Five weeks ago, Adrian had told her he wanted a divorce, and now she was surrounded by strangers on the floor listening to gongs. She had no idea where she was headed next in her life, and she was being accompanied on her journey by a tarot-reading teacher, a monosyllabic hiker, a quilt-making widow and a secretive man-child. It made her laugh and cry even more. Her feelings were a messy jumble, clamoring to be let out, and she emitted a low howling noise.
The gong sounds eventually dispersed and the room slowly came back into focus. Ginny wondered if her guests had been affected in a similar way to her, too.
She removed her eye mask and felt like everyone was staring at her. Leo cast her a knowing smile. Oddly, she was the most concerned about what Nico must think of her behavior. She stood up and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, her tears still pouring.
A hand touched her shoulder and there he was, with his chocolate-brown eyes and kind smile. “Are you okay?” Nico asked.
She appreciated his concern and the others gathered around her, too.
Ginny shook her head, wanting to disappear. “No, I’m not okay,” she sniffed, her emotions still releasing. She needed to be strong for the others but was failing miserably, letting them all down. “My husband has left me and is cheating on me. I thought we’d be together forever.”
“There, there.” Heather handed her a tissue. “I’m so sorry.”
Ginny balled the tissue in her fist and was unable to stop her words from flooding out. “I’m dating him online and he doesn’t even know it’s me.”
Curtis stared at her in bewilderment. “For real?How does that work?”
Heather nudged him in his ribs.
“We’re both liaising on a dating site and getting along well, rediscovering our connection. But it’s all built on lies. I’ve been pretending to be someone else, but I want Adrian to love me again forme,” Ginny said.
Heather pulled her closer and made soothing noises. “Oh, honey, you deserve better than this. Hang on in there.”
Edna pursed her lips. “You should never settle.”
Ginny caught Eric’s eye, expecting him to look away, but he smiled at her sympathetically.
They all edged closer together, until they formed a clump of white-robed, broken people. Hesitantly, they wrapped their arms around each other to form a protective circle.
Only Curtis loitered on the outskirts, circling his bald spot with a finger. He opened his mouth, as if considering what to say next. “Looks like we all need to get a grip,” he said eventually.
When no one laughed and Edna glared at him, he tightened the belt on his robe. He stepped forward, reaching past Heather, and placed his hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “Let’s be honest here,” he said solemnly. “Your husband sounds like a right douchebag.”
Everyone froze until Ginny broke the silence with a chortle. “I think you’re right. He wasn’t always like this,” she said, starting to cry again. But this time her sadness was mixed with laughter. She didn’t feel so alone with her problems any longer. In fact, her shoulders felt much lighter. “I’m so pleased you’re all here with me.”
Between a gap in the bodies around her, Ginny saw Gianfranco take Nico’s arm and lead him away. She overheard his next words.
“If you charge higher prices, you will get better guests,” Gianfranco told his friend. “Ones that are less strange.”
20
Roses
After leaving the gong room and the security of the group hug, Ginny’s head felt floaty. Gianfranco led her and the others toward an area with white leather sofas arranged in a circle. Cups of mint tea awaited them, and a huge bowl of fruit sat on a wooden table that looked like a log sawn in half.
They each sat down, sipped their teas and smiled meekly at each other while Gianfranco and Nico hovered around in the background. Now that Ginny had revealed her heartache and her subsequent liaison with Adrian in full, the atmosphere between them all felt warm and close. “Does anyone else want to talk about why they’re here?” she asked.
Heather nursed her cup to her chest and took a long, deep breath before speaking. “Now that you’ve opened up, Ginny, I feel able to share my story, too.” She gnawed her lip a little. “My mum has dementia and doesn’t recognize me most of the time. I’ve tried therapies and positive thinking, but they’re failing and so am I. Mum’s turning into a different person and I just feel so helpless to do anything about it...”
Edna nodded with understanding. “A couple of my friends have dementia and it’s so difficult to cope with. Please don’t punish yourself, it sounds like you’re doing the best you can.” Her voice trailed away and her knuckles whitened as she clasped her hands together in her lap. “I just feel so terribly lonely and afraid. I’m at the age where I might not wake up one morning, or even know if I want to. Would anyone even notice or care that I’d gone? What do I bring to the world any longer?”
“Many wonderful things, Edna,” Ginny said firmly. “Including creativity and great wisdom.”
Heather nodded in agreement.
Eric gave his beard an awkward rub. “I really miss Bess,” he murmured.
“Pets are family,” Edna assured him.
