Hi, all. This chapter establishes skips a bit of time, and deals with what everyone has been doing since Boston.
It's Julia-centric.
Rating: K
Reviews are food to me!
The summer was warm. Too warm, really, for New York. While known for it's humidity in the summer months, the city wasn't known for it's warmth. You couldn't walk outside without being accosted with a morose, thick, wet heat, one that made the hair of millions as frizzy as vermincelli. Central park was inevitably stuffed with tourists, who believed that surely, the heat was natural. The stagnant atmosphere of thick, heavy moss was considered 'tropical' by the visitors, and 'bloody annoying' by residents.
Julia strolled slowly across the green grass, wondering where her life had gone. At one point, she was a wife, mother and successful writer. At the present moment, she was neither a wife or mother, as both men were absent. Seemingly for good. Her soon to be ex-husband, Frank, had called. To tell her that Leo wasn't going to be home for a few weeks; they were taking a 'male bonding trip' for the first two months of his summer vacation. In her heart of hearts, Julia knew what this code meant. It meant that Leo didn't want to be around her, and neither did Frank. The fact that she had recieved divorce papers didn't conteract this theory.
She hadn't spoken to either of them since the male duo left Boston without her.
Julia hadn't even heard much of Bombshell; she knew it took time, that Broadway wouldn't just appear out of the blue, and that there was still lots of work to be done.
Karen was, according to everyone, a star. The New York Times had given a rarely enthusiastic review to the company's Boston performances, the reviewer commenting that the musical was a 'revelation, challenging the structure of stardom'. Karen herself had been added to numerous 'up and coming' lists on both internet and paper, and had already been invited to participate in numerous television projects in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, the 'star' declined them all, wanting to be loyal to the project that gave her this stardom in the first place.
Derek was currently back in London, reviewing the West End performance of Tom and Julia's former musical, Heaven on Earth.
Nobody could really believe that he hadn't called Ivy. Not once.
They were a highly sexual couple; the anthesis to Karen had been with her Dev. They made love constantly, talked occasionally, and thought of Bombshell majorly throughout all of their time together.
Julia, for one, didn't think that it was a real relationship. It was a meeting of kindred spirits more than anything, an experiment into a connection that was more based in sexuality than soul.
Sort of like Julia had with Michael. Who returned to his wife with his tail between his legs. Humph!
...
Julia sat down on the green grass of Central Park, smiling opposite her companion, Ivy Lynn. Ivy was released from hospital that afternoon, armed with anti-depressants, the number for a psychiatrist (sessions with him were compulsory, she had been told), and a heart heavy with depression.
Julia surprised her yet again, by showing up at the time of her release, flowers in one hand. The two hugged briefly, Ivy's game face set in stone. She would be ok. Or at least act like she was.
They took the train back to New York together, reveling in the idea of some time to relax, as it seemed that nothing was moving quickly with Bombshell.
It was on the train that Julia suggested a picnic would be a good idea. Ivy had lost an immeasurable amount of weight since the Workshop, and Julia wanted to both give her a healthy meal, and allow the blonde some time to get away, stop thinking about the musical and it's director.
"More potato salad?"
"Sure, thanks." The blonde offered her acceptance with a quick, shiny smile. She took a small plate of the salad, biting into a potato with something akin to the opposite of gusto.
The two sat for a long while in the park, eventually moving to Ivy's apartment for a drink or two.
Ivy knew she wasn't supposed to drink, and Julia knew that Ivy had issues with alcohol. That didn't stop either of the eager young women from partaking in a little indulgence, though.
It was about midnight when Julia stopped some childish, trivial drinking game they were playing.
"Ivy..I...er...I fucked up." The other woman was startled; at first because the idea of Julia swearing was, well, incomprehensible. Second, because Julia admitted it was a mistake.
"I know. Me too."
"What made us go so nuts?"
"Men. Men, showbusiness, theater, men." Ivy realized at this point, how much she missed Derek. Not the man, but his company. He could be great company. Especially in bed.
"I know. Let's drink to men. Or, well, single men!" Julia slurred.
"Ok", Ivy agreed, "but only if I get to drink to swearing off of men!"
"That's a deal".
Woo another chapter bites the dust! Remember, reviews are like food to me!