Wilde Women

by Louise Pentland

  Lacey was also fretting, but mainly about the flight with a tiny baby, which I can understand. We’ve moved our seats to the bulkhead so she can have a skycot, and reassured her that between her, Kath, Lyla and I, we’ve got it covered.

  I haven’t let on to Kath and Lacey, but, as is becoming a thing lately, I’m feeling a bit tense, too. I’ve barely seen Edward these last two weeks, let alone spent quality time with him. We feel like ships in the night.

  Edward is flying out a couple of days before us for work and he’ll be staying at his apartment to start packing up his stuff for The Big Move. Natalie and Martin fly out the day before us to get the keys to the house and, I suspect, to have a less chaotic travel experience than coming with all of us. I bet they’re flying first class.

  The pressure of ensuring that everyone’s OK, packing my own kit and thinking about the actual job at hand is getting to me. I wish I could just sit down and chat all this through with Edward, like regular couples do, but with managing everything, there just hasn’t been time. I take a deep breath, channel Gloria, remind myself that I’m a badass and crack on.

  And so, before I know it, we’re running through the terminal at Heathrow, bags and snacks flying everywhere; five women on a mission to catch a plane, take America by storm and live our best lives.

  As it turns out, Kath has cut down her lavender haul, Willow is a natural at air travel, Lyla has taken full advantage of a tiny screen full of films and snacks being brought to her seat, and I have taken full advantage of the complimentary fizz. I mean, I sort of needed to after our ridiculous top-speed airport dash, thanks to sleeping through my alarm, but let’s not focus on that. We’re smashing it. One way or another, we are smashing it.

  Nobody is more surprised than me when we land in the United States of America with (once we were on the plane, at least) no fuss, no drama and not a jot of stress. How the hell did that happen? Perhaps I was foolish to be worked up, and this is going to be the dream trip I’d hoped it would in the first place!

  Yes, yes, yes – New York, here we come!

  EIGHTEEN

  JULY

  AFTER JUST A COUPLE of lavender- and baby-related delays at the airport, we are in an Uber people carrier to the Greenwich Village area and are all bursting with excitement, despite our tiredness from travelling. New York is just as I’d last left it. A cacophony of heat, noise, people, building works and smells. The scenery changes from industrial airport skyline to little wood-clad houses in the suburbs, a huge freeway flanked by vast graveyards (cue unknowingly insensitive comment from Lyla: ‘Wow, Kath, imagine if Derek was in one of them – you’d never find him!’) and then, finally, the city skyline, at which we all whoop and cheer.

  Pulling up to our could-have-been-on-Sex-and-the-City-house, we clamber out of the Uber with all of our luggage and look up, gawping for a couple of seconds. Then Kath puts down her bags, throws up her arms and shouts, ‘NEW YORK! WE HAVE ARRIVED!’, which, as you’d imagine, leads to even more cheers, Natalie opening the door and joining in with the cheers and Lyla going from hyper to positively hysterical. Hurrah!

  Unsurprisingly, since Natalie, the most effortlessly stylish woman on earth, OK’d it, the house is beautiful. Located just a couple of minutes away from a subway station, so perfect for us to make it uptown, it’s a stone’s throw from a restaurant called Rosemary’s Pizza and an array of cute little craft and gift shops. The house itself is a tall terrace with deep red bricks and wrought iron railings swirling up the front steps to the bold black front door. Wow. I knew Stuart was a whizz at finding a good deal on flights and accommodation, but this place is incredible!

  ‘I’m jealous now! I thought I’d be getting the best deal staying at Piper’s in Brooklyn, but I almost wish I wasn’t!’ Lacey says, holding Willow, who also seems utterly enchanted with her new surroundings.

  ‘It’s all right, lovey, we’re right by the underground station so we’ll see you every day,’ Kath says, patting her arm and admiring the window boxes.

  ‘Yep! And you can come for sleepovers and share my room!’ Lyla offers excitedly.

  ‘You’re already sharing with Auntie Kath, you little monkey!’ I say, tickling her. We’d decided she would stay in there so I could work on my laptop in the evenings, and wouldn’t disturb her too much with early work starts when she’s jet-lagged.

  Looking up at the house, I’m so excited myself I don’t quite know how to handle it. I want to jump up and down on the spot and shout, ‘This is my life! Look’, but I hold it together. Instead, I quickly pull my phone out to text Edward. I’d already texted him at the airport to say we’d arrived, but this feels like extra news.

  Hey! Guess what! Our house is amazing! It’s sooo New Yorky. Obviously, since we’re in New York, haha! Fancy leaving work early and coming over right now?

  ‘Are you going to come in, or should we leave you to stand looking like excited meerkats all afternoon?’ calls Martin, with a smile, through the open door at the top of the brownstone steps.

  ‘Martin!’ I shout. ‘We made it!’

  ‘Always on brand!’ he replies. ‘Do you need help with your cases?’

  The house is as stunning inside as it is outside. We leave all the cases by the front door and walk around, marvelling. The ground floor is entirely open-plan. The front door opens on to an entry hall, which blends into a living room space complete with fireplace, two big pale blue squishy sofas with matching armchairs (yes, it really is that big!) and a TV. Beyond that is the most urban-farmhouse kitchen I’ve ever seen. The units are all teal wood with oak worktops and little pots of herbs growing on the windowsill, but the appliances are sleek and silver and oversized. There is a central island with a hob and fan overhead, and tucked into the corner a dinner table and chairs next to a window overlooking the garden. I say garden, but it’s actually just a patch of concrete.

  ‘There’s no grass in it, Mummy!’ Lyla says, surprised.

  ‘They don’t need grass here,’ Kath interjects. ‘They have a special place called Central Park that I’m going to take you to. It’s the biggest park you can imagine, with lakes and swings and meadows and even a zoo and a castle!’

  Lyla’s eyes light up. I love seeing her this animated. I was a bit worried that taking her out of school a week early was really terrible of me. Valerie had overheard me talking to Finola and Gillian in the run-up to the trip and said, ‘Never mind about her education, eh? As long as Mummy’s having fun’, and tittered her false, high-pitched laugh as she strutted off with Corinthia looking sadly back at Lyla. They seem to have really bonded lately. I must arrange that sleepover when we get home. Anyway, until then, we’re here, and day one seems to be a success.

  Natalie and Martin take us upstairs to show us the bedrooms. The master bedroom, which they have moved into, has views of the street in front from full-length windows. Kath, spotting their en suite, having learnt from WWW that every day is an opportunity, says, ‘Natalie, you know you could use one of my lavender bath bombs in your bath. They’re very good for relaxing, and I know how hard you work.’

  ‘Hey! I work hard, too! I’m looking after you lot!’ Martin jokes, as he deftly leads Kath out of the room and onto the landing with us. Our rooms are the two, slightly smaller back bedrooms with views of the ‘gardens’ and backs of other houses. Exposed brick and sanded floorboards make the rooms feel so stylish, before you even get to the abstract prints hanging up and the crisp white bedding. Lyla has taken the initiative to look at both rooms while we are still in the first, and declares which one she and Kath will have.

  ‘We’re going to have the next one because it’s got a little fireplace!’ she shouts.

  ‘I don’t think you’re going to be lighting any fires in this heat, my love, it’s boiling outside!’ I laugh.

  ‘Yes, but just in case we want to do any magic or cast spells, we can light a fire if we need to,’ she says, matter-of-factly.

  ‘Of course, I see your point. I’ll have this one then.
Thank you,’ I say, equally seriously.

  On the top floor, the attic has two rooms: a shower room for us to use and a little box room that Natalie and Martin have already put their cases in, so I assume we’ll do the same.

  ‘Ooh, couldn’t Willow and I just camp out here?’ Lacey pleads as she looks round with all of us.

  ‘Ahhh, I wish you could, too, but Piper’s place looks nice from the Skype tour she gave you, and it’ll be lovely for her to spend so much time with Willow. She hasn’t held her since she was born. It’ll be amazing,’ I say encouragingly.

  ‘I know! And as soon as she goes to work I’ll head over to you, so Willow can hang out with her new best friend,’ Lacey says to Lyla, clearly trying to be chipper and wiggling Willow in her direction, making them both smile.

  ‘Great! Well, let’s all get unpacked,’ Natalie says. ‘Tonight, Martin and I thought we could head out and explore the surroundings, get our bearings, ready for a couple of rest days this weekend, and then it’ll be a busy start to the week on Monday, Robin. Did you bring your A-game?’ she asks in a surprisingly convincing American accent.

  ‘I sure did, partner!’ I chirp back, as all-American as I can.

  ‘Mummy, that was terrible!’ Lyla says, shaking her head as she goes through to her room to unpack.

  I roll my eyes at everyone, as if to say, ‘Wow, sorry about my not-even-a-teenager yet’, and plod downstairs with Lacey and Willow to wait for Piper’s taxi to arrive.

  When Willow was born, Piper flew out for the weekend to meet her niece and celebrate with the family. Lacey said that during that time she felt ‘off her face’ on sleep deprivation, hormones and everything else going on, so while the rest of the family might describe those first few days as newborn baby bliss, Lacey certainly doesn’t.

  ‘I’m so excited to see Piper with her niece this time!’ she says, jiggling Willow up and down, looking out of the window.

  ‘Weren’t you excited before?’ I ask.

  ‘I was, but everyone wanted to hold her. I’d just had her, and I didn’t feel like I’d had enough time with her. I felt like people were just snatching her off me every ten minutes,’ she says, looking down at the baby in her arms.

  ‘Like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?’ chimes Lyla unhelpfully as she bounces into the room and takes up watch for Piper at the window.

  ‘Lyla, this is an adult conversation—’

  ‘She’s here!’ Lyla shouts, and Lacey peers round her, straining to see her sister, finally spotting her running up the steps.

  We all rush over to the door to greet her like excited Labradors who haven’t seen their owners all day.

  ‘Hi!’ she shouts as soon as she sees us. ‘You’re all here! I can’t believe it!’

  Piper is Lacey’s little sister. She graduated from art school just a couple of years ago, and after a brief stint living at home and feeling completely stifled, she moved out to New York and found a job curating in a trendy art museum. Piper is the epitome of cool. She has all the physical attributes of her sister – petite, naturally blonde, blue eyes – but she has a daring side to her and isn’t afraid to embrace that. She’s effortlessly fashionable, too. She’s the kind of woman who could wear an oversized T-shirt with a metallic belt and look fresh off the runway, whereas if I did this, I’d look like I’d forgotten how clothes work. Essentially, Piper is the woman we all, a little bit, want to be. Except not, because Instagram has taught us life is about self-acceptance and not caring and— Wow, her legs are so freaking shiny!

  Swept up in the joy of her arrival, we all gabble our hellos back, but she cuts us off.

  ‘Right, never mind all of you boring people – except you, Lyla, you’re obviously an exception – hand me this baby before I explode with how much I’ve missed her!’ she says, reaching over to a slightly perplexed-looking Willow and a happier-than-I’ve-seen-her-in-weeks Lacey. ‘Oh, my sweet mercy, this child is too much. I think my ovaries just popped.’

  ‘What’s an ovaries?’ Lyla asked.

  ‘I’ll tell you later. Let’s let Piper come in properly so she can sit down.’ I bustle everyone over to the sofas.

  Piper, as usual, looks phenomenal. Her skin is glowing, her nails well-manicured, she has long hair extensions and make-up that even Skye would be impressed with.

  ‘You look so well,’ Lacey says, sitting down next to Piper on the sofa, Lyla and I taking the two armchairs either side.

  ‘Thanks, Lace. You look … wow … are you getting enough iron?’ Piper says, almost in shock when she catches sight of just how tired Lacey looks.

  ‘I just got off a plane, and I have a baby – of course I’m not getting enough iron, enough sleep, enough anything!’ Lacey laughs unnaturally, looking round the room for someone to affirm her.

  ‘It was the same with Lyla,’ I add, sensing her need for a bit of comradery.

  ‘I know, but you just look so, so tired. Like, ill tired. Like worse than when you had that really awful bug before your wedding. Remember? Where you almost looked a bit grey?’ Piper continues, not sensing my fierce telepathic rays telling her to shut the eff up because Lacey really doesn’t need this right now.

  ‘Yeah, OK, yep, I get it, I look like shit,’ Lacey says, slapping her hands on her knees and getting up to start collecting all of Willow’s bits and pieces that have already been strewn about.

  ‘You don’t look like shit, Lacey!’ Lyla announces, horrified that anyone would insult her but also gleeful that she’s getting to say a swear word.

  ‘Language!’ I snap.

  ‘No, you don’t look sh—, bad, you just look a bit worn,’ Piper says, more quietly this time, with an apologetic look.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Lacey lies. ‘It’s just been a long flight, and I’m a bit sleep-deprived. A few days with you guys, some sunshine and some American pizza and I’ll be right as rain again!’ she jollies along, convincing only Piper and Lyla.

  ‘Well, great! We’re going to have such a good time! I’m going to spoil you and this little cherub absolutely rotten!’ Piper is clearly pumped to have them coming to stay.

  ‘All I want is eight hours of uninterrupted sleep and I’ll be happy!’

  ‘Done! I’ll cuddle this little squisher all day! How hard can babies be, eh?’ she laughs, looking at both of us, expecting laughter in return, but instead getting two tired mums staring back, unsure whether to slap her or cry.

  It takes longer to get Piper to stop cuddling Willow than it does for Lacey and I to gather up all their paraphernalia – bags, buggy, baby sling, suitcase, small handbag, denim jacket, dummy, blanket, sun hat and sandals, but once everyone is in the cab and saying their goodbyes, I suddenly feel a little weight lift off my shoulders.

  I love Lacey so much, but I’m glad she has Piper for support for a few days. Now it’s time to focus on Kath and Lyla, my best ladies! And then, once that box is ticked, Edward … who can tick my box anyti— No, weird thought train. It’s been a few days; I’m clearly missing him more than I thought!

  By the time we’ve all unpacked the bags and Natalie and I have gone through our kit a bit, we’re all absolutely ravenous and start grabbing bags and purses to head out for a mooch and to find some food. We’re right opposite a pizza restaurant, so I’m gunning for this, but Natalie has suggested a vegan and paleo place on the square that we might all enjoy ‘since we don’t want to stuff ourselves’. Ummm. That’s exactly what I want to do. Always.

  Kath declines the exploratory wander, saying she’s got a bit of a headache, but ever since Lacey and Willow left she’s seemed a bit flat. She went for a lie-down earlier while Piper was here; I think she was tired from the flight. I ask her if she’s all right to be alone, but she says she’s going to ‘long-distance FaceTime’ Colin and read her book. I must try and find out what’s really going on, but Lyla isn’t showing any signs of fatigue or jet lag, so getting out of the house is going to be best for everyone!

  Edward has replied to my message sa
ying that he is tied up with some new suppliers for the stores and will be having drinks with them, so will come over tomorrow. I’m kind of miffed, but I do get it. We’re all out here for work, so that does need to take precedence. I’m just a bit disappointed. I was so excited at the thought of seeing him tonight – we’re still meant to be in that magical honeymoon period where everything is exciting and new, but we’ve barely spent any time together these last few weeks, which I’ll admit is mainly my fault with work, WWW and popping in on Lacey more, but hopefully this trip will put that right. We’re both back where we started, and there’s something pretty special about that.

  Natalie and Martin shut us straight down on the pizza option, but compromise away from paleo food when we see a little barbecue place just before it on the square. With dark grey interiors and industrial furnishings, we feel very hipster taking our steel bowls of pulled pork over to our table.

  I’ve ordered myself a pulled pork rice bowl and Lyla opts for a mac and cheese side bowl, which I am secretly glad of because she never finishes the whole thing, so I can have a bite.

  ‘Do you want to sit next to Mummy or opposite her?’ Natalie asks as we find an empty table by the window.

  ‘I want to sit right next to her because she’s my best New York friend!’ she says, reaching a hand round my thigh and wrapping herself in for a snuggle.

  ‘Cherish these days, Robin, they are special moments,’ Natalie says, smiling at the display of affection.

  I’ll absolutely cherish these moments, because these aren’t always forthcoming. She’s definitely a loving child, but I think being far from home has made her a bit clingy, bless her. I squeeze her back, affirming that she’s my best New York friend too.

  I look down at my sweet girl nuzzling into my tummy, up at my amazingly supportive and awe-inspiring boss Natalie, across to kind, laid-back Martin, who is the same kind of man I think my gorgeous Edward is, and smile wider than I have done in weeks. This really is a special moment. I’m here in New York City with all my favourite people, full to the brim of love and hope and potential. Christ on a cracker, life is good.