Page 74 of The Wish
Kelly simply nods.
Slowly Phil, Charlie and Sarah gather up their things. Max leads the way to the front door and everyone hugs goodbye.
Alex walks into the kitchen where Kelly has already put the kettle on. She rinses two cups, adds teabags to them and waits for the water to boil. Alex sits at the kitchen table, head down, exhausted. Max puts his head on Alex’s lap and is rewarded with a big hug.
The cups are placed on the table and Kelly sits opposite Alex.
‘In some ways,’ Alex says quietly, ‘what we did tonight was the easy part. Now we’ve got to finish the props, prep the studio. And . . . I need your help buying a couple of things for Jesse.’
‘I thought tonightwasthe wish,’ Kelly says, puzzled. ‘The videos, music, poems . . .’
‘It’s part of it. Now we bring it to life.’
He takes a breath.
‘We have a studio – a large soundstage. One whole wall is a curved screen, fifteen metres wide, five metres high. 300 monitors synced into one. What we built tonight – those visuals, that audio – they’ll play across that wall. And Jesse and her family will be in the middle of it, surrounded by real props, immersed. Like they’re in the park again. Or at the beach.’
Kelly stares. ‘That’s . . . like a movie.’
‘Exactly. But it’stheirs.A home movie, sure. But one that looks like cinema.’
‘Wow,’ Kelly mutters.
‘Here’s another way of looking at it. Consider someone writes a movie, a screenplay. The producers then go and find the locations and create the sets to film the story. What we have done is combined the screenplay and the location and set designs; the actors now just walk around the stage, sit at a table, walk on a beach, all in the comfort of our studio as we transport them into the scenes.’
Alex pauses, looking at Kelly. He’s lost her.
‘OK, let me give you an example of what we need to do. Think about the scenes of the park with the rotunda.’
‘OK, I remember; it is beautiful.’
‘Right. Yes, it is. Well, Jesse told me she and her family used to go to that park to play and they would have a picnic in the rotunda. One day she overheard her mum saying to her dad that this would be the perfect place for a wedding.’
‘A wedding?’ Kelly’s eyes widen. ‘Who’s getting married?’
Alex holds up a hand. ‘It’s symbolic. Something Jesse and I talked about. Our team’s recreating the rotunda set from the images. We’ll stage a picnic, just like they used to.’
‘And the wedding?’
‘She wants to slip into a simple white dress, hold flowers, and walk towards her family. They’ll turn, see her there – just for a moment. A memory her mum can keep.’
His voice falters. He can’t finish.
Kelly stares at him, tears brimming.
‘You’re really going to do that,’ she whispers. ‘You’re giving them that moment.’
She stands so suddenly her chair topples. Then she’s in his arms, hugging him tight.
He pulls her onto his lap, and they stay hugging for a long time, holding each other in silence.
CHAPTER 31
Helmet in hand, Alex knocks on Jesse’s front door. Stepping back to wait for it to be answered, he admires the manicured front yard, the flower gardens that border both side fences, the quaint gnomes carefully placed amongst the flowers, and wonders if they were put there by Jesse or Sam. He can’t help but smile. So, this is what a ‘normal’ home looks like. Realising it has been some time since he knocked, he knocks again. He is startled when someone speaks from behind.
‘There’s no one home,’ a neighbour over the fence is telling the woman who is walking up the drive towards him. The confused look on his face has her repeat, ‘They’re not home.’
Realising it is his turn to say something Alex blurts out, ‘Oh thanks, I guess I’ll come back later.’
