Nora: Not whiny. Just normal I suppose. Everyone has tough positions with their parents.
J: Yeah, but you shouldn’t let your mum take advantage of you. It’s okay to say no. And if you ever need a bit of strength before doing so, just text me and I’ll remind you.
Nora: Thank you. I actually really appreciate that.
J: Anytime.
J: Actually, I know exactly what you should say to your mother. You should stand up and say, “I fear this has become a relationship where you take exactly what you want and casually ignore all the things that really matter.”
J: (to Britain)
Nora: First Churchill, and now you’re quoting the fictional Prime Minister Hugh Grant from Love Actually?
J: Paraphrasing. Quoting is entirely nerdier. Paraphrasing is much more casual.
J: And look, it’s not my fault that your presidents don’t really have any quotable oration and even our fictional ones give us a lot of inspiring stuff to work with.
Nora: I think when I’m in London I’m going to bring you a few books about American Presidents. It seems that your education system has failed you on that one.
J: I look forward to it.
The thought of seeing him in person makes my stomach lurch with some mix of fear and excitement. But before I can dwell on that too fully, George is giving me a growl to get me moving. So I shake it all off and get up, trying to find my swishiest skirt to give me armor against the headache-infused day ahead.
And it is indeed a long day. I have a full roster of clients and then a session with Ari, where she also doesn’t let me off the hook for indulging my mother. I tell her what J said, and she agrees wholeheartedly. But then she also makes me discuss how I’m feeling about the impending trip, and that all just makes the nerves come back again.
My day finally starts to feel like I’m going to be able to relax as I’m walking home from Ari’s office. My phone pings, and I pull it out, hoping it’s a response from J, but instead, it’s from Dane.??Want to join me at pool tonight? I need to distract Arbus and he always chokes when you’re around.??
I roll my eyes.
Nora: What a nice invitation that makes me feel so loved and appreciated.
Dane: I’m saying I appreciate your presence.
Nora: Because I theoretically ruin someone else’s game.
Dane: Right? And what could possibly be more imperative to my appreciation than helping me crush others at pool?
I get home and set my purse on the counter, shaking my head. How can I explain to Dane that there’s absolutely 1,000 percent no chance of me leaving my home this evening?
But before I can write her back and let her down gently, I notice that George hasn’t run up to greet me, and I start looking around. I know he can be a moody little worm sometimes, but he’salwaysat the ready when I get home.
And then I hear it. It’s a hammering that might actuallybea hammer? Pounding over and over, coming through the ceiling like it’s right on top of us.
Shit. It probablyisright on top of us.
I go into my room and crouch to see under the bed. George is lying on the floor, looking exceptionally irritated on the surface but with a shaky layer of distress underneath. The pounding stops, and I coax him out.
“Sorry, sweet boy,” I say, patting him and pulling him onto the bed so he’s at least comfortable. His Prozac helps with his anxiety generally, but when something is disturbing his peace, I know it’s particularly triggering. He normally projects such a tough exterior that whenever he’s like this, it breaks my heart a little. I rub his back to try and give him something grounded and familiar to soothe him. “I’m sure that was just the worst of it.”
But no sooner is the sentence out of my mouth than the pounding begins again. George crawls onto my lap and curls into a ball so tight I wonder if he’s suddenly become spring-loaded.
I know exactly who’s responsible for this, and it’s making me all the more irritated. With George still glued to my lap, I gingerly reach into my pocket to get my phone and text Dane back.
Nora: I’m trying to be the bigger person with Eli, but if he’s literally hammering something on the roof I’m allowed to be pissed about that, right?
Dane: Actually?
Nora: Yeah, and I came in and George was under the bed and very keyed up, so it’s obviously not like a quick thing that just began. It keeps starting and stopping and George is a mess.
