Page 2 of Hellisay Maybe

As she scrambled to sit upright, she noticed a glass of water, painkillers, and a packet of Monster Munch on the bedside table.

“Vivi, you are an angel!” Jenn called out, voice still raspy.

“Morning, disaster! I’ve brought bacon, fluids, and the fragile hope that you still have a liver.” Vivi breezed in, tiny, glamorous, and offensively put-together for this time in the morning, trailing a faint but glorious hint of breakfasty goodness.

“Oh my God, I love you!” Jenn practically wept.

“I knew you’d need it,” Vivi said, settling beside her onto the bed.

“Shouldn’t you be working today?” Jenn asked, squinting against the daylight like it had personally wronged her.

“Nope. I’ve got a few days off to sort all this stuff out,” Vivi replied, waving her perfectly manicured hands around the room.

Jenn blinked.

Boxes. Everywhere. All very efficiently labelled and systemised—classic Vivi. She was moving in with her boyfriend, Charles, and putting her place up for rent.

“Oh God. I’m so sorry—I completely forgot. How are you feeling about it all?” Jenn asked, making a feeble attempt at a normal human level of conversation.

“Yeah… good. It’ll all work out,” Vivi said flippantly, “but that’s not important. You are. What are we going to do with you?”

“First things first,” Jenn groaned, reaching for the water and painkillers, “let me become human again.”

“Haha—get yourself into the living room then. Tea, juice, and breakfast await you.” Vivi smirked as she stood up and padded out of the room.

Jenn let her head fall back against the headboard.

“Oh man,” she murmured. “I really need to sort my shit out…”

A few minutes later she was cocooned in one of Vivi’s impossibly fluffy dressing gowns, staring at the most restorative breakfast known to womankind—bacon, square sausage, eggs, black pudding, and tattie scones. And of course, tea, water, and Irn-Bru. The sacred three-drink rule she and Vivi lived by: one to wake you up, one to keep you alive, and one because why the hell not.

“You’re way too good to me.” Jenn sighed, sinking into the sofa and taking a sip of water.

“Talk to me,” Vivi coaxed gently, “I’ve not seen you quite that bad in a while…”

“Oh, Vivi,” Jenn lamented, rubbing her temples, “I don’t even know where to begin…”

“Start with the job,” Vivi said. Jenn could tell she was in full Vivi-fix-it mode.

“Och, it was a disaster to begin with,” Jenn replied, shaking her head. “You know that.” She took a bite of delicious bacony goodness and a swig of Irn-Bru. “They all have been. I’ve just been picking them up to scrape together some money for travels again…”

“Hmm. Yeah. Your travels,” Vivi said noncommittally, with a tiny pout.

Jenn had worked on cruise ships, ticked off every hostel in Asia, and done the standard Euro-train loop. She was an expert in adventures—rich, fleeting experiences with zero stability. She had true wanderlust. Maybe that obsession was the reason for her current situation.

Vivi, on the other hand, was so rooted and grounded. She was practically an earth wire. In fact, Vivi was Jenn’s earth wire. She had the job, the flat, the steady boyfriend. She even travelled with matching bikinis and kaftans. Jenn’s most reliable bikini was practically see-through.

Jenn paused, then leaned forward, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. She was gesticulating now. Typical—her hands always betrayed what was going on in her head.

“Vivi, I know. I know. I mean, I’m starting to realise… I can’t do this anymore. Nothing’s right. Everything’s wrong. I don’t have roots. I don’t have anything steady. I’m not like you—and I never will be—but I have to try and get some more stability in my life… but I just don’t know where to begin…” Jenn heard herself rambling and spiralling. She took a glug of glorious tea to calm her racing thoughts.

“Hey, shhhh.” Vivi reached out, rubbing her arm. “It’s ok. We’ll figure this out. And you know—”

“Before you start,” Jenn interjected, holding up a piece of tattie scone like a cease-and-desist. “I’m not taking this place. And I’m not going to work in one of the hotels.”

“But—”

“No, Vivi, seriously.” Jenn looked her dead in the eyes. “I need to do this myself. On my terms. You are amazing, and too good, and I love you. But I can’t take this place when I know how much you’ll get for it. It’s too much. And you know we couldn’t work together in the hotels. I’d drive you mad!”