The Catalyst | Joanne

Chapter 10

"Oh, okay. This is adorable." Joe held up a picture someone had drawn of the two of them. "They've done a really good job."

Dianne smiled as she looked at the picture Joe was holding. It still amazed her that such talented people chose to spend their time drawing pictures of her and her boyfriend.

"Jealous?" she teased Joe.

"A bit" he admitted. "I wish I could still draw like I used to. I'm a bit out of practice. When I was in school, it was all I ever did. I doodled all over every piece of homework."

Dianne grinned. He still did it now. "If you were their age now", she gestured back to the picture, "you'd so be a fan art guy. You'd be drawing pictures for all your favourite people."

Joe laughed. "Probably. I mean, I used to do pictures for my family all the time." He paused. "What kind of fan would you be do you reckon?" A smile crept over Dianne's face; Joe had begun to pick up more and more of her little Aussie quirks and phrases. The way he now said 'd'ya reckon?' with the pitch going up at the end was so funny to her. It was just so typically Australian.

Trying to remember what Joe had asked before she got too distracted, Dianne took a moment to think about her answer. "Well, I can't draw that well. And I'm not into writing or anything. I... I think I'd probably run some kind of fan Instagram. Like the ones where they find the clothes you're wearing? One of those, maybe."

"I can see that" Joe said with a grin. "Or I could see you, like, making silly sketches with your friends and tagging a load of people in them to try and get noticed."

"Probably," Dianne answered. "I mean, that's basically what I did with Chris Lilley and it worked." She picked another gift bag from the pile on the floor and began going through its contents, watching as Joe put the picture down and did the same. The number of gifts she had been given on her tour was thoroughly overwhelming. She had glanced through the bags when she had been given them, but she wanted to really take the time to go through everything and appreciate the little tokens people had given her and that had meant waiting until the tour had come to an end.

Joe had been out to buy a few large boxes to store things in while she was away. Dianne was adamant that she wanted to keep absolutely everything; people had put a huge amount of effort and money into what they gave her. Everything was special; she wanted to be able to go back through it in years to come and remember. When her hips and knees finally gave in, she wanted to have these things around to remind her; a confirmation that it had all been worth it. Plus, when she and Joe began to have children in the next few years, it would be amazing to show them what their mummy had achieved.

"Oh, here you go. This one's not been opened."

Joe pulled an envelope out of one of the gift bags and handed it to Dianne. She put it to the side, leaning closer to see what else was in the bag her boyfriend was holding.

"Dianne- thanks for bringing us together. We hope you like your gifts. With lots of love from the Suggwell Sisterhood."

Joe looked up at Dianne and smiled. "How many Dianne-inspired group chats have you started do you reckon? I swear I see different names all the time."

Dianne grinned. "Oh, you see them all the time, do you? Would that be on your normal twitter or on the 'account that shall not be named'?" She knew her teasing was making Joe squirm. He had confessed early in their relationship to having a secret fan account when Dianne had liked one of his tweets without realizing it was him. He hadn't wanted to hide it from her; as he saw it, it was a way to keep an eye on what was happening in the community around him. It was the only way to truly know what people thought about his content, and now about his relationship.

Joe smiled. "Look, I know it's weird but I'm in too deep to stop now. Anyway, what I know from my.... account... is that people love you. You've brought people together from all over the country- the world, even- and they're friends because of it. I think it's pretty adorable. You're an inspiration to people, Dianne."

Joe handed her the card and the accompanying gifts. As she pulled out the 'Love Island' water bottle they had had printed for her, a memory flashed across her mind. The group of girls had been so excited to see her expression when she opened her present; it was the second time they had been to see the show, and they had apologized than one of the girls hadn't been able to make it- instead, she had sent letters for each of the dancers. Amy mentioned that she remembered them and thanked them for coming to the show again, travelling to a different venue miles away, almost 3 months later. Once they had all had their hugs and said their goodbyes, Dianne had set the gift bag on the table. Chloe had walked up to her with an envelope. "This was in with my stuff." Dianne had taken it and slotted it into her own bag without a second thought.

Until now.

She put the water bottle to the side of her ready to take into the kitchen. The card went into the box along with a couple of other gifts that were still on the carpet. She slid the letter under the edge of the bed before standing up and stretching dramatically.

"I don't know about you" she said to Joe, "but I think I'm done for the day. This is kind of overwhelming."

Joe stood up, moving to hug Dianne. "I know it is" he said reassuringly, "but look at what you've achieved. These people are so inspired by you. I think it's amazing." He paused, looking into her eyes, "I think you're amazing."

Dianne smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. "Thank you. I know I've got a thick skin and I try not to listen to a lot of the negative stuff people say, but this has been really helpful. I feel better for it. And it's been nice to do it with you. You make me feel special."

Joe's hand brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You are special. You help so many people. You're incredible. They see it. I see it. I'm a lucky, lucky boy."

Dianne leaned back into Joe's body, breathing in his scent as she let herself relax into his embrace. She knew people looked up to her. She knew she had helped people to feel more confident and to take a leap out of their comfort zone to try something new. She had helped people, that much was clear, even if she hadn't realised it at the time.

She closed her eyes, the image of the hidden letter now at the forefront of her mind.

It was curiosity, she supposed, that had made her hide it. She was certain that, the first time she had met that group of fans, it had been on the night she had mether. It might be nothing, but if it was from the girl she had now seen three times, she wanted to know what that letter said. Part of her knew she was being lured down a dangerous path, knew there were risks. Part of her wanted to walk away, to avoid it altogether, to prove Alfie's assumptions wrong. She wasn't naïve. She wasn't stupid.

But she was human. And she could help people.

Feeling Joe release her from their long hug, she made up her mind. Leading him out of the bedroom, she closed the door behind them, the letter still under the bed.

"Come on" she said, Joe's hand in hers, "I'm hungry and I want my man to make me my favourite chicken curry."

Joe smiled and shook his head. "I've never met someone who gets hungry as quickly as you. Well, who am I to say no to someone this beautiful?"

Dianne grinned and followed Joe towards the kitchen. "Exactly. Get cooking, Joseph."