‘What are we going to do?’ Dada asks the others.
‘We are going to tell her that’s what.’ Francesca responds in that typical bossy tone.
‘We can’t tell her.’ Maya argues.
‘Why not?’
‘Because this will send her into a spiral and then what.’
Franny rolls her eyes. They are sitting around her kitchen island in her home in Chelsea. A friend of a friend sent her a text message this morning; Brodie Sterling was spotted at breakfast with one of his sisters. She gathered the troops and within the hour wives and their husbands showed up in her home to decipher this impending disaster.
‘What’s your argument for telling her?’ Adam, Maya’s husband asks, trying to be reasonable. This Blu and Brodie thing has sent them all in a warp of emotions, especially their wives who are the very best of friends.
‘She ought to know the truth.’ Franny says, matter-of-factly. ‘Wouldn’t you want to know if it were you and Maya?’
Adam reasons with her point, she makes sense, but he also sees the others point of view about this sending Blu in a tailspin.
‘Look Blu is not a child she is trying to deal with this as best as she can, let’s give her the space to.’ Simi says.
‘Simi space is not what she needs.’ Dada says, ‘but I also don’t want to tell her this and she becomes all discombobulated.’
‘So what do you propose we do?’ Franny asks, topping up their coffees.
‘Babe, both arguments have merit.’ Roland says to his wife who is always firing off on all cylinders, Franny does things full steam and it can be a lot sometimes. Like this time.
‘I’m not saying it doesn’t, the fact is our best friend should know that her fiancé or ex-fiance or whatever we are calling him, the same one she dumped at the altar is back in town. If she finds out that we knew and didn’t say anything to her, she’ll never forgive us. I know I wouldn’t.’
‘You’re still mad at Mary O’brien from boarding school because she pulled your chair as you went to sit down.’ Dada snorted.
‘She can burn in hell the little witch.’ Franny giggles.
‘Alright, let’s not lose focus here,’ Basil, Simi’s husband brings them back before Franny goes off on a tangent about her many nemesis’ ‘I agree with Franny, Blu needs to hear from us and she needs to hear soon before she sees it on Facebook or some such place. And let’s not forget this is Blu, she won’t go into a tailspin she is the consummate get your shit together person if there ever was one, she’ll deal with this. We simply need to let her know we are here for her if she needs us and fall back.’
‘See, there’s your sensible argument.’ Franny says, vindicated.
‘Ultimately this is between Blu and Brodie, as involved as we all are in our lives, we need to give them room to deal with whatever it is they are going through.’ Seamus says. He’d grown very fond of his wife’s best friends, and has come to think of them as sisters. He understands their need to get involved but he also knows, in a matter between a man and his partner, wife or otherwise, room needs to be given for them to figure things out as best as they can without outside interference. No matter how close they all are, the fact still remains, they are outside interference until such a time Blu and Brodie choose to get them involved.
‘You think we should contact him?’ Dada asks.
‘Brodie?’
‘Yes, but not you.’
‘Why not?’
‘You know why Franny.’ Maya says.
‘Look, whatever our issues and I’ve no idea what they are, I’ll be honest, what Blu did to him was terrible. Much as I love her, I can admit that it was terrible to witness the whole thing. He loves Blu, I love her, so we have something in common; the rest is just what it is. Life.’ She shrugs, taking a sip of her coffee.
Dada shakes her head with a little laugh, she has no idea how she and Franny came to be friends but she cannot imagine her life without her bossy boots of a friend in it. They have been through everything together and this is something they all just have to muddle through. ‘Okay, you boys talk to Brodie and we’ll take Blu. Make sense?’
‘No.’ Seamus answers.
‘Why do you think not?’ Dada asks her husband.
‘I just said let’s give them room.’
‘And we are, we simply need to find out where they both are in this situation and after this we’ll give them all the room they need.’
‘Oi vey.’ Seamus sometimes cannot with his friends.
‘This happened in October, they’ve had plenty of room.’ Franny hops of the bar stool.
‘What are we going to say to him when we crash his hotel room?’ Adam asks.
‘You’ll figure something out. Find out what he is doing back in town… the usual men stuff. Go to a football game or something.’ Franny says.
‘A football game.’ Dada asks with a raised brow.
‘You know what I mean, bond with him and find out things. Have a beer.’
‘Okay.’ Roland is already putting on his coat, there is no point arguing with the best friends about this, their minds are clearly made up. ‘We’ll call you with what we find out.’
‘One more thing,’ Maya says before they disperse. ‘What are we doing about the cottage, are we still going?’
‘Last I checked with Blu she insisted we go without her. I told her it wouldn’t be the same and still she insists.’ Franny informs the group.
‘Should we consider selling? Dada asks.
Silence falls around the island, this is a big decision, something that affects them all deeply, it is more than just a cottage, it is a connection amongst five women and by extension their husbands and families. It is where they go to reconnect with each other physically, to curdle the bond of friendship, settle their differences, celebrate each other… it has become one of each of them in a sense; they invested pieces of their heart in it and they’d grown even more in love with their friendship there. This is a big decision.
‘Let’s take it one problem at a time okay.’ Roland says.
‘Agreed.’ Seamus answers for the group.
They file out of the kitchen to their separate assignments.