Page 72 of Hidden Gem
Marnie tapped on her phone to bring up the Instagram feed. Together, they stared at Amelia’s smiling face framed by some sort of woody herb she was holding in both hands, radiating youth and good health.
“Look at her! She’s flawless, and still people wrote mean comments online when she dated Jason. People called her a gold digger... I thought it didn’t make any sense, since Jason’s not wealthy. But turns out he is.”
Shasa’s brow shot up. “Really? I thought he was all principled about not investing in property?”
“His money’s not in property. It’s in gold and silver and such.”
“So, you’d be a literal gold digger?” Shasa erupted in a contagious giggle, taking Marnie down with her.
Her heart momentarily lighter, Marnie sank into the couch, inhaling the herbal aroma rising from her cup. She brushed the phone screen, bringing up more photos. Amelia hugging a dog. Amelia making bliss balls. Amelia in a lavender field, holding the rim of her fedora.
“That’s such a cliche!” Shasa laughed, taking over the browsing. “Look at these! Nobody lives like this... ‘First thing in the morning, I like to wake up my body with the right balance of protein, brain oil and micronutrients’,” she read underneath a picture of Amelia posing with a glass of green sludge. “Nobody looks like that first thing in the morning! There are some serious filters or photoshopping happening. Or maybe it’s AI generated.”
Marnie sighed. “I wish. She looks amazing even on those gossip sites where someone’s just snapped her picture without permission.”
Shasa gave her a weighty look. “You have to stop looking at those sites! Stop comparing yourself to other people.” She flipped Marnie’s phone to hide the image.
“I know. First, I thought that if I could see these other women in his past, if I could convince myself they were only human, just like me, then maybe I could imagine myself in there, next to him. But now I feel worse. I could never be like that.”
“What does it matter what those papers write about you?”
Marnie took her phone back. The screen woke up and Amelia reappeared, this time doing a yoga pose that supported her weight on one hand. Granted, she probably weighed little more than a sparrow, but Marnie let out a sigh that turned into a groan. “If they judgedher, they’ll crucify me. I’m way too old for him. Divorced. Single mum. Chronically ill. And I’m either barren, or pregnant and trying to trap him and get my hands on his wealth...”
“You’re spiralling. I’m going to call in the big guns.” Shasa took out her phone and dialled. “Elsie! Hi! It’s Shasa. Are you home? Can we come for a visit with Marnie? She needs some support... Okay... Sounds great. See you in ten!”
Shasa ended the call and flashed her a cheeky smile. “Sorry, but I had to. I’m younger than you so you’re never going to take me seriously. Let’s go!”
***
ELSIE, 60-SOMETHINGand fabulous, opened the door of her custom-designed house in a silky blouse and tracksuit bottoms fit for a queen. How anyone could dress casually and still look so put together never ceased to amaze Marnie.
“Come on in! Earl will be back from work in an hour, and we’re going out for dinner, but let’s have a chat before then.” Elsie led them to her cosy living room, which had gradually changed since she’d begun dating Earl, the council worker who didn’t share her background of wealth or taste for nice things.
Elsie followed Marnie’s gaze to the tall rack of records with an old record player perched on top of a cabinet that didn’t quite match the decor. “I know! Earl loves his music, and he’s gotten me into these old records, so I thought I’d invite him to keep some here. It’s taking all of my willpower to not replace that bloody filing cabinet!”
“It probably makes him feel more at home,” Shasa said with a wink. “I’ve seen those at the council.”
Elsie laughed. “That’s where he got it from, obviously. They let employees buy the ones they’re getting rid of. Thank you for your service. Here’s a discounted piece of ugly steel.”
Shasa pushed Marnie towards one of the armchairs and took the couch.
“Wine, then?” Elsie fetched glasses from the sideboard and opened a bottle of something red. “I haven’t seen you two in ages. How are you?” She directed the question at Marnie, her forehead wrinkling.
Marnie took the wine glass, brought the rim of it to her lips, and froze. “I... probably shouldn’t drink.”
Shasa took the glass from her and placed it on the coffee table. “It’s okay.”
“Are you on medication?” Elsie asked. “I can make us some tea.”
Marnie waved her hand. “That’s okay. We just had tea. But there’s a teeny, tiny possibility that I’m pregnant. Probably not, but I shouldn’t... you know.”
Elsie sat down on the closest empty chair and leaned in. “Pregnant? I only just found out you were seeing someone.”
“So, you know?” Marnie sighed, grateful that she didn’t have to explain everything.
“That’s all I know. I’m afraid Sue and John are very discreet.” Elsie gave her an apologetic smile.
“You should have talked to Tanya!” Marnie rolled her eyes.
