Page 52 of Nora Goes Off Script
What the hell is that?
It’s called January. They don’t have that in L.A.?
I’m in New York.I freeze at the closeness of him. I’d been picturing him in L.A., if I have to admit that I am occasionally picturing him. It hadn’t occurred to me that he was ninety minutes away.Come over?I want to type, but don’t.
I think the conversation is over, as I can’t come up with a retort for his being in New York, but then there are bubbles.So what have you been up to?
Talk about a broad question. Being a mom? Shoveling snow? Making meatloaf? Trying not to think about you?Selling pain for cash, mostly, I say finally.
Ha. I think you owe me a cut.
I redid my kitchen.
Oh.
It was rude that you sent me all that money, I hope you know I sent it back.I don’t know where this is coming from, but apparently I need to get that off my chest.
I was just trying to make it seem like I was a renter
You were my lover
No kidding. I thought I was covering for you
I’ve got to go. Excited to tell the kids.
Ok I guess I’ll see you guys there.
Where
At the Oscars, Nora.
I need to wake up my kids. It’s a Monday and I’ve sat on the porch way too long. First, texting Leo, then my parents, Penny, and Kate. Kate’s going to take me to lunch to celebrate and also run through this last text conversation for logic.
Bernadette screams when I tell her. Like a real live high-pitched little girl scream. Arthur throws his body around me.“Mom, I knew this was going to happen. I knew you could do it.”
“I see you in lavender,” Bernadette tells me. “But with a spray tan and some highlights.”
“Are you trying to turn me into Writes-A-Lot Barbie?”
Celebratory pancakes are followed by celebratory drop-off and a celebratory run. I meet Kate at the café. She’s waiting with two glasses of champagne. “I can’t freaking believe it.”
“Same.” We toast to that and laugh.
“So what did he say?”
I hand her my phone.
“What was he ‘covering for you’ for?”
“No idea.” I pick at my Cobb salad. “Like, is he protecting me from people finding out we were shacked up? I wrote a movie about it for chrissake. What do I care?”
“I’d tell everybody,” says Kate.
“I can’t decide whether to focus on this, the most exciting moment of my career, maybe life. Or the fact that I’m going to see him.”
“I’d be focused on seeing him,” she says as she spears a piece of shrimp. “Though you need to psych yourself up so you don’t freak out like last time.”
“This feels different. Like last time I saw the two of them I was terrified they’d turn and see me and feel sorry for me. Now that it seems like he’s borderline angry at me, I feel kinda like a badass.”
