Now That I've Found You Read online

  Esther blinks a few times, taking a step back and holding a hand over her heart. “Evie Marie! Come here, girl!” And then I’m pulled into one of her eyeball-popping hugs. “Peg told me you’d be in the city this week, but I didn’t expect to see you. Come in, come in.”

  We’re ushered inside, and I find that Esther’s brownstone is quaint and sweet, just like her. Shoes line the hallway, which opens into the wide space of her living room, and the kitchen connects to the right.

  “How many times have you been here?” I whisper to Milo as Esther beckons for us to follow her into the living room.

  He shrugs. “I don’t know, a handful. Whenever your grandma wants to come by.”

  “You mean Gigi actually leaves her house to see Esther?”

  “Yeah,” he says, confused. “You know, she doesn’t stay inside all the time.”

  Before I can ask him to further explain, Esther says, “Ruby, look who’s here. Your favorite.”

  There’s an older woman sitting on the living room couch, wearing a pink bathrobe and matching fuzzy slippers. She’s watching Every Time We Meet on the huge flat-screen television in front of her. It’s the fiftieth anniversary this year, so I’m not surprised that the movie is playing on cable right now. Some stations are running daylong marathons.

  The woman—Ruby—slowly turns to face us, and her mouth forms into a smile.

  “Milo,” she says, grinning. “Hi, baby.”

  “Hey, Ruby.” Milo walks over and plants a kiss on her cheek. He sits down on the couch beside her. “How’ve you been?”

  “Good, good,” she says, gently patting his knee. She speaks just as slowly as her movements. “Look at you. Always so handsome.”

  “That’s my older sister, Ruby,” Esther whispers to me. “You were so young the last time you saw her, maybe five or six. She was living in Houston, but she came up to live with me after her stroke. It’s one of the reasons I retired. That and the fact that your grandmother basically forced me to. Said I needed to enjoy my life while I still had time left.” She laughs and then says, “Ruby, you remember Evie Marie, Peg’s granddaughter? She’s all grown up now. Isn’t she lovely?”

  Ruby leans forward to look at me and blinks, offering the same slow smile she had for Milo. “Oh, yes. Lovely just like Peggy. How are you, baby? I hope you still aren’t upset about what that evil British director did to you. Just like a white man to try and steal your joy.”

  “Oh, Ruby, don’t start with that,” Esther says. But she adds, “Not that I disagree, of course.”

  “You hold your head up high, you hear me?” Ruby says. Because she speaks a little slowly, her words feel more deliberate, weighted.

  “I hear you,” I say. Now everyone is staring at me, and I feel a little self-conscious. I need to remember why I came here in the first place. “Esther, I was wondering if I could talk to you about Gigi. It’s important.”

  “Of course.” Esther gestures for me to follow her into the kitchen. “I was just getting ready to give Ruby her breakfast, but you and Milo are welcome to eat too. I actually insist on it.”

  A sizzling pan of bacon and home fries sits on the stove next to a pan of scrambled eggs. Esther begins pouring glasses of orange juice, and I decide it’s best to just be quick about this Gigi business.

  “Okay, so Gigi left yesterday morning. I have no idea where she is or when she’s coming back, and I’m worried about her.”

  Esther frowns and places the carton of orange juice back in the fridge. “What do you mean, she left?”

  I pull Gigi’s note out of my pocket and hand it to Esther. She shakes her head as she reads and tsks under her breath.

  “Do you have any idea where she might be?” I ask. “The FCC ceremony is on Sunday. I don’t know if she plans to be back before then.”

  Esther shakes her head again and hands the note back to me. “I have no idea where she is. Have you told your parents?”

  I consider lying, but I don’t want to add Esther’s name to the list of people I’m deceiving. “No, I don’t want them to worry. I just want to find Gigi before this all blows up. When’s the last time you talked to her?”

  “Wednesday night,” Esther says, piling food onto three plates. “She was a little upset, but that didn’t seem too unusual. She’s been in a bit of a bad mood since she found out she was being honored at the FCCs. I didn’t think that she was this upset, though.”

  I inwardly wince, knowing Gigi was most likely upset because of our argument.

  “So you have no idea where she might be?”

  “None at all,” Esther says. She picks up the plates and hands one to me. “This is for you. Eat. Who else knows about this?”

  “Me, you, Milo, and Candice Tevin,” I say. “Gigi went to Candice’s gala last night because she needed to buy something, but Candice wouldn’t tell me what it was. Candice is the one who suggested that I ask you about Gigi.”

  Esther frowns again. “I wish I could tell you more, Evie Marie, but I really have no idea what’s going on with Peg. Nothing is ever simple with her, but I’m sure you know that by now. Disappearing is how she deals with stress. I can’t tell you how many times she went off the grid after finding out that she didn’t get a role or after she became overwhelmed by one thing or another—once, in 1982, she called me from Mexico two days before the Academy Awards. Two days! And you know what her explanation was? She needed some fresh air to think, like there wasn’t enough fresh air back in California. You should call your parents and tell them what’s going on.”

  I start to feel a little nauseous. Calling my parents is the last thing I want to do. But I don’t want Esther to worry or, worse, take it upon herself to call my parents instead. “I’ll tell them,” I say. So much for not lying to her.

  Esther brings the plates into the living room for Milo and Ruby, and I follow behind, carrying my own plate. Their eyes are glued to the television screen, but every now and then, Ruby glances at Milo and smiles at him like a schoolgirl with a crush.

  “Milo, honey, will you get three trays for me?” Esther asks. “You know where they are.”

  Milo goes and grabs trays from across the room, and he unfolds them side by side in front of the couch. He walks over to me once he’s finished and whispers, “What did Esther say?”

  I start to tell him that Esther doesn’t have any answers about Gigi, but Esther herself interrupts me.

  “Sit down and eat, Evie Marie,” she says, before hustling back into the kitchen.

  “Oh, no, Esther, we can’t stay,” I call, but she doesn’t hear me. To Milo, I whisper, “Gigi hasn’t been here. Esther doesn’t know anything.”

  “I’m not surprised,” he says. “Do you think maybe you should just let your grandmother come home when she’s ready?”

  I shake my head, irritated. “You wouldn’t understand. She’s not your grandmother.”

  He pauses and takes a deep breath, like he’s thinking hard about how to respond.

  I start to say that I’m sorry. That it’s not his fault I’m so frustrated. But then he says, “You’re right. She’s not my grandmother, but I care about her too.”

  “I can’t hear the movie over your whispering,” Ruby says.

  Milo and I apologize and take a few steps back toward the hallway. “Just stay for breakfast,” he says. “They enjoy the company.”

  I look at Esther’s hopeful face as she walks back into the living room, and then I look at Ruby, who is waiting for Milo to return to her side. I don’t want to disappoint them.

  “Okay,” I say, sighing.

  Milo and I sit down on the couch, with him in between Ruby and me.

  Esther stands by and watches until I put some eggs on my fork and lift it to my mouth. When she’s satisfied that I’m actually eating, she flops onto the love seat and lets out a deep breath.

  “Ah, watching your favorite movie, huh, Ruby?” Esther says.

  Ruby nods, taking slow bites of her home fries. “I love Diane and H
enry. Even though I can’t stand James Jenkins.”

  Esther shakes her head and shoots me a look that says, Don’t even get her started.

  Disappointment has ruined my appetite, but Milo is busy stuffing his face. Ruby catches me watching him, and her eyes sparkle as she glances back and forth between us.

  “You make such a lovely couple,” she says.

  Midchew, Milo coughs in surprise.

  “No, it’s not like that,” I say quickly. I start to add that we’re just friends, not even that, but then I catch Esther’s eye.

  “Just go with it,” Esther whispers. “Ruby’s memory isn’t so good.”

  “So lovely,” Ruby says, still smiling at us. “Milo, I’m glad you finally found a nice girl.”

  It takes all of my energy to keep from rolling my eyes. If only they saw all the girls who came to his show. They wouldn’t be so worried about him finding someone then.

  Milo flashes a huge grin as I glare at him. “Thanks, Ruby.”

  “That last girl was bad news,” Esther says. “We don’t want another girl like that.” It’s unclear if Esther is playing along or if this is actually how she feels.

  “That’s what I keep saying!” Ruby chimes in with more energy than she’s shown all morning.

  “Hey, look, Ruby, it’s your favorite part,” Milo says, nodding at the TV, smoothly managing to change the subject. He isn’t smiling anymore. I guess Esther was being truthful. Who is this ex-girlfriend that everyone keeps bringing up, and what in the world did she do to Milo?

  He’s staring at the television with such focus, and I know it’s because he’s trying to avoid eye contact with me. Whatever, that’s fine. I give up and turn to look at the TV too.

  Every Time We Meet is my favorite movie of all time, and it’s not just because Gigi is the star. It was one of the first high-profile romantic movies about a Black couple, and it was an instant success when it premiered.

  Diane is the young daughter of a wealthy shoe-factory owner in Harlem. She falls in love with Henry, a Southern boy with no connections, who gets a job working at her father’s factory. Various circumstances keep them apart, namely that Henry is poor and that Diane is already engaged to a man she doesn’t love but of whom her parents approve. When Henry, who has been working and saving, proposes to Diane, she refuses him. She knows her parents will never accept Henry, and although she loves him, she is afraid to live in a world where she doesn’t have her parents’ approval. Heartbroken, Henry decides to leave New York and start over in Chicago. He wants to forget all about Diane and the pain she’s caused him. Diane is equally heartbroken and ashamed of breaking things off with Henry simply because of what her parents might think. When they push Diane to move forward with her wedding to the other man, she tells them the truth about Henry. Unsurprisingly, they aren’t supportive, but Diane realizes she no longer cares what they think. She just wants to be with Henry.

  In the final scene, Henry is at Penn Station waiting to board a train to Chicago. He’s staring at the train schedule with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his small, shabby suitcase by his side. He looks heartbroken, thinking he’s lost Diane forever. But then Diane appears, running through Penn Station, calling Henry’s name. He turns around to face her. She’s winded, her cheeks flushed. She sputters at first, knowing she has so much to say but unsure of where to begin.

  “Henry,” she simply says, placing her hand in his.

  Henry stares down at their entwined fingers and looks up into her pleading eyes.

  “Well, darling,” he says, “I’m sure glad you showed up.”

  Diane laughs and wipes her eyes. They leave for Chicago together.

  Gigi and James Jenkins had a lot of chemistry. So much so that at the time, people believed they were actually dating. Spoiler alert: They were. Gigi says they tried to keep it a secret for a while, but people eventually found out.

  Over the years, there have been talks of a remake, but nothing ever happened. It was like everyone knew you couldn’t top the original. But James Jenkins seems to think differently. How am I supposed to fill Gigi’s shoes and play Diane? Especially when Gigi herself might not even approve of me taking the role? What if everyone just hates me even more and blames me for ruining a beloved classic?

  “You okay?” Milo whispers about halfway through the movie.

  I nod, facing forward.

  “You sure?”

  I nod again. This time I glance at him.

  His eyes drift to my plate. “You haven’t eaten anything.”

  “I’m not hungry,” I whisper back.

  He reaches with his fork and starts eating some of my eggs.

  I gasp. “I didn’t say you could do that!”

  “Sorry.” He laughs. “You might not be hungry, but I still am.”

  “Shh,” Ruby hisses. But before she turns away, she smiles at us slyly.

  I sigh and put my plate on Milo’s tray; he might as well eat the food if I’m not going to.

  I focus on the movie again and find myself wrapped up in it, just like Ruby and Esther, who I’m sure have seen it as many times as me, if not more. It’s hard not to swoon when Henry first appears on-screen, smiling like a charming country boy. And when he and Diane kiss for the first time, you have no choice but to sigh aloud. They really do make you believe that they’re in love.

  During the final scene, when Diane runs through Penn Station, we’re all sitting on the edges of our seats. Even Milo. With tear-filled eyes, Diane searches for the right words to say to Henry, and he delivers his iconic last line. If someone said that to me in real life, I’d swoon for days.

  The movie ends, and Ruby claps slowly but enthusiastically.

  “This one will always be my favorite,” Esther says, standing up and gathering our plates. “Peg gets so annoyed when I say that. She always says, ‘It was my first movie! I got so much better later on!’” Esther chuckles on her way into the kitchen. Once she returns, she adds, “We’ll be watching as Peg receives her award on Sunday night. It’s long overdue. To think James received the award almost a decade ago! To think he called her. As if she wanted to speak to him!”

  “Wait, what?” Now she has my full attention. “James Jenkins called her? When?”

  “Wednesday night,” Esther says. “Now that I think about it, that might have been why she was so upset when she called me. She’d just finished her phone call with James. I didn’t think much of it because you know how she feels about him. They haven’t spoken in years, and suddenly he calls her out of the blue.”

  He wasn’t supposed to be in contact with Gigi. I was supposed to be the one to reunite them. Did he already tell Gigi about our deal? Did she know all along?

  Oh no.

  I gulp. “What did they talk about?”

  Esther shakes her head again. “She wouldn’t say. She just kept going on about how he had so much nerve to even dial her number.”

  “So that means James was the last person she talked to before you?” I ask.

  “Well, yes, I guess so,” Esther says. “I don’t even know how he got her number.”

  “He’s a rascal, that’s how!” Ruby says.

  I quickly stand up. I need to find a way to get in touch with James, and I can’t do that here. “I really have to go now. Thank you so much for breakfast, Esther. It was nice to see you, Ruby.”

  Milo stands too. I edge away toward the hallway, and Esther rushes over to me.

  “It was so good to see you again,” she says, hugging me tightly. She pulls away and studies my face. “You look just like her. You always have, ever since you were a little girl.”

  “I wish I had more in common with her than just my looks.” I meant to only say that in my head, not out loud.

  “I know you’ve been hard on yourself after what happened with that director, but if you think your grandmother didn’t make mistakes too, you’re wrong. Her career wasn’t perfect. You should ask her about the pitfalls.”

  Maybe Gigi would h
ave told me the stories of her pitfalls after the video leak, if only I’d actually had the heart to talk to her. Now she’s gone, and I can’t ask her anything.

  “I’ll do that,” I promise Esther.

  I turn around to see where Milo’s gone, and he’s crouched down in front of Ruby.

  She pinches his cheek. “You know, you’re charming, just like Henry.”

  “You think so?” he asks, grinning at her. “That’s a lot to live up to.”

  She gives him a warm smile. “Oh, I’m sure.” She glances at me, then turns back to Milo and winks. “And I know what’s what. Thanks for indulging a little old hopeless romantic for a morning.”

  Wait a minute. She knows we aren’t actually dating? She tricked us!

  Ruby laughs at my shocked expression and pats Milo’s shoulder as he wishes her goodbye.

  * * *

  Esther basically forces us to take containers of extra food when we leave, and I feel bad when I promise her that I’ll call my parents if I don’t hear from Gigi by the end of the day. What I actually plan to do is find a way to get in touch with James Jenkins. He’s one of the last people Gigi talked to before she left. He has to know something.

  “Esther and Ruby are big fans of yours,” I say to Milo as we walk back to the subway.

  He shrugs, smiling a little. “They’re sweet.”

  “According to Ruby, you’re charming, just like Henry.”

  He chokes out a laugh and looks away, embarrassed. “You heard that?”

  I try to hold back my laughter. His embarrassment intrigues me. “Let’s see just how charming you really are. Can you say Henry’s famous line for me?”

  He stops walking, so I stop too. He leans down so that his face is level with mine. My silly little heart goes thump, thump, thump. He blinks at me, and I hold my breath, waiting. Then, just as he opens his mouth and I expect to hear those swoony words, he laughs and simply says, “Nope.”

  I blink as he starts walking away. “Nope?”

  “I’m not Henry,” he says. “I won’t even pretend to be.”

  But then, as we wait for the subway, he reminds me to put my sunglasses back on and uses his MetroCard to swipe me through the turnstile. He’s not Henry, but I can begrudgingly admit that he is something.