Page 70 of Just for the Season

‘A quiet wedding, just us,’ Roderick says. ‘I didn’t want to take the risk that she’d run off again.’

‘I will never leave you again, dearest,’ Rose says.

‘Wow,’ Frankie and I say at the same time. And then we simultaneously say, ‘Congratulations,’ before the four of us hug each other.

My mind’s racing. I’m strangely both astonished and not astonished. (Roderick has been very hard to get hold of recently and has also seemed somehow different.) I’m extremely pleased for them both; it’s wonderful to think that they can experience such happiness together at their stage of life.

After a few moments, Rose says, ‘You both look quite astounded. You should perhaps go away and haul your jaws off the floor and discuss our announcement between yourselves, as I’m sure you’d like to do.’

‘Okay,’ says Frankie, still looking shell-shocked. ‘I’m so happy for you.’

‘Me too,’ I agree.

Neither of us moves, and Rose laughs and shoos at us with her hands. ‘Go. Go and gather your thoughts and exclaim all you like with as much swearing as your generation enjoys. And then come back for another chat.’

‘Okay,’ says Frankie again, still looking as dumbfounded as I feel.

As we stand up, Roderick says, ‘This is all rather wonderful, isn’t it. We’re married, and you’re a couple too.’

‘Yes, wonderful.’ Frankie sounds a little faint.

We turn round and walk off in the opposite direction.

‘Back to the corner?’ I suggest. I think Rose is right. We do need to go somewhere just the two of us and exclaim. I’m so happy for Roderick. He’s been very lonely since my grandmother passed away.

‘Yes.’ Frankie still sounds as though she hasn’t quite gathered her wits. I hope she’s as pleased about this as I am.

We don’t speak until we’re in our corner again and there’s no-one within earshot, and then I say, ‘Bloody hell,’ just as Frankie says, ‘Fuuuuuuuck. In a good way.’

Then we stare at each other for a few moments, until Frankie says, ‘It’s mad. Just. Mad. Also, it’s an amazing love story. Sixty-three years.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Your poor grandfather. Imagine being jilted at the altar.’

I suddenly remember that Frankie’s boyfriend dumped her unceremoniously while she was looking at bridal magazines. Not up there with actually being at the altar, but also not great. I can’t believe I’ve thought so little about her past recently; I’ve just been focused on the here and now, and… well, us. Fake us, obviously.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I say. ‘About your…’

‘Hey, no, nothing to be sorry for. He was a dick, I almost never think about him now, and never in any kind of sad way. It was a very lucky escape. I’m sorry about your…’

‘No. No. My ex-wife? No. Nothing to be sorry for. I mean, obviously dreadful at the time but the biggest thing was that she left the kids. Not that she left me. And it’s a long time ago now. Eleven years. And we were very young. If we hadn’t had Ruby, I’m not sure we would have stayed together at all. We weren’t that compatible.’

‘Maybe we’re both better off without them,’ Frankie says.

‘I think so.’ I smile at her and think that Rick must have been mad to let her go. She’s amazing in every way.

‘We should probably mingle a little bit. In a couple-like way.’ Frankie’s reference reminds me – again – that we are fake. Not fake friends, though. Definitely real friends I hope.

‘Let’s do it.’ I hold my hand out and she takes it and then we move out into the room.

We chat, we eat, we chat some more, with all sorts of people, and we do it all together, and it feels as though we are together. Partly, maybe, because everyone treats us as though we’re a couple, without blinking an eyelid, but also because we do just fit together.

We do get a few ‘so how did you two meet’ questions, which we are of course extremely well prepared for. We also end up in a chat with several others about films, and we of course have a lot to say about ones we’ve recently watched together.

‘You two are good,’ says Ellie (a little drunkenly) following the film conversation, in a too-loud whisper. ‘Honestly, you’re so convincing.’

‘Shhhh.’ Frankie pulls her away from the group and says, ‘Let’s get the dancing going.’ She leads Ellie towards the space in front of the band they hired, grabbing Miranda and a couple of other women on the way.