Page 36 of The Christmas Letter

‘So surely you need to start the chemo, need to—’

‘I am still talking through the various options,’ Emma said, and though she didn’t raise her voice, it cut through Holly’s protests. She would have made a good teacher, Holly thought dryly. ‘Besides, I’m fine, aren’t I? A bit tired, and the cramps aren’t fun, but nothing worse than when I used to have my periods.’

‘Hmm.’ Holly was learning she had to pick her moments with Emma, and this was not one of them.

‘Anyway, you’ll see me next week, so don’t wear yourself out now. Pam is making us a “curry feast”, apparently.’

‘You mean her husband is.’

‘Well, she’s decided on the recipes – doesn’t that count?’

Abi’s voice, higher still, rose from the single bed. ‘What do you mean I don’t care about the flowers? Of course I care about the bloody flowers, but you didn’t like the ones I picked, so I just said . . . Well, it’s my wedding and . . . Our. That’s what I said, our . . . Oh, for God’s sake, James, stop being difficult.’

‘I’d better go, Emma.’

‘So I can hear.’

‘Thanks for the recommendations.’

‘Remember to—’

‘I’ll remember,’ Holly said firmly.

‘Good. Well, have fun then. Try not to pretend you don’t love it – if you’re alone then there’s no one there to pretend to.’

Holly decided to ignore that and hung up, knowing Emma would appreciate the drama and probably have a little chuckle in her kitchen, where Holly could imagine her sitting and reading a two-day-old newspaper now.

Abi had hung up too and was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, resting her head there and staring at nothing. Her chestnut curls – curls which, coupled with her heart-shaped face, made her look a little doll-like, hiding the no-nonsense exterior beneath – hung sort of limply.

Holly crossed the room and sat down on the end of the bed. ‘Abs?’ she asked tentatively. ‘Are you ok?’

‘He thinks I don’t care about the flowers,’ she said, still staring into space.

‘Oh.’

‘But I do.’ And then, to Holly’s alarm, a tear fell down Abi’s cheek.

‘Hey,’ Holly said, climbing onto the bed and crawling towards Abi. She didn’t usually cry. Holly had always admired how together her friend was, and that stability had been something she’d leaned on over the last three years. It made Abi look even more vulnerable now, with her lip quivering, because Holly just wasn’t used to seeing it. ‘What’s happened?’ she asked gently.

‘Nothing,’ Abi said, swiping at the tear.

‘Abi?’

‘He’s a dog person,’ Abi blurted out.

‘Ok . . .’ Holly said slowly. Of all the things she could have guessed, this would not have been one of them.

‘He’s a dog person, Holly, and I’ve always thought of myself as a cat person.’

Holly frowned. ‘But you love dogs.’

‘And cats,’ Abi said, her voice rising to near hysterical levels.

‘Ah, right.’ Holly tried to keep her voice soothing, but she couldn’t really follow the logic.

‘But that’s not the point.’

‘No,’ Holly agreed, still bewildered.