Miss Wrong and Mr Right (35 page)
Read Miss Wrong and Mr Right Online
Authors: Robert Bryndza
Tags: #Humour, #british comedy authors, #satire, #love sex and marriage, #romatic comedy, #British humour, #love stories
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The reviews were wonderful, and for the next five weeks, through August and into the first week of September,
Macbeth
ran to packed houses. The day after the show ended was the eighth of September, and London seemed to switch over to autumn. It was blustery and cold, and there was the smell of wood smoke in the air. I hadn’t heard anything from Jamie, and the idea of me and him had been pushed to the back of my mind as I buried myself in work at the theatre.
Ryan was due to fly back to LA the next day, so Sharon threw him a farewell party at her house in New Cross, to celebrate the successful conclusion of
Macbeth
, and that he’d reached thirty-nine days of sobriety.
Gran had been spending a lot of time with Giuseppe, since meeting him on the night of the premiere, so she was very keen to come to the party too. She assured me they were just friends, but I thought it could become something more. She was now fully recovered, back in heels, and her walking stick a distant memory. She’d sold all her jewellery and was trying to work out where she could afford to live – last week it was Rio, this week it was Scotland. I hoped it would take her a long time to make up her mind. I loved her being around. It made coming home to the flat less lonely.
At the party Ryan gave a toast to Fred and Sharon, and presented them with a personalised Ryan Harrison calendar. This one, however, was very funny and contained pictures of Ryan with Amy and Felix. My favourite was March, where Ryan was posing outside a phone box as Dr Who with his assistants Amy and Felix.
I was just in the hall retrieving my phone from my bag to take some pictures, when there was a knock on the front door. I opened it and there stood Jamie. He was dressed in jeans, a shirt and tie and was carrying a bottle of wine. He looked gorgeous.
‘Hello,’ I said.
‘Hi Nat,’ he grinned.
‘I didn’t know you were back in London? I mean obviously you are back in London, you’re standing here on the doorstep which is in London…’
‘Sharon invited me…’ he said. ‘I was supposed to be here earlier but, you know, engineering works on the train.’
‘How are you doing? I left you a couple of messages…’
‘Yeah, sorry I didn’t reply. It’s been a weird few weeks. I’ve needed to get my head round things.’
‘Of course,’ I said. There was an awkward pause.
‘Thank you for the flowers, by the way, from you and your family, for Nan,’ he added.
‘You’re welcome…’ I said. There was an awkward silence. ‘So, are you back in London permanently?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know. I’m weighing up my options…’ he said. ‘You must have seen that Tuppence quit the show.’
‘Yes, sorry about that. What’s with all those adverts for iced tea and deodorant now running on the big screen?’
‘I signed a year’s lease on The Big O, and it was the only way I could pay the rent,’ said Jamie. ‘Although, ironically, I make more money showing adverts for iced tea and deodorant than I would if I put on a show.’
‘And what’s Tuppence up to?’ I asked.
‘She’s finishing filming her reality show, and she’s incorporated her alopecia into a new burlesque act. Now the final thing she takes off is her wig. She gets a guy up from the audience to polish her head with a lace handkerchief. She’s a survivor.’
‘That’s not quite the word I’d use for her,’ I said. There was a pause. He stared at me for a moment and then smiled.
‘What?’ I asked. ‘Have I got something on my face?’
‘No, I just realised something,’ he said. ‘You’re thirty-five.’
‘Gee thanks…’
‘No, you look beautiful,’ he added. ‘It suits you.’
‘You don’t look bad yourself,’ I said.
We stared at each other.
‘Do you remember that day, our wedding that never was?’
‘How could I forget?’
‘I asked you when you might be ready to marry me, and you told me it wouldn’t be until you were at least thirty-five…’
‘That seemed like a hell of a long time in the future,’ I said.
Jamie nodded.
‘And yet, here we are.’
‘I should have said forty-five,’ I added, only half joking. ‘Anyway, Jamie, I was a different person back then. And you said wedding or nothing. It was kind of an extreme ultimatum.’
‘You’re right, it was,’ he said. We paused again.
‘This still feels all messed up,’ I said. He hesitated and then put his hand out.
‘Then let’s start again,’ he said. ‘From the beginning. Hi, I’m Jamie Dawson.’
I looked at his hand for a moment and then took it in mine.
‘Hello, I’m Natalie Love.’
‘Pleased to meet you Natalie,’ he said. Just then Sharon came bustling past.
‘Jamie! I’m so glad you made it. What are you doing Nat, keeping him out on the doorstep? Come in, we’re in the living room, about to cut the pavlova,’ she said, and bustled off back down the corridor.
‘So where do we start, getting to know each other?’ I asked. He leant in and gave me a kiss. His lips were warm and firm and I felt a jolt of desire in my stomach. He slowly pulled away and smiled.
‘That’s a bit forward, for someone you’ve only just met,’ I smiled.
‘I’m almost thirty-six, time is ticking,’ he replied.
‘Well, you’d better come in then,’ I said.
Jamie grinned and stepped inside to join the party, and I closed the door behind us.
A note from Rob
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Miss Wrong and Mr Right.
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