The Marriage Act(21)

‘Mr Foley,’ Shrewsbury said calmly. ‘May I call you Arthur? I need you to take a breath and try to relax. I only suggested your house because you’ll probably feel more comfortable having a chat there than anywhere else. Plus we can discuss more about what Level Two involves and my role.’

Arthur’s eyes began to well as fear gripped him. Shrewsbury offered him a paper tissue but he ignored her and used his own cloth handkerchief. He glanced around the supermarket and noticed shoppers staring at him as if he’d been caught shoplifting.

His empty basket fell to the floor with a clatter as he followed the two strangers, his arms trembling and his heart thrumming in his ears.





17


Jeffrey




‘So let’s start by turning off your monitoring, shall we?’ Jeffrey began and removed a key fob from his pocket. He pointed it towards the Audite located in the corner of the lounge. ‘Recording off,’ its automated voice said.

‘Can you really just do that?’ asked Luca. He and Noah were sitting so closely together, their legs were touching.

‘If I think it’ll help, it’s at my discretion,’ Jeffrey replied. ‘I find that if you know you’re not being recorded, you’ll put more into our sessions. And, ultimately, you’ll get more out of them. So I’ll spend the first week getting to know you and shadowing you to really get a sense of who you are as individuals and as a couple. That will be followed by a week of eight hour-long therapy sessions spread across each day. We’ll make a judgement on what happens after that when the time comes. Have your employers given you the first fortnight off as a paid sabbatical?’

Luca and Noah nodded.

‘Great. Obviously, I’ve read your notes before we met but I’d prefer to hear your story from you. Tell me yourselves how you came to meet?’

‘We were DNA Matched,’ began Luca. ‘I’d taken the test first and then a few months later I got a notification that I’d been Matched with someone.’

‘And how did that make you feel?’

‘Relieved to finally be off the shelf?’ asked Noah.

Luca rolled his eyes genially.

‘I’m joking, of course,’ he added.

‘It felt, I don’t know . . . good, I guess. Like relief, almost.’ ‘And was it love at first sight?’ asked Jeffrey.

‘For me it was, definitely,’ said Luca; he patted Noah’s knee. ‘Everyone said I’d feel it when we came face to face and I did. We met for the first time in the cafeteria of the hospital where Noah was based – not the most romantic of locations – but as I’m in catering for an events company and he’s a junior doctor working all kinds of shifts, we had to grab our opportunities when we could. And the moment our eyes locked, well, that was it for me.’

‘And you, Noah?’

‘There was a definite attraction there, but it took me perhaps a couple more dates before I caught up with where Ziggy was at.’

Jeffrey cocked his head at the name.

‘Ziggy,’ Noah repeated. ‘It’s my nickname for him. Didn’t you hear me call him it on the Audite recordings?’

Jeffrey racked his brains. ‘No, I don’t think I did.’

‘Anyway, do you remember that singer David Bowie? He had two different-coloured eyes like Luca does. And he created this Ziggy Stardust alter-ego back in my grandparents’ day. They used to play him all the time. I called him Ziggy once and it kind of stuck.’

‘And does he have a nickname for you?’ Jeffrey asked Luca.

‘Babe,’ chuckled Luca. ‘I’m not that creative.’

Jeffrey nodded. ‘I assume by signing up with Match Your DNA that you were both looking for a long-term commitment?’

‘That’s all any of us want, isn’t it?’ asked Luca. ‘You might have a career, a house and a family who love you, but what’s the point when there’s no one to share it with?’

Jeffrey’s stomach hollowed.

‘Well, millions of people prefer being single,’ said Noah. ‘I enjoyed it.’

‘But there is nothing like that feeling of being totally loved by someone, is there?’

Jeffrey wanted to agree, but he had no experience to draw from. As Luca went on to describe their wedding and San Francisco honeymoon, Jeffrey briefly imagined himself hand-in-hand with his own Match, sightseeing the city, booking tables at the hippest restaurants and hiring retro bikes that required pedals to cycle across the Golden Gate bridge. But, try as he might, he was unable to picture the face of who was accompanying him.

‘And is your relationship monogamous?’ Jeffrey asked.

Luca turned to Noah, as if unsure of what Jeffrey wanted to hear.

‘Is that an offer?’ Noah winked. ‘Kidding.’

‘There’s no judgement here,’ lied Jeffrey.

‘We have been since we got married,’ said Luca.

Jeffrey checked his notes. ‘So for nine months it’s just been the two of you. And before that?’

‘Does it matter?’ Noah asked. ‘The Marriage Act states that you can do whatever it takes to keep a marriage together and that includes, “inviting others to socialize in an intimate way if mutually agreed”.’