hour, went down to the bedroom. Sapphire was lying stretched out on the bed, but she wasn't asleep. She was still wearing the silk wrap. She looked at me, her face almost void of expression and spoke:

"I've been used to getting just about anything I wanted in life. I wanted the beautiful Garth, and I got him, and then I fell in love with him. But now my beautiful Garth has given me a choice: the partying, the clubbing, stops, or he leaves."

We remained where we were, looking at each other, our faces giving nothing away.

Eventually, Sapphire made a small sigh, "I think my beautiful Garth wants me to choose the second alternative."

Her words gave me a shock, because she was right. I hadn't admitted it to myself, but I did want to go; I'd had enough.

Then she smiled, a little grimly, let out a breath and said, "One last time . . . ?" as she drew the wrap aside to expose her right breast.

"Of course," I nodded and moved forward.

It was good, as always. Then she helped me to pack.