up, darling?” He swivels me round and puts his hands on my shoulders.
“Well…you know.” There’s a lump in my throat. “Everything. It’s all my fault, this trip. I should have gone to see Brent sooner. I should have listened to Dad more. No wonder Suze—”
I break off, my eyes hot, and Luke sighs.
“Suze will come round.”
“But I was talking to Danny about it, and he said friendships end, and I should let Suze go.”
“No.” Luke shakes his head firmly. “No, no. He’s wrong. Some friendships end. You and Suze are not going to end.”
“I think we already have ended,” I say miserably.
“Don’t give up! Becky, you’ve never been one to give up! OK, you’ve been in a bad place and Suze has been in a bad place…but I know the pair of you and I know you’re in it for the long haul. You’ll be grandmothers together, exchanging tips on knitting baby booties. I can see you now.”
“Really?” I say with a flicker of optimism. “Do you think so?”
I can actually picture us as old ladies. Suze will have long white hair and an elegant walking stick and still be stunningly beautiful, just with a few lines. And I won’t be beautiful but I’ll wear great accessories. People will call me the Old Lady in the Fabulous Necklace.
“Don’t give up on Suze,” Luke is saying. “You need her. And she needs you, even if she doesn’t realize it right now.”
“But all she can see is Alicia,” I say hopelessly.
“Yes, and one day she’ll focus properly and see exactly who and what Alicia is,” says Luke drily as he jabs the elevator button. “Meanwhile, remember you are still her friend. She asked you to come on this trip. Don’t let Alicia psych you out.”
“OK,” I say in a small voice.
“I mean it, Becky,” Luke insists, almost fiercely. “Are you going to let Alicia walk all over you? Fight for your friendship. Because it’s worth it.”
He sounds so forceful, I can feel a tiny smidgen of positivity returning.
“OK,” I say at last. “OK. I’ll do it.”
“Attagirl.”
By now we’ve reached our hotel room. Luke takes out the key, swipes it, and pushes open the door—and I freeze dead in shock. Wh—
Whaaat?
“Good evening, Rebecca, Luke,” comes a familiar icy voice.
—
OK, am I dreaming? Or did I have too many margaritas? This can’t be true.
But I think it is. Elinor, my mother-in-law, is sitting bolt upright on a pouf in a DVF wrap dress, gazing at me with that gimlet stare she has.
“Mother!” Luke sounds equally shocked. “What are you doing here?”
I feel an inward wince as I glance up at his face. The relationship between Luke and his mother has never been straightforward, but recently it’s plummeted to a new low. Two days ago, in L.A., I staged the least successful mother-son reconciliation ever. Luke stalked out. Elinor stalked out. My dreams of being a Kofi-Annan–style conflict-resolver kind of disintegrated. I know Luke’s been feeling raw ever since. And now, with no warning, here she is.
“Elinor came to my rescue!” says Mum dramatically, from where she’s sitting on the sofa with Janice. “I had no one else to turn to, so I rang her up!”
No one else to turn to? What’s she talking about? She’s got a whole RV full of people.
“Mum,” I say cautiously. “That’s not true. You’ve got me, Suze, Luke—”
“I needed someone influential!” Mum waves her wineglass at me. “Since Luke refused to use his contacts…”
“Jane,” says Luke. “I’m not sure what you expected me to do—”
“I expected you to pull out all the stops! Elinor couldn’t have been more helpful. She understands. Don’t you, Elinor?”
“But we’ve found Dad!” I expostulate. “We’ve tracked him down!”
“Well, I didn’t know that when I rang Elinor, did I?” says Mum, unabashed. “She came rushing here to help. But, then, she’s a true friend.”
This is insane. Mum barely knows Elinor. It’s not as though we’re one
“Well…you know.” There’s a lump in my throat. “Everything. It’s all my fault, this trip. I should have gone to see Brent sooner. I should have listened to Dad more. No wonder Suze—”
I break off, my eyes hot, and Luke sighs.
“Suze will come round.”
“But I was talking to Danny about it, and he said friendships end, and I should let Suze go.”
“No.” Luke shakes his head firmly. “No, no. He’s wrong. Some friendships end. You and Suze are not going to end.”
“I think we already have ended,” I say miserably.
“Don’t give up! Becky, you’ve never been one to give up! OK, you’ve been in a bad place and Suze has been in a bad place…but I know the pair of you and I know you’re in it for the long haul. You’ll be grandmothers together, exchanging tips on knitting baby booties. I can see you now.”
“Really?” I say with a flicker of optimism. “Do you think so?”
I can actually picture us as old ladies. Suze will have long white hair and an elegant walking stick and still be stunningly beautiful, just with a few lines. And I won’t be beautiful but I’ll wear great accessories. People will call me the Old Lady in the Fabulous Necklace.
“Don’t give up on Suze,” Luke is saying. “You need her. And she needs you, even if she doesn’t realize it right now.”
“But all she can see is Alicia,” I say hopelessly.
“Yes, and one day she’ll focus properly and see exactly who and what Alicia is,” says Luke drily as he jabs the elevator button. “Meanwhile, remember you are still her friend. She asked you to come on this trip. Don’t let Alicia psych you out.”
“OK,” I say in a small voice.
“I mean it, Becky,” Luke insists, almost fiercely. “Are you going to let Alicia walk all over you? Fight for your friendship. Because it’s worth it.”
He sounds so forceful, I can feel a tiny smidgen of positivity returning.
“OK,” I say at last. “OK. I’ll do it.”
“Attagirl.”
By now we’ve reached our hotel room. Luke takes out the key, swipes it, and pushes open the door—and I freeze dead in shock. Wh—
Whaaat?
“Good evening, Rebecca, Luke,” comes a familiar icy voice.
—
OK, am I dreaming? Or did I have too many margaritas? This can’t be true.
But I think it is. Elinor, my mother-in-law, is sitting bolt upright on a pouf in a DVF wrap dress, gazing at me with that gimlet stare she has.
“Mother!” Luke sounds equally shocked. “What are you doing here?”
I feel an inward wince as I glance up at his face. The relationship between Luke and his mother has never been straightforward, but recently it’s plummeted to a new low. Two days ago, in L.A., I staged the least successful mother-son reconciliation ever. Luke stalked out. Elinor stalked out. My dreams of being a Kofi-Annan–style conflict-resolver kind of disintegrated. I know Luke’s been feeling raw ever since. And now, with no warning, here she is.
“Elinor came to my rescue!” says Mum dramatically, from where she’s sitting on the sofa with Janice. “I had no one else to turn to, so I rang her up!”
No one else to turn to? What’s she talking about? She’s got a whole RV full of people.
“Mum,” I say cautiously. “That’s not true. You’ve got me, Suze, Luke—”
“I needed someone influential!” Mum waves her wineglass at me. “Since Luke refused to use his contacts…”
“Jane,” says Luke. “I’m not sure what you expected me to do—”
“I expected you to pull out all the stops! Elinor couldn’t have been more helpful. She understands. Don’t you, Elinor?”
“But we’ve found Dad!” I expostulate. “We’ve tracked him down!”
“Well, I didn’t know that when I rang Elinor, did I?” says Mum, unabashed. “She came rushing here to help. But, then, she’s a true friend.”
This is insane. Mum barely knows Elinor. It’s not as though we’re one
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