Day 35

Dialogue—don’t we all just love writing dialogue? Well, we have an exercise that starts with the line “I dare you to tell me the truth.” Yes, we all know the answer to that: “You couldn’t handle the truth,” and the truth might be that we couldn’t.

Can you imagine someone you know and trust walking up to you and saying they just had a conversation with aliens from another planet? You’d probably laugh and walk off.

I think the problem is that we have been conditioned by the very people we are supposed to trust, who lie to us constantly, so often, we no longer know what the truth is. Politicians in particular are very good at it, and sometimes our partners.

But, anyway, what difference does it make, one way or another.

So, let’s give it a go….

…

“I dare you to tell me the truth.”

Evelyn glared at me with such intensity that it made me feel hot under the collar.
Perhaps that was a tinge of guilt, not that I had done anything wrong, but her meddling sister had been in her ear again, and I was never going to live down the fact I chose Evelyn over her.

It had taken me a week to realise Darcy, her older sister, was a manipulative and evil woman like their mother had been. And years before I had rediscovered Evelyn, and another after that before we started dating.

Now it was the week of the wedding, and Darcy was up to her old tricks. Her sister was happy and settled, Darcy was not, and she didn’t like it.

“The truth about Elizabeth.”

Oh, Elizabeth. The other girl I’d liked at school, and was out of my league, then and now. Darcy trotted her out every time she wanted to make Evelyn unsettled, hinting that we had had a long-standing relationship the whole time, and secretly, I was more in love with her.

The truth? I was not. She had told me a long time ago that anything with me was impossible because of her parent’s expectations.

“Well, the obvious truth, is she’s a lovely lady, single, simply because she doesn’t trust any man, and probably will remain so now that she has taken over the running of her family business. You and I both know for a fact she has spent three weeks at best this side of the Atlantic this year, so I’m not sure when we’re supposed to have found time to be together.”

It was the same answer I gave her the last time and the time before that. And it would be the next time if there was a next time. I always took it as a sign that if Evelyn was looking for excuses, she was prevaricating.

“You’ve made four two-week trips to England in the last six months.”

This was true, and I told her the details of each trip, where I went, who I saw, and called her twice a day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

I sighed. I just caught a glimpse of Darcy outside the door to the room listening to the fruits of her labours, to break us up. Perhaps it was time to do so. Darcy was never going to give up, and Evelyn was always going to not fully trust me.

“The truth is always going to be what you believe, Evelyn, not what I say. And if you want a truth, right now, it is that whatever it is we think we have, it’s not going to work. Not if you’re going to let Darcy undermine our relationship. So, here’s the truth, Evelyn. We should not get married and spend the rest of our lives regretting it. There has been and always will be, only one girl for me and that’s you. It’s a pity Darcy can’t see that. So, another truth, Evelyn, let Darcy pick your husband, get her seal of approval, and perhaps then she’ll stop making everybody else’s life as miserable as hers is. I’m sorry Evelyn, but enough is enough.”

“The wedding is off?” Why did she suddenly sound incredulous?

“It’s what Darcy wants, and you apparently agree with her. As for me, I’m done with Washington, I actually quit my job yesterday, and in about three hours I’m getting on a plane to go home. Since my father died, my mother has not been coping with the business, and Joey is about as useless as Darcy is. Pity they didn’t get married, they certainly a pigeon pair. But there it is, you live and learn. Goodbye, Evelyn. I really do hope you find what you’re looking for, but as far as I can see, it’s not me.”

I gave her a final look up and down, realising that I would never find another like her ever again. Then I shook my head and walked out of the room. Had she asked me to come back, I would have. Had she said she was no longer going to listen to her sister, I would have believed her, but she said nothing.

Darcy was waiting at the front door and opened it as I approached.

“How does it feel to be a loser?” she asked.

“You always said you’d get your revenge.”

“Yes,” she smiled, the cat who ate the canary, “I did.”

I smiled back. “What do you do for a living again? Portfolio management?”

“I pick and choose companies that I believe are very good investments for our clients, and we make a lot of money. I make a lot of money.”

“What was your prediction for Billingsgate?”

“Not what happened. That was an aberration. Whoever owns it just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Twenty-five billion dollars.”

“Thirty-two, but who is counting. That was my brainchild, Darcy. And like I said, and I know you were listening in, I quit my job, well not actually quit, just sold the company, and now I’m going home. I only ever did any of it for Evelyn, and now, thanks to you, she’ll never get to find out. Hope you’re pleased with yourself. Goodbye, Darcy.”

I walked out the door and didn’t look back. It was a cheap shot, but after everything she had done, I allowed myself that one thing.

…

©  Charles Heath  2025