Page 14 of Wish You Were Here
‘Sounds like a brilliant idea, and for what it’s worth, when you meet the right man, he’s going to be one lucky bastard,’ says Jess, and I smile, say thank you and we keep walking and Jess tells me all about Bali. Actually, she tells me about all the places she had sex with Aaron in Bali, and I have to admit, it’s impressive. From the infinity pool of the house they rented, to deserted beaches, on pit-stops while walking in the jungle and even in the rental car. It seems they made the most of their honeymoon. They also ate delicious food, visited waterfalls, temples and a monkey sanctuary, but mainly they just had a lot of sex. Although she confirmed they aren’t trying for a baby yet, but much like my thirtieth birthday, it is on the horizon.
The Coogee to Bondi walk takes you along breathtaking clifftops, down into gorgeous surf beaches, secluded bays and alongside the historic Waverley Cemetery. It’s an iconic walk that never gets old, no matter how many times you do it. Shallow rock-pools are dotted beneath the pathway as we get nearer to Bondi Beach, the cliffs jut out towards the sea, and then there’s the famous Bondi Icebergs swimming pool, where you can see a few swimmers slowly trudging back and forth in the fresh seawater. As we get nearer to Bondi, I tell her all about Ben.
‘Out of the blue, he emails me. I email back, and now we’ve been emailing each other for weeks. It’s really weird because I feel a connection with him.’
‘Email man?’
‘I don’t know, it’s weird, Jess, but we tell each other everything—’
‘Everything?’
‘Okay, not everything, but it’s become the highlight of most of my days.’
‘You email daily?’
‘Most days.’
‘It’s the most committed relationship you’ve had in years, Sas.’
‘I know, it’s just really … I don’t know, there’s something there but …’ I say, stopping mid-sentence.
‘But what? Is he ugly? Have you seen a photo of him?’
‘I have, and he’s far from ugly. He’s hot, has a good job, is single and looking for love.’
‘Sounds perfect.’
‘Except he lives ten thousand miles away.’
‘Nothing wrong with a little long-distance.’
‘Yeah, but there’s long-distance and then there’s, you know, long-distance.’
‘Think of the FaceTime sex!’
‘FaceTime sex? How does that work exactly?’
‘Remember when Az had to go away for that month for work?’
‘Yeah.’
‘FaceTime sex.’
I laugh. ‘Wow! But again, how do you FaceTime sex? What do you do exactly?’
‘You use your imagination, Sas,’ says Jess, and when I look at her, she bursts into laughter. We keep walking, and I’m trying not to think of Jess and Aaron having FaceTime sex.
‘Ben and I haven’t even normal FaceTimed yet,’ I say after a minute. ‘So I don’t think we’re quite ready for weird FaceTime sex just yet.’
‘Then maybe you should.’
‘But why? I’m off men, remember, and even if we did have something, apart from the FaceTime sex, how would it even work? He’s there, I’m here, and I’m not looking for something serious right now. Especially something as complicated as this.’
I look at Jess, and she looks back at me, as we finally reach Bondi Beach. We stand for a moment on the pathway, leaningagainst the white wooden fence, and we look out across the beach and the gorgeous ocean. We watch the surfers and the birds that swoop and soar, and for a second, I’m reminded of Ben’s comments about the vicious seagulls in England, and I laugh to myself.
‘I don’t know how that would work, Sas, but I also know that love is magical. It can make you do things you never thought possible.’
‘Like FaceTime sex?’
