Page 57 of Just for December

‘I am, yes,’ she says, and then she laughs. ‘Although it’s always so strange to hear him called that. We called him Ricky growing up. Derrick – after my father-in-law.’

Evie smiles. The woman seems nervous. Anxious.

‘He told me that not many people know that,’ Evie tellsher, and she sees the woman mentally calculate if she’s just made a faux pas. Evie drops to a stage whisper. ‘But I knew …’ she adds, and the woman looks relieved. ‘I didn’t know it was after his grandfather, though. Just that Duke is a stage name.’

‘I suppose it must help,’ Duke’s mother ponders. ‘Being one person on stage and another in real life.’

‘It’s a good job Duke knows the difference.’ Evie smiles. ‘I’d imagine it’s very hard for actors to remember.’

His mother looks at her, then, with slightly narrowed eyes. ‘Yes,’ she says, and then holds out a hand. ‘Anna,’ she says. ‘Sorry, I should have introduced myself properly.’

‘Evie,’ Evie says, holding out a hand too. ‘We met, actually, just briefly.’

‘At the restaurant that night.’ Anna nods. ‘Yes. I thought your face was familiar.’

Evie waits for the penny to drop.

‘Were you the girl in the photographs with him? Sorry – are you Derrick’s girlfriend?’

Evie starts walking, motioning for Anna to come with her.

‘No, no,’ she says. ‘Didn’t he tell you? It’s all for the cameras.’

‘He didn’t mention,’ Anna says. ‘No.’

‘Well …’ Evie replies. ‘We’ve become friends, at least. I actually wrote the book the movie is based on. They’re doing a great job with the adaptation. Did you know Duke is doing some directing now too?’

They arrive to the main area where the activity is taking place, and Evie notices Anna’s eyes widen. It’s a full crew today, a hundred people dashing about purposefully in bobble hats and battery-heated gilets, cameras and tracks and lightsand boom mics everywhere. It strikes Evie how quickly this has become normal for her again: a film set. Seeing Anna marvel so openly reminds her how lucky she is, how totally crazy it is that this is her life. Magda is right: most people would give an arm and a leg to bear witness to something like this.

‘I’ve never visited him at work before,’ Anna says, and Evie can see there’s a tear in her eye. ‘Look at him.’ Anna points to where Duke and Daphne are walking through their scene, Duke listening intently as Daphne explains something. He shouts over to the cameraperson, and the three of them start hashing something out. Anna and Evie are far enough away that their staring isn’t a distraction – they’re just another couple of people on set.

‘Do you want a tissue?’ Evie asks, gently, when she sees Anna’s tears are flowing more freely, now.

Anna nods. Evie takes off a glove and fishes around in her pockets.

‘Here,’ Evie says. Anna takes it. They watch, and Anna continues to cry.

‘It’s fun to watch, isn’t it?’ Evie says, eventually. Softly, too, since she can tell Anna is feeling a lot right now. ‘I can’t believe I’m here.’

Anna nods. ‘I just can’t believe what he’s made of himself,’ she says, shaking her head. ‘I’m sure he’s told you I wasn’t a very good mother.’

Evie doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t know how to reply to that in a way that doesn’t do an injustice to Duke. He can say what he likes about his mother, but Evie can’t join in. She settles on: ‘My father drank.’

She says it neutrally. As coolly as she can.

Anna nods. ‘Do you still see him?’ she asks.

Evie shakes her head. ‘He left when I was a kid. He’s never tried to say sorry like you have.’

Anna nods tearfully again. ‘Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?’ she asks. Evie shrugs – again, unwilling to overstep.

‘I really don’t know him all that well,’ she says, and she surprises herself to think:yet.

Anna wipes at her eyes. She’s stopped crying, now. Silence hangs between them, and Evie continues: ‘What I do know is that he is kind, and thoughtful, and generous and funny. He’s got a good heart, you know? Many a man with a face like that could get away with being horrible, and the world would still forgive them.’

Anna laughs. ‘Yes. He’s always been a looker,’ she says. And then, looking at Evie, she adds: ‘Thank you. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than look after a doddery old woman and her tears.’

Evie smiles. ‘Nah,’ she says. ‘I love doddery old women and their tears.’ She says it with a wink, and Anna gets the joke. ‘Come on. I don’t think there’s going to be a good time to interrupt, so let’s just go for it. I’ll take the blame.’ They head on closer to where Duke is working, and he senses them now, looking up and giving a little wave before whispering something to Daphne and coming over to meet them.

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