Wilderness

If you'd seen us that day, you'd have hated us.

This perfect happy couple.

Charming husband,

loving wife.

Everyone fulfilling their roles.

Like I'd been doing since I was a girl.

I kept quiet.

I did what I was told.

I was whoever people needed me to be.

Never myself, of course, I'm not that stupid.

But then I met Will.

Who saw through all that bullshit.

And when it was safe to, I stopped pretending.

Pew, pew, pew, pew.

Finally, I could just be me.

That was my mistake.

Forgetting what my mother taught me, and her mother before that,

and her mother before that.

A Greek chorus of all women telling me...

It's never safe.

What do you think?

I think any minute now someone's going to tap on my shoulder

and say, "There's been a mistake, this is not your life,

shut the door on your way out." - You're an idiot.

Still...

You've as much right to be here as anyone else.

There he is.

- Sol. - Hello.

Ben. I didn't know you were here.

You guys came back into town, thank you.

Hi!

What's that for?

I'm proud of you, numbnut.

Oh, I was about to say the same.

Oh, you're proud of yourself?

Bugger off.

- Let's get a drink. - Yes, please.

Here we go.

Thank you. Cheers.

Mm, Elliot Sizemore.

As in...

As in, pretty much every sculpture we saw the other day at the Whitney.

And completing the power couple is Bonnie.

She's the hotel's PR Head.

She served on the old regime.

She likes a drink.

Bonnie...

You scrub up okay.

Oh, is that British for a compliment?

Elly, this is Will, our new Events Manger.

Pleased to meet you. This is my wife, Olivia.

Oh, eh, call me Liv, If you like.

Yes, well, it's your name, sweetheart.

Good to meet you, Liv. I hope you're settling in okay?

Oh, thank you. Yes we are.

The company has, erm, rented us an insane apartment.

William, do not waste a second of your dubious charms

on me and my husband.

This room is literally filled with potential patrons.

So, if you need back-up, Cara's circulating.

- Okay? - Go. I'll be fine.

So what is it that you do with yourself, Liv?

I'm a, I'm a journalist.

Well I was, back home, but em...

Well, thanks to Will's visa I'm...

Screwed.

God Bless America.

No, you're really, you're a better woman than I am.

If I had to choose between my husband and my job...

No contest.

I actually think it's a positive.

No, I can, I can...

finally spend my time doing what I've spent a lifetime putting off...

You know, write my novel, learn to bake.

Do yourself a favour, do not chain yourself to the stove.

Or you may find yourself knees-deep in cookie dough,

while your husband's balls deep in some other woman.

Bonnie.

Well, I'm just, I'm tryna help the kid. She's not offended.

You're not offended are you, Liv slash Olivia?

Well, fortunately, I'm a terrible baker and Will's a terrible flirt, so...

We should be okay.

William, Olivia. Good to see you.

Good to see you.

This, ah, this looks intense.

Bonnie's throwing a shit fit because two of the cars have cancelled.

and so now she expects me to what, like, pull them out of my asshole or whatever.

And I'm like, "Yeah, no worries."

It's not like we're slap bang in the middle of Tribeca or anything.

Well, Sol, you have it under control, don't you?

- Doing our best. - Good.

Good.

We, eh, will see you later.

- Have a good night. - This is a sackable offense.

It's fine.

Bloody thing.

Olive, can you see me 'cos I can't see you.

Mm-hmm.

I can see you. Just be patient.

Oh, there you are.

Huh, you're very red.

In the cheeks.

Thank you, mother. I'm cooking.

Cranberry sauce.

Well that came in jars last time I checked.

Well, I want it to be nice. Our first Christmas in New York.

Our Will's roasting chestnuts, is he?

You know he's on a work trip.

Are you going to Val's tomorrow?

Mum, you can't be alone on Christmas Day.

Why not? It's just a day like any other.

Got marginally better TV.

- I don't want you to be on your own. - Well, you saw to that didn't you.

Look, next year,

we'll fly you over.

Have you with us.

You seen your father's sunning himself in Australia of all places.

Her in a two-piece. A two-piece after all those kids.

Course if he had anything about him, he'd say something,

instead of letting her shame herself like that.

Mum, I'm not interested.

What? You think I am? I can't escape the bloody circus,

Him putting picture after picture on Facebook.

How about you stop looking?

That's you all over, isn't it? Out of sight, out of mind.

Anyway, I'm sure you're too busy to talk to your mum, so...

Happy Christmas and all that.

You missed me.

No, I didn't.

Not even a tiny, tiny bit?

Not even...

So this place done up like Hamley's on crack, that's just...

For me.

- For you. - Yep.

You know how I love the holiday season.

Always makes me think of, em...

You know, stony silences and icy church pews.

Well, I missed you.

I need to freshen up first.

- I like you dirty. - Oh, but there's dirty...

and then there's eight hours in a conference room

getting my sweat on trying to sound like I know what I'm doing.

You do know what you're doing.

I'll be quick.

I promise.

Sol texted.

I hope they don't want you to work tonight.

Or worse, tomorrow.

You can say no, right?

Christmas Day is not a day I'm prepared to spend without you.

Babe, I can't hear you. I'll be out in a minute.

You really did miss me.

Sol texted.

Have you been reading my messages?

Very over-familiar, for Sol, but then...

What do I know?

"I can't stop thinking about you inside me."

Liv.

Liv, look. I, look, I can explain.

Liv, okay, look, there... There was this girl.

Woman. At the conference.

Who... liked to flirt to get a rise.

This. This is just that. I mean nothing happened.

I shouldn't have to tell you that.

And when did you become the kind of person who goes through my phone?

- Are you seriously sticking with that? - Well, I just think it's a bit low is all.

I mean, you know, we're meant to trust each other.

Yeah. Yes we are.

Okay, look. We... We can reset the evening.

I know we can.

Okay, look, see?

Look, deleted.

It's gone. It's gone.

What's her name?

It... it hardly matters.

But fine. Emily.

Emily.

Why was she in your phone as Sol?

No, if this was just harmless texting, utterly one-way texting,

then why have her under a different name?

I, eh...

I don't know what's worse, you...

Fucking some other woman.

Or believing that I am stupid enough to believe your explanation.

- Liv, Iook, I can, I can... - Don't!

Don't you come near me.