‘What you heard?Or saw in a trashy magazine?’ I shook my head like a disappointed parent.‘You shouldn’t believe everything you read.’
I could’ve launched into a rant about all of the lies that have been printed about me and lectured Halle on the damage that reading that trash does and how those stories can literally destroy people’s lives, but what would be the point?Most people believed that bullshit.They thought that just because it’d been written in black and white that it had to be true.
But I decided not to say anything more about it because although I hadn’t known her for very long, my gut told me that Halle was a decent person and she didn’t mean any harm.
‘Sorry.You’re right.I…’ she stuttered.‘I shouldn’t have said that.I know better than most people that what’s printed in those magazines is rubbish.I apologise.So you actually like gardening?’
Her response caught me off guard.She’d read my mind.She understood.
‘Yep,’ I said still processing the fact that she’d apologised and actually seemed interested in finding out more about the real me.‘I love it.’
‘What do you love about it?’
‘It’s satisfying.You plant a seed and then every day you get to watch it grow into something beautiful.Ain’t nothing more rewarding than going to the garden and picking, then eating and cooking something you grew with your own bare hands.’
‘Oh, wow, so you have an allotment?’
‘It was one of the first things I created when I bought my first home.I always wanted a garden big enough for me to grow things.’
‘What sort of stuff do you grow?’
Halle was using the present tense because obviously she didn’t know that my house, my garden and everything I loved had been ripped away from me.And I wasn’t in the mood to talk about it or correct her.
‘All sorts.Tomatoes, peppers, carrots, lettuce, watermelons, sweetcorn, squash…’
‘That’s really cool.’
‘Thanks.Gardening is really calming too.Almost like meditative.When you’re in the fresh air, watering or weeding or planting, it’s like you zone out from everything else.’
A pain shot through my chest.Damn.I missed my garden.
‘What about you?What do you like doing?’ I asked, desperate to draw the attention away from me.‘What’s your passion?’
‘I don’t really have one.’
‘Come on.Everyone has a passion.If you could do anything or be anyone in the world, what would you choose?’
She paused, looked at me then diverted her glance quickly, like she was assessing whether or not to share.Maybe it was too personal.
‘You’ll laugh.’
‘Why?Do you want to become a comedian?’ I joked.
‘Very funny.’
‘I try.Come on.I won’t laugh, I promise.’
‘A nail artist,’ she said softly, like she’d just confessed to being caught watching porn at work by her boss.
‘That’s cool!’ I smiled.‘That explains why your nails always look so pretty.Why would I laugh at that?’
‘I used to love going with Mum to get her nails done when I was younger.Seeing how the technicians transformed people’s nails and the way it boosted their confidence was amazing.So I started practising on my friends after school.Eventually Mum didn’t go to the salon any more.I did her nails for her instead.Both my parents encouraged me to pursue it professionally.Vanessa did too.But other people think it’s silly.’
‘Those people are jerks,’ I replied.‘Don’t listen to them.It’s an important form of art and creativity.It requires real skill to create designs on such a small area like nails.It’s impressive.If that’s what you’d like to do, you should pursue it.Don’t let the haters stop you.It’s your life, not theirs.’
‘Y-yeah.’ She blinked quickly, like she was shocked.‘Thank you.Not everyone gets it.’
‘No problem.’
