It's almost six o’clock when Larissa Snowe and I are standing outside her house, her suitcases and bags packed and lined up in an orderly row on the pavement, waiting for Charlotte to arrive and drive her to the airport. It's grimy humid September day and feels like a rather perfect day to be leaving.

]I'm kicking the kerb with my shoe and I have my hands stuffed deep in my pockets of my now deeply crumpled post-wedding suit. I think I have pretty much perfected the look of the guy who didn't make it home after the party. Larissa Snowe is dressed in designated comfy travel gear loose fitting black cotton trousers and a white long sleeved top. She has her hands locked together and pushed in front of her and is swaying very slowly from side to side marking time to some silent beat.

"Errrm look," I say.
"You don't have to wait, she'll be here any moment, go. I only plan to get weepy once and Charlie has reserved that slot."
"I don't like to leave you standing, you and all your bags."
"Well you're going to have to."
"I could…"
"No you couldn't."
"You don't know what I'm going to say."
"Oh yes I do and the answer is no."
"I was going to say that I could still come to the airport."
"I told you I knew, you know you can't. Then we'd have airport history."
"What you mean as well as other more general history?"
"Yes as well as that, one can have too much history."
"True, altogether a lot of history going on there."
"Exactly."
"I had something else I wanted to say."
"Oh really? Is that a good idea, people tend to get all mushy and say things they regret at times like this."
"I know, but I'm not going to regret this."
"Are you sure? Maybe we should do the regret test first."
"The regret test? And that would be?"
"It's where you stand and think about what it is you are going to say and ask yourself would you say it in public without being completely and utterly humiliated."
"Okay, I think I passed the regret test. At least I think I have, you'll have to let me know. It might be one of those things that teeters on the edge a bit."
"Gordon, you're making me nervous now."
"Sorry."
"Go on then, hit me with it."
"You know, I'm kind of nervous now, I wasn't expecting such a build up."
"Oh get on with it."
"Okay...well, I was just going to say...that you know."
"You know? I know what?"
"Come on, you know what I mean."
"Not quite, but then communication skills have never been your strong point have they?"
"I guess, when you put it that way, possibly not."
"So in full?"
"I'm going to miss you," I say.
"I'm glad you said it. I think I’ve been waiting to hear that for a while. I don't think its something you would have said before that. Must be progress. I think you would have just smiled and been under the impression that we all speak the unspoken language."

I can't help laughing this it's so true. The unspoken language and me go back along long way. I've been miscommunicating with people for years quite happily. Apparently, and I didn’t know this, very few speak the unspoken language, shocker right? So if you really want to get through to someone you actually have to get the words out loud. I still find that hard to believe, but you know apparently it’s true.

"You're right, it does seem to work better when you say it aloud."
"Who would have guessed?"
"Not me."
"I'm going to miss you too, you got that bit didn’t you?"
"Yeah, my residual unspoken language receptors are still working."
And then it's Larissa Snowe 's turn, "Look..."
"Maybe I should just kiss you and be done with it?"
"I think so."

So we do and then really that's it, we're kind of done.

"I should go then."
"Guess you should."

There's a car pulling up behind us and I start to take a couple of steps backwards, I glance over my shoulder and see Charlotte's black VW Beetle gliding towards us. I raise my hand in front of my body like I'm saying 'how' and Larissa Snowe does the same.

"You should come visit me, if you've got nothing else to do," Larissa Snowe calls.
"What you mean we could be holidaying exes?"
"Don't get your hopes up, you know I would never go out with you again," she says smiling.
"Hey, I'm not challenged, besides I think there's only one girl who would go out with me."
"Well you had your chance."
"So I've been told. I'll guess I’ll be seeing you in Barcelona, although you do realise we will then have holiday history, right?"
"Oh I hadn't thought of that."
"Have a good flight," I say and I turn and walk away.