Page 88 of Save Us
I look searchingly at her. Last time we talked about Cyril, it was obvious that Lin was taking it really hard. I’m not so sure now.
“I’m sure Lydia would understand if you didn’t come to the party,” I suggest carefully.
“No,” Lin shouts out. “No. I want to be there. And who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone there who I like.”
Her remark surprises me, but I feel relieved at the same time. It sounds like Lin really is ready to move on to pastures new. I don’t tell her that all the other guests will be old friends of Ophelia’s. I’m just too happy for her, and she looks too optimistic for that.
“Ruby, can I draw a little dick on it?”
The abrupt change of subject takes me by surprise, but I try to fight down my grin. “If you really want, then knock yourself out. I don’t know whether Lydia would like it.”
“It would make her laugh,” Ember replies, using one of my favorite glitter pens as she starts to add male genitalia to the cardboard onesie.
“There was no need to make it quite that big,” I remark dryly, but Ember just grins over her shoulder.
“Oh, that’s great,” Lin says with a smile. “I need to draw something funny too now.”
I take a deep breath and look at the image I saved from Pinterest earlier. It shows how to punch a hole in the top of the cardboard onesies and then thread them onto a ribbon to hang up. In the picture, they’re brown cards with a golden rim and delicate lines, and the writing is fancy, looping calligraphy. Ember’s masterpiece couldn’t be more different, but if it makes Lydia laugh, then it’s fine by me.
“Lydia and Graham will treasure our creativity,” she says, starting to decorate the penis.
“Exactly,” Lin agrees, drawing on her onesie with a look of total concentration. After a while, she picks it up and eyes it critically. She’s used one of the metallic pens to draw the Superman logo.
Ember cheers.
“I should have cut it so it has a cape,” Lin says gloomily.
“Well, do that on the next one,” I say—only meaning it as a joke. But now Ember and Lin look at each other with a glint in their eyes, then turn to beam at me. The next moment, they’ve bent over the sheets of card, and they’re starting to make alterations to the template outline.
After a while, I can’t help joining in, and before long, all we care about is seeing who can come up with the funniest ideas and make the others laugh the most.
We give one suit angel wings, and another an ice hockey stick and puck. Lin designs a bikini-style suit with a fruit pattern and adds devil horns to another. But my favorite is a failed attempt at a horse’s head that Ember is particularly proud of. I can’t even look at the thing without losing it and starting to laugh again.
After a while, there’s a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I call.
James sticks his head into the room.
“Hey, lover boy,” Ember says in a deep voice that makes Lin and me crack up more than ever.
James comes in with an eyebrow raised in amusement. “You seem to be having fun.”
“Look at these cards for the baby shower guessing game and pick your favorite,” Lin says, pointing to where they now almost cover the floor.
“Is that…” James asks, breaking off and tilting his head to one side.
“It’s meant to be a unicorn,” says Ember, rolling her eyes. “Like that’s so hard to tell.”
“Looks more like a pig. And even that requires a fair bit of imagination.”
“Hey!” Ember yells in outrage, grabbing a pillow off my bed and throwing it at James. The pillow sails across the room and hits the floor before it reaches him, which makes him give a wonky grin.
“I only wanted to tell you that I’m back. Oh, and Angus says that dinner’s nearly ready, so can you come down?”
“How was your meeting?” I ask.
“Really good,” says James. “She seems to be well up on the details of the company, and she made a good impression on me. She seems genuinely interested and not just like she was only after a slice of the pie.”
