Page 74 of The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love

Thank you for the 8Across, push/pull effect, 7. They’re acutely… 14Down, Another word for cheesy, 6

I’d grinned as I’d written the answers “magnets” and “kitsch”, into our crossword.

and add a certain 17Across, French, 4 words, 2, 2, 4, 5 to the artwork, and overall apartment décor.

17Across, “Je ne sais quoi”, had only come to me as I was getting into bed that night, and I’d wished acutely I’d been able to message him the answer. Instead, I’d had to wait until the following week’s visit to write the answer and leave him a note that said:

George,

I’ve included a New York cheesecake with this week’s grocery basics. How are you liking New York anyways? Is it super-different from where you lived in England? I’ve never been to England but hope I’ll get to visit, one day. Where would you recommend – apart from The Bedraggled Badger, which looks like somewhere everyone should visit.

George’s response had been:

Ashleigh,

The Bedraggled Badger is a dreadful place – as least that’s what we tell anyone who mentions it looks halfway decent. My brother is holding something over the pub landlord that makes him charge an exorbitant fee for anyone wanting to pose for a selfie on the premises. It’s the only way it’ll retain its specialness. In fact, maybe I should get rid of the picture my niece and nephew painted for me – you know, destroy all evidence. Except, what would I then use the fridge magnets for?

PS 3am’s random thought: Do you ever think about what it would be like if there were bridges between high-rises so that you didn’t have to go all the way back down to the ground to get to the next one? It would mean being permanently surrounded by great views (my favourite thing about living in The Clouds). The views don’t appear to help with insomnia but they’re restful to gaze at.

I’d thought about the postscript for days after reading it. Specifically, about the fact that he’s not sleeping. I could have mentioned de-cluttering, because a tidy desk equals a tidy mind but his place is clutter-free. In fact, maybe that’s the problem. I responded with:

George,

When I can’t sleep, I clean. Although I just realised in telling you to try that, I could be talking myself out of a job. I could tell you maybe to get on with some work, but it looks like that might be the problem? So I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest something more Zen. Have you thought about a hobby? Maybe: 33Down Japanese art of growing dwarfed trees, 6

I look at the tree between my legs. Let’s hope he doesn’t think this is part of the bonsai I was suggesting … unless he wants to invent Bonsai for Giants? The thought makes me snort out loud.

I wrote a postscript to him as well:

PS: I like the views from up in The Clouds too. I love the vibrant, pulsing, sense of being alive that’s so tangible at ground level, but there’s a serenity to the views from up high. Bridges, huh? I’ve always wondered about cranes you can summon like elevators… where you step out onto one and it swings you around to the next building. But I guess there’s the oxygen issue … probably need a lot more of it. Suddenly, your fake Ficus is looking even more redundant!

PPS I’ve sprayed a little lavender oil on your pillows to promote sleep. Let me know how it works out for you.

He never did answer what he thought about living in New York. Maybe he doesn’t have an opinion. Maybe he’s only here on a fixed-term contract. Maybe our book of crossword clues and notes and recipes and impressions will come to a crashing stop.

At that thought, I try telling myself there’ll always be another apartment to clean, right?

When he did eventually add another note, it read:

Ashleigh,

This morning as I watched the sunrise chase shadows across the cityscape, I thought about those time-lapse videos you get of light playing over mountain ranges (they always appear on ancient music videos or indie films to depict the passage of time). Anyway, it made me realise why I love the skyline so much. It reminds me of being in the mountains. But I guess at least in the real mountains you get to breathe in the fresh air. Maybe if our bridges and cranes were planted with trees like The High Line? You were right about work, but I’ll figure it out. I got a promotion, so I think a little less sleep is to be expected. The jury’s still out on the lavender spray.

PS More cheesecake, please.

Confession: I’m not the only one to have read this latest note from George.

It fell out of my bag and Carlos picked it up. To say the look on his face was enthusiastically eager to discover more, 4 letters (Answer: avid) was pure understatement.

‘What?’ I’d said, trying to snatch it back to tuck safely away again. I’d only bought the papers back with me so that I could concentrate on a crossword clue. At Carlos’s “Tell me everything right now” face, I’d attempted a shrug of indifference. ‘It’s just a note from George.’

‘Sweetie, this is not a note you leave a cleaner. Notes to cleaners go along the lines of, “Derek shat on the carpet, again. Sorry.”

‘I really hope that Derek is a dog in this scenario?’ I’d replied.

‘This,’ Carlos had waved the note around in the air like he was announcing it to the world, ‘this, is more like a sonnet.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I’d snapped, jumping up, surprisingly athletic, for once, to snatch it out of his hands, vowing to never think of having joint custody of the clutch of papers again, even if I had contributed to fifty per cent of the notes.

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