Page 12 of Eva Reddy’s Trip of a Lifetime
‘Dump the bloke, plunder your joint bank account and live your best life.’ Rachael doesn’t let me finish the question before offering her opinion.
She has probably spent the last twenty or so years rehearsing for this moment.
And the last half-hour biting her tongue.
She lifts her glass in mock celebration.
‘Hey, I’ve got holidays coming up. Are we too old for a Contiki tour? ’
From somewhere nearby, a poker machine noisily launches into its jackpot feature.
‘Yes, Rachael, we are way too old for a Contiki tour.’ I ignore her pout. ‘And I’m not about to pull the pin on nearly thirty years of marriage on the strength of one anonymous message.’
‘You’re forgetting the non-existent meeting, Jonathan’s sudden passion for the gym and his new wardrobe,’ Katie adds unhelpfully.
‘Thanks for the reminder.’ I drain my glass for a fourth or maybe fifth time.
‘I’m not saying Jonathan is having an affair.
But you guys did get married awfully young.
’ Katie stands to go to the bar, pulling down her miniskirt to cover her magnificently toned butt.
‘I never did understand why you didn’t wait a bit.
It all just seemed so … unnecessary. Your career was just taking off and instead of riding the wave of your awesomeness, you went and got married. ’
She shrugs and heads off to buy the next bottle of wine that none of us needs but will gladly drink.
Four bottles into the evening, my head is clogged and my limbs loose. I’m beginning to regret my decision to come out and more particularly my decision to drink wine from the limited bar menu. Worse still, the big question of the night remains unanswered. What the hell do I do next?
I’m about to claim an impending migraine when Katie rises to her feet and slams her fists down hard on the table. Her not-quite-empty wine glass topples to the floor. I suspect she’s drunk even more than me.
‘A woman should always listen to her intuition. But we need facts!’ She is standing ever so slightly off the vertical.
But what she lacks in symmetry and sobriety, she makes up for in passion, good intentions and cleavage.
‘Eva, you have to be absolutely certain that Jonathan is cheating on you before you do anything. We need hard evidence.’ Katie waves her arms about theatrically.
‘And I get this hard evidence how, exactly?’ I ask.
She scrunches her forehead as best as she’s able. ‘Credit card receipts. You should go through his expenses!’
‘That would be a good idea if I had any of our banking passwords.’
‘You are kidding me, aren’t you?’ Rachael looks at me as though I’d just stepped out of The Handmaid’s Tale .
‘I’ve never needed to know,’ I try to explain. ‘I have my own bank account and a credit card that runs off our joint account. But Jonathan does all the online banking.’
Rachael raises an eyebrow. It is a move she perfected in high school, and it still scares the bejesus out of me.
‘Okay. Okay. I’ll go to the bank tomorrow. Maybe even do a sniff test on his dirty shirts.’
The girls look at each other. ‘And …’ they say in unison. This is an ambush.
‘And …’ I repeat uncertainly. I have no idea how they want me to complete the sentence. They must have discussed tactics when I was in the bathroom.
‘You will stake out his office at lunchtime and see if he has any “interesting” appointments,’ Rachael finishes.
‘It’s not a bad idea, Eva,’ Katie chimes in, rescuing her glass from the damp carpet and refilling it.
‘You two have got to be kidding me. No way I am doing that.’
Rachael deploys the eyebrow again. She has missed her calling—she should be a hostage negotiator.
‘Agree to do all these things or we won’t let you go home.
’ She gives her curls an emphatic shake.
Her hairstyle is significantly more subdued than it was in high school, but her hair is still the same vibrant red.
It couldn’t possibly be natural anymore.
Her colour stylist is clearly a genius. I need to get his number.
‘Okay. Okay.’ Suddenly, I really, really want to go home to bed.
We sit in silence for a minute or so, listening to the muffled sounds of the Clash debating whether to stay or go. All I need is my Stevie Wonder meet-cute song to give the knife one last miserable twist.
‘One more thing.’ Katie slurs her words while still somehow assuming an authoritative tone.
‘Whatever is happening with Jonathan—and we still don’t know what that is.
It could be a whole lot of nothing, and your internet friend is just screwing with your head.
And there might be an innocent explanation for his maybe, maybe not meeting.
But …’ Katie fixes me with the ferocious glare of the truly drunk.
‘You are a star. You should be running that newsroom. And if you hadn’t agreed to marry Jonathan, that’s exactly what you’d be doing.
Or you’d be hosting our current affairs show.
You’d be doing something incredible for sure.
I know you’ve encountered your fair share of creepy arsehole bosses.
But there is one reason and only one reason why you never reached your potential.
The only thing that has held you back in the past, all that is holding you back now, is Jonathan. ’
It is quite the monologue. I can’t help but be impressed that Katie pulls it off, given her blood alcohol level.
‘She’s right, you know.’ Rachael joins the fray. ‘I understand why you married him. I really do. He was the perfect guy. He could still be the perfect guy, for all we know. But it all happened so quickly. You rushed into the picket-fence dream and you’ve paid for it ever since.’
They have a point, but I’m not in the mood to analyse my less-than-awesome life choices. I pick up my bag and sling it over my shoulder. We are in danger of saying something we’ll regret in the morning.
‘We’ve been drinking, so let’s leave it there.
But you have to remember and respect that Jonathan is still my husband.
And my decisions have been my own. Always my own.
And that includes the bad ones. Right now, I just need to think.
And yes, I will do some digging around tomorrow.
I made a promise and I’ll keep it. Love you both,’ I add to let them know that while I’m annoyed, there is no permanent damage.
They return fire with a volley of air kisses.
As I wobble out into the cool night air, I think about what Katie said. The way she remembers it, my career was just taking off when I got married. She begged me to slow things down when I first announced my engagement. I should have listened to her.
My career died the day I walked into the newsroom with a ring on my finger.
From the journals and miscellaneous paperwork of Eva Reddy (Age 23)
March 2nd, 1996
1996 ELECTION NIGHT AUTO-CUE
WELCOME BACK …
(SMILE)
IT’S BEEN LESS THAN THREE HOURS SINCE POLLS CLOSED IN NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. LESS THAN TWO HOURS IN QUEENSLAND, BUT ALREADY OUR EXPERTS ARE PREDICTING A LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR JOHN HOWARD’S COALITION AFTER THIRTEEN YEARS OF LABOR GOVERNMENT.
THE SWING AGAINST LABOR LOOKS TO BE AROUND FIVE PER CENT, WHICH WOULD GIVE THE COALITION A MAJORITY OF AT LEAST FORTY-FIVE SEATS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
COUNTING HAS JUST BEGUN IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. WE HAD PLANNED TO GO TO OUR REPORTER EVA REDDY IN PERTH TO GAUGE THE MOOD IN THAT STATE BUT IT SEEMS THIS ELECTION IS ALREADY OVER.
WE’RE HEARING NOW THAT PRIME MINISTER PAUL KEATING IS ABOUT TO ADDRESS THE LABOR PARTY FAITHFUL AT THE BANKSTOWN SPORTS CLUB IN SYDNEY.
SO, LET’S CROSS THERE NOW LIVE.
AUSTRALIAN HOTEL
PERTH
GUEST BILL
Guest: Eva Reddy
Date: 2–4 March 1996
DESCRIPTION
CHARGE
2 nights’ accommodation (standard room)
$300
2 x continental breakfast
$36
Mini bar
1 x bottle of shiraz
$17
1 x vodka
$8
Total
$361
PRESS RELEASE
Embargo 9:00 am Tuesday 5 March 1996
CHANNEL 8 ELECTION COVERAGE 1996
Channel 8 continued its fine tradition of election coverage on Saturday night and was rewarded with a convincing ratings win across all states and territories.
Our team, expertly led by nightly news anchor Everett Dunn, comprised over fifty reporters and producers as well as dozens of camera crews and outside broadcast technicians.
This army of television professionals had the capability to cover forty different locations across the continent.
This is the attention to detail that Channel 8 viewers expect and demand.
Channel 8 management would like to thank everyone involved in bringing the 1996 Federal Election into a record number of Australian homes.
We would also like to announce that junior reporter Matthew Kirk has been promoted to our Canberra Bureau.
Matthew’s role as our environmental reporter was crucial to our understanding of one of the major election issues.
His excellent reporting and interviews and insightful commentary mark him as a rising star of the Channel 8 newsroom.
We know he will be a terrific addition to our federal parliamentary team. Congratulations, Matthew!
—The management team of Channel 8
For additional information and comment, please contact the public relations office at Channel 8.
12 March 1996
To the Head of Personnel, Channel 8
Dear Ms Smith,
I am writing to bring your attention to the unprofessional and unfair conduct of your news director Mike Ripley.
I have been a hardworking, productive and very successful member of the newsroom since joining Channel 8 almost two years ago.
I have covered for reporters on weekends and over the holiday period.
My work was so well regarded that Mr Ripley suggested my next role would be as the junior reporter in our Canberra Bureau.
That job has gone to Matthew Kirk. I don’t want to suggest that Matthew’s promotion is not well deserved.
But when I approached Mr Ripley to discuss other possible opportunities for me, he responded that I had already been promoted well beyond my abilities.
He further explained that now I am engaged to be married I’ll be ‘up the duff in next to no time’.
And in any case, I didn’t have that ‘fuckability factor’.
Apparently, I also look too smart and the audience doesn’t like smart women.
None of Mr Ripley’s reasons for failing to promote me have any bearing on my work ethic or my competency.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Eva Reddy
15 March 1996
Dear Ms Reddy,
Thank you for your correspondence. We take all complaints very seriously. It is important to us that all staff meet their professional goals in a happy and supportive team environment.
We have spoken to Mr Ripley about your concerns. He has a very different recollection of his conversation with you. Unfortunately, without a witness, it is impossible to know what exactly was said. I think we can agree that there has been some misunderstanding.
Mr Ripley did explain that your position as a weekend reporter was only ever temporary and, reflecting on your performance, he didn’t feel you were suited to the job at our Canberra Bureau.
Clearly your professional relationship with Mr Ripley has broken down to a point where it is not possible for you to work together, but we also acknowledge your mostly excellent work for Channel 8.
So I am delighted to offer you the job of Head of Research.
This is an important position and comes with a modest pay rise, which I am sure will be welcome as you plan your future nuptials.
Congratulations, Eva. I know you will excel in your new role.
Sincerely,
Anthea Smith
Head of Personnel
Channel 8