Page 2 of Just for December

‘I’m all ears.’ Magda folds the last of the sweaters and, to Evie’s perplexity, moves on to shoes and underwear simultaneously. ‘Trust me,’ Magda tells her, as Evie issues a concerned look. Magda waves away her interference with one hand, stuffing Evie’s sneakers with lace thongs with the other. ‘And fill me in on the plan. Let me live vicariously through you. I mean, God, if school was already out, I’d be coming with you. Because I’m one of the naïve civilians who thinks it’s all going to be so terriblyglamorous.’

‘Huh,’ snorts Evie. ‘And anyway,’ she adds, not wanting to linger on what’s in store. ‘Not long to go now. And I’ll be back in time for Christmas, just you and me. We can totally ignore that it’s even happening, if you want, or make a big thing of it like kids, or be drunk throughout, or whatever. We’ll play it absolutely by your ear.’

Magda pauses her methodical shoe wadding – a packing method Evie can already see is just as efficient as Magda had suggested, proving that it was totally right to ask for her assistance – and looks up.

‘Just don’t get divorced, that’s my advice.’ Magda sighs sadly. ‘It’s crappy. Crappy, crappy, crappy.’

She pulls a face, sticking out her bottom lip in a dramatic but, to Evie, totally justified fashion, and Evie pads across tothe other side of the bed to hook an arm around her best friend tightly. It was ever thus. There was an Evie and Magda before there was a Magda and Jamie, and there’ll be an Evie and Magda long after the divorce papers are finally signed.

‘You know,’ Evie says, softly, ‘six months ago, and you’d have said that through guttural sobs and scoops of Ben and Jerry’s from the carton. You’ve come a long way, baby. I know it hurts, but remember that much. Time, she’s a healer. You’re doing so well.’

Magda looks at her side-on. ‘A divorcée,’ she says. ‘And for what? I feel like Miranda in theSex and the Cityreboot.’ She blows a raspberry. ‘And Just Like That, Magda blew up her life because it wasn’t exciting enough, and found herself single in her thirties again.’

‘Hey,’ says Evie, pretending to be hurt. ‘It ain’t so bad.’

‘You have Carl.’

‘Hmm. Do I though?’ Evie pulls a face. ‘Thatisn’t … that. If you know what I mean.’

‘You mean it’s temporary on purpose,’ says Magda.

‘Everything in this life is temporary,’ replies Evie, and the comment hits harder than she meant it to. She thinks of her mom.

Evie squeezes her friend’s shoulder once more, kissing her cheek, and then they work in companionable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually Magda announces: ‘I’ve just been thinking lately that I just wish one of us did something really wrong, you know? Committed fraud or didn’t disclose a secret family or even had just a simple, straightforward affair with a secretary.’

‘You don’t have a secretary,’ Evie points out.

‘Jamie does.’

‘Do some digging? Maybe you’ll get lucky, and he’s been sleeping with her after all.’

‘She’s a lesbian,’ Magda points out. ‘But thanks for brainstorming options with me.’

‘Any time.’ Evie winks.

With a flourish, Magda proudly fondles the expertly folded clothes she’s organised, cute sweaters and matching wool hats and festive scarves, declaring: ‘At least I’m good at this, if nothing else.’

‘You’re my hero for getting through it,’ Evie says, eyeing her. ‘And I don’t mean the packing – though itispretty spectacular. I think the fact that you are still standing after what you’ve been through means we should build a statue in your honour. Seriously. You and Jamie have both been so sensible and nice to each other. It almost makesmewant to give it a try.’

‘You’d have to get married first,’ says Magda.

Evie pulls a face. ‘A sticking point,’ she concedes.

Magda looks skyward – not even God can help Evie engage romance in real life – before taking a break to climb onto the bed. As she crosses her legs Evie’s dog, Doctor Dolittle, sees the invitation for snuggles, leaping up to nestle in Magda’s lap. Evie needs to drop him at the doggy hotel shortly. She adds it to her growing mental list.

‘I’d do it again,’ Magda says, ruffling the fur between Doc’s ears. ‘One day. I think. With somebody more … you know. If there was more passion involved, not just a shared interest in a Netflix series.’

‘Oh, well then, two for you, none for me. You can havemywedding.’

‘I don’t think they’re rationed out,’ Magda quips.

‘Maybe they should be.’

‘But Carl is so nice. Don’t you ever think …’

Evie tuts dramatically. ‘Carl and I have an agreement, and it involves two lives, two nights a week and two hours together. Don’t judge what you don’t understand,thankyouverymuch.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ says Magda with an odd raise of the eyebrows that conveys her absolute judgement without another word. Magdasaysshe just wants Evie to be happy, to which Evie often replies:stop hassling me about it, then.Even in divorce, her best friend still believes in happy endings, which is ironic considering it’s Evie who writes the romances.

---