Now That I've Found You - Kristina Forest Page 0,47

taking slow bites of her home fries. “I love Diane and Henry. Even though I can’t stand James Jenkins.”

Esther shakes her head and shoots me a look that says, Don’t even get her started.

Disappointment has ruined my appetite, but Milo is busy stuffing his face. Ruby catches me watching him, and her eyes sparkle as she glances back and forth between us.

“You make such a lovely couple,” she says.

Midchew, Milo coughs in surprise.

“No, it’s not like that,” I say quickly. I start to add that we’re just friends, not even that, but then I catch Esther’s eye.

“Just go with it,” Esther whispers. “Ruby’s memory isn’t so good.”

“So lovely,” Ruby says, still smiling at us. “Milo, I’m glad you finally found a nice girl.”

It takes all of my energy to keep from rolling my eyes. If only they saw all the girls who came to his show. They wouldn’t be so worried about him finding someone then.

Milo flashes a huge grin as I glare at him. “Thanks, Ruby.”

“That last girl was bad news,” Esther says. “We don’t want another girl like that.” It’s unclear if Esther is playing along or if this is actually how she feels.

“That’s what I keep saying!” Ruby chimes in with more energy than she’s shown all morning.

“Hey, look, Ruby, it’s your favorite part,” Milo says, nodding at the TV, smoothly managing to change the subject. He isn’t smiling anymore. I guess Esther was being truthful. Who is this ex-girlfriend that everyone keeps bringing up, and what in the world did she do to Milo?

He’s staring at the television with such focus, and I know it’s because he’s trying to avoid eye contact with me. Whatever, that’s fine. I give up and turn to look at the TV too.

Every Time We Meet is my favorite movie of all time, and it’s not just because Gigi is the star. It was one of the first high-profile romantic movies about a Black couple, and it was an instant success when it premiered.

Diane is the young daughter of a wealthy shoe-factory owner in Harlem. She falls in love with Henry, a Southern boy with no connections, who gets a job working at her father’s factory. Various circumstances keep them apart, namely that Henry is poor and that Diane is already engaged to a man she doesn’t love but of whom her parents approve. When Henry, who has been working and saving, proposes to Diane, she refuses him. She knows her parents will never accept Henry, and although she loves him, she is afraid to live in a world where she doesn’t have her parents’ approval. Heartbroken, Henry decides to leave New York and start over in Chicago. He wants to forget all about Diane and the pain she’s caused him. Diane is equally heartbroken and ashamed of breaking things off with Henry simply because of what her parents might think. When they push Diane to move forward with her wedding to the other man, she tells them the truth about Henry. Unsurprisingly, they aren’t supportive, but Diane realizes she no longer cares what they think. She just wants to be with Henry.

In the final scene, Henry is at Penn Station waiting to board a train to Chicago. He’s staring at the train schedule with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his small, shabby suitcase by his side. He looks heartbroken, thinking he’s lost Diane forever. But then Diane appears, running through Penn Station, calling Henry’s name. He turns around to face her. She’s winded, her cheeks flushed. She sputters at first, knowing she has so much to say but unsure of where to begin.

“Henry,” she simply says, placing her hand in his.

Henry stares down at their entwined fingers and looks up into her pleading eyes.

“Well, darling,” he says, “I’m sure glad you showed up.”

Diane laughs and wipes her eyes. They leave for Chicago together.

Gigi and James Jenkins had a lot of chemistry. So much so that at the time, people believed they were actually dating. Spoiler alert: They were. Gigi says they tried to keep it a secret for a while, but people eventually found out.

Over the years, there have been talks of a remake, but nothing ever happened. It was like everyone knew you couldn’t top the original. But James Jenkins seems to think differently. How am I supposed to fill Gigi’s shoes and play Diane? Especially when Gigi herself might not even approve of me taking the role? What if everyone just hates me even more and blames