“It seems your play was a great success,” Isabelle soon says, filling in the deafening silence.
“Thank you. It was,” Juliette answers unenthusiastically. “Best night of my life, really.”
“I’m happy for you. You deserve it.”
“Oh, I deserve it alright,” my boss says. “I took what should have been a remarkable evening and opted to turn it into a complete misery. Because why get everything I ever wanted when I can self-sabotage instead?”
“Are you talking about the play?” Isabelle asks. “The reviews are all extraordinary.”
“I’m aware of that, but no, I’m referring to my private life. Though I am glad that you read the reviews. Did they make you feel bad about yourself?”
“Of course not. I was pleased for you.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
The couch shifts in front me, and I watch from underneath as Juliette’s feet move to stand behind one of the armchairs.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel agitated,” Isabelle eventually says. “I was just hoping to spend some time with you.”
Juliette doesn’t move from behind the chair. “Listen, I’m depressed enough as it is. If you’re here to deliver the final emotional blow, rest assured, I’m more than capable of doing it myself.”
“That’s not at all my intention,” her sister says. “And I know I’m the last person you want to see or talk to right now, but we should have had this conversation thirty-four years ago.”
Juliette does move then, her feet tracking across the carpet like a caged animal’s. “Oh, spare me. Maybe you’re in the mood for your big redemption scene, but I can tell you right now, I’m not feeling it.”
Then Isabelle is the one to stand, though her feet remain firmly planted in place. “You know what, Juliette?” she says, her voice taking on an uncharacteristic hardness. “Forgive me for being rude, but I honestly don’t care if you’re not feeling it. I’ve given you time. I’ve given you decades, and clearly that hasn’t worked, so we are going to have this out. Maybe you’re happy existing with this festering rift between us, but I’m not.”
“How convenient,” Juliette says, suddenly moving closer to her. “It’s amazing that you’re only now plagued by the rift between us after I proved last night how capable I am of getting through life on my own. What happened between us came from your hands. You tore everything we were apart, and for what? Better clothes? A pat on the head from our dear daddy?”
“I grew up, Juliette! I moved on. My priorities changed and my dreams shifted, and the last time I checked, that wasn’t a crime.”
“Your priorities changed?” Juliette asks incredulously. “You abandoned me. We were each other’s whole world, and then you fed me to the wolves.”
“Really? I fed you to the wolves? If that’s the case, then why are we now standing in your luxurious penthouse? Why have your dreams become a reality if I was seemingly so intent on your failure?”
“Because I worked my ass off! I didn’t take the easy way out, and I didn’t go crawling back to our family the way you did. You sold out, like all cowards do.”
Still entrenched behind the couch, I roll off my stomach and onto my back, staring up at the ceiling above me. I shouldn’t be here. Not in this room and not in this moment. It’s all so wrong that I feel itchy in my own skin. I turn my head and watch as Isabelle takes a tentative step towards her sister.
“I sold out because I didn’t have your talent, Juliette. You didn’t need help, but I did.”
“So why not tell me that back then?” Juliette asks sharply. “Why instead choose to hurt me in the most excruciating way possible? You ripping your friendship away from me wasn’t enough, so you decided to take Paul and our future away, too?”
Both women hold their ground as Juliette’s accusation seems to fall between them. It’s Isabelle who speaks first. “What happened between you and Paul was your decision. Though, I admit, I could have handled things better.”
“Could have handled things better?” Juliette challenges. “You sued me! You were going to take me to court over the house because you knew I couldn’t fight you, and you knew that you would win.”
“Ithreatenedto sue you—I didn’t actually sue you. There’s a big difference.”
“Oh, go to hell,” my former boss seethes. She crosses the space and drops back down onto the couch. The material shifts, and Isabelle’s feet are beside Juliette’s as she sits down once again as well, this time closer than before.
“I was wrong, Juliette. Okay? In retrospect, I should have done things differently, but I didn’t, and all we can do now is move forward.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” Juliette tells her. “You’re the one who has a problem with how things stand between us, not me.”
“Can you try, just for one second, to see things from my perspective? I thought I was doing the right thing. You had all the talent in the world, but things weren’t happening fast enough for your liking, and I could tell you were getting discouraged. And whether you want to admit it or not, I knew you looked up to me. I knew you were watching. You watched as I quit acting and went into real estate, and you saw how everything started coming together for me. I got married. I got pregnant, and you told me that maybe I had the right idea.”
Juliette’s feet disappear from the floor, and I can only assume she’s now sitting cross-legged on the couch. “Good god, what a monster I was. I’m so sorry I had the audacity to admire you.”
