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Back Blast from the Past
Chapters (70)
  1. Blast from the Past
  2. Copyright
  3. Epigraph
  4. Table of Contents
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. Epilogue
  62. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  63. Discover more gloriously funny and uplifting fiction from Cathy Hopkins
  64. Read on for an exclusive extract of Cathy’s hilarious novel, Dancing Over the Hill
  65. Cait
  66. 1
  67. If you enjoyed this extract and want to read on, click here to buy now 978-0-00-820208-8
  68. About the Author
  69. Also by Cathy Hopkins
  70. About the Publisher

9) 20 years: Rick Jones. Manchester University. Cheapskate who expected me to pay for everything which was unfair because we were both students. Felt the world owed him and women were there to serve him. Arrogant tosser. Do not pursue.

10) 20 years: Michael O’Connor. Friend of my brother’s. Knew him in Manchester, lives currently Thailand. Was with him for a year and a half. Fun, interesting. I thought he was The One, he thought I was one of many. Met him when I was too young?

11) 22 years: Ian Kennedy. Dated him for a term. Fitness fanatic, weeks of hiking, walking, rowing, plus he was hung up on an ex and it wasn’t my idea of fun to act as his private counsellor as he mourned her departure. Know for a fact that he is now married and living in Cheltenham. Do not pursue, another one I never felt I could be myself with.

12) 25 years: Joe Wilding. London. Lived with him for five years, which of course, you know, Marcia. I thought I could change him. Couldn’t. Definitely not the one. Not going back there.

13) 30 years. Graham White. Well, you know all about him too, Marcia.

14) 40 years: Richard Benson. Noooo. Not going back there either.

15) 46 years: Jon. One-night stand.

Deleted Jon from the list. I don’t want Marcia to know about him.

Wow, I thought, as I counted fifteen but I’d crossed out eight. That left seven. Was that normal? Too many? Slut-worthy? Or not enough? And had I crossed out someone who might have been The One and I’d missed the connection at the time? OK, there had been a few in between – inconsequential lovers or disastrous blind dates set up by well-meaning friends; a few equally crap dates from my brief attempts at Internet dating – but, for the last few years, I had been single and celibate.

Looking back over the list, I couldn’t see any discernible pattern. Saranya Ji got it wrong when she said that I had it imprinted in my mind that love was painful. It wasn’t that, it was more that I believed that falling or being in love was a waste of time. There was no one I really felt had got away, or who I mourned having broken up with. Graham White, maybe, but he’s another story and, OK, maybe Michael as well, but I had been young and we had never got the chance to play out the potential of our love affair, at least not to my mind.