A movie she co-wrote, based on her first novel, is premiering at a film festival on Nantucket less than a month after her husband moved out. The husband was supposed to drive. She is not confident about driving herself to Nantucket, has no plan for where to stay. Her screenwriting partner, the director of the film, calls to tell her that his mom has died. Condolences are offered, sadness shared. He asks about her plans for Nantucket. She says she doesn’t think she can afford it, doesn’t have a hotel room, has plans to stay home and be sad. The director tells her he and his wife are on a cheap flight, she really should come, maybe there’s room in an Airbnb. You shouldn’t miss it, he says.
Okay, she says. I’ll try. She hangs up, makes travel arrangements easily and quickly, calls her friend back.
Excellent! he says. I look forward to crying all over Nantucket with you.
The final cut has come out beautifully. One of the story lines in the film is a crumbling marriage and an affair. It’s quite a different story than her own, it’s actually the wife who strays, for one thing, and was written many years prior, but not having seen it for a while, it bites.
The film is well received. Director friend throws a beautiful dinner at a restaurant afterward for the cast and some of the crew, many of whom are friends. Toasts are made under twinkly lights, heartfelt gratitude for the collaboration and opportunity. There is crying on Nantucket. The wife knows most of the people at the table at this point, but there’s a couple across from her who she’s only met briefly, and now the wife is crying at the table. My husband left, she says.
I’m so sorry. I was with someone for nine years before we met, the man across from her says, gesturing to his husband next to him. I was devastated when it ended. It gets better.
The following afternoon, the wife spends part of the day wandering around Nantucket. Windows make her think of her husband. Ones he’d approve of, ones he wouldn’t approve of. She can tell the difference now between good glass and bad glass, cannot call to tell him about the good thick wavy glass in the lovely old wood multipaned windows, or the bad flat glass in the metal replacement windows that seems like it will shatter if you look at it sideways. One of the co-stars of the movie has a shack on the beach, invites everyone over for drinks at sunset. There’s a party on the beach in Nantucket at sunset celebrating her movie.
The other co-star offers the wife counsel. She’s been married for a long time, but knows from a bad breakup.
I’m good at this, she says. Her friend confirms.
Let yourself cry all summer, she says. In September, no more crying. Get yourself back out there. You have everything going for you. Allow yourself a setback around Thanksgiving, the holidays.
Whoa, that’s hard-core, the wife says. You’re not fucking around.
She’s not, her friend says.
Trust me, she says. You’ll get through this.