‘Ah. And… what do you think?’ I asked.
‘I think it’s a good idea.’ He shrugged. ‘After all, anything could happen. We are all Under the Sky, Nina. Good quote, huh?’
Under the Sky being one of his earlier movies, I’d learned from Google. Which had absolutely nothing to do with our conversation. Was he actually contemplating the end of us before we even started?
‘Luke, be serious.’
He sat back from his laptop and folded his arms. ‘I am being serious. Listen, it’s no biggie, really. Everyone in the business has them.’
‘That’s because in the business, almost everyone’s relationships fall apart,’ I countered. ‘Or is that what you’re envisaging?’
‘Of course not,’ he assured me.
‘How can you be so sure? Look at us both, with failed marriages behind us.’
‘Hey, why are you all so doom and gloom now? It’ll be fine. Just relax and go with the flow.’
‘I can’t just go with the flow, Luke. This is not a simple matter between you and me.’
‘I thought it was, actually.’
‘You know exactly what I mean. There are three children to consider. Have you actually asked Jess if she’s happy with this arrangement? Did you consider that maybe she’s wondering what life would be like if she could actually spend time with her mum?’
‘Yes, but that has nothing to do with us, Nina.’
‘Doesn’t it? I think that Jess would be thrilled if you and Lauren patched things up again, at least as friends, so she could see her. She is her mother, after all.’
Luke snorted. ‘Like Phil is the father of your kids, you mean?’
I bristled. ‘That’s different. Phil has had years and years to change, but he’s refused to.’
‘Yeah, well at least Phil tried for a few years. Lauren left us the second we realised that Jess was blind. And, as opposed to Phil, she never returned, never looked back. So you’ll excuse me for thinking they’re not the same.’ And with that, he got up, sauntered into the living room and turned on the TV. Loud. Our first non-script-related quarrel?
I followed him in there. ‘Luke, can we please not argue? I quarrelled with Emma last night and don’t have the strength for another fall-out.’
He jabbed the remote towards the TV set to mute it. ‘Why, what happened?’ he asked.
‘I’d rather not talk about it.’ I really didn’t want to relive the ghastly conversation, nor what was happening in my trio.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. It was a courier with a large envelope.
‘Is that for me?’ Luke asked, getting up and peering behind me as I signed for it.
I turned it over, and almost froze. Oh God. Smythe and Associates.
‘What is it?’ Luke wanted to know, following me as I carried the envelope horizontally into the dining room like it was the sacred ark.
I sat down, still unable to let it go. ‘M-my divorce lawyers,’ I stammered as I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. They were, oh my God, my divorce papers – signed by Mr Philip Jenkins himself. Finally!
I dropped the papers onto the table and threw back my head. ‘I’m free…’ I breathed. ‘I’m finally free…’
‘You mean your divorce went through? Oh my God, Nina, that’s fantastic, sweetheart! It’s a sign, you see?’
And before I knew it, tears of joy (in case you had any doubts) were sliding down my face.
39
My Best Friend’s Wedding
That night, I had a dream. I didn’t know what it meant, but it was quietly horrific.
I had gone walking and found myself in a clearing with a small path leading down into the woods.
This path was overgrown with juniper and all sorts of clinging vines and suffocating plants that had soon pulled me to my knees.
I had no reason to go in there whatsoever. I wasn’t searching for anything, but I found myself, within seconds, lying supine on the bed of the forest, plants closing in on me, and in my mouth and nostrils. I had no willpower, no strength to get to my feet and fight my way out of the woods. I knew I was going to die, and the worst part was that the plants were going to continue to grow and cover me so that no one would ever find me. They’d look and look and even dogs wouldn’t be able to catch my scent as I lay dead, putrefying on my own.
But then, a sudden instinct, a burst of energy from within, gave me the strength to fight back and get up. And I knew that the moment I was on my feet again, I could fight the vegetation and be back on my way, scarred and afraid, but alive. Which was all that counted.
‘Cheer up, Nina,’ Luke said over breakfast the next morning. ‘You’re a free woman now – Emma didn’t mean all those nasty things she said, I’m sure.’
‘Oh, you don’t know Emma,’ I countered. ‘When Emma’s mad, she’s mad.’
‘Do you want to tell me what it was about? Me?’
‘You? No.’ But in a way, I guess it was. ‘She and Jack were my two best friends besides Alice, and now she’s mad at me and Jack…’ I swallowed. ‘Jack is moving away.’
‘Really? What’s happening to Crooked Hill, then?’
I shrugged. ‘Dunno… but I’ll never see either of them again.’
He chuckled. ‘I think you’re exaggerating. If they really love you, you’ll see them again. Now come on. I’ve got a surprise for you.’
‘Sorry, but I’m not in the mood for surprises.’
He looked at me. ‘Oh, come on, sweets. We’ve got an invitation to a really posh party. I’ve already asked Deirdre to babysit, and if the Versace dress I got you doesn’t cheer you up, nothing will.’
Cheer me up? I had lost my two best friends, and I was supposed to smile?
‘Luke, I’m really not up for a party. You go.’
‘Uh-uh. If you don’t go, I don’t go.’
I sighed. ‘How do you even know
