Friendship? They don’t have a friendship.
“But I want you to know,” Alicia continues, “that I’m set on remolding that path, and I’m sorry for any discomfort I may have caused you in the past. Let’s carry on life’s journey in a different spirit.”
“Right.” Suze seems totally flummoxed. Meanwhile, I’m just staring, rigid with shock. She said sorry? She said sorry to Suze?
“I’ll let you know about the schools.” Alicia smiles and touches Suze’s shoulder, as though giving a blessing. She nods gravely to me, then moves off, down toward the beach.
“Oh my God.” Suze exhales when she’s out of earshot. “What’s happened to her? That weird voice, and that smile … and all that stuff about remolding her life …” She looks at me, giggling, but I can’t join in.
“She said sorry to you,” I say incredulously.
“I know.” Suze looks chuffed. “That was sweet, I thought. And it was nice of her to offer to help with the schools—”
“No!” I clutch my head. “You don’t understand! She refused to say sorry to me! After everything she did to Luke and me, she wouldn’t apologize. I asked her to, straight out.”
“Well …” Suze thinks for a moment. “Maybe she was too embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? Alicia Bitch Long-legs doesn’t get embarrassed!”
“Maybe she thought she’d already apologized.”
“You’re sticking up for her.” I stare at Suze in dismay. “I can’t believe you’d stick up for Alicia Bitch Long-legs.”
“I’m not sticking up for her!” ripostes Suze. “I’m just saying, people change, and—” She breaks off as our drinks arrive, and the waitress presents us with two Golden Peace gift bags: glossy white with golden rope handles.
“Alicia asked me to give you these.” She smiles. “A little welcome pack.”
“Ooh! Thank you!” says Suze, and starts unpacking hers straightaway. “Look, bath oil … and a candle …”
“You’re accepting it?” I say, scandalized.
“Of course I am!” says Suze, rolling her eyes. “It’s an olive branch. She’s changed. You should let people change, Bex.”
“She hasn’t changed.” I glare at Suze. “If she’d changed she would apologize.”
“She did apologize!”
“Not to me!” I practically yell. “Not to me!”
“Look, Bex.” Suze pauses halfway through unwrapping some herbal tea bags. “Please don’t let’s argue. Especially not about Alicia, for goodness’ sake! I think you should have your goody bag and enjoy it. Go on.” She prods me with a teasing smile. “Open it. I know you want to.…”
Even though I’m still simmering inside, I can’t argue any more with Suze. Especially on her first day here. So I make a huge effort and smile back. I’ll never get her to understand about Alicia, I think dolefully. Maybe no one will ever properly understand except Luke (kind of) and me, and I just have to accept that.
Reluctantly, I pull the gift bag toward me and open it. I’ve got a candle, too, and some olive-oil soap, and … wow. A Golden Peace bikini. I’ve seen those in the shop, and they’re a hundred dollars.
I mean, it’s nice. But it doesn’t change Alicia.
“I really want one of those white-and-gold bracelets,” says Suze, eyeing mine. “Maybe I’ll take some classes. Let’s have a look.…” She opens the brochure, which was in the bag, then a moment later puts it down, her eyes wide. “Bex, this place costs a fortune! How many times a week do you come here?”
“Er … every day.”
“Every day?” Suze is goggle-eyed. “But how much does that cost?” She starts flicking through the brochure, gasping at every page. “Have you seen how much a yoga class costs? I pay a fifth of that in London.”
She seems so flabbergasted, I feel a bit defensive.
“It’s not about money, Suze. It’s about mental health and spiritual well-being and my personal journey.”
“Oh yes?” she says skeptically. “Well, have they stopped you shopping too much?”
I wait for a beat, then answer with a flourish: “Yes!”
“Yes?” Suze drops the brochure and stares at me with huge blue eyes. “Bex, did you say ‘yes’?”
Ha. Ha-di-ha. I was waiting for this subject to come up.
“Yes,” I say smugly. “I had a special one-to-one session yesterday with David, one of the therapists, and we talked through my issues, and he gave me lots of coping mechanisms. I’m a changed person, Suze!”
