Monday 10 November 2008

"Are you in tonight?"

“hey mate having a decent day? you in tonight?“

What an odd text to receive from Paul. He never asks if I’m in. What does he want to talk about, I wondered. Bills maybe. Toilet paper?

“There isn’t an easy way to say this mate. I’m moving in with Clare. I’m moving out.”

Ouch! Paul wants to be more grown up, he said. He’s not been happy at Everett for a while, he said. He’s sorted out other problems in his life, and he thinks moving somewhere else will make him happier, he said.

He was visibly uncomfortable as he explained this to me - tense, oddly upright and formal.

Clare’s landlord is quite flexible, he explained, so Paul would be able to pay half rent there until the contract at Everett was up. He’d been in touch with the landlord? Wow. How long has this been brewing, I wondered. Who else knows? I felt terrible. I called Pip, Kate and Liz, all of whom implored positivity on my part. But I struggled to embrace their recommendation. A couple of beers with Woody helped more.

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