my slice around in exasperation. ‘Is there a rulebook for legends?’
Robyn stops buttering and looks up. ‘Look, if you and Nate being together made this happen, you have to be together to undo it.’ She gives a little shrug. ‘It’s common sense.’
‘In your world maybe,’ I retort, wrapping my dressing gown round my knees and hugging them to my chest. ‘I don’t live in a world of magic and spells and ancient legends.’
‘Oh, really?’ Robyn raises her eyebrows and fixes me with a sceptical look. ‘You could have fooled me.’
Indignantly I open my mouth to argue, then heaving a sigh, I drop my toast and bury my head in my knees. ‘Oh God, this is hopeless,’ I groan, my voice muffled in the folds of my towelling dressing gown. ‘I’ve tried everything and everything’s failed. We’re still ruining each other’s lives. Adam’s never going to speak to me again, and Beth’s probably never going to speak to Nate either. Going to Venice isn’t going to work. It’s a stupid idea.’
‘Listen, Lucy,’ says Robyn, with sudden steeliness. ‘Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.’
‘Huh?’ I glance up at Robyn, who’s staring at me, her face flushed with determination.
‘Oprah,’ she says in explanation.
‘But how am I supposed to own it? Nate will never go to Venice, not in a million years.’ In the background I can hear a song playing on the radio: Neil Sedaka merrily warbling ‘Breaking Up Is Hard to Do’. Leaning over, I flick it off.
‘How do you know?’
My mind throws up a few jumbled images: sharing a bed in Martha’s Vineyard, singing karaoke, yelling at each other in my kitchen when he accused me of sabotaging his relationship with Beth. ‘Trust me, the last thing he wants to do right now is go on a trip with me to Italy. In fact, he’d probably rather have his eyeballs poked out with a sharp stick.’
‘Well, you’re going to have to persuade him,’ says Robyn frankly.
I look at her. ‘But how?’
‘I dunno.’ She tilts her head on one side and chews thoughtfully. ‘You’ll just have to think of something.’
‘And if I don’t?’ I look at her anxiously.
‘You’re together for ever,’ she says simply, and finishing off her toast, she grabs another slice.
With Robyn’s words ringing in my ears I pluck up the courage to call Nate on my way to work. As I expected, he’s not very happy to hear from me. Translated: he hangs up on me several times, calls me something unrepeatable, then finally agrees to listen ‘for thirty seconds’. I get about ten before he cuts me off. No, he’s not coming to Venice. Yes, I really am crazy, and don’t I know it’s the Venice Film Festival and I’ll never get a place to stay as everything is totally booked up, so good luck with that.
Then he puts the phone down.
‘So basically I’m stuffed.’
It’s lunchtime and I’m with Robyn, standing in line at Katz’s, waiting to order.
‘Are you sure he’s telling the truth? Maybe it’s a ruse to put you off,’ she suggests optimistically. Unwrapping a brownie from her pocket, she takes a bite.
‘No, he’s right – I Googled.’ I sigh. ‘It’s the festival, so the flights are a fortune. I’ll never be able to afford one.’
‘That’s easy – you can use my Air Miles. I’ve got thousands from all my trips abroad.’
‘Gosh, Robyn, that’s so kind of you.’ I look at her with grateful astonishment, then frown. ‘But even if I can get a flight, there’s nowhere to stay – all the hotels are fully booked.’
‘All of them?’
‘All of them.’ I nod. I did an online search that morning on Expedia, Travelocity and every other travel website I could think of. I even made up this whole story about someone I knew wanting to propose to his girlfriend in Venice and got Magda to ask her friend’s daughter at the travel agent’s, but nothing.
‘Hmm, true, that’s a tricky one.’ She chews thoughtfully.
‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Nate won’t come, so there’s no point.’
Robyn looks pensive. ‘You know what this is, don’t you?’
‘Hopeless?’
‘No, it’s the universe trying to keep you together,’ she says knowingly. ‘The power of the legend. It doesn’t want you and Nate to go to Venice and break the spell of everlasting love. It’s throwing obstacles in your path to stop you.’