One Day

by David Nicholls

Emma Morley thought ‘handsome’ a silly, nineteenth-century word, but there really was no other word for it, except perhaps ‘beautiful’. He had one of those faces where you were aware of the bones beneath the skin, as if even his bare skull would be attractive.

‘Oh, I don’t mind. I quite like it, getting old alone—’ ‘You’re twenty-five, Em—’

what was the point of being successful in private? People should know.

eight more days and nights of this and I will self-combust

‘Well you mustn’t take it personally. He’s not that good with other men, he doesn’t see the point of them.’

Part of her is vaguely aware of failing as a girlfriend. It’s a new role for her, and she sometimes finds herself plagiarising ‘girlfriend behaviour’: holding hands, cuddling up in front of the television, that kind of thing. Ian loves her, he tells her so, if anything a little too often, and she thinks she may be able to love him back, but it will take some practice.

Then, without quite knowing how it happened, Dexter finds that he has fallen in love, and suddenly life is one long mini-break.

‘Well, if you’re twenty-two and you’re fucking up, you can say, it’s okay I’m only twenty-two. I’m only twenty-five, I’m only twenty-eight. But “I’m only thirty-four”?’

She felt drunk, full of affection and a certain sadness too, as if something was coming to an end.

He stands at the end of the sofa, glances at his watch showily, and thinks A new world record! I’ve been home, what, forty-five seconds, and already I’ve done something wrong!

There is no parenting problem in the world that can’t be solved by throwing milk at it.

‘You sound like my independent financial adviser. It’s very romantic.’

he now found himself incapable of doing anything while he knew she was unhappy.

He rests his head against the mirror and exhales. In the years he was with Emma he sometimes wondered idly what life would be like if she weren’t around; not in a morbid way, just pragmatically, speculatively, because don’t all lovers do this? Wonder what he would be without her? Now the answer is in the mirror.

‘Do you miss her?’ ‘Who? Emma? Of course. Every day. She was my best friend.’

As they approached the park exit, Emma became aware that they would soon be saying goodbye, and that there was every chance that they would never see each other again.