Did The Earth Move? (26 page)

'Do I? Oh no.'

'No – no, just joking.' What was she doing inducing further panic in the mother of the groom? 'You look fantastic,' Jen corrected herself, 'and this is just amazing.' Then she caught a glimpse of the groom. 'Look at Tom! My God! I can't believe it!'

'Eve!!!'
And now, here was Janie. A radiant, tanned, back from her solo holiday to South America Janie. And David beside her looking relaxed and happy... and the kids – they looked appalling! But Eve thought that was good to see. Christine was in the all-black Goth uniform with eyeliner 14-year-olds should be entitled to and Rick was entering the phase Tom had just said goodbye to ... long hair, falling down jeans and 'Hardcore' plastered over his T-shirt.

The important thing was, Janie had let them come like this. Everyone looked happy. This was so good.

She gave her sister a big hug.

'How are you bearing up?' Janie asked.

'Oh, I'm a mess. You have to sit next to me so you can pinch me when I start snivelling.'

'Dad is on his way up the hill,' Janie added in a funny sort of wait and see voice.

'Oh God, does he need any help?'

'No, no, no . . . Look here is, with his
laydee friend, Martha!'
Janie stage-whispered.

Eve turned to see her father, almost within earshot of them now, looking like some ageing English screen star, all buttonhole, suit and bright white shirt. On his arm was a curvaceous, dazzling blonde who could hardly have been a day over 60.

'Met at the hospital, apparently,' Janie explained.

'No!!' Eve was stunned.

'Evelyn!' Her father had spotted them. 'Got someone here who'd love to meet you. Martha – she wants to do a bit of yoga, you know.'

Eve kissed her dad and wanted to start on a list of questions but...

7s
that Dennis!!!!????'
came Janie's frantic whisper now.

Eve turned to look and nodded.

'Hello, Dennis, Susan . . . come and say hello to Janie and her family.'

It was all perfectly restrained and civilized, lots of polite handshakes and 'Good to see yous' exchanged. Eve and Janie exchanging surreptitious glances and waggling eyebrows at each other. Their father making a reasonable effort to hide his disapproval of this man.

Eve thought it was funny how surprisingly English Dennis and his family looked. Morning suit for him, lime green taffeta and hat for her. She thought almost two decades of living abroad would have de-Anglicized them a bit.

Their teenage daughters had cleavages and legs on display in bright minidresses with matching jackets. They looked ravishing and when she went up to say hello, she could smell clean hair, melon perfume, the juiciness of being 14 and 16.

Finally, everyone was in place and it was time for Deepa to walk slowly, calmly up the path to the top of the hill on her father's arm with Anna following behind.

Eve took long, deep breaths, put a smile on her face and tried not to cry at the first sight of them.

She was in the front row with Denny on one side, Robbie squirming on the other, Janie and her family beside them.

Joseph was in the row behind and Eve imagined that Dennis and his family weren't too far away either.

She tried to keep her eyes on her little son and his stack of wooden trains as Deepa and Tom took their marriage vows and then began their home-made promises to each other. She hoped, with Robbie as a distraction, she would manage to get through it. But every once in a while she looked up and saw Deepa, eyes fixed full beam on Tom, delirious with happiness, and she choked up all over again.

Tom was holding her hand, not letting go of her with his gaze, as he said: 'I'm going to love you, cherish you and honour you, Deepa – as best I can – apparently, it won't always be this easy.'

He got a little audience laugh at this, but continued, so sincerely: 'When things aren't going so well, I promise I'll think of today and remember how we felt.' Down to an almost-whisper, he added: 'Because today is perfect and there is enough love here today to last a lifetime.'

Eve couldn't contain it any more, she began to sob as quietly as she could manage. Robbie and his trains were fading into a tearful blur.
Enough love to last a lifetime...
Oh God. She was gasping with the effort of trying to keep her sobs under control. She felt a hand on her shaking shoulder. And she held onto it tightly. Had she once had enough love to last a lifetime? Only to push it away? The thoughts were avalanching in her mind and coming to rest at the realization that maybe this was never going to get any better. She saw now that the hand was Joseph's not Denny's and it made her cry even more. Was she going to regret breaking up with him for the rest of her life?

* * *

With a lot of pausing and eye wiping, Deepa was trying to get her promises out too and now the pair were kissing over her luminous pink bump to claps and cheers. Eve looked at them, Deepa in sparkly sandals and a mad pink sari – the white satin and froth dress had gone back to the shop – Tom with short hair in a suit. The two of them, barely in their twenties, understood commitment so much better than she ever had. They hadn't
changed
for each other but they had worked out that they had to grow towards each other, be prepared to meet in the middle. Or else there was no choice but to grow apart.

With her handbag full of hankies, she started a tear-stemming operation and managed to stand up, clap and smile.

'They're going to be good, aren't they?' Joseph was saying behind her.

She turned and smiled at him: 'Yeah, they are.'

'Are you OK?' he asked.

'I'm fine. Fine. Honestly,' she smiled, broke the eye contact and looked away.

And then she was caught up in the wedding whirl. . . photos and confetti throwing and the noise of 100-odd guests greeting, talking, congratulating. Amidst all this hubbub, Eve managed to get to Deepa and Tom as well.

'You cried, didn't you?' Tom asked her over the hug. 'You gushed.'

'Yes, I did, darling. It was beautiful.'

'Look at my ring!' Deepa, an arm round her new husband, was telling her. 'Look at it! This is what Tom. pulled out of his pocket to marry me with, I nearly had a heart attack! I can't get it on my fat fingers but it's gorgeous!'

Eve looked at the outstretched hand: three substantial diamonds were strung across her pinkie on the daintiest of bands.

'That is lovely,' she agreed ... and way out of Tom's budget.

'Please tell me you haven't spent the entire flat deposit?' Deepa asked just what Eve was thinking.

'Er .. . no. I've got a little bit of explaining to do on the ring front... but you won't be cross. I promise,' he told her as the next wave of relatives came to claim them.

In the marquee, Eve hoisted Robbie up into her arms and looked at the crowd to see who she should talk to next.

'Hey, Robbie, I almost forgot, I've got something for you.' Joseph was coming up to them again. She really didn't want to see him right now, still felt too shaken by the wedding ceremony.

He pulled a little train engine out of his suit pocket and gave it to Robbie.

'Thank you, Daddy Jofus.'

'Oh God,' Joseph groaned. 'That name makes me feel about a hundred and I can't get him to stop using it.'

'Poor Daddy Jofus,' Eve managed to smile.

'Oh, what a lovely couple.' One of Deepa's old aunties sailed up to them now. 'Look, your outfits even match, and is this your little boy?' Oh God, she meant
them.

'Yes,' they answered together. Their outfits matched? She looked at his cream suit and supposed they did. He had admired her dress already, but now he took another long look at it.

'Oh, he must bring you so much happiness. How old is he?'

'Three,' Eve replied.

'Is he your first?'

'Ah!' Eve smiled, unsure what to say. The whole saga of how she was the groom's mother, but she and the groom's dad had long parted, and she had two children with Joseph but they'd split up before Robbie was born... it all seemed too long and too complicated.

'No, we've a daughter as well,' Joseph said.

'Oh that's lovely. One of each. How lucky. Are you going to have more?' This asked with the cheekiness only ageing aunties can get away with.

'Oh well. . . we'll see.' Joseph again, sparing everyone's blushes.

'I think Deepa wants a boy,' Eve said, hoping to steer the auntie off their case.

'Oh yes. And look at the shape of her. It's a boy all right,' the auntie smiled at them both and then sailed off to accost more innocent victims.

'Is Nils here today?' Joseph asked.

'No ... he couldn't come, unfortunately,' Eve lied. But this was easier to tell him than the truth and anyway, she wasn't sure she wanted Joseph to know that her most significant relationship since him had broken up so quickly.

'We need to have a chat . . . probably not today,' he added, taking in the sea of guests she had to go and mingle with. 'But I'm moving back to London.'

'Really?'

'Yes ... the environmentally friendly business projects,' he smiled. 'I'll tell you all about that... but what I want you to think about is letting me have the kids two or three nights a week. Shared care.'

'Right.' Oh God, massive step. Two or three nights a week! She wondered if she could do it – and at the same time felt so happy that he wanted to.

'Eve, there you are!' An arm went round her waist and she turned to see Janie. 'Oh Joseph, hello... it's been ages.' Janie looked very pleased to see him. 'How are you?'

And was it Eve's imagination or did he squirm slightly at her: 'So you're getting married?'

When Joseph took Robbie off in search of juice, Janie couldn't stop herself from telling her sister: 'He's absolutely lovely. Far better looking than I remember.'

'I know,' Eve said. 'He gets better with age. It's not fair.'

'And he's so good with the kids.'

'Janie!' Eve warned. If Janie was warming up for a 'why did you let that man get away?' lecture, she'd picked the wrong day. 'Tell me all about your amazing holiday.'

The meal whizzed past, the speeches... she had a million people to speak to. Deepa's entire family, not to mention charming Uncle Rani, carefully name-placed beside her for the meal because the bridal couple hadn't been able to help themselves from a bit of optimistic matchmaking. A psychologist by profession, Rani had wheedled her whole life story out of her – well, that was how it felt – between Robbie distractions.

Now it was time for dancing and Jen was by her side, with a glass of fizz – no non-alcoholic-it's-my-turn-to-drive fruit punch nonsense for her – still wearing her hat, boobs spilling out of something black, silver and tight.

'Your children all look beautiful,' Jen told her. 'And so do you, you skinny cow.'

'Look at you! You're gorgeous, I love you,' Eve smiled, full-on emotional mess now.

The music had begun at sunset and Jen's youngest boy, John, was jiggling alongside Anna on the dance floor. Robbie was copying them from a safe distance.

'Are you all tearful and mother of the groom-y?' Jen put an arm round her.

'Of course. Don't get me started.'

"They're a lovely, lovely couple. I'm sure they're going to be fine.'

'I hope so.'

'That's all we can do, darling, keep hoping.' Jen took a slug from her glass. Terry's going to be OK now, I think.'

Terry, 21 now, had been a terrifying teenager, but did seem to finally be calming down.

Jen gave a subtle point in the direction of her smartly turned out older son. 'He's decided to become a plumber,' Jen told her.

'A plumber! Fantastic . . . He'll make more money than a rock star,' Eve laughed.

Lizzie from work came up to them now: 'Your ex-husband, by the way,' she told Eve. 'Total tosser. Your ex-boyfriend – bit of a different story.'

'Yup,' Jen agreed.

Eve was only half listening, she thought she'd heard something about a bamboo roof and a bamboo floor float over from the sound system. She tuned in to it now... yup, a song she hadn't heard for years was being played. A silly, silly song Joseph had been obsessed with one summer. She'd never even heard it anywhere else, 'The House of Bamboo': she'd assumed he had some obscure, one-off recording. And now, here he was, smiling at her, taking the glass out of her hand and pulling her onto the dance floor: 'For old times' sake.'
For old times' sake?
What was that supposed to mean? 'Did you bring this record?' she asked him.

'No. Nothing to do with me.' This was true. He'd been just as surprised to hear the song as she had.

It was the verse which rhymed 'magazine, oh' with 'cappuccino'. She'd forgotten how silly it was, hadn't thought about it for years but now found she knew all the words, including all the 'dum dum di dum' bits.

Anna and Robbie were already dancing, and Deepa and Tom. Even Denny and a girl she didn't know were headed for the floor.

She, Joseph and her children couldn't help singing along and doing all the stupid moves they'd made up that summer. Other dancers held back for a moment, aware this was a family thing, but they were waved to join in.

In the end, the DJ played the song three times in a row. Later, he would give the record back to Anna, who would pack it away in her rucksack without mentioning anything to anyone.

During the song, Eve kept her eyes on Anna and Robbie and laughed with them – anything not to think about the hand on hers, on her shoulder, round her waist. Joseph pulled her in, pushed her away again in a sort of jivey thing...
do do dee do.
Whenever she dared to meet his eyes, they were fixed on hers.

She couldn't know that at some point during the dinner Joseph had looked for her and seen her talking and laughing with Deepa's uncle, as she spooned food into Robbie's mouth. Joseph had watched her hands, small but strong, short gardener's nails, one gripped round the thigh of their son as she held him on her lap, the other balancing the spoon expertly. He'd looked long and hard at those hands and had a feeling of calm, of coming to his senses as he'd realized with total clarity that Eve, Anna and Robbie were the loves of his life. Everything else was just bollocks. Now all he had to do was make her see it that way.