Page 63 of Merrily Ever After
‘So no butlers in the buff unfortunately,’ Cesca sniggered and inhaled a piece of chopped peanut, causing her to cough and splutter.
Fliss slapped her back in the rough way only a sibling could get away with. ‘So, are you and Cole completely loved up?’
‘Completely,’ I confirmed. ‘He even gave me a pedicure tonight before I came out, I could get used to that.’
Nell put a hand on her chest. ‘How romantic! Olek’s idea of romance is to lift the duvet and stick his backside out before he breaks wind.’
‘Try living with a man whose favourite food group is pulses,’ said Fliss, grimacing. ‘He can lift the duvet hands-free.’
‘I sympathise,’ said Cesca. ‘I’ve heard your husband’strumpet voluntaryin the morning when he’s out in the garden. It’s not the best way to wake up.’
‘Woah!’ I put my hands over my ears. ‘You’re supposed to be telling me the benefits of marriage, not putting me off.’
‘Oh, there are lots of benefits of marriage,’ said Nell. ‘Um …’
The table fell silent while they all tried to think of something and then we all collapsed in gales of laughter again.
‘You and I are the only ones who haven’t been married,’ I said to Astrid. ‘Were you never tempted?’
I had always wanted to ask her this but had never felt like I should pry. She was such a wonderful woman, it struck me as odd that she’d been single for so long before she met Fred. But, as Astrid said, it was my night and if I couldn’t get away with probing tonight, then when would I?
‘Not really,’ replied Astrid. She put her hand on Hester’s arm. ‘I’m very fond of your father, but I like my own space.’
‘I get that,’ said Nell, dipping a piece of chicken into her satay sauce. ‘But I can’t believe you’ve never come close.’
Astrid tilted her head to one side. ‘Well … there was one time in Las Vegas.’
Everyone gasped and my eyes were like saucers; this was the first time I’d heard anything like this from my strait-laced friend.
‘Details please!’ I demanded.
‘Please remember this was a long time ago.’ She raised both hands. ‘Before I became your teacher. I was very young.’
‘You can tell us anything,’ encouraged Nell. She drew a circle in the air with her index finger. ‘Circle of trust. What happens on the hen, stays on the hen.’
‘Hear, hear,’ said Hester, drumming her hands on the table. ‘Come on, Astrid, spill the beans.’
‘OK, OK.’ Astrid smiled, peering into her glass. It was empty and Fliss quickly topped it up. ‘I was in California with some of my girlfriends travelling around.’
‘Like you do,’ said Fliss.
‘We got to Las Vegas and couldn’t believe it: the size of it, the glitz, the glamour. We were from a small town in Southern Germany, the most exciting thing we’d seen up until then was the Oktoberfest in München. After a few too many tequila sunrises one day, I met a man called Jurgos. He’d booked a chapel and was due to be married by an Elvis Presley impersonator. He was a big Elvis fan, you see.’ Astrid sipped her champagne. ‘But the problem was he hadn’t found a wife yet.’
‘Bit of a stumbling block, that, I’d have thought,’ I offered, trying to imagine a young Astrid knocking back tequila.
‘I told him I liked Elvis.’ She shrugged. ‘And he asked me to marry him. I said why not. It was allein bisschenSpaß, you know, just for fun.’
I gawped at her in disbelief.
‘And what happened?’ Cesca asked.
‘He went to buy a ring and I went back to our motel room with my friends, and we got dressed up. We were caught up in the moment, you know, just young women, fearless and carefree.’
‘Did he turn up to the chapel?’ Hester asked.
Astrid nodded. ‘In a suit and tie. He was very handsome. I wore a long flowing dress with wide sleeves in bright colours.’
‘Like tonight.’ I pointed at her purple patterned dress. Astrid was as addicted to colour as I was to candles.
