A husband discovers his wife has acquired some new skills. And now, so must he!
She stretched like a plump cat, then extended a leg so she could look critically at her toe nails.
‘I think, darling, I should teach you to prepare and paint my nails.’
Startled, he looked up from his newspaper.
‘What did you say?’
‘You’re always a million miles away when you read. I said, I should teach you to prepare and paint my nails. My toe nail polish is a little cracked and I’m tired of the Cherry Pink colour anyway.’
‘Paint your nails?’
‘Are you going deaf, darling? Yes, paint my nails!’
‘Why on earth would I want to do that?’
She pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling.
‘Oh, to learn new skills, perhaps?’
He laughed and returned to his newspaper.
‘You’re being ridiculous,’ he said, turning a page. ‘To learn new skills, indeed!’
‘You do need some, darling.’
‘Need what?’
He frowned at his wife.
‘New skills. You know that as well as I do.’
He snorted and rattled the pages of his newspaper to signal he wanted to return to the interesting story on the debate about Turkey’s entrance to the EU.
‘How long have we been married, darling?’
‘Look, I’m trying to read the bloody paper!’
‘How long?’
‘You know as well as I do!’
‘Tell me then.’
‘Seven years.’
‘Ooo, you do remember. How sweet.’
‘Don’t be sarcastic!’
‘I’m not, I genuinely think it’s sweet.’
He snorted again and she smiled, examining her fingernails.
‘I would think, darling that you should really consider doing my nails...’
‘Look, Eloise, I’m trying to read the...’
‘Did I tell you that I purchased the video camera for our trip to Ceylon?’
‘It’s called Sri Lanka,’ he said grumpily, ‘it hasn’t been Ceylon for ages!’
‘I know but Ceylon was the name I remember when I first heard about the country when I was a very little girl. It always sounded magical.’
‘Lot’s of Tamil Tigers.’
‘Asian tigers are almost on the extinct list...’... Läs hela novellen
