How Do I Love Thee

It’s coming up to Thea and Thea’s four year anniversary. Cody goes shopping on Saturday morning for a present. She looks at matching bath robes, matching latte bowls, matching photograph frames. All these are too expensive. She settles for bath oil. As she watches the shop assistant wrapping it, she feels a fist of envy clench in her stomach. She snatches the parcel from across the counter and shoves it deep into her bag. She forgets about it until Thea comes around that night. There’s been a fight.

It goes like this.

Thea and Thea are having breakfast. Thea wants to go for a walk to Cody’s place. She rings and gets the answerphone but decides to go anyway. She needs to get out of the house.

—I’m going for a walk, she tells Thea.

Thea looks up from her toast. —Do you love me?

—I love you darling, says Thea, putting on her sunglasses.

—Good.

—Were you seeing that cycle courier? asks Thea, smiling.

—Thea. Please.

—Were you? she asks, standing in the kitchen doorway now, leaning against the doorframe, casual.

—No. Of course not. God.

—OK, says Thea, —I’m going for a walk now.

She doesn’t move from the doorway.

Thea gets up and starts clearing the table. —I love you, Thee, she says.

—Thee, thou, thine, says Thea from the doorway.

Thea giggles. —With all my worldly goods I Thee endow.

—Were you? asks Thea again.

—What? says Thea, scrubbing bacon grease off the grill.

—You did, didn’t you, says Thea, clinging to the doorframe now, her fingernails picking at the paint. —You did fuck her. I’m not stupid.

—Thea, says Thea, warning.

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—She’s a bimbo, you know that?

—Leave it alone, says Thea, pushing past Thea to the living-room.

—I’m going for a walk now, Thea calls after her.

She and Cody go to a movie that night. Thea cries loudly through most of it. When the lights go on at the end her face is red and puffy.

—Can I stay at your place tonight? she asks Cody.

—No, says Cody, —go and make up with Thea. Here, she remembers, fishing in her bag, —give her this. I bought it for both of you.

—Are you sure? says Thea. She might not want to talk to me.

—One way to find out, says Cody.

She leaves Thea at a taxi stand and walks home alone as the rain starts to spit under the streetlights.

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