Page 13 of Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society
‘Tan, teeth, layered hair,’ Cynthia explains. ‘His teeth cost more than his car.’ She laughs bitterly.
‘So … what? Too charming in the end?’
It’s a risky thing to say – maybe even a little mean – but if Cynthia’s going to tell some sob story about how her life just wasn’t perfect enough so she left it, Lorraine’s going to jump into the river. Or push Cynthia into it.
‘Too violent,’ Cynthia says, and it’s so blunt – sothere– that Lorraine gasps.
‘What?’ she says. ‘With you?’
Cynthia nods, tight-lipped. ‘It’s why Odette left. She couldn’t bear it any more. Nor could I, but …’ Another faraway gaze. ‘It can be hard to leave when your friends are all the same people and everyone thinks he’s just such a good guy.’
As Cynthia looks back Lorraine sees no sadness in her eyes, only strength, and she remembers anew that this is the woman who stood up to her own mother when she was pregnant, who insisted that everything would work out. Which it did. Until it didn’t.
‘So it’s taken me this long to get away from him,’ Cynthia says. ‘I could have walked away with nothing – that would have made it quicker. But his life – his work – was made better because I was in it. All those parties I put on, all those wives I socialised with just so he could make his connections.’
Her nostrils flare. ‘He fought me for a while. Trying to make me stay, actually. His line was that if I just stayed I wouldn’t haveto leave with nothing. But I never intended to leave with nothing, because I deserved something.’ Another flare. ‘I deservedeverything, especially after what he put me through.’
Lorraine nods, and feels both a mild thrill that her friend was so feisty and sadness that Cynthia didn’t trust her with any of this.
‘So how did you get away in the end?’ she asks.
‘Luckily he met someone else.’ Cynthia laughs again and it’s hard-edged. ‘Not lucky for her, because who knows what he’s doing to her. But lucky for me. She wanted to marry him and have his babies, he said, so suddenly he wanted the divorce done quickly.’
She sighs again, although this time it sounds like she’s letting go of dead air.
Lorraine considers what to say next.
‘You could have just told me what was going on.’ She nudges Cynthia. ‘We weremates, Cyn. We told each other everything.’
She remembers their late-night confessionals during high-school sleepovers, Cynthia’s brother yelling at them to shut up, the two of them sneaking out into the garden on warm evenings to sit under the giant palm tree and gossip about boys and teachers.
‘I would have understood,’ she continues. ‘Whatever you were going through, you could have told me. Maybe I could even have helped. I swear, if Mike had heard about this he’d have been on a plane so fast to get you out of there.’
A few years ago Mike had learnt that one of his best mates was beating up his wife. He was round there like a shot, telling the bloke he was going to call the cops and the wife that she could come and stay. The couple are still married but as far as anyone knows he isn’t hurting her any more.
Cynthia smiles. ‘I’d have liked to see that.’
‘Yeah, well … the offer’s always open.’
‘Thank you.’ Cynthia swallows. ‘Anyway, that’s the past. I can’t dwell on how many times I failed to get away from him.’ Her laugh is tight, forced. ‘I’ll drive myself mad if I do that.’
Lorraine nods slowly. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’ She sits back and crosses her arms, as she likes to do when she’s pondering something. ‘So, what do we do now? Do we just become friends again?’
‘Do you …’ Cynthia raises her eyebrows. ‘Want to? I’d understand if you don’t. It’s fine. Honestly.’
‘Hold your horses, princess.’ Lorraine cocks an eyebrow of her own.
She used to call Cynthiaprincessat school, because the boys used to treat her like she was one. But there was never any jealousy between them, about anything. Lorraine always loved and admired her friend, and she knew Cynthia felt the same about her.
‘We need some rules,’ Lorraine goes on. ‘Don’t cut me out ever again.’
‘Agreed.’
‘Don’t think I won’t understand what you’re going through, because I probably will.’
‘Okay.’
‘Right.’ Lorraine nods once. ‘Sure, let’s be friends again. I’ve never had another friend like you. I think I’d like having you back.’
