Chapter 19
He’s gone out. The apology dinner he’d cooked for me was out of this world.
His homemade meat pie had golden-brown flaky pastry and a rich beef filling.
He had served it with cream potatoes and a plate of green vegetables, which were so flavoursome I devoured them in seconds.
Lenny sat on the opposite kitchen chair and cast me judgey looks.
He is a huge Oliver fan, and I sense that he wants me to forget about the late nights and enjoy the food.
After washing up my plate, I open up TikTok on my phone and gasp.
On my For You page, staring back at me is Eva and her new book-review account.
Wow – she’s gone back to what she loves best. Seeing her greeting her followers makes me feel emotional.
She’s standing in front of a white bookcase, filled with colourful book spines, ornaments and a lush, green trailing plant.
She holds up a pink romance book. ‘I have finished reading this. It was spicy, yet in places an emotionally charged read. It was so well written that I felt like I was the female lead by the end, and he was my sexy boyfriend. I will say that if he were my boyfriend, I would have to do something with his obsession with beige roll neck sweaters.’
That was posted earlier. I flick through her new profile and see that she has several new videos. I watch her first one where she introduces herself, and then I watch the rest. By the end, I am fighting back tears.
We fell out because of my curse and my big mouth. If I had kept my mouth shut about Karl, Eva and I would still be friends.
I flick onto Instagram and see that she’s on there too with her book reviews and her pretty shelves. She must be back living with her mum, as I can see photos of her in a kitchen with a silver tabby cat who looks like her mum’s cat, Tiddles.
God, I miss you, Eva. I stare at a photo of her smiling into the camera.
A memory comes to mind. Before she met Karl, she and I created what we called her ‘Hot Rocker Manifestation Board’.
She was struggling on dating apps, and one evening, we decided she needed to manifest her ideal man.
As a teenager, she’d had many crushes on rock stars, so she decided that she would manifest a hot man from a rock band to date.
I brought home some old music magazines, glue, and coloured paper, and we sat at the kitchen table, drank wine, and made her Hot Rocker Manifestation Board.
On a piece of pink A3 paper, we wrote down ideas about his appearance and qualities: a skilled musician, looks hot in leather, hairy chest and bushy hair.
We then glued pictures of Kurt Cobain, Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Hutchence.
Once we finished the board, we pinned it up in the kitchen and did a celebratory dance.
I wipe away a tear. ‘I hate you, curse. I hate you so much.’
Since Oliver moved in, Lenny has become…
demanding. After watching the hustle and bustle of the street below, I rise from my chair and announce that it’s time for bed.
Lenny looks up at me, opens his mouth and begins a protest meow that doesn’t end until I comply.
I pick him up. Instantly, the meowing stops.
He purrs loudly in my ear as I carry him to bed, like he’s royalty.
I suspect Oliver is behind this, attempting to buy Lenny’s loyalty with extra cuddles. This is unsettling.
* * *
It’s two in the morning, and I can hear raised voices in the hallway. One of them belongs to a drunken Oliver, and the other to Jamie. They woke me up a few minutes ago after one of them slammed the door. I hope they will head to the living room, and I can go back to sleep.
BANG. THUD. CRASH. The sound of my hallway table hitting the floor is followed by something smashing into tiny pieces.
‘Ollie,’ cries Jamie. ‘Look what you’ve done.’
‘Mum’s vase,’ I gasp and shoot out of bed.
My heart is thudding away in my chest.
I can hear drunken groans.
‘Ollie, help me clear this up,’ urges Jamie.
‘They did this to me,’ slurs Oliver. ‘I will never forgive them.’
‘Mate, we’re not talking about them. You need to get a dustpan and brush.’
He’s broken Mum’s vase. That’s what Jamie is referring to.
Anger flares inside of me. I’ve had enough. This is getting ridiculous. I march to my door and yank it open. The bright light makes me blink. Oliver is sitting against the wall with his head in his hands. Jamie is crouched down low, picking up pieces of the vase.
Jamie looks up when he sees me. ‘Oh, Nelly – I am sorry.’
Oliver looks up and gives me a drunken smile. ‘Hello, Nelly,’ he mumbles as his eyes go wonky.
I stare at the pieces of the vase. ‘You’ve broken Mum’s vase.’
‘Sorry,’ mumbles Jamie.
‘I’ll buy you another one,’ slurs Oliver.
I glare at them both.
Jamie reaches down and pulls Oliver to his feet. ‘Let’s get you to bed.’
Oliver tries to bat his hand away. ‘Leave me alone.’
Jamie shakes his head. ‘You need some sleep.’
I watch Jamie drag Oliver to his feet and lead him up the hallway.
I drop to my knees and stare at the scattered pieces of Mum’s vase.
With a trembling hand, I reach out to pick up one of the broken pieces.
In my head, I can hear her instructing me to be careful when carrying it.
I used to help her clean our old living room, and I would always offer to move ornaments and this vase to a safe spot while we dusted and polished.
Tears rush to my eyes and plop onto the wooden floor.
This vase is like a time machine. Every time I look at it, my mind transports me back to when Mum was still alive, and everything was still whole.
Now my time machine has gone. ‘Mum,’ I whisper and press the piece to my chest.
After going into my room, I grabbed a shoe box and carefully put all the pieces inside it.
Chucking on my dressing gown, I pad into the kitchen and make myself a cup of tea.
There’s a knock on the door and I turn around to see Jamie looking sheepish. ‘I’m sorry. I feel bad for the vase. He’ll also feel guilty in the morning when I remind him.’
‘It’s okay,’ I mumble.
‘It meant a lot to you – the vase – yes?’
I nod and wipe a stray tear. ‘It belonged to my mum. She’s no longer with us.’
Jamie lets out a heavy sigh. ‘He got a text message from someone who had upset him. We ended up drinking back at my flat.’
‘Thanks for apologising.’
‘It’s no excuse, but he’s going through a rough time.’
I watch my tea bag tear apart in my mug of hot water and spew its tea leaves, which adds to my frustration. This flat share with Oliver isn’t working. I can’t carry on like this. Maybe having a flatmate wasn’t a great idea. Perhaps I should have tried to cope with my financial woes differently.
‘He’s a good guy – honest.’
‘Is this why he’s not writing?’
Jamie sighs. ‘Yes. I wish he would talk about what’s going on in his life as even I am getting tired of this non-stop drama.’
‘Is there something I should know about?’
‘Molly…’ He stops. ‘I am going to let Oliver tell you himself. Goodnight, Nelly.’
I sit at the kitchen table with my notebook, sipping my tea, and make a list of all the things that are not working with this flat-sharing arrangement.
After jotting down all the times Oliver has woken me up, the secret cuddles he’s given Lenny when I am not around and him knocking over Mum’s vase, my mind wanders.
I picture him and find myself writing – ‘buttons undone on shirt a lot’ and ‘dangerous smile’.
* * *
I didn’t get back to sleep until five. My eyes feel puffy, and it’s an effort to haul my tired body out of bed. The pungent aroma of bay leaves greets my nostrils and makes me gag as I leave my bedroom and head for the bathroom.
Luckily, there is no sign of Oliver. As I pass his closed bedroom door, I think about Mum’s smashed vase. Maybe I could find some glue and piece it back together?
Jamie’s voice echoes inside my head. Who is Molly, and what has happened between her and Oliver? Is she the reason why he doesn’t believe in love?
After I’ve showered, fed Lenny, and grabbed my bag, I head to work. Outside, I’m greeted by a bright blue sky and golden sun rays, which take away my sadness about Mum’s vase.
I wonder whether the bay leaves lifted my curse. This could be the start of my new curse-free life. It’s time to get a takeaway coffee and somehow touch the young barista’s hand to see if the bay leaves worked. My hopes soar as he prepares my drink.
Behind him is a noticeboard with a photo of him and an attractive young woman with long blonde hair pinned up.
They seem to be in the middle of a jungle, surrounded by thick green vines.
Their cheeks are pressed together, and they’re both wearing huge ear-to-ear smiles. I feel they are madly in love.
This is my pivotal moment. All those stinky bay leaves under my mattress must have got rid of my curse.
I could touch his hand and see nothing. He and his adventurous love interest look happy together.
I don’t want to know how their love ends.
I take a deep breath and pray that Rosie Flint knew what she was talking about when she suggested my friend stick bay leaves under her mattress.
I recall Miranda telling me that Rosie was knowledgeable about hexes and magic. I am feeling confident.
I ensure our hands briefly brush as he passes me my cup, and my heart sinks. A flash of white light captures my attention.
I see him performing CPR on the young woman with blonde hair. They are at the edge of a rainforest and on the bank of a fast-flowing river. Her hair is wet, and her clothes are sodden. He has pulled her from the river. The CPR doesn’t work, and I watch him start to sob over her lifeless body.
Excellent – a flat white, flavoured with disappointment at Rosie Flint’s naff advice and an extra shot of tragedy.