Then
Extract from THE magazine: An Interview with Milo Ford by Laura-Lee Lamb
Milo orders for us from the dive’s biblically thick menu.
A meat feast pizza, a cherry soda for me, and a pint of water for him, that he downs like he’s just completed a triathlon.
An old episode of nineties sitcom Just Shoot Me plays on a small, retro TV above the bar.
It’s muted, but in it, Finch is getting married.
It’s clunky, but I tell him I was kind of hoping for a wedding. A happily-ever-after for him and Lake.
Milo laughs, good-naturedly, signals to the waiter for more water. Ford is one of those people, I think, that you’d describe to your friends as someone you can say anything to.
‘Yeah, no, that’s . . . I’m afraid your hopes are going to be dashed there, Laura-Lee. Sorry.’ He gives a sideways, melancholic smile. ‘I don’t know. The leak struck a match. I thought it would burn out. But . . . turns out we were extremely flammable. And my heart still feels a little sore.’
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I let slip an ‘aww’. ‘I just mean it’s a shame,’ I clarify. ‘Heartbreak sucks.’
‘But is it? Is it really a shame? It’s better to know before any more time is spent, right? But I was definitely all in. Very ready to meet with her, and so was she. Or so I thought. Woke up, and I’m blocked. On everything.’
‘Out of nowhere?’
‘Yup. As far as I knew, she was coming to my hotel. Ah.’ He holds both palms up now, a napkin screwed into a golf ball in the palm.
‘Anyway. Probably already said too much. I might be a jackass, but I’m not going to talk about her publicly.
Shall we uh, [ laughs ] get back to talking about the new movie now? ’