Page 5 of Sorry, Not Sorry

Farhan was mid-swallow and promptly choked on his water, earning a glare from Delilah.

‘ What is so funny?’ she demanded.

‘You.’ Farhan gestured towards her with the bottle. ‘I should have been smart enough to put a bet on how long it would take you to jack in this job. Although, to be fair, you’ve lasted a lot longer this time round.’

Delilah gripped her mug and fumed in silence. She knew Farhan was only teasing, but in her current frame of mind, his words were as welcome as ice-cold water on a sensitive tooth.

‘Take no notice, hon. He’s just trying to wind you up,’ Salome intervened. ‘Sweetheart, can you take the kids into the living room for a bit so Del and I can chat? Without interruption,’ she added pointedly.

Farhan grinned. ‘Come on, Del, lighten up. We’ve always had a laugh about your career – or should I say careers?’

‘Farhan…’ Salome warned.

Farhan ignored his wife’s attempt to silence him. ‘Let’s see, you’re now on, what, your fifth career change?’

‘Fourth,’ Delilah replied through gritted teeth. ‘You know full well I was only waitressing until I worked out what I wanted to do.’

‘Hmmm… two years is a bit of a stretch for a temp job, but whatever. Okay, then there was that stint in the call centre, then the traffic warden job, and after that – remind me, what came next?’

‘I was a guide at the Cultural Archive Centre. Have you finished or is there any other part of my life you’d like to dissect while you’re at it?’

‘Hey, I’m not judging you. It’s all good, Del. We know you don’t do commitment, but we love you anyway.’

Delilah’s grip tightened on the mug and her knuckles turned white from the strain of not hurling the contents at her brother-in-law.

She had happily joked about her serial career moves in the past, but things were different now.

She loved her job, and just the idea of being fired made her feel physically sick.

‘Okay, you two, that’s enough!’ Salome frowned and glanced meaningfully in Maya’s direction. ‘Young ears are listening.’

As if sensing he might have upset her, Farhan flashed Delilah an apologetic smile before going to release Arin from the highchair. ‘Come on, my son. I think the ladies want some alone time. Maya, grab a couple of the juice boxes from the cupboard and let’s leave Mummy and Auntie Del to chat.’

As soon as the door shut behind her husband and children, Salome reached across the table to touch her sister’s hand.

‘What’s wrong, Del? You know you can tell me anything. Is there a problem at work?’

With Farhan having just painted her as an unserious job-hopper, there was no way she could admit to Salome she was at risk of being fired.

Instead, she swallowed the words she really wanted to say and the reassurance she desperately needed and forced a smile.

‘No, no… it’s nothing. Work’s been incredibly busy, and I haven’t been sleeping well.

I suppose… it just feels like a lot, sometimes. ’

Salome nodded sympathetically. ‘I get it, hon. But Del, you would tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn’t you? You know I’m always here for you.’

‘I know, Mama,’ Delilah said, pulling her hand away, ready to change the subject. ‘Which reminds me, I haven’t been to the cemetery for a couple of weeks. Have you?’

‘No, I meant to go yesterday but Farhan was called into the office for an urgent meeting and there was no way I was taking the kids on my own. I’m still cringing after the last time when Maya pulled the flowers out from the grave next to Mum’s.

Besides, the weather’s been crappy over the past few days, and the ground gets so muddy this time of year—’ She broke off and examined her sister.

‘Del, are you sure you’re okay? If you’re feeling…

well, you know, anxious or upset, you don’t have to deal with it alone and?—’

Delilah cut her off with a dismissive wave of her hand. ‘I’m a counsellor, Sal. If I need help – and I don’t – then, trust me, I know where to get it.’

‘We all need help sometimes,’ Salome said quietly. ‘If I didn’t have my sessions with Alison every fortnight, I don’t know how I’d cope. It wouldn’t hurt if you at least tried?—’

Delilah groaned loudly and dropped her head onto the table. When she raised it again, she looked her sister straight in the eyes. ‘Please, Sal. Can we talk about something else?’

Salome opened her mouth and then shut it without a word. For a few moments she sipped her tea, and the silence was broken only by the low hum of the fridge and the muted sound of Maya’s shrieks coming through the kitchen door from the living room.

Salome finished her tea and dropped the mug onto the table with a thump. ‘Okay, fine, let’s talk about something else. You said you bumped into Mrs West on the way here again. What happened?’

It wasn’t the change of topic Delilah had been hoping for, but anything was better than Sal trying to coax her back into therapy.

‘I don’t know what the woman wants from me,’ Delilah said with a resigned sigh. Her mind went back to the brief encounter outside and, remembering the look of scorn laced with contempt on the older woman’s face, Delilah pounded her fist on the table in frustration.

‘I’ve apologised to her God knows how many times and she still won’t give me the time of day! I know she’s nice to Maya and acknowledges you and Farhan, but she’s always evil to me. I honestly don’t know how you can stand to live next door to her – she’s unbearable!’

Salome pushed her chair back from the table and reached over to pick up Delilah’s empty mug. Standing up, she studied her sister pensively. ‘Look, I know the two of you have your issues, but she’s really not that bad.’

‘Hang on, whose side are you on here?’ Delilah looked up in disbelief.

‘You know I always have your back, hon,’ Salome said calmly. ‘But to be fair to the woman, you did leave her son at the altar.’