A Day to Remember

‘Daniel, your phone’s ringing!,’ shouted Lisa up the stairs, holding the phone in one hand and hanging onto her Jack Russel’s collar with the other, trying to thwart his attempts to dash up the stairs. She didn’t recognise the phone number, with its triple digits at the end.

‘He’s in the shower,’ called her daughter Sophie from her bedroom.

The phone stopped ringing, so Lisa went back through to the kitchen to finish her breakfast. A glance at the clock told her she should have already left for work by now. 

Two minutes later, as she was finishing up the dishes, the phone rang again. It was the same number, with the triple three at the end, so Lisa quickly dried her hands and picked up. ‘Hello, Daniel’s phone,’ she said, but there was no response. 

Lisa had a foot out of the door as Daniel came down the stairs, his shirt not yet tucked in and his tie loose. ‘Your phone rang twice,’ said Lisa. ‘Same number, but it went dead when I answered.’

Daniel picked up his pace. ‘Really?…,’ he said, turning his back on her and walking towards the kitchen, ‘it’ll be about the 9am viewing of that house on Queen’s Square. Hope they’re not cancelling.’

She watched him as he disappeared around the corner. From the back he looked no different than when they’d married almost 25 years ago, apart from the odd white hair.

‘Bye then,’ said Lisa. But he didn’t reply.

‘We’re like ships in the night,’ said Lisa to her best friend Jeannette as they shared their break. ‘I mean, I’m grateful for this job, but the early starts mean we barely see one another.’

Working in a supermarket hadn’t been her dream, but when Daniel’s estate agency had hit a rough patch and Jeannette had said they needed people, Lisa had jumped at the chance. ‘We rarely even share a bedroom. Not when I have to get up most days at 4.30. How do you and Jake manage?’

Jeannette shrugged. ‘To be honest, we’re used to it. Besides, he falls asleep on the settee most nights.’

Lisa didn’t want to tell Jeanette that it wasn’t so much that they couldn’t share a bed, it was more that Daniel seemed quite happy not to, even on her days off. And because he was working most evenings until late, they didn’t even get to chat over dinner, Lisa usually eating with their daughter Sophie in front of the TV.

‘This morning he got a couple of phone calls… I don’t know Jeannette. Perhaps I’m over-thinking things’.

Her friend stayed silent. She’d always been a good listener.

‘But it’s our 25th wedding anniversary soon,’ Lisa continued. ‘I’m hoping for an eternity ring.’

Jeannette almost choked on her tea. ‘I thought you said you didn’t bother with that romantic stuff,’ she said, gathering up their cups.

‘Well, perhaps now is a good time to start,’ said Lisa.

Lisa spent the drive home turning the details of her relationship with Daniel over in her mind. They’d married when she was 23, him 26. The children came one after the other, so that by aged thirty she was flat out raising three children, with Daniel working every hour he could to provide for them. Despite the inevitable strains, it had been a happy household, Lisa was certain of that. But something had changed since the boys had left home, since she’d got a job, and since Daniel’s company had started to struggle. 

‘It’s just stress, Lise,’ Daniel insisted over dinner that night, as Lisa asked him if everything was okay. ‘Can we talk about something else.’

He stood up to retrieve his phone.

‘Did your 9 o’clock cancel in the end?’, she asked.

‘What are you taking about?’, he said, frowning.

‘You know, the viewing this morning.’

‘Oh, er, no. It was fine,’ he stammered. ‘They’re going to put an offer in.’ He filled his glass for the second time.

‘Go steady with the wine,’ she said., ‘or you’ll be asleep by 10’.

‘That’s the plan,’ he said. 

Even though it was a Saturday night, with no commitments the next day and the house to themselves, Lisa went up to bed alone, trying to recall when they’d last held hands, or kissed, or even looked properly at one another, the last time their relationship had been more than just transactional. She just couldn’t recall, a stark realisation that brought her close to tears.

‘Want to do something today?,’ asked Lisa over breakfast. ‘It’s a lovely day. Perhaps we could take Stanley out for a long walk and stop for lunch somewhere.’

‘I’ve got a few things to do at the office,’ said Daniel, lifting his eyes from his phone.

‘On a Sunday?,’ said Lisa, trying to speak reasonably. ‘When it’s the only day you have at home?’

Daniel grabbed his car keys and headed for the door. ‘I need to keep working, Lisa, to keep this house running. You wanted to live here, and it’s not cheap. And I’m sure there’s other things you want…’

Lisa backed off. ‘Ok, I know, I know,’ she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She could hear his phone ringing as he walked to his car and felt cross that his clients couldn’t even leave him alone on a Sunday. 

‘Did you tell Daniel about the eternity ring?’ Lisa and Jeannette were on adjacent tills. ‘What do you mean?,’ replied Jeannette.

Lisa had known it was a long shot. Jeannette and Daniel’s paths barely crossed. ‘Oh, nothing. He’s just being a bit mysterious. And yesterday he said something about me wanting things. Perhaps Sophie mentioned it to him…’ Yes, that would be it. She had heard them whispering downstairs one night. Then a customer came, and the conversation was forgotten. 

It was the eve of their anniversary. The sound of the front door closing that evening had Lisa jumping out of her bubble bath. She grabbed her dressing-gown and headed downstairs.

‘I thought you’d be asleep,’ said Daniel, flushing slightly and shoving his phone in his pocket.

‘I’m going up now,’ she said. ‘I don’t start until 9 tomorrow. I just wanted to tell you that I put your dinner to one side.’

He’d barely looked at her yet, so she went over to him.

‘Goodnight,’ she said, staring up at him.

He kissed her forehead. It came to her then, the smell of the perfume, only a trace, but unmistakeable nonetheless. Lisa had to turn and walk away so he didn’t see her tears.

Eavesdropping wasn’t Lisa’s style, but she did it that night. Unable to get to sleep as her imagination worked overtime, she found the hushed tones of Sophie and Daniel on the landing too hard to resist.

‘Yes, I’ve got it. It’s the one you told me to buy.’

There was a note of impatience in his voice. Perfume, thought Lisa, almost laughing out loud. Not the eternity ring she’d dropped countless hints about, but that had likely been out of their budget. Yes, it all made sense.

‘Put it on the table,’ she heard Sophie say, ‘And these cards too, and don’t forget the flowers.’

Lisa turned over, smiling to herself as she snuggled under the duvet.

She was awoken at 7.15 by sound of Stanley’s lead. Rubbing her eyes, Lisa padded to the kitchen, clutching a card for Daniel in her hand. Her heart leapt when she spotted the cards on the table, next to some beautiful flowers and a carefully wrapped gift. The sound of a text message cut across her thoughts.

‘Open my card,’ it said. It was from Daniel. ‘Ooh, mysterious!,’ thought Lisa to herself, although he probably just wanted her to take her time instead of rushing through the cards when he got back. Two of the cards were from her sons. Their sister had obviously given them a gentle reminder. There was one from her parents and one from an aunt who never forgot their wedding anniversary. Sophie’s card brought a lump to her throat. ‘You’re both my inspiration,’ it said.

The card from Daniel was in a red envelope. ‘For Lisa,’ it said on the front. Thinking her husband might be home soon, Lisa ripped open the gift first. It was perfume. She sprayed a bit on her wrist. It wasn’t the one she had smelled on him the other day, but then he’d probably tried a few different ones. The clock ticked round to 8. Even though she desperately wanted to see Daniel, to hug him, to thank him, she needed to get ready for work, so decided to open the red envelope, like he’d told her to.

‘Dear Lisa…’ Gosh, he’d written her a letter. She felt embarrassed about her hastily written card - it seemed a bit inadequate now. She read on, dropping the letter after the first paragraph. Lisa put her hand to her chest, her smile washed away by the tears running down her face. He’d gone. Left her. ‘There’s someone else…,’ he’d written. 

Instinctively, Lisa grabbed her phone and searched for Jeannette’s name. She desperately needed to talk to her best friend, to try to make some sense of this.

‘Pick up, please,’ she said to herself, rocking back and forth on her chair.

‘Hello?,’ said Jeanette, out of breath.

‘Jeanette’, sniffed Lisa, ‘it’s me. Where are you?’

‘I…er…oh, walking the dog.’ Lisa could hear the rustling of Jeanette’s jacket, the tinkling of the dog lead, and then the sound of chaotic barking.

‘Barney, Barney, get down,’ she heard Jeanette say. And then another voice, the sound of which made Lisa’s breath catch in her throat.

‘Stanley, get back here. Sorry Jeanette, darling… I…’ .

Lisa cut the call and went straight to her contact list, hands shaking. Scrolling down the alphabet, she came to J. Her eyes drifted over the details, details she hadn’t paid attention to at the time she’d added Jeanette to her contacts, but it was a number she recognised now. Well, it was easy to remember, after all. Because It ended in triple three.