Page 50 of The Notecard
‘I think that yeah, he noticed, Keri. It was hard not to notice. What’s going on?’
‘I didn’t mean to. I just got all jealous about Sophie Mill. I met her, Meg, and she’s amazing. Like properly, literally amazing. Like those people you see, and when you see them you go, oh, they’re amazing. Do you know what I mean?’
I nod.
‘Hugh really likes her, and I’m worried he’s going to leave me for her because she’s beautiful, and funny, and went to Cambridge. I didn’t even go to university. I have one A level. In drama. I got a D. Sophie Mill got a double first from Cambridge. A double first. I mean, who gets a double first from Cambridge? I don’t even know what the double means and how you get it.’
‘Keri, it’s obvious Hugh’s crazy about you.’
‘I used to think the same thing about you and James... sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,’ says Keri. ‘I didn’t mean to bring him up.’
Keri is trying to open a bag of crisps, but she can’t get it open. She’s starting to freak out on the bag in frustration. I take it from her and open it calmly with a pair of scissors.
‘The difference between me and James and you and Hugh, is that James was an asshole. I don’t think Hugh is. He’s thoughtful, kind, and just really nice.’
‘I can’t stop thinking about it though,’ says Keri, eating a crisp and then another. Keri has always been a stress eater. When she’s having a tough time, she can easily go through a family pack of Walkers. ‘Sophie is hotter than me. Fact. She’s like totally hilarious, and has her own podcast, and she’s been on TV. Television, Meg. She’s been to the Edinburgh Fringe, which I don’t know much about, but according to Hugh it’s like the biggest thing in the world. She’s everything I’m not. I work in a cafe, Meg. That’s it. The cafe isn’t on TV and doesn’t have a podcast. It’s just a normal cafe with a heavy cat theme.’
Keri shoves more crisps in her mouth. The poor thing. My dad walks into the kitchen.
‘I’m going to get off, love,’ says Dad.
‘No, no, you can’t. I have a plan,’ I say. I look at Keri. She has tears in her eyes. ‘Are you going to be okay? Don’t spiral. I’m just going to do this thing with Dad, okay?’
Keri nods and shoves more crisps in her mouth. I hope she’s going to be okay. I need to help Dad though. He needs me. I tell Dad to follow me into my bedroom. Once inside, I close the door and sit down at my desk and open up my computer. I tell Dad to sit on the bed.
‘Why do I have to sit on the bed?’ says Dad.
‘Because I’m going to FaceTime Mum and I don’t want her to see you.’
My plan is this: I’m going to FaceTime Mum and get her to talk about Dad. She won’t know he’s in the room, and hopefully she’ll open up and say that she really wants him back, and then he’ll know, and it will all be alright. There is obviously the massive risk that I’ve completely misread the situation and Mum doesn’t want Dad back at all. He’ll hear it and be heartbroken, and I will have ruined my parents’ marriage. I just can’t imagine a world in which my parents aren’t together. They’re the most stable thing in my life. At least they were. Always the constant when everything else was changing. I need them to be okay. I need them to be together.
I FaceTime Mum. After a moment she appears on screen. Well, her chin does.
‘Hi, Megs,’ says Mum. ‘I was just doing some gardening. Well, I was drinking wine in the garden. I think that counts.’
‘I can only see your chin, Mum. Tilt up your phone,’ I say. She adjusts. ‘That’s your forehead. Down a bit.’
‘Better?’ says Mum.
‘Much. I can see your whole face. How are you?”
‘Yeah, yeah, good. Did you talk with Laura?’
‘I did. She was in Central Park.’
‘Did she tell you about the bagels and the cream cheese?’
‘She did.’
‘And the hotel? Did you tell you about the hotel?’
‘Five stars.’
‘Five stars,’ says Mum, taking a sip of wine. ‘They flew first class too. Did she mention that they flew first class?’
‘A few times.’
‘I’m so jealous,’ says Mum. ‘Your dad never took me anywhere first class or five stars. The nearest I ever got to first class was that time I got accidently drunk before that flight to Greece. I was on antibiotics for a urinary infection. I forgot you weren’t supposed to drink. I had a couple of glasses of wine at the airport and I was away with the fairies. The cabin crew took pity on me and they gave me a seat in business class so I could sleep it off. That was my only time not in economy, and I slept through the whole thing.’
