Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marisa watched her with concern and Sophie couldn’t help but feel the reversal in their roles. She’d gone from caregiver to the one needing care and much like Marisa, she was getting heartily tired of her own bullshit. Tom, in age-old British tradition, was making a pot of tea like it might possibly solve every single problem in their lives.
Marisa unpacked the small bag of groceries she’d fetched for Sophie, putting them away neatly in the kitchenette while Sophie continued to nest on the couch. ‘You still haven’t heard from him, then?’
‘No,’ Sophie said. ‘It’s fine, though. For the best.’ She’d had plenty of time to work on her book proposal, for example. Which, ironically now that she was miserable, seemed to be chugging along at a good pace.
Marisa shook her head. ‘Sophie, if everything was fine, you wouldn’t have been wearing the same pyjamas for three days and you wouldn’t be speaking to me from a blanket cocoon.’
The blanket cocoon had been going on for a week, but at least she had changed her pyjamas. ‘I’ve been working,’ Sophie said defensively.
‘Have you?’ Tom asked. ‘Because from where I’m standing, you’ve been pushing pieces of paper around, muttering and eating nothing but gummy bears.’
‘I mean, I don’t know a lot about writers,’ Marisa added, ‘but from what I’ve seen, that sounds like writing to me.’
‘If that’s all it involves, how do their books get finished?’ Tom asked.
Marisa just shrugged before folding up the shopping bag and turning her attention back to Sophie. ‘We’re concerned is all.’
Sophie scowled, which didn’t have quite the impact she was hoping for since she was still wrapped up in a blanket like a sausage. ‘I’m fine .’
Marisa shook her head. ‘I say this with absolute love, but you are full of shit right now.’
Sophie wanted to double down on the lie but what was the point? They all knew she wasn’t fine. She just wanted to be.
‘So the man you’re in love with is a bit of a git,’ Tom said. ‘Welcome to dating.’
‘I don’t want to be in love with him,’ Sophie said. The cold reality she’d been facing was that not only had Mike been able to walk away, but he’d been able to stay away. No messages. No video chats. Nothing . If she needed a clearer example that all of the feelings were at her end, this was it.
Tom sighed and put a mug in front of her. ‘No one wants to fall in love, necessarily. We can’t really choose these things. Do we need to go back to the rage room? We can print out two pictures this time?’ He looked at his fiancée. ‘I suppose you’re going to tell me violence doesn’t solve anything.’
Marisa smiled at him. ‘I’m an American, sweetheart. I literally cannot say that phrase with a straight face.’ She gave Sophie a hug, squeezing her tight. ‘We’re making you dinner tonight. Then you’re going to go to bed at a normal hour and get some sleep. Things will look better tomorrow, I promise.’
‘That’s not a thing you can actually promise,’ Sophie grumbled.
‘Yes, I can,’ Marisa said with an impish grin. ‘Don’t doubt my magic.’
‘I’ve learned not to argue with her, Mum,’ Tom said. ‘She’s usually right.’
Sophie was glad she’d gone to bed early because otherwise she would have murdered the person knocking on her door. She looked blearily at her clock. Six A.M? She might still murder them. She cocooned herself back in her blanket and made her way to the door. She was so angry that she didn’t even look through the peephole, merely opened the door wide and saw . . . ‘Edie?!?’
Her friend stood in front of her, a paper bag and a tray with two takeaway cups in her hands. Edie frowned at her. ‘Good god, it’s worse than I thought. Well, let me in and tell me you love me.’
And while Sophie did let her in, what she did instead was burst into tears.
After a bout of crying that ended in hiccups, Sophie was handed a bacon and fried egg sandwich and a cup of tea. Once she’d eaten every bite, Edie bundled her off to the bathroom with strict orders to wash the misery off herself and dress like a functioning human being.
‘You’re being mean!’ Sophie yelled from the bedroom. She was pulling on the outfit Edie had laid out for her, which included comfortable shoes. While she did feel infinitely better being clean, she didn’t say that to Edie.
‘No, I’m not,’ Edie yelled back. ‘I’m being firm and no-nonsense. Tough love, my friend. Now hurry up.’
‘Are we on some kind of schedule I don’t know about?’ Sophie asked.
‘Yes,’ Edie surprised her by replying. ‘Luckily, we’re not late since I factored in some showering and crying time. What I didn’t factor in is arguing, so chop-chop!’ She clapped her hands twice with the last two words.
‘Rude,’ Sophie mumbled, but she continued to get ready.
Edie eyed the side of the Staten Island ferry from their perch at the railing. ‘Maybe I should have gone with this colour orange for the house. I quite like it.’
Sophie grinned at her. The ferry lumbered along, white tumbled water in its wake. Sophie loved it. She loved everything about it, from the wide range of people on board, to the sea spray in her face, to the views. For the first time in over a week, she felt good . ‘You can always repaint the house.’
Edie didn’t reply but looked beyond Sophie with a grin. ‘Finally.’
Confused, Sophie turned. Her confusion morphed to surprise to see Marisa weaving her way towards them.
Marisa greeted them with a hug. ‘Oh good, you’re on the best side to see the Statue of Liberty. Well done, Edie.’
‘Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?’ Sophie asked.
‘I’m here to play tourist with you,’ Marisa said. ‘We thought it best if I tagged along to make sure no one got lost.’
Sophie’s surprise turned back into confusion. ‘We?’
Marisa nodded. ‘We.’ She reached into her handbag and pulled out an envelope. ‘This is for you. It will explain everything.’
Sophie took the envelope reluctantly as she examined their smiling faces. ‘Okay. I guess.’ It was a nice envelope, the cream-coloured paper thick. Her name was neatly printed along the front in familiar handwriting and her heart sped up. With shaking fingers, she tore open the seal. Inside was a folded slip of paper with ‘ Read me first ’ printed on it, along with a smaller unsealed envelope. She dutifully opened the folded paper and read.
Dear Sophie,
If you’re reading this, it means you at least opened the envelope. I’m grateful for that. I wouldn’t have blamed you for chucking it into the sea immediately (or at least into the bin. Littering off the ferry is probably forbidden). I’m sorry for how I left things. I feel like I’m always apologizing to you, or maybe it’s just that the times I’ve had to apologize loom large in my mind. You are the last person in the world I want to hurt, but I’ve managed to do it anyway. With that in mind, I’d like to tell you this – today is your choice. At any point if you no longer wish to participate, if you decide it’s not worth the bother, I will understand. Today is about you, Sophie. No one else.
With that in mind, I’ve put a smaller envelope inside this one. It contains the first clue on a scavenger hunt through the city. If you want to play, open it. If you don’t, hand it back to Marisa.
Mike
Sophie folded the note, her hands less than steady, her vision prismed by tears. ‘What is this?’
Edie plucked the letter from her. ‘If I may?’ When Sophie nodded, Edie skimmed it. ‘A scavenger hunt. Seems pretty straightforward to me.’ She handed the letter back to Sophie. ‘The question is, do you want to play?’
Marisa handed Sophie a tissue. She took it, wiping her nose. ‘If I don’t?’
Edie shrugged. ‘We see the Statue of Liberty and then go about our day.’
Sophie sniffed. ‘And if I do?’
Marisa shrugged. ‘You open the next envelope, and we go on an adventure.’ She touched Sophie’s shoulder. ‘Why don’t you think on it? You have an entire ferry ride to make up your mind.’
Sophie decided this was wise, so that was what they did. They watched the water go by. They enjoyed the new views of the city. When they passed the Statue of Liberty, Sophie didn’t say a word, simply drank her in. She was beautiful.
As they docked on their return trip, she opened the second envelope and took out the note.