But what have I got keeping me here?
Jemma?
Fuck her! I’ve tried so hard with my sister,so hard. I’ve done everything I could to make her like me. To make herunderstandme. I’ve tried for months now! But she doesn’t give a shit about me and she never will. That argument last night was the final straw. There’s no going back after that. Not after the things she said. Not after the things we said to each other.
I’m done with this place – with this country. Why would I stay somewhere no one wants or cares about me?
‘Come back to America with me, Clara,’ Brandon says seriously, grabbing my hands. ‘Give us one more chance. You owe us that – you owemethat after everything you’ve put me through.’ He winks. ‘And I’ve already bought you a plane ticket. Please?’
I take in his beseeching face. My husband. He’s so handsome. And maybe things will be different this time! We’ll both be better. We’ll both try harder and give it everything we have. Every marriage takes work and this is my chance to be truly happy. No more running away. I need to givethismy everything and forget about the disaster of the last few months, trying to be something I’m not.
I reach for him. ‘OK,’ I say simply as he grins and leans in to kiss me again.
I’m going back to America. I’m going home.
PART THREE
Narrator:
Noooooooooo! Clara, noooo! Jemma, noooo!
I won’t lie to you, readers, I’m distraught. They finally seemed to be finding common ground. Even if that common ground was the Lidl superstore in the frozen aisle, debating breaded mushrooms.
Sigh. It’s very disappointing.
But maybe these two are just not meant to be friends. Personally, I’m a big proponent of chosen family and these two don’t have to choose each other.
Although it would be nice if they did.
I wish they could see the kindness in each other’s hearts. It’s better common ground than breaded mushrooms.
For now, let’s return one final time to Jemma on that plane, and – oh look – she’s just left the loo. I’ll be honest with you, reader, I really think she would’ve stayed in there for the duration of the flight, trying to figure things out, but someone kept banging on the door.
Jemma negotiates a drinks trolley, as she heads back towards her seat, down the plane aisle. She knows her mysterious pen pal’s namenow, of course, but her face gives nothing away as she spots her nosy seat companions.
She sighs, and I don’t blame her – do you? Those two are exhausting, though I will admit I’m rather glad they made her read the letter. I mean, gosh (sorry, I can’t help saying it), how much longer could she have put it off?
She pauses, hovering in the aisle, frozen with indecision.
‘Excuse me!’ An impatient fellow passenger doesn’t wait for her to move before pushing through and past her.
‘Sorry,’ Jemma mutters despite herself, feeling herself shrink. She turns around, her eyes roaming around the rows of passengers; some sleeping, most staring at the screens from under blankets. It’s clear she’s decided not to return to the red-eyed woman or Nose Ring – and is now looking for someone else instead.
She moves back in the direction of the loo. I half expect her to go in again, knowing her penchant for hiding, but she doesn’t. She continues on, towards the rear of the plane, her eyes still searching. She gets all the way to the end before sighing sadly and turning back – where she almost bumps head first into a familiar figure.
At the sight of him, her face breaks out into a delighted smile and she lurches forward and into his arms.
He laughs lightly, pulling back after a moment.
‘I found you,’ she says softly, looking into his face and squeezing the letter in her hand. Into the face of her housemate and old friend, Harry.
Chapter Thirty-FourJEMMA
‘Whoops, Ange, look at the time!’ Mum leaps out of her chair, gesturing for Angela to join her. ‘We have to meet Gina in twenty minutes.’
‘Who is Gina?’ I ask through a forkful of mashed potato.
‘She’s our officiant!’ Angela beams at me, as she stands up, pulling on her coat. ‘She’s delightful.’
