Cecelia Ahern - The Gift & Thanks for the Memories

‘Sexy,’ Frankie says, waving a little dress in front of me.

‘It’s an opera, not a nightclub.’ Kate whips it away from her. ‘OK, look at this. Not formal, not slutty.’

‘Yes, you could be a nun,’ Frankie says sarcastically.

They both turn away and continue to root through the rails.

‘Aha! I got it,’ Frankie announces.

‘No, I’ve found the perfect one.’

They both spin round with the same dresses in their hand, Kate holding one in red, Frankie holding the black. I chew on my lip.

‘Stop it!’ they say in unison.

‘Oh my God,’ Justin whispers.

‘What? You’ve never seen a pink pinstripe before? It’s divine. Worn with this pink shirt and this pink tie, oh, it would be perfect. Oh, Al, I wish you’d wear suits like this.’

‘I prefer the blue,’ Al disagrees. ‘The pink is a bit gay. Or maybe that’s a good idea in case she turns out to be a disaster. You can tell her your boyfriend’s waiting for you. I can back you up on that,’ he offers.

Doris stares at him with loathing. ‘See, isn’t this so much better than that other thing you were wearing? Justin? Earth to Justin? What on earth are you looking at? Oh, she’s pretty.’

‘That’s Joyce,’ he whispers. He had once read that a blue-throated hummingbird had a heart rate of one thousand two hundred and sixty beats per minute, and he’d wondered how on earth anything could survive that. He understood now. With each beat, his heart pushed out blood and sent it flowing around his body. He felt his entire body throb, pulsate in his neck, his wrists, his heart, his stomach.

‘That’s Joyce?’ Doris asks, shocked. ‘The phone woman? Well, she looks … normal , Justin. What do you think, Al?’

Al looks her up and down and nudges his brother. ‘Yeah, she looks real normal . You should ask her out once and for all.’

‘Why are you both so surprised she looks normal?’ Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

‘Well, sweetie, the very fact that she exists is a surprise,’ Doris snorts. ‘The fact that she’s pretty is damn near a miracle. Go on, ask her out for dinner tonight.’

‘I can’t tonight.’

‘Why not?’

‘I’ve got the opera!’

‘Opera shopera. Who cares about that?’

‘You have been talking about it non-stop for over a week. And now it’s opera shopera?’ Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

‘Well, I didn’t want to alarm you before but I was thinking about it on the plane on the way over and …’ she takes a deep breath and touches his arm gently, ‘it can’t be Jennifer Aniston. There’s just going to be some old lady sitting in the front row waiting for you with a bouquet of flowers that you don’t even want, or some overweight guy with bad breath. Sorry, Al, I don’t mean you.’ She touches his arm apologetically.

Al misses the insult he’s so upset about the bombshell she’s dropped. ‘What? But I brought my autograph book!’

Justin’s heart beats the speed of a hummingbird’s heart, his mind now at the speed of its wings. He can barely think, everything is happening too fast. Joyce, far more beautiful up close than he remembers, her newly short hair soft around her face. She is beginning to move away now. He has to do something quick. Think, think, think!

‘Ask her out tomorrow night,’ Al suggests.

‘I can’t! My exhibition is tomorrow.’

‘Skip it. Call in sick.’

‘I can’t, Al! I’ve been working on this for months, I’m the damn curator, I have to be there.’ Thump-thump, thump-thump.

‘If you don’t ask her out, I will.’ Doris pushes him.

‘She’s busy with her friends.’

Joyce starts to move away.

Do something!

‘Joyce!’ Doris calls out.

‘Jesus Christ.’ Justin tries to turn round and scarper in the other direction but both Al and Doris block him.

‘Justin Hitchcock,’ a voice says loudly and he stops trying to break through their barrier and slowly turns round. The lady standing beside Joyce is familiar. She has a baby in a stroller beside her.

‘Justin Hitchcock.’ The girl reaches her hand out. ‘Kate McDonald.’ She shakes his hand firmly. ‘I was at your talk last week in the National Gallery. It was incredibly interesting,’ she smiles. ‘I didn’t know you knew Joyce,’ she smiles brightly and elbows Joyce. ‘Joyce, you never said! I was at Justin Hitchcock’s talk just last week! Remember I told you? The painting about the woman and the letter? And the fact that she was writing it?’

Joyce’s eyes are wide and startled. She looks from her friend to Justin and back again.

‘She doesn’t know me, exactly,’ Justin finally speaks up and feels a slight tremble in his voice. The adrenalin is surging through him so much he feels as if he’s about to take off like a rocket through the department store’s roof. ‘We’ve passed one another on many occasions but never had the opportunity to meet properly.’ He holds out his hand. ‘Joyce, I’m Justin.’

She reaches out to take his hand and static electricity rushes through as they get a quick shock from one another.

They both let go quickly. ‘Whoa!’ She pulls back and cradles her hand in the other, as though burned.

‘Oooh,’ Doris sings.

‘It’s static electricity, Doris. Caused when the air and materials are dry. They should use a humidifier in here,’ Justin says like a robot, not moving his eyes from Joyce’s face.

Frankie cocks her head and tries not to laugh. ‘Charming.’

‘I tell him that all the time,’ Doris says angrily.

After a moment, Joyce extends her hand again to finish the handshake properly. ‘Sorry, I just got a—’

‘That’s OK, I got it too,’ he smiles.

‘Nice to meet you, finally,’ she says.

They remain holding hands, just staring at one another. A line of Doris, Justin and Al standing opposite Joyce’s party of three.

Doris clears her throat noisily. ‘I’m Doris, his sister-in-law.’

She reaches diagonally over Justin and Joyce’s handshake to greet Frankie.

‘I’m Frankie.’

They shake hands. While doing so, Al reaches over diagonally to shake hands with Kate. It becomes a hand-shaking marathon as they all greet at once, Justin and Joyce finally releasing hold of one another.

‘Would you like to go for dinner tonight with Justin?’ Doris blurts out.

‘Tonight?’ Joyce’s mouth drops.

‘She would love to,’ Frankie answers for her.

‘ Tonight , though?’ Justin turns to face Doris with wide eyes.

‘Oh, it’s no problem, Al and I want to eat alone anyway,’ she nudges him. ‘No point being the gooseberry,’ she smiles.

‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stick to your other plans tonight?’ Joyce says, slightly confused.

‘Oh, no,’ Justin shakes his head, ‘I’d love to have dinner with you. Unless of course you have plans?’

Joyce turns to Frankie. ‘Tonight? I have that thing , Frankie …’

‘Oh, no, don’t be silly. It doesn’t really make a difference now, does it?’ She widens her eyes. ‘We can have drinks any other time.’ Frankie waves her hand dismissively. ‘Where are you taking her?’ She smiles sweetly at Justin.

‘The Shelbourne Hotel?’ Doris says. ‘At eight?’

‘Oh I’ve always wanted to eat there,’ Kate sighs. ‘Eight suits her fine,’ she responds.

Justin smiles and looks at Joyce. ‘Does it?’

Joyce seems to consider this, her mind ticking at the same rate as his heart.

‘You’re absolutely sure you’re happy to cancel your other plans for tonight?’ Frown lines appear on her forehead.

Her eyes bore into his and guilt overcomes him as he thinks of whoever he is currently making arrangements to stand up.