She was just a student, an exhibitor in a fashion fair at the local art college. 18 years old, Indian, a waif almost a foot shorter than I, with short spiky gelled hair and a ring through one nostril. She cradled my hand as she admired my wedding ring, winking at my bored five-year old daughter, clutching my other hand. She softly brushed her fingers across my freckled cheek as she told me, in her common East London accent, what a lovely pale complexion I have, and what a beautiful bone structure. Would I consider modelling some stuff for her in an exhibition? It was for charity, how could I refuse?
Later, the whole thing seemed so ridiculous that, had I been able to contact her, I would have called it off. After all, why would a funky young girl, literally half my age, want me to show off her designs for her? But I didn't even know her surname. So there I was, three days later, waiting for her to call round "to take a few measurements".
It was all perfectly innocent, of course. In 12 years of marriage I had never so much as looked at another man, let alone even dreamed of doing anything with another woman. I was happy with my sex life: Paul and I made love twice a week, regular as clockwork, ten minutes of passion before he rolled over and went to sleep and I pulled my nightdress back down. Why, then, when he asked me over breakfast if I had any plans for the day, had I glanced away and said "Nothing special"?
After he left for work I walked my baby girl to school, then paced the house nervously, glancing out of my lounge window every five minutes. I still managed to miss her arrival, and I jumped when the doorbell sounded. I opened the front door and admitted Sureeta to my home. She wore a white cotton boob tube which exposed a sapphire navel piercing, and a matching loose fitting calf-length skirt with an elasticated waistband. Handing me her denim bomber jacket, she removed her Doc Martens to reveal tiny feet with purple-painted toenails and a silver ring on one toe of each foot. "Call me Ree. Are we going in here?"