R. J. Parker - The Dinner Party

‘You’re going to run out of space in a minute.’ A sly smile tugged at the corner of Connor’s mouth.

Nobody else was joining in. Ted regarded the blank pastel notepaper and empty envelopes that Juliette had placed in front of everyone.

‘Well … I’m not doing this on my own.’ Rhys looked around guardedly at the others.

Nobody put a hand to the pile of pens in the middle of the table. Jakob had his arms folded defensively.

Connor turned to Evie. ‘And this worked for your colleague?’

Evie nodded.

‘How?’ Ted asked.

‘Well, she’s no longer divorcing her husband.’ Evie pursed her lips.

‘Maybe you can invite her along to our next evening so we can compare notes,’ Connor retorted dryly.

‘Yes, it would be good to meet her at last.’ Jakob straightened in his seat but didn’t uncross his arms. ‘What about you, Evie? You started this.’ He raised one fair eyebrow at her.

Evie put down her wine glass.

‘Well, I suppose as my husband is so eager.’ Kathryn eyed the pens.

‘It’s my suggestion. Jakob’s right.’ Evie plucked a pen and started to write on her paper.

‘No thinking time for you either?’ Jakob emptied the remains of the decanter into his glass.

Evie ignored him, finished and folded her piece of paper in half.

‘I’ll get us some more wine.’ Juliette scraped her chair out.

‘Is that a good idea?’ Ted had already counted four bottles opened between them. Another one wasn’t exactly going to improve the atmosphere.

‘Don’t look so worried.’ Juliette began to rise.

‘Hang on.’ Rhys held out his hand to her. ‘You don’t get out of it that easily.’ He folded his piece of paper. ‘I’m done. I’ll get the wine.’ He slid it inside its powder blue envelope and fixed his gaze on Evie. ‘Do we seal them?’

‘I suppose so.’ She slipped hers into her peach envelope.

Juliette settled back in her chair.

‘OK.’ Rhys made a show of licking the edge obscenely while he looked at Kathryn. Then he placed it delicately on the table and thumped it a couple of times with his fist.

As if in retaliation, Kathryn reached past him and snatched up a pen.

‘Shall I select something from the rack?’ Rhys headed to where it was mounted on the wall.

‘Whatever you fancy.’ Ted was watching the glances Orla was throwing Connor.

‘Crack on then.’ Orla nodded at the pens.

‘Then we can change the subject and have some cheese and port?’ Connor seized one.

‘Yes.’ Orla followed suit. ‘God forbid we should talk about anything meaningful.’ Her hand moved across the paper.

Ted suspected it was too late to prevent what Evie had instigated but tried regardless. ‘Maybe we should do this another time. It is getting late.’

Juliette picked up a pen. ‘Come on. We don’t want to be the last.’

‘Very suspicious,’ Rhys chuckled. ‘I wonder what a therapist would read into that?’

When Juliette started writing, Ted began to feel uneasy.

Jakob caught his eye. ‘What if we can’t think of anything?’

Evie bit her lip. ‘You’ll think of something.’

Jakob shook his head. ‘So, there’s obviously something you think I should write.’

‘Whatever you feel guilty about. Could be a small thing, could be a very big thing.’ She let that hang between them for a few seconds. ‘You’ll think of something.’ Evie nodded at the pens.

Jakob sighed, reluctantly grabbed one and started scratching at his paper.

‘We’ve got to have a talk about your wine cellar.’ Rhys peered at the bottle he’d withdrawn from the bottom of the rack.

Ted knew it was a Rhys leftover. ‘Better ones at the top.’

Rhys squinted at them through his specs. ‘If you say so.’

But suddenly Ted realized he was the only person who hadn’t written anything. He looked at the top of Juliette’s silver-grey bob as she concentrated. What could he commit to paper? Not that . He couldn’t put that moment into words, couldn’t physically register what he didn’t even want to think about. Not for the sake of Evie’s stupid party game.

But Juliette had to forgive him for whatever was in the envelope, burn it to release him from guilt. Was he tempted enough to risk giving the secret a physical presence before it was willingly destroyed? No. Think of something else. This was just a silly stunt. He’d drunk too much wine. If they were all sober, they’d all recognize how foolish this was.

Juliette’s pen moved across the paper. What exactly was she writing?

‘I forgive you, Rhys.’ Kathryn was holding Rhys’s powder blue envelope in her hand. In the other she had a green transparent plastic lighter that Juliette had found.

‘That was pretty convincing.’ Rhys smiled humourlessly.

‘We all have to say it with conviction. Right, Evie?’ Kathryn’s eyes remained on Rhys.

Ted registered that Evie seemed transfixed by the couple facing each other over the table.

Kathryn rasped the flint of the lighter with her thumb and a flame flickered up towards the bottom edge of the envelope. She moved it closer and positioned both over the handcrafted yellow clay ashtray from Portugal that Ted’s parents had brought back for them.

Kathryn touched the flame to the paper, and it started to blacken, but after a few seconds, she extinguished the lighter and bit her lip. ‘I could just open it. What if I do that?’

Evie fingered an auburn lock behind her ear. ‘It’s not allowed. The trust has been placed in your hands.’

Kathryn seemed to enjoy Rhys’s uncomfortable expression. ‘Might be worth it.’

‘Are you forgetting that Rhys has your envelope?’ Jakob slurred.

‘Perhaps I don’t mind him seeing what’s in mine. Maybe opening them would be more honest than burning them.’

‘Maybe you’re right. Your choice, pumpkin.’ Rhys sucked on the hairs under his lip.

Now Ted wanted his own envelope back, wished he’d listened to his common sense. But the idea of having Juliette forgive him for what he’d written had been too difficult to resist.

Kathryn lowered the lighter. ‘Maybe there’s nothing but rubbish on mine.’ She was clearly relishing the moment.

‘Then you’ve cheated.’ Connor didn’t sound amused. ‘And if that’s the case, nobody plays.’

Orla eyed his lemon envelope. ‘Eager for me to burn yours then? We could all just open them now.’

But Evie interjected. ‘Stop teasing, Kathryn. Or hand him back the envelope. The sole purpose of the game is to release the past and unite for the sake of the future.’

‘You seem very keen to do that, Evie.’ Jakob reached for his glass, but it was empty.

Kathryn smiled at Rhys, then flicked the flint again. She played the lighter over the bottom of the envelope and the flames licked up the paper. She released it when they reached her French polished nails.

The envelope and its secret curled into black in the ashtray and nobody spoke until the last patch of blue paper had vanished.

‘I’d better open a window before we set the alarm off.’ Ted was glad of the distraction, slid the pane behind him open and let the freezing air pour in. But nobody sitting around the table complained about the cold.

‘My turn now.’ Rhys held his hand out for the lighter.

‘You can breathe,’ Kathryn said caustically and passed it to him. She shoved the ashtray and it slid across the table.

Ted wondered exactly what she’d just forgiven Rhys for. And did she now feel foolish because she had?

Evie sat straight. ‘We need a change in attitude here. This is to help us, not drive us apart. We’re all willingly doing this.’