Journey’s End

by A. E. Radley

  Emily shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I’m glad he’s here. He… he helped you get on a flight?”

  “Yes, we’ve been playing airplane.”

  Emily was about to ask Olivia to explain what she meant when Nicole came rushing into the dressing room.

  “I just heard about Hannah. Are you okay?” She turned to look at Olivia. “What on earth are you doing here?”

  “Feeling very unwelcome,” Olivia replied.

  “I’m fine; my knight in shining armour saved me,” Emily replied.

  Nicole turned away from Olivia to look at Emily. “Hannah had been using someone else’s credentials to work here. It’s all coming out now. I’m so sorry; clearly our recruitment procedure leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve spoken with the company solicitor, and he is going to go to the police station now.”

  Emily felt some panic. “I don’t want to miss tonight.”

  “No need. The lovely, tall, and handsome sergeant tells me they have enough to hold her with the identity theft alone. They want you to call them in the morning. I have all his details.”

  “I bet you do,” Olivia said.

  Nicole turned around. “What are you doing here?”

  “Throttling Carl,” Emily mumbled.

  Nicole gave her a look, but then shook her head and held her hands up. “I don’t want to know. I have a play opening in less than fifteen minutes. I’ll catch up with you both later.”

  Nicole rushed out of the room, and Emily turned to Olivia again.

  “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but I have to echo Nicole’s question, why are you here?”

  “I had an idea,” Olivia explained.

  Emily itched to point out that having an idea wasn’t a prelude to flying halfway around the world. Before she got a chance to say anything, the corridor outside the dressing room started to thrum with people. Everyone was getting ready for curtain up. It wasn’t the best place to have whatever conversation they were about to have.

  Emily grabbed Olivia’s hand.

  “Come with me.”

  38

  Olivia allowed her wife to drag her through the back corridors of the theatre. The behind-the-scenes world was just as chaotic as she had imagined. People were getting changed in corridors, and heavy props were being carried through narrow gaps.

  She was thankful when they got out of the busy area and started to climb a set of concrete steps.

  “Where are we going?” Olivia asked.

  “Somewhere where we can have a conversation without being in the middle of the mayhem,” Emily replied.

  Soon, they were at the top of the theatre. Windows showed the London skyline at night. Olivia smiled to herself at the familiarity.

  Emily opened a door and gestured for Olivia to step inside. It was small, but there was a desk and a chair.

  “Do you work here?” Olivia asked.

  “Sometimes.”

  “It’s a cupboard.”

  “It’s quiet,” Emily corrected. She gestured to the single chair and Olivia sat down.

  Emily sat on the edge of the desk and looked down at her. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said.

  “I’m very happy to be here.”

  “You said you had an idea?”

  “I did,” Olivia confirmed.

  “An idea that caused you to board a plane, which you said you’d never do,” Emily pressed gently.

  “I spoke to Nicole,” Olivia said.

  “Okay?” Emily sounded confused, clearly not picking up on the connection.

  “She told me about the jobs in London.”

  Emily’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

  “I don’t want you to give up your dream.”

  “It wouldn’t be giving up my dream exactly,” Emily explained, but even Olivia could tell that it was half-hearted.

  “You love working here,” Olivia said. She looked around the cold and barren room at the top of the theatre. “I may not understand why, but I can see that you love it.”

  “I do. But I also love you and Henry. And I miss you both so much when I’m here. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t mention anything. I don’t want to keep commuting and seeing so little of you both. I don’t want Henry’s teachers to think I’m dead.” She chuckled. “And the cost. As much as I love the work and the experience and opportunities, I can’t justify the expense.”

  Olivia started to open her mouth.

  “And I don’t want you to pay for my travel expenses,” Emily said quickly.

  “I know,” Olivia said.

  Emily frowned, clearly having expected Olivia’s grand plan to be her funding Emily’s flights. But luckily, Olivia had learnt.

  “I know you don’t want me to pay for your travel. And I know you want to pay me back for the debts I paid off. I don’t quite understand why, but I know it’s very important to you. The last thing you would want is to add to those… perceived debts. I understand that.”

  Emily smiled. “I’m so glad you understand. I know it must sound odd to you, but I like to do things on my own. If I’m going to succeed, I want to have done it myself.”

  “I know,” Olivia said.

  “So, I didn’t mention the potential jobs in London because there’s no way I could afford the commute.”

  “You don’t have to commute,” Olivia said. “We could all live in London.”

  Emily stared at her.

  “We can buy a house. Here,” Olivia clarified.

  Emily continued to stare.

  “So that you can work here. And not commute,” Olivia continued.

  “You’d do that?” Emily whispered.

  “Of course!”

  Emily slid from the desk and paced the small room.

  “What about Henry and school?”

  “He’s learning the alphabet and basic math, which he already knows. He’d easily integrate into a new school.”

  Olivia watched Emily pace.

  “What about the house?”

  “I think we should leave it for now. If we think the move would be permanent, then we could rent it out or sell it.”

  “What about a visa? There are rules about working in countries,” Emily said.

  “There are, but you’d have a job and they’d help with the legal side of things.”

  Emily stopped and looked at Olivia seriously. “You mean this?”

  “Of course.”

  “What about you?”

  “What about me?” Olivia frowned.

  “Do you want to live in London?”

  Olivia shrugged. “I’ve spent more time in London than I have in New York in recent memory. And I-I’m sure I could find something to occupy myself.”

  Emily narrowed her eyes. “Spill it.”

  Olivia sighed and shook her head. She still didn’t know how Emily managed to see right through her.

  “I might have a business idea that would solve a few outstanding conundrums.”

  Emily smiled. “Go on.”

  “Well, volunteering at Henry’s school was very enjoyable. And it reminded me how much I enjoy work. But I wouldn’t want to go back to the hours I was working previously. I was thinking of establishing a charity that links businesses and schools. I have a vast network of people I could ask to go and speak in schools about finances.”

  “You can’t ask five-year-olds to apply for mortgages,” Emily said.

  Olivia gave her a look. “Clearly not. That would infringe on the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.”

  Emily chuckled. “So, what would these businesses say?”

  “For example, someone working in an accounting firm could volunteer their time to go to a school and talk about the importance of savings. Keeping things simple so children understand. That person has then done something worthwhile, and they have something to put on their resume.”

  Emily smiled. “Meanwhile, the school has a visitor to talk about something practical.”

  “Exactly, and the business gets some positive
PR,” Olivia finished. “It works well for everyone. Especially the children.”

  “Is this something you want to do?” Emily asked.

  “It is. I’ve previously done charity work and been involved in outreach programs, and I find them very rewarding. And I’ve always thought that catching children when they are young is the key to avoiding debt issues when they are older.”

  Emily nodded. “If I’d been taught more about debt, then I wouldn’t have been in the situation I got myself into.”

  “Well, selfishly, I’m glad you did,” Olivia quietly admitted.

  “It sounds like a big project to undertake,” Emily said. “Setting up a charity, arranging all the schools and businesses to work together. Presumably there will be legal points to take care of? Training?”

  “Yes, but I think I know someone who can help me.”

  Emily frowned.

  “Simon,” Olivia elaborated. “It’s come to my attention that he isn’t happy at Applewoods. He’s staying in the position because he feels I’d be disappointed if he didn’t. I enjoy working with him, and it’s a role where the first few months would be a start-up stage that we can take at our leisure.”

  “So, he can take time off when the baby comes,” Emily caught on.

  “Exactly. He can adjust his hours, work from home. Whatever he needs. I’m sure he’d like the idea.”

  “I think so, too,” Emily agreed. She blew out a long breath, folded her arms, and stared towards the window.

  Olivia looked from her to the window and back again. She knew it was a lot for Emily to take in. Maybe a normal person would have phoned, or even waited for Emily to return home, possibly given out the potential plan in small, easy-to-manage chunks, but Olivia had been consumed with the plan. It solved every issue. It was a solution, and she loved solutions.

  “I guess you’re already planning to look at houses?” Emily asked without making eye contact.

  Olivia couldn’t read her tone. “Yes, I have several appointments lined up for tomorrow. J-just as a starting point, I hadn’t made any decisions. Obviously.”

  Emily turned away from the twinkling skyline and looked at Olivia.

  “Well, it’s an improvement. Last time you bought a house without telling me.”

  “Technically, it was a house for me that I then asked you to move into,” Olivia returned.

  “Yes, because you really needed all those bedrooms,” Emily said.

  “Well, yes, okay, maybe I bought it with every intention of hoping you’d live with me.”

  “It would be nice to go house-hunting with you,” Emily said.

  Olivia felt her heart soar. “So… you agree?”

  “How could I not?” Emily asked. “You’ve come up with the perfect solution. You’re right, I do love my job. And it was painful to think I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore. If I can continue to do it, and you can work on something you like, and Simon can work with you again, then that’s obviously a solution that works for everyone. And, frankly, I’m still a little shell-shocked that you got on a plane and you’re here.”

  Olivia stood up and held out her arms. Emily crashed into them.

  “A new life in London, I like the sound of that,” Olivia said.

  “I’ll miss Tom and Lucy, and Irene,” Emily whispered into her hair.

  “We’ll visit them often,” Olivia promised. “I can’t stay afraid of plane travel. It will be good for me to have a reason to fly now and then.”

  “I don’t mean to interrupt…”

  Olivia looked up to see Nicole standing in the doorway.

  “It’s just that your play that has just opened on the West End is about to start, and I thought you might like to see it?”

  Emily pulled away from Olivia. “Oh my god, yes, I lost track of time!”

  “We’re a little delayed,” Nicole explained. “But it will be starting in a moment, so come on.”

  Nicole turned around, and Emily quickly followed her.

  Olivia exited the cramped room and closed the door behind her.

  “I need to talk to you about those jobs in London…” She heard Emily say.

  “I assumed as much. I have a telephone interview set up for you for tomorrow,” Nicole replied.

  39

  Emily couldn’t focus on a single word of the play. As she’d taken her seat and the lights had dimmed, she’d been wildly excited. But within a few moments her mind had drifted. She couldn’t believe how Olivia had appeared without warning, like a knight in an expensive, woollen trench coat.

  She’d never considered moving to London. The idea of uprooting Olivia and Henry for her own needs had seemed so selfish. But Olivia had offered the idea up as if it were obvious. Emily knew that her wife was invested in her happiness. Olivia demonstrated it every day. But it was something else to offer to move to a new country.

  Emily mused that this was another way that they were different. Emily saw obstacles and difficulty where Olivia saw opportunity and solutions. Olivia had lived and worked in London before. To her, it wasn’t as enormous a deal as Emily felt it would be.

  It was where their difference really shone and made them stronger as a unit. Where Emily wouldn’t even consider something because it seemed too much to ask, Olivia was already well into the planning stages of making it happen.

  Emily turned to regard the woman beside her. Despite the actors arguing on the stage and the ominous music building a crescendo, Olivia had quickly fallen into a deep sleep. She couldn’t be sure if it was the contents of the play or the jetlag. With Olivia, it could be either.

  She subtly turned around and looked at the rows behind her. People were staring, enthralled at the show in front of them. Emily wasn’t sure what she should be looking for on a preview night, but the open mouths and the occasional person hiding behind their hand seemed to be a good sign.

  She turned back and watched the stage. Jonathan was a good actor. He was a drama queen, but he almost deserved the title. She shivered at the memory of being in his dressing room with Hannah. She still couldn’t believe that she had been frozen into inaction. She didn’t know what might have happened if Olivia hadn’t shown up when she did.

  Suddenly she remembered Carl. Carl whom she had blamed, who’d had Olivia’s hands around his throat. She spied him a few rows in front of her, on the end seat, the same as she was. Staff were positioned on the end of rows so they could pop out of the auditorium if they needed to.

  She turned to ensure that Olivia was asleep and then stood and quickly walked up the rows. She tapped Carl on the shoulder and gestured towards the door. Carl looked terrified but followed her regardless. Once they were in the corridor, they waited for the fire door to slowly close so that their conversation wouldn’t bother the audience.

  “I just wanted to say thank you,” Emily said in a quiet voice. “And sorry. My wife is a little protective.”

  “You’re lucky to have her,” Carl whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about Hannah sooner. I’m, um, not very good with people and stuff. And she’s pretty scary.”

  Emily nodded. “She is; she did a one-eighty with me. One minute she was fine, and the next it was like Kathy Bates in Misery.”

  Carl grinned. “Yeah, she’s pretty weird. I should have said something. But then you didn’t say anything to me, so I thought you wanted to ignore it. And I didn’t know for sure that it was you who was being harassed. Or that it was Hannah doing the harassing. It was a bit of a mess. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine, really. Don’t apologise.” Emily felt awful. She’d misjudged Carl in a big way.

  “I’m sorry that you thought it was me,” Carl said. “I-I like you, but I don’t think of you like that.”

  “Oh, I know… I was getting paranoid,” Emily said.

  “Could you, um, tell your wife?” Carl asked.

  “Yes, don’t worry, there won’t be a repeat performance of that. Again, I’m so sorry. I feel like this has really put a damper on ever
ything. I did enjoy working with you, I probably should have been more patient with you.”

  “It’s fine, I know I’m a bit awkward to work with,” Carl said. “For what it’s worth, I really liked working with you, and I think you have a lot of talent.”

  “Thank you, Carl, that really means a lot.”

  “Nicole said that you’d be going back to New York. It’s a shame that you’re not staying. I’m presenting a scriptwriting course at a local college, and I was going to ask if you wanted to come along and help me present.”

  “Me?” Emily was flabbergasted.

  “Yes, you know more than you think. You have a natural storytelling ability that not everyone has. And you could learn from the bits of the presentation that I was doing. But you’re not going to be here, so maybe I could film it and send—”

  “Actually,” Emily interrupted with a grin, “there might be a change of plans.”

  40

  Ten Months Later

  “I cannot believe you talked me into this,” Olivia grumbled.

  “Me?” Emily laughed. “You were the one who wanted a baby, you were the one who moved a million miles an hour. Doctor’s appointment in a few hours, sperm donor picked within a couple of days.”

  “You should have held me back.” Olivia licked the ice cream spoon clean. “This baby has completely changed my personality. I don’t even like ice cream, and I’ve somehow eaten an entire tub.”

  “No one doesn’t like ice cream.” Emily took the empty cardboard container and the spoon from Olivia and placed them on the coffee table.

  “What if the baby never comes out?” Olivia asked. “What if it just stays in there?”

  “Then you’ll be fat forever,” Emily told her.

  Olivia whined. “You’re not helping me at all.”

  “You’re four months along,” Emily explained. “You’re not even halfway there. You can’t be moaning this much now, you’ll have run out of things to complain about.”

  “Doubt it.” Olivia held up her hand. “My ring doesn’t fit. Some of my fingers are fat.”

  “You’re retaining water, not fat.” Emily said.