Chapter 9
W hen Finn and Ella arrived at the famed Ivy restaurant, the hostess recognized them immediately. "The rest of the Mercier party is here," she said, escorting them to a table in the far corner with a view of the bustling room and elegant, mirrored bar.
Jean, Willow, Charlotte, and Michael jumped up to greet them.
" Ma chérie , you look radiant as always," Jean said, giving her a kiss on each cheek. "We took the liberty of ordering your drinks."
"Thanks. You were sweet to pick this restaurant. Reminds me of the first night we met, all those years ago," Ella replied. "Sorry we're late. The London traffic never ceases. It's so great to see you all," she said, hugging each of their friends.
"So, have you been enjoying London?" Charlotte asked as they took their seats.
"We got here two days ago," Finn replied. "Figured we'd make the most of it. We spent yesterday in Notting Hill. Ella's mad for old books, so we went roaming around the rare and used bookshops, where she found a few treasures. Then we had a romantic dinner in a little booth at Berners Tavern."
"They have the best steak and fish and chips, so we splurged and shared a bit of each. Today, we went to Tate Modern. They have the most fascinating exhibit on surrealism. I adore how I can always count on the surrealists to find beauty in the unlikeliest of places and to push people to think beyond their comfort zones. You would have loved it," Ella said, looking at Jean.
He smirked. "The surrealists turned things on their head because they weren't afraid to explore the dark side, searching for a hint of something beautiful in the vast wasteland of human ugliness and despair."
"Tell us what you really think," Ella said with a giggle.
"It's a bleak abyss. The human species is dark and depraved," he said, taking a swill of his drink.
"I do love how French you are," Ella said.
Finn burst into laughter.
Jean shrugged. "Artists must be truth tellers. No reason to sugarcoat it."
"And you wonder why the press has called you dystopian," Ella mused.
Finn and Michael laughed, and Charlotte and Willow couldn't help but join in.
"Yes, well, the surrealists have served as fuel for my work. The inspiration for many of my films no doubt comes from the unconscious. It's one of the reasons my scripts are so sparse, so that the scenes can unfold naturally, just as our thoughts, our dreams, our nightmares do," Jean explained.
"Here I always thought you were just a lazy writer," Ella said.
Finn and Michael exploded with laughter, and Charlotte demurely covered her mouth.
"Say what you will, but there must be a method to my madness. After all, Willow here has already won the Golden Globe and SAG award for her role in Celebration . Seems the Oscar may be next."
Willow blushed as the others started hooting and hollering.
"You guys," she said, looking down.
"I remember how nervous you were when we started filming," Charlotte said. "You did a magnificent job. It's lovely to see how your career has taken off."
"Thank you. I never thought I'd have the chance for a fresh start or the kinds of opportunities that are coming my way. I owe it all to you guys. You're such a talented bunch. Being with you all really inspired me and gave me courage," Willow said.
"We inspired each other," Finn replied, slinging his arm around Ella.
"The best part of the nominations has been that we've all gotten to see each other again," Willow said.
"Here, here," Michael agreed, briefly raising his glass, then taking a swig.
"Did Lauren come with you to London?" Ella asked. "She's so lovely. Finn and I always enjoy spending time with her. I know she's eager to travel a bit, so I thought she might accompany you and take a tour of London."
Michael shook his head. "I asked her to come, but Sophie has a dance recital that she didn't want to miss."
"Well, as nice as it would have been to see her, there's something special about the original gang from Sweden being back together," Ella said.
They all got quiet, the air suddenly heavy.
Jean broke the silence. "I can't say I believe in an afterlife, but I'm certain my old friend Albie is still here with us. He damn well would have liked to be at this table, downing a proper bourbon."
Michael laughed, breaking the tension.
"Ella, congratulations on the success of your books. With all the buzz around their release, I felt honored to have been there while you were working on them," Charlotte said.
"Yes, congratulations, ma chérie ," Jean added.
"Thanks," Ella replied.
"I still can't get the damn sex book out of my mind after all this time," Jean quipped.
Ella giggled.
"We had a great time on her book tour," Finn said, squeezing her shoulder. "Her readings were brilliant. She's so funny, so smart. I was bowled over. There were long lines at each of her signings. Readers can't get enough."
"Finn and I are both road dogs; we loved hopping from city to city. His next film shoots in LA, so it was a nice chance to spread our wings before we head home for a while."
"What's next for you, Ella? Something provocative, no doubt," Charlotte said.
"A philosophical exploration of love."
Jean snorted. "Make sure you write about how romantic love can leave you emotionally and financially bankrupt."
"Ever the optimist," Ella joked as the others laughed.
"I'm just saying, make the book practical. I have one word for you: prenup," Jean said.
"And I have one word for you: fidelity," Ella retorted.
When the group's laughter simmered down, Willow said, "That seems like a hard thing to write a book about, love. It's such a big topic." She looked around nervously. "Is that a stupid thing to say?"
Ella smiled. "Not at all. You're right, which is why I've avoided taking it on until now. Truth be told, I haven't a clue how I'm going to do it. I've been reading, jotting down ideas, hoping somehow it will start to take shape, but I'm still not sure where to start."
"What made you interested in love?" Michael asked.
Ella smiled sweetly at Finn and then looked back at her friends. "Before Finn came along, I was terrified of what happens to our identities when we love. I had always clung to this idea of being whole and autonomous, and that notion seemed counter to what happens to us when me becomes we ." She shook her head and continued, "Like I said, I'm not sure how I'm going to tackle it or where it will lead, only that I'm no longer afraid to find out."
Finn pecked her cheek.
Michael huffed. "I get where you're coming from. If you'd have told me a couple of years ago that I'd be running car pools or spending Saturday nights at home playing board games, I'd have said there wasn't a chance in hell. But now . . ." He paused to take a swig of his drink. "This has been the best time of my life. Lauren is amazing, and Sophie is the greatest kid. I just like hanging out with them."
Willow smiled and Charlotte patted his arm.
"Last time you guys came over to hang out at the pool, Lauren told me what a wonderful father you've become," Ella said.
"Sophie makes it easy. She's so much like her mother: a total sweetheart," Michael replied, a faint smile sweeping across his face.
"There's nothing like being a parent, is there?" Charlotte said.
"Speaking of which, do you have new pictures of your sweet little Rupert?" Ella asked.
"I want to see too!" Willow chimed in enthusiastically.
Charlotte smiled, scrolled through her phone, and then passed it around the table.
"Aww, he's the cutest little thing ever," Willow gushed.
"He's getting so big," Ella added.
"He's beautiful," Finn said, passing the phone back to her.
"So, Ella, Finn, when are you two going to take the leap and pop out a kid or two?" Michael asked.
Charlotte furrowed her brow. "You can't ask people that."
"They're not random people. It's Finn and Ella," he replied with a shrug. "You had your iconic engagement and perfect wedding, but when can we expect to have some little Forresters scampering about?"
"You have to admit, you two would make the cutest babies ever," Willow remarked.
"Hey, now. You all know my wife scares easily," Finn said with a chuckle.
Everyone laughed, including Ella.
"Come on, you both seem like you'd be great parents. Hell, if I can do it, you sure can. Do you want children?" Michael asked.
"We would love to have a family. As for when, that will be up to Ella. She'll let me know when she's ready. So, until then, back the fuck off," Finn said with a laugh.
Michael raised his glass.
Suddenly, Willow started sniffling.
"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked gently, resting a caring hand on Willow's shoulder.
"Yes, I'm sorry," Willow replied, wiping her eyes. "I didn't mean to bring down the table. It's just that I love it when we all get together. When we were in Sweden, you all became like a family to me in a way. I just really wish Albie were here."
"We all feel that way," Charlotte said. "In a way, he is here. After all, we're here for his big award tomorrow night. So really, he's brought us together again."
"I have an idea. Remember in Sweden when we'd play some of my go-around-the-table games?" Ella asked.
"Yeah, baby," Finn said as the others nodded.
"How about we take turns and each say one thing we remember about Albie? It can be anything, something heartfelt or silly. Let's celebrate what he meant to us all before the whole world is in on it tomorrow night."
"That's a great idea. I'll go first," Willow said. "Albie took me seriously as an actress. He praised my performance and said I had a wonderful career ahead, if I made artistic choices. That was a real turning point for me. His advice and confidence in me changed my life. He also told me not to take shit from anyone, and that's come in handy too."
They burst into laughter.
"That reminds me of a time years ago," Jean said, absentmindedly running his finger along the rim of his glass. "We were on a shoot in Barcelona. Albie was in the dining room, playing a tune on the piano, as he so often did. I started giving him notes about his performance on set that day, telling him about my plans for reshoots the next day. He stopped playing, looked at me, and said, ‘I'm off the clock. Grab a drink or bugger off.' Then he went right back to playing," Jean said.
Michael laughed so hard, he spit his drink across the room. "Okay, guess it's my turn. I remember one night in Sweden, when everyone else had gone up to bed, Albie and I stayed for one last drink. One turned into a few. Let's just say, that old geezer drank me under the table. It was embarrassing."
When the group settled down, Charlotte said, "I hate to spoil the fun, but I had so many tender moments with Albie over the years. He was a mentor to me. The first play we did together, God, I was standing in the wings on opening night, shaking like a leaf. He came over, patted my hand, and looked into my eyes with such reassurance. He handed me a penny and said, ‘Lucky penny. I always keep one of these in my pocket. If I get nervous on stage, I rub it. Calms me right down. I know a talented woman like you doesn't need those tricks, but take it so I won't feel so alone.'" She stopped to take a breath as her eyes welled up. "To this day, whenever I'm on set, I keep a penny in my pocket."
Finn nodded knowingly. "He was such a generous actor. He gave you so much to work with and so much encouragement to really push yourself. He knew how honored I felt acting alongside him—it was the highlight of my career. After one of our big scenes, we were walking back to our trailers and he said, ‘I could hardly keep up with you.' In truth, it had been the other way around, but he was being kind." He turned to Ella and asked, "What about you, sweetheart? What's your fondest memory?"
"I have so many, it's impossible to choose. But I'll never forget when we all celebrated his last birthday, watching him savor each bite of that blueberry tart and the look on his face when he told us how he fell for Margaret. Such a romantic for a crusty old bird." They laughed and she continued, "He told me many times that love is all that matters. ‘Love, Ella. Love.' I'll never forget those words."
Finn rubbed her arm, and she smiled at him.
Jean raised his glass. "To Albie, for teaching us all a little something about love."
"To Albie!"
FINN AND ELLA STROLLED DOWN THE long red carpet at the famed Royal Albert Hall, arm in arm behind the rest of the Celebration team.
"Somehow I've never been here before," Finn said.
"Well, you're in for a treat. It's extraordinary inside. Concerts here are wonderful."
"I'll have to get us tickets sometime."
"Funny story about how this place came to be. Prince Albert wanted to create a hall to celebrate the arts and sciences, to bring culture to the people. He died before it was completed, and Queen Victoria insisted it should be named after him. They even wove the letter A into the stairway railings. Then of course she had that obscenely pricey gold memorial statue created outside, across the road from the hall. She spent the rest of her life wearing black, to show her deep mourning."
"She must have really loved him."
Ella shrugged.
"What?" Finn asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure she did love him, in her own way, but perhaps it would have meant more to simply realize his vision. He wanted this place to be about the arts, not about him. Love isn't about gold statues or opulence. The grandest gesture is seeing someone for who they are and honoring what's important to them."
He pecked her cheek just as they reached the doorway, where an usher was waiting to escort them to their front row seats. Margaret Hughes, dressed in a black satin gown, her gray hair styled in waves like the night she met Albie, sat between Jean and Ella.
When it was time for the Lifetime Achievement Award, the host called Jean to the stage to present the winner. Ella took Margaret's hand, and they smiled at one another. Jean stood at the podium and said, "Thank you to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for bestowing this high honor upon my dear friend, the great Albie Hughes. So often, you get these awards wrong, but this time there has been no error." He paused as the audience laughed. "Albie was a gifted actor of stage and screen, one of the greatest I've ever known. He was also a hell of a lot of fun. Truth be told, I cast him in so many roles because I had so much damn fun sharing a bourbon with him after a day of shooting and listening to him tickle the ivories whenever a piano was in the room. Albie was a straight shooter; there was no veneer. He lived life to the fullest, making the most of each experience, and that is what comes through in his many memorable performances."
Jean stepped aside as the lights dimmed and a film highlighting Albie's career played on massive screens, ending with a scene from Celebration and still shots of the cast taking their final bow. When the lights came back on, Jean said, "It is with great pleasure that I welcome Margaret Hughes to the stage to accept this award on her husband's behalf."
The entire audience rose. Ella hugged Margaret, and then Finn escorted her up to the stage before returning to his seat. Margaret stood, tears in her eyes and a warm smile on her face as the audience remained on their feet, clapping thunderously. When she caught her breath, she said, "Thank you very much." The audience took their seats. "My darling Albie didn't care much for awards, called them rubbish. It's probably best you waited until he passed to bestow this great honor upon him, else I fear he may not have showed up to accept it and deprived us all of this opportunity." She paused as everyone laughed. "I'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing my husband's body of work, and Jean for that lovely introduction. Albie knew he was ill when he went off to make his last picture. He viewed Jean knocking on his door at that moment as a gift from the universe, a final chance to make a piece of art that would outlast him, or any of us. As it turned out, he became very close to everyone on set and said it was the best shoot of his life. What a glorious way to go out. For that, I'd like to thank the cast and crew of Celebration , and all those who were part of that special experience. He was especially grateful to be part of a film that asked life's big questions. Yet for my Albie, the answer was always simple: love. Jean was kind to call him a straight shooter, but the truth is my darling could be a bit of a grump." Everyone laughed and Margaret continued, "But he never failed to believe in love above all else. That's what he brought to his many beloved characters, and it's certainly what he brought to my life. Thank you kindly for this honor."
The audience leaped to their feet in applause. Finn put his arm around Ella and kissed the side of her head as they joined the chorus of cheers.