ME, Myself, I

THE STORY SO FAR: After a weekend of deliberation, Ingrid braces herself to resign from work, despite a recent promotion offer. Undeterred by the disbelief of her manager, she completes the awkward call and is overcome with relief at the prospect of never returning to the office. Walking on the beach, Ingrid is disappointed to not see Rose but returns home rejuvenated and ready to phone her son, Ethan. Overjoyed that he’s returning home from university the following week, Ingrid allows herself to speculate on how well the year might end for her family. That evening, she broaches a new, difficult subject with her husband, Jack. They talk about her elderly father, Bob, moving in with them. During the night, unable to sleep, she sits in the lounge and is horrified to hear someone breathing in the dark at the other end of the room. Picking up a heavy candlestick from the mantelpiece for protection and creeping towards the figure with caution, she finds it’s Rose, and drops the candlestick in shock.

Rose sat at the darkened end of their lounge, in the coat and scarf she always seemed to wear, the beautiful aroma of her perfume hanging in the air.

Ingrid’s body was shaking. How was this possible? For a start, she was sure she hadn’t given her address to Rose. In fact, that had been one of the things she had meant to mention when she next saw her. She had