To be continued...
Sincerely,
Vera
EXT. HER HOUSE–MORNING
She finds a note on her car. It says: “I talked to the moon last night. The big disco ball in the sky. She said hi.”
November 8, 2021
Vera S.
I would join a cult dedicated to the big disco ball in the sky.
Chapter Thirty
“What kind of dog name is Marlon?” Brigid asked as she lay on her stomach eye to eye with Marlon, who was stretched out on the area rug.
“That was his name when I rescued him.”
I’d spent the last few hours on the couch watching and rewatching iconic scenes from some of my favorite movies, searching for something that excited me. Or even something to flat-out steal.The Wunderkindhad lived so permanently in my head that I was having a hard time finding inspiration beyond it or even imagining myself reaching the finish line on another project.
It had been two weeks since the incident with Eli, and he seemed to be doing everything in his power to not make it awkward—including being too nice, which then actually felt a little awkward. The only signs of discomfort were when we touched. The other day, I accidentally backed up into him while I was emptying the dishwasher, and the manflinched.
I spent two hours in bed that night replaying the moment over and over. And then out of frustration, I took myself to bone town and fell asleep with my hand still between my legs. Despite my hard-fought orgasm, I woke up just as unsatisfied.
It was Friday night and Leonard’s living funeral was scheduled for two weeks from Thursday. Once he reserved the community room, he sent me a mildly threatening note on some very lovely personalized stationerysaying that he would no-show to his own funeral if I didn’t give him something to read by the night before.
I’d already watchedGone in 60 Seconds,Notting Hill, andThe Family Stone. Now, I was on toMy Best Friend’s Wedding, which was way more sad than I remembered.
“I don’t get it,” Brigid said. “Julia Roberts is obviously superior. The blond is such a pick-me girl.”
“Cameron Diaz,” I said. “And I don’t know what a pick-me girl is.”
She rolled over to her back. “You just know it when you see it.”
Marlon pawed at her hair and pounced. This was the most spry I’d seen him since he ran off with my dirty underwear two weeks ago.
Brigid lazily scrolled through her phone and without looking up asked, “So how long have you been hooking up with my dad?”
I choked on a swig of sparkling water and fumbled to recover. “Uh, since never.”
“You’re the same Vera he married in Vegas, right?”
I closed the notebook that I’d been taking notes in... most of which were just doodles of flowers and stick figures holding knives because that’s how the prospect of writing made me feel. I paused the TV, leaving Rupert Everett mid-song during the iconic “I Say a Little Prayer for You” scene.
“That was a long time ago,” I told her. It was hard to imagine Eli telling anyone about our short-lived marriage. It felt like the kind of thing that was meant to be kept secret. Surely, he was embarrassed by it all. I mentioned it once in front of Brody and he turned into a brick wall, only saying what a stupid idea it had been. Tess knew, but that was it. If Eli had told his mom and now his daughter too, who else knew? What was there even to talk about? I supposed it was a good story for a party or two truths and a lie.
“I found a photo of you two at his house when I was in middle school, so yeah, I pestered him until he told me the story. It’s not a big deal or whatever. Marriage is a sham and, like, a total societal construct. I guess it’s pretty cool that you guys made a joke of it.”
“Yeah,” I said as I hit play again on Rupert Everett. “A real joke.”
“Have you heard from my dad?” she asked.
I checked my phone, but no messages from Eli. He was supposed to take Brigid driving tonight since she’d just gotten her learner’s permit, but one of our residents had a big fall today. When they got to the hospital, they were having some cognitive issues, so he went up there to check in on them. It was supposed to be a quick in-and-out trip, but Brigid had been here for long enough that I went ahead and made us artichoke and goat cheese pasta.
“Nothing yet,” I told her. “But I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
