Edward stands in his bedroom, before his empty wardrobe and amidst a sea of suits scattered across the floor.
‘I’ve got absolutely nothing to wear,’ he moans. ‘Nothing at all.’
Greer laughs. ‘You’ve got plenty to wear; you just don’t want to. You’re worse than a woman.’
‘Hey,’ Edward protests. ‘I’m not nearly as bad as you used to be.’
Greer smiles. ‘Well, yes, I’ve got to give you that, I suppose. Although I’m pretty good nowadays.’
Edward regards his wife’s transparent form, in her favourite tight moss-green silk shirt that perfectly matches her eyes and a long light-blue skirt that puffs out to settle just below her knees. She is still the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He sighs.
‘True,’ he says, regaining himself. ‘But I’ll bet, if you were given a choice of attire every day, you’d be just as bad as I am now.’
‘No doubt.’ She looks down at her clothes. ‘I am grateful that you buried me in this. If I have to wear only this for the rest of – whenever – it was a good choice.’
‘Well, thank you,’ Edward says. ‘It wasn’t a difficult choice. It was your favourite.’
‘Was it? I hadn’t remembered.’
‘How much do you remember?’ Edward asks. ‘About us, I mean.’
‘Bits and pieces,’ Greer says. ‘It’s all quite hazy, what we did, what we said … Even now, since I came back, it’s still rather like that. Time is so – vertical, is the best way I can describe it, so different from how humans live, horizontally, with all their memories of the past and thoughts about the future. It’s rather amazing, actually: not to feel regret or fear.’
‘Yeah, it sounds great,’ Edward says, ‘I look forward to it. But since I’m still a mere mortal, it doesn’t help me out with choosing a suit.’ He sighs. ‘It used to be that you could make me a bespoke suit and I’d be the envy of all my colleagues. I wish you still could.’
‘So do I,’ Greer says. ‘Not being able to touch anything can be a little frustrating from time to time.’
Edward smiles. ‘I thought you didn’t have human emotions like that?’
Greer shrugs. ‘I guess, every now and then, a blast from the past sneaks through.’
‘Well,’ Edward says, ‘I’m sorry about the frustration but it’s quite nice to know that you’re not entirely above us all.’
Greer laughs. ‘Nearly, but not quite.’
Silence falls between them.
‘I’m hoping,’ Greer says softly, ‘I’m hoping that one day, not yet, I know, but one day you might want to meet Finn … That we might all even have dinner together, with Tilly too.’
Edward regards her. ‘Seriously?’
Edward takes a deep breath. He thinks again of hearing her laughter behind the kitchen door. He exhales.
‘I don’t know, G. Maybe, one day, when I’m … I don’t know, but not yet.’
‘Yeah, of course,’ Greer says. ‘I know it’s a big ask, but I just wanted to put it out there, let you mull on it.’
‘Okay, I’ll mull,’ Edward says. ‘I’ll mull for a good long while. But I’m still getting used to all this, okay? So don’t expect too much of me.’
Greer nods again.
‘I’m trying,’ he says. ‘I’m doing my best.’
‘Oh, sweetheart, I know you are,’ Greer says, floating towards him. Hovering above the sea of suits, she reaches out and holds her hand against his cheek. Edward closes his eyes, letting the heat and the calm sink in.
Slowly, he opens his eyes again.
‘Sometimes I can be all Zen about it,’ he says softly. ‘I’m just happy that you are, that you have what you want and I’m happy that I have you back. It’s a miracle and I’m deeply grateful for it. But, other times, I feel this anger rise up in me and I wish he was gone, that he’d never even arrived, and I had you all for myself again. Just like it was before.’
‘I understand, sweetheart. And I think you’re amazing.’ Greer gives her husband a little smile. ‘But I also think it’s time.’
Edward frowns. ‘For what?’
‘To get out there, to give yourself the gift of some aliveness, some happiness again.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know what I mean.’
Greer gives him a coy look. ‘Sex.’
Edward laughs. ‘My wife is telling me to start dating, this is funny.’
‘Your daughter too.’
Edward sighs. ‘True.’
‘Hey, most husbands would love this,’ Greer says. ‘You get your family and you get carte blanche to go out and make sexy time with anyone else you want.’
Edward gives her a look. ‘Don’t joke, it’s not funny. This situation of ours is crazy.’
‘It’s a little unconventional, true,’ Greer admits. ‘But I believe we’re managing it pretty well, like Tilly said, better than many other “normal” families. Maybe that’s what creates so much misery for ordinary human beings – all the rules and expectations – no one can measure up but they keep trying, failing and hating themselves and each other for it.’
‘Yeah, maybe,’ Edward says. ‘But that still doesn’t mean I’m inviting your boyfriend over for dinner, okay?’
Greer smiles. ‘How about, he can come over when you have your girlfriend over for dinner too?’
‘Oh, because that wouldn’t be an absolutely insane setup,’ Edward says. Then he returns her smile. ‘I do love you so.’
Greer laughs. ‘I love you too.’
And then, before she realises what’s happening, Edward is kissing her. Their lips touch and blend and then, he steps forward to hold her but instead steps right inside her. For a few moments they are merged and then Edward steps out again.
He shakes his head, holding it, pressing his palms against his temples.
‘I’m sorry,’ Edward says. ‘It was an accident, I didn’t mean, I didn’t – whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I’ve got the worst headache.’
‘I’m fine,’ Greer says, ‘just a little taken aback.’
‘Yeah, well, you’re lucky,’ Edward says, still holding his head. ‘I need pills.’
‘You need to get laid.’
Despite himself, Edward smiles.
‘With a real, live woman.’
‘Yeah, all right, okay, point taken.’ He looks up, giving her a mischievous grin. ‘Still, it was worth a shot, don’t you think? To see if we still had that old magic.’
Greer raises an eyebrow. ‘And what’s the verdict?’
Edward considers. ‘I need to get laid.’