It was a stupid argument that morning. She had flounced out of the room, throwing a bitter “sod you” over her shoulder, and minutes later the front door slammed. He’d listened to the rapid click-clack of her heels fading into the distance.

Now, at the end of the working day and without an answer to the dozen or so calls he’d made to her mobile phone, he was home again. And, he quickly discovered, home alone.

In the kitchen, he checked there was water in the electric kettle and switched it on. He spooned instant coffee into the unwashed mug he’d used at breakfast. He made another call and that, too, went straight to voicemail. This time he simply said, “Come on, Angela... please, talk to me.”

He put his phone on the work surface before opening the refrigerator door and peering inside. Ah, a pizza, that should be simple. He put the box next to the microwave and quickly turned to pour the boiled water into his coffee mug. Next, he read the cooking guide on the pizza box and stared at the dials on the tiny oven. He scratched among the bristles along his jawline, pondering, and lifted his mug to his lips.

“Shit, that’s hot,” he blurted, wiping the back of his free hand across his mouth. He leaned back against the sink unit and sighed. It was only then that he became aware of Angela standing in the doorway, a plastic shopping bag dangling from each hand.

“Oh,” he said, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Guess not,” she said without any warmth. “How long have you been home?”

“Oh, I don’t know... not long. About half-an-hour, I suppose.”

“Hmm, right,” she said, plonking her bags on the kitchen table. “Will you make me a coffee?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she added, “If it’s not too much trouble, that is.”

Before he could respond, she announced, “I’ve got to find my phone. Think I must’ve left it in the bedroom when I went to work this morning.”

 She briskly left the room and he grinned at her retreating back. Stepping away from the sink, he hastily picked up the pizza box and returned it to the refrigerator, his grin even wider.