The Story of an Author

Chapter 2

 A new neighbour, a new friend, a new start.

Emily looked at herself in the mirror, her fair hair fell like string around her tired eyes and dominant cheeks. Next to her she saw another face, familiar, but never seen before. Her  hair was naturally curly, and it shone about her lively, gleaming eyes and childish grin, then Emily hesitated, who was she staring at? Quickly and rather embarrassed, she realised that her guest had already been shown in.

"Hello, er.. how can...  ermm how can I help you?" Emily stuttered and finally managed to say. She wasn't used to addressing strangers who had just appeared on her doorstep.

"oh! I am your new neighbour, Jean" she beamed showing the most biggest smile that Emily had ever seen, this comforted Emily greatly and put her more at ease, out of the uptight manner she had gotten used to.

"I'm Emily. Glad to meet you." then she remembered "well that's my cover name, I'm a writer but no one knows my real name, even I  have forgotten."

"oh how sad! You know when I was little, I was always pretending to be someone else and then I realised that only I could be me, and I could only be myself, so I made the most of it!"

Emily looked at Jean blankly. "yes...well then..."

"Would you like to come around for dinner tonight?" Jean asked.

"yes well..." Emily started.

"I'm inviting everybody, I couldn't leave you out!"

"yes well..." Emily said again, not knowing what to make of this loveable, bouncy character.

"Wonderful! Do bring along your husband as well, it's my birthday so we are celebrating at 7:00 is that alright for you?”

Emily nodded, quite speechless “err bye then!” she called as Jean rushed down the drive with enthusiasm. Turning around, she shut the door and pinched herself, it all happened a bit too quickly, Emily wasn’t sure if she liked it! But she went about busying herself with other things.

Later on there was a light flutter at the door and then she realised that it was in fact Thursday, and every Thursday she received a letter from her son:

   

        ‘ Dear Mum,

            We wish you a very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY from all of us in the shared house. We know that you don’t tend to celebrate your birthday but we could at least treat you with this gift card we have sent you-seeing as I am not there for your birthday.  We hope you have a great day!

    We will be breaking up for a Spring Term soon and many of us ………………..’

It went on. But Emily was too deep in thought about the present time to take anything more in. Another red envelope in her husband’s writing, and a bunch of flowers had been left  on the hall table. Emily smiled to herself.

Five to seven and Emily looked in the mirror again, again she saw the same old face staring back at her. She twirled her hair through her fingers and it softly fell to its usual place again. Dressed in her usual but not often worn party dress, she made her way down through her drive and up to the next.

There were all the signs of life outside Jeans house, party lights, balloons and guests spilling out onto the front veranda showing the enormity of the event. Emily had never before seen life in the neighbourhood and now it seemed that there were more people than all the houses could hold together!

Walking in, drinks and food was served and music blared out all of the greatest songs. Then she saw Jean in front, fighting her way through the crowd.

“You look lost!” she half shouted across to Emily.

“Oh no! Just haven’t been to a party in years, not a proper one like this anyway!” Emily handed Jean a small gift and card. “It’s only small, but Happy Birthday!”

Jean’s face lit up with delight “Thank you! You shouldn’t have, oh wait there, just stay there for a moment.” Jean disappeared and a few minutes later reappeared with a small parcel and handed it to Emily. “I heard it was your birthday too!” she winked and moved on, Emily turned around but she was lost in the crowd.

Slowly and carefully, Emily moved towards the quieter lounge where she sat on a couch and heaved a sigh of relief. She sipped at her drink that she had picked up from the table and she moved in closer toward the open fire. Just before she closed her eyes to enjoy the atmosphere however, she noticed an older woman than herself sitting opposite her staring at her. Emily felt uncomfortable as it seemed as the eyes were burning right through her head and fixating on the wall behind, it was such a hard stare!

Emily shuffled about a bit and tried to smile, she hesitated and her smile vanished. Then she looked straight back at the woman and decided that the best thing to do was to say hello.

“Hello, I’m Emily, enjoying the party?”

As you can imagine, looking back on this conversation, Emily realised that the answer did not need verbal clarification. It wasn’t the best start.

“If I wish to remain friends with my host, I cannot answer honestly.” The woman said shortly. “I am Marion; I live not too far away from here.”

“Ahh!” said Emily, and glanced at the floor, she didn’t really know what else to say. Now, the old woman’s stare was not on the wall behind her but at her, analysing every detail of Emily, the full essence of what made up Emily.

Finally Marion spoke with a proud voice. “ I remember being in your position” she said clearly and confidently.

“How could you ever mean that?” cried Emily indignantly, horrified at the thought that Marion could compare herself to Emily. Emily wasn’t anything like Marion, was she? Sour bitter, deliberately anti social and so alone. “You know almost nothing about me” she mumbled.

“ Oh I bet you live in this lonely neighbourhood, slipping away from the rest of society, away in your own little world. Going around in circles really.” Marion carried on ignoring what Emily had said. How rude of her! “Pay no attention to foolish pursuits and don’t come out of your comfort zone. That’s my advice.”

Emily just stayed silent and moved to sit on the veranda instead.

The entertainment that evening was a noisy rowdy business and Emily sat uneasily in her chair next to Jean who seemed to be having a great time. She was grateful that Jean had recognised her vulnerability that evening.

“Come on Emily! Join in!” Jean cried over the din.

“But I don’t know what’s going on!” said Emily at an equal volume

“ Doesn’t matter! I don’t either”

But her last words were drowned out by an overwhelming roar of cheering and clapping. Emily felt hot and uncomfortable and she looked around for an escape. She saw Marion, all on her own on the side of the room pretending that nothing was going on around her.

“Can’t get through to her I’m afraid.” Jean nodded towards Marion “ I’m still trying, she was a bit like us once!”

at this, Emily was quite taken aback. Firstly, how was Marion anything like Jean? And secondly, she was surprised of how highly Jean spoke of everyone. ‘a bit like us’ she pondered. She didn’t understand the similarity between herself and Jean. Jean was fun, outgoing, and she looked ten years younger because of it!

Excitedly, Emily began planning her new story. Of course it had to be about Jean and Marion! She must investigate further! What is really behind all these comparisons? Emily was to excited to think straight and was suddenly knocked back by a crowd of people. She blacked out.