The lie that followed me.

I lied to get the job at Cape Building in Uxbridge. Back then, saying you were married made you look stable. Respectable. It even nudged the pay packet up. The truth was I'd never worn a ring in my life. Helene worked in accounts ' young, bright, kind to me when she didn't have to be. One evening I asked her to walk with me to see my new flatlet. Halfway down the road, one of the senior managers, Mr Zubritski, pulled up beside us in his polished car and offered us a lift. As we stepped out, he smiled at her and said lightly, 'Be careful. He's married.' She looked at me like I'd tricked her. Then she was gone. We never spoke again. I've hated him ever since ' not because he lied, but because he didn't.