Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriarty Page 0,113
room and was addressing the camera.
“We’re prepared to pay a fee to get out of here, Masha!” She jammed her fists into her waist. “Money is no issue for us. We’ve got no shortage of cash. Honestly, we’re happy to pay for … ah … an upgrade. We want to skip this part of the program, thanks, and we’re happy to pay a penalty.” She looked around the room uncomfortably. “For everyone, that is. We’ll cover the cost for everyone to get out.”
Nothing happened.
“I don’t think Masha is motivated by money,” said Napoleon quietly.
Frances thought, What does motivate her?
She remembered her counseling session and the way Masha’s eyes had lit up when she spoke of how the VCR had once been a window into another world, but presumably movies no longer interested her. She had definitely wanted Frances to know that Australia needed her brains. Approval? Admiration? Was that it?
Or was it love? Was it that simple? She just wanted love, like everyone. But some people had such a peculiar way of manifesting that need.
“We don’t even know if they’re watching us,” said Lars. “Maybe they’ve all got their feet up somewhere and they’re watching Orange Is the New Black.”
“We did not pay for shared accommodation!” Jessica jabbed her finger up at the camera. “I’m not sleeping in here again tonight! We paid for a double room and I want to be back in my room! I’m hungry, I’m tired!” She lifted up a strand of her hair and smelled it. “And I need to wash my hair right now!”
“Oh my God.” Ben put both his hands on his temples. He ran about in a comical half circle. “I just remembered what you said! You’re pregnant! You said last night you were pregnant!”
“Oh yeah,” said Jessica, turning to her husband. “I forgot.”
51
Delilah
“She’s not pregnant.” Yao’s face was pasty with panic. “She is absolutely not pregnant.”
Delilah, Masha, and Yao were in Masha’s office, watching the live CCTV footage of their guests in the meditation room.
“I would never have allowed a pregnant woman to take those substances,” said Yao. “Never.”
“So why does she keep saying she is?” asked Masha.
They’d been here for hours. Masha and Yao stood and paced as they watched, but Delilah had finally sat down in Masha’s chair.
Delilah was tired and hungry and kind of over it. Maybe she was kind of over being a wellness consultant. Four years now and the guests were all starting to blend together. They were all so self-absorbed, and sometimes she felt like she was a minor character in a story about everyone except her.
Over the years only a handful of guests had ever asked Delilah a single question about herself. Which, fine, the guests didn’t have to talk to her at all if they didn’t want, but they all assumed she would be so fascinated by them! The things they told her: about their marriages, their sex lives, their bowels! If she had to hear another story about someone’s irritable bowel syndrome, she would slash her wrists.
And then there were the complaints that came thick and fast: the softness of their pillows, the temperature of their rooms, the weather—like she could control the weather.
It was nice when people seemed to truly believe they were “transformed” at the end of a retreat, but Delilah wasn’t quite as evangelical about this whole transformation business as Masha and Yao.
Yes, she enjoyed yoga, her core strength was excellent, she had a six-pack and she liked having a six-pack, meditation was relaxing, mindfulness was great, and she had no problem introducing drugs into the equation, that made life interesting, and sure, it might give people some insights into their psyches, although, honestly, most of their psyches didn’t seem that, you know, complex. This wasn’t God’s work. This was a health resort.
Delilah was skilled at giving the impression she cared as much as Masha and Yao. She could talk the talk, walk the walk. God, she’d done it with dairy products when she was Masha’s executive PA. Yes, yes, I’m just passionate about yogurt. Then after Masha’s heart attack she’d left dairy and done it with insurance. All those years working as a PA had been great training to be a wellness consultant: nod and smile and agree and make things happen behind the scenes and don’t ask questions unless absolutely necessary. Masha paid well. Delilah had nearly reached her savings goal. She was going to travel for a year.