The Marriage Act(12)
‘Very funny. The restaurant put prawns in the paella after I specifically asked them not to. The swelling will go down soon.’
‘You might consider some fillers around the eyes as well,’ Mitchell continued. ‘Time is crueller to women than it is to men.’
Corrine eyed her husband up and down. ‘On whose authority?’
Mitchell offered a humourless laugh and reverted his attention towards the screen.
‘Why did that poor girl want to die?’ Corrine asked.
‘She said she couldn’t cope with the haters,’ said Nora. ‘All those GIFs and memes and Deepfakes made her life a misery, apparently.’
Corrine shook her head. ‘Then why not just leave social media?’
‘Because, without it, you might as well not exist.’
‘That’s ridiculous. If a dog kept biting you every time you stroked it, you’d stop stroking it, wouldn’t you?’
Spencer rolled his eyes.
‘Then explain it to me,’ Corrine continued. ‘I’m all ears.’
‘Your social media is every bit as much of who you are as the clothes you wear, the bars you check into, the music you share, the car that drives you or who you date. Everyone judges you on them – your mates, teachers, Uni recruiters and employers.’
‘But why does it need to be such a toxic environment?’
Nora shrugged. ‘You tell us. Your generation started it.’
‘And you are supposed to be better than us,’ Corrine retorted. ‘Is Woke Behaviour & Practice still on the school curriculum?’
Spencer nodded. ‘It’s not like her death is my fault, is it? I didn’t do anything.’
‘Did you “like” any of those memes or GIFs? Did you repost any?’
‘Well, yeah, some of them were funny. But I didn’t tag her.’
‘But even by liking them, you’re contributing to the problem.’
‘What does it matter to you?’ interrupted Mitchell. ‘You told me yourself that you didn’t like her.’
Corrine sighed. ‘There’s a difference between not liking someone for what they stand for and hounding them to their death.’
‘Yet when I tell you I think all social media should be state controlled, you argue with me. Sounds like double standards.’
‘You think what we need right now is more Government control? Isn’t it enough that couples signed up to the Marriage Act are allowing themselves to be spied on in their own homes?’
‘I have no secrets. Do you, Corrine?’
A shift in tone and his burrowing stare made her question if Mitchell knew more about her extra-curricular activities than he was admitting to. No, he couldn’t be aware of what had happened to that MP, she reasoned. She had covered her tracks.
The disagreement wasn’t worth any more of her time so she left it. There was little common ground between them these days – with one exception. In a world that encouraged couples to remain together, she and Mitchell were readying themselves to go against the grain. They were preparing to divorce.
9
Jeffrey
Both Luca and Noah Stanton-Gibbs opened the door before the chime rang out, suggesting they were ready for him.
‘Hello there, I’m Jeffrey Beech and I’m your Relationship Responder,’ he began with an avuncular smile. He willed his face not to redden as it was prone to doing upon meeting anyone he was attracted to. And both Noah and Luca ticked every box. He offered them his identification card, which Noah scanned with his watch to verify his status.
‘Come in, please,’ said Luca and both men moved to one side. Their nervousness mirrored his. But Jeffrey preferred it that way. He detested arrogant clients.
‘Your home is beautiful,’ Jeffrey said, his eyes darting around like a child in a theme park. They thanked him.
‘Have you been to Northampton before?’ asked Luca.
‘No, I haven’t,’ he lied.
As he followed them towards the lounge, Jeffrey took in their appearances. Noah’s dark-brown hair was cropped, his face angular and scattered with stubble that stopped at the corners of his mouth. His eyes were a warm, rich chocolate brown. Luca’s face was softer and more boyish. He was clean-shaven, and his eyes were two distinctive, different colours: one light brown and the other green. He wore his golden blond hair ear-length, combed to one side and with a soft wave. Jeffrey held back from staring, fascinated by them. Appearance-wise, laboratory geneticists couldn’t have created this pair any more opposite but perfectly.
‘This bit is always the awkward part,’ Jeffrey continued, ‘so why don’t we sit down and I’ll answer any questions you might have?’
‘I’m still struggling to understand why we’ve been put on Level Two,’ said Noah, as he led Jeffrey into the lounge. ‘It’s got to be a mistake.’
‘I appreciate it must have come as a surprise,’ he said, ‘but think of me as a mechanic who’s taking a look under the car bonnet to make sure everything is running on full power. I’ll help you make sure you’re both on the same page and want the same things, and if not, then we’ll help you find a way to bridge that gap.’
‘But we are totally on the same page,’ said Luca. ‘That’s why it doesn’t make sense.’