It’s Beginning to Hurt
by James Lasdun 

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‘Good lunch Mr Bryar?’

‘Excellent lunch.’

‘Sorleys?’

‘No, some … Chinese place.’

‘Your wife rang.’

He dialled home: his wife answered:

‘Where on earth have you been?’

‘Sorry darling. Complicated lunch…’

Strange, to be lying to her again. And about a funeral!

‘Tom’s coming down. Stop at Dalgliesh’s, would you, and pick up a salmon. A wild one? Better go right now, actually, in case they run out.’

It was July, a baking summer. He walked slowly, thinking of the ceremony he had just attended. Among the half dozen mourners, he had known only the solicitor who had introduced him to Marie ten years ago and had told him of her death last week.

The news had stunned him: he hadn’t known she was ill, but then he hadn’t seen her for seven years. Throughout the service he had found himself weeping uncontrollably.

The man at Dalgliesh’s hoisted a fish the length of his arm from under a covering of seaweed and ice.

‘How’s that?’

‘Okay. Would you –’

‘Gut her and clean her sir?’

‘Please.’

The man slit the creature’s belly with a short knife, spilling the dewy beige guts into a bucket. He rinsed the flecked mesh of scales and the red flesh inside, then wrapped the fish in paper and put it in a plastic bag. It was six inches too long for the office fridge.

‘Bugger.’

He went down to the stock room. There were gluetraps lying about with dead mice and beetles on them, but it was cooler there than upstairs. Uneasily, he placed the fish in the drawer of an old metal filing cabinet.
For the rest of the afternoon he worked on new rental listings. His eyes were burning when he stopped. It was late and he had to hurry to the tube station. Sweating and panting he emerged at Charing Cross just in time to get the six-forty.

On the train, crowded with weekenders, he found himself thinking of Marie. Sometimes she would sing a nonsense song in his ear, her mouth close as if she were whispering a secret. He remembered the strange solitariness of her existence in London; her even stranger indifference to this solitariness. They couldn’t afford hotels so they used to pretend she was a client, interested in one of the properties listed with his firm. Every home they entered was a different world. Making love in the ‘sumptuously appointed Victorian maisonette’ or the ‘cosy garden flat’ was an adventure into a series of possible lives, each with its own reckless joys: one afternoon they were rich socialites; the next a pair of bohemian students… For three years he had felt the happiest man alive, and the luckiest. Marie never asked him to leave his family, and he had regarded this, too, as part of his luck.

And then, abruptly, she had ended it. ‘I’m in love with you’, she’d told him matter-of-factly, ‘and it’s beginning to hurt.’

His wife was waiting for him outside the station.

‘Where’s the salmon?’ She asked.

A sudden horror spread through him.

‘I – I left it behind.’

She turned abruptly away, then stared back at him a moment.

‘You’re a fool.’ She said. ‘You’re a complete bloody fool.’

Tips For Online Friendship

• Do not divulge personal information like your telephone number, address, location, school / college name, professional details of your parents, etc. with unknown people on the internet.
• Disconnect the line if you feel the person is probing in too much detail about your personal life.
• Do not disclose anything about friends or relatives or other family members.
• Do not exchange personal photographs of yours or any family member with people you meet over the internet.
• Don't go to meet a person you have just met over the internet. Consult elder people or someone who is experienced and if you have to go, take someone trustworthy with you.
• Do not disclose information such as your email password, credit card numbers, ATM password, etc to someone you have just met over the internet.
• If you feel someone is not genuine, do not accept his / her friend's request. Do not forward emails to unknown people nor read unknown mails.

Motivational Story Of Friendship

Two girls were best of friends, since their childhood. When they were small kids, they used to go to school together, play together and sometimes even stay at each other's places. They were next door neighbors and thus their parents were friends as well. The best friends graduated from school and went to pursue higher studies in the same college. Everyone knew that the girls were the best of friends. Nothing was hidden between the duo, because both knew each other inside out.

After some days, one of the friends found the other behaving in a very strange manner. She would remain withdrawn, sleep too much and turn violent, very often. At first, the other friend thought it was just the studies getting on to her. However, with time, she became even more moody and frustrated. Finally, her friend couldn't take it any longer and confronted her with the problem. She broke down into tears and confessed that she was going around with a guy, who was taking drugs and forced her to take them too.

The girl was not only forced to take drugs, but was also forced to bring money every now and then and was threatened with dire consequences, if she revealed the matter to anyone, even her best friend. Shocked by her story, the other friend consoled her. She then thought of a way to help her. Finally, she thought that she would come up straight to the point and tell her to leave this guy and get out of all the mess. She contacted the college counselor, who was a psychologist and narrated all the problem to her. She offered to help and said that matter would be kept under wraps.

The girl was then advised by her friend to leave this guy, as he was torturing her unnecessarily. Her friend reminded her of her dreams of becoming a successful professional, inspired her to set an example for others and reminded of what her parents would feel, if they found out what their daughter was up to. After a lot of persuasion, the girl finally agreed to leave him. She was given basic counseling and was weaned off drugs, with time. All this while, her friend never left her side and always stood by her.

Finally, they graduated and the friendship only grew stronger. They both went on to become successful professionals, but never let each other down by indulging themselves into bad habits. They lived happily ever after, as close friends. The story leaves the reader to think about the depth of friendship shared by the two girls. The moral of the story is that true friends are those, who inspire you to become the best you can ever be. They have full confidence in you. They would not leave you until your goal is accomplished.

BFF...Teman Tapi Mesra..

y๏u คгє  ๓ץ ๒єรt Ŧгเєภ๔  Ŧ๏гєשєг  คภ๔  єשєг~<3

 Hang Out With Friends!

When it comes to hanging out with friends, one can be sure that it is going to be absolutely amusing and unlimited fun. The talks seem to go on forever and any silly topic can become a point of lengthy discussions. Be it the latest trend in jewelry, the latest gadgets, old classic movies, the cute neighbor next door, work related pressures, there is no end to the list. In this stressful age, getting together with friends has become a luxury than a daily routine. Consider yourself lucky if you get to hang around with friends often because many people simply remember those good old days of carefree life with friends.

One of the best places to hang out with friends is of course your own house! The comfort that your room offers cannot be offered by any mall or a pub. You can be yourself, kick up your heels, not worry about your looks and talk loudly about anything in the world. You need not worry about what to eat since junk food is just a phone call away! Order loads of pizzas, cola and French fries without worrying about condescending stares. You can eat as much as you want and however you want! The bottom line is to have fun without any worries.

Another fun place to hang around with friends is the lounge. Comfortable seating and soothing ambience along with chilled drinks is the perfect setting for spending time with friends. If lounging is not your cup of tea, try hitting the bowling alley. A round of bowling games with friends is the perfect way to chill out. In case you are not into bowling, you can always go for a movie. These days you find coffee bars and small fast food joints near movie theaters where you can spend time after watching a movie. Whatever you do, remember to have loads of fun and enjoy. You may not get the opportunity to do so after some years.

Tips For Hanging Out with Friends

• Plan a hangout when the entire group of yours is free. It is great to roam around with a bunch of friends than just two of you!
• Do plan the hangout zone in advance so that you do not waste time in deciding over where to head towards.
• Share the entire budget in equals. Do not overburden on a single person until and unless it is some special treat.
• Do not be late if you do not want to be the plan spoiler. Be on time.
• If you are planning for a hangout at some friend's place, do not take tension while making mess but make sure you clean it up before you leave.