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Can she ditch the list?
Rebecca
Mathews is a Listoholic—you name it, she has a 'To Do' list for it.
Coupled with her daily 'Must Achieve' List, she possesses a mid-term,
creatively drawn 'Wish List' and an exhaustively-researched 'Bucket
List'. But so far, they have delivered nothing but spectacular failure.
With her much-loved career exploded in her face, her marriage terminated
in an acrimonious divorce and her frail father's pleas to return to her
native Northumberland ignored, Rebecca concludes that if it wasn't for
her beloved four-year-old son, Max, she would be adding a trip to a
Swiss clinic to her list. A sparkle of light appears in Rebecca's life
wrapped in the guise of 'The Little Green Book of Wishes', which
challenges the reader to 'ditch the list' and instead to use its gems of
wisdom as a 'dip in/dip out' lucky bag of challenges from all areas of
life. Persuaded by her colleagues to relinquish her obsessive reliance
on her multiple lists, cast adrift from their reassuring structure, she
agrees to complete random tasks selected for her from the 'little
emerald book of miracles'. Will it deliver the desired result and cure
Rebecca of her Wish List Addiction?
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EXCERPT
Copyright 2014 © Lindsey Paley
“Right!
Where’s that wishes book then?” Deb demanded first thing Monday
morning. “Hand it over! I’m holding you to your promise.”
Before
Rebecca handed the little green book to Deb, Nathan glanced at their
team manager, Georgina, still engrossed in a complicated call, then
scootered his chair to Deb’s desk as if keen to get involved.
“The
Little Green Book of Wishes.” Deb rotated the book in her hand,
stroking its emerald cover as though wedding dress silk, parting its
pages at the contents page. “‘Wishes with your Partner’, ‘Wishes with
Children’, or ‘Wishes for the World’ section? Hey, there’s one of your
wishes here, Nath, from the ‘Wishes with Friends’ section—‘Real Ale
tasting’! Oh, and ‘Swishing’! Now that’s one I would include on my wish
list!”
"I
don’t understand why you are both so excited.” Nathan rolled his eyes.
“It’s a complete waste of time and energy, if you ask me. Wishes never
come true. I’d love to get the supervisor’s job when Georgina is
promoted to associate next month, but I know I won’t, so what’s the
point applying? Why put myself through all that anxiety and stress?
Anyway,
it’s Becky we’re selecting random wishes for, not me. And why put poor
Becky through the hassle and potential humiliation of performing
challenges from a randomly purchased book extolling the unachievable
virtues of fulfilling our deepest desires? Crazy, if you ask me.”
He
flicked his Baringer & Co pen between his fingers until it became a
blur. However, despite his pessimistic forecast, he continued to pour
eagerly over the contents section of the little green book with Deb and
Rebecca.
“Well,
I think it’s an excellent idea and so does Fergus. Hey, look, there’s
even a section on marrying. Thank goodness, ’cos I could do with some
seriously helpful tips, we’ve still got so much to do. I’m up for
‘Becoming the Perfect Bride’ and ‘Maintaining a Successful Marriage’.
Might even try ‘Co-existing With Your In-laws’.” She sniggered.
“Oh,
I’m so excited. Look, Becky, ‘Amassing a Prestigious Shoe Collection.’
Let’s study that one and slip off one lunchtime soon to Jimmy Choo’s
wedding shoe emporium! Come on, what’ll be your first challenge from the
little green book? You chose the category, but me and Nath are choosing
the challenge.” She held the book up to Rebecca’s face and flicked the
pages from back to front, her perfectly plucked, honey-blonde eyebrows
disappearing into her fringe.
“Well,
I really don’t want to go on a date, and my career is rock bottom, so
it’ll have to be some sort of an activity.” Rebecca fervently hoped the
selection would be ‘Making Maracas’ or ‘An Afternoon Kite Flying’, which
she and Max had discovered, but somehow she doubted Deb would let her
off so easily.
“Right,
now me and Nathan will confer. It’ll be a great way of meeting new
guys, anyway.” She giggled. As she was in love, she expected the whole
world to want to be, too. “Mmm, what do you think, Nath?” They huddled
together in her cubicle, her blonde mane meeting his dark spikes. “Where
will there be lots of hot, single men? Oh, and let’s find something she
can do with Max, too, this being the first challenge.
“What
about ‘Taking a Dance Class’? Must be on everyone’s wish list that,
surely? It suggests the waltz or the tango. Here, did you know the tango
is said to have been born in the brothels of Argentina, the dancers
connecting chest-to-chest or hip-to-thigh displaying strong and
determined passion? What could be better? Only two stars, Becky, must be
an easy challenge, right?”
“You’re
joking. I’m not taking Max to a tango class! Anyway, look what it says
at the end. A dance class such as the tango or the jive is not for the
faint-hearted when wishing to meet new people. No, Deb.”
“Well, okay, but I might persuade Fergus to take some lessons with me.
We could perform a passionate tango as our first dance at the wedding reception—spice up the night and shock the grannies!”
Her
infectious giggle rang around the office, causing Georgina to lift her
eyes and throw them a puzzled look. Shaking her short, black curls, she
returned to her phone call. It was their lunch break after all.
“Right,
‘Exercising Section,’ then. What sport have you always had a hankering
to try? Yoga? Crossbow shooting? Oh, what about Morris dancing? Is that
really a sport?”
“Be
serious. I’ve not done any real exercise since giving birth to Max.
Anything too energetic would be the first and last challenge to be
attempted from the book and I’d end up in the A&E.”
“I suppose that also means ‘Climbing Mount Everest’ is not going to make Rebecca’s wonderful wish list, then?” Deb smirked.
Rebecca’s glare said, “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“Right,
got it.” She held the book up in front of her and Nathan’s faces. He
glanced at the page and then peered around the cover at Rebecca.
“Sure,”
Nathan agreed. “As good as any. And Max can join in with that, too,
which is what the book is suggesting, I think. There’s a great club near
us which runs a junior academy and welcomes kids from the age of
three.”
“What?
What are you talking about?” Rebecca’s heart hammered against her
ribcage, particularly at Nathan’s suggestion that Max join her.
She had not agreed to involving him in this crazy folly. But her new friends ignored her protestations.
“Yes,
I’ve been to that club with Fergus’ nephew. It’s great fun. Right,
decided.” Deb turned the chosen page toward Rebecca. “There you are,
Becky, ‘Learning to Play Golf’. You can take Max along and have some fun
just hitting the balls from the driving range, or there’s an American
mini golf course to try out. You can enquire about the junior academy
whilst you’re there for Max. It’s an activity you can do together and
there’ll be lots of men wandering around in that delightful golf gear.
You could kill two birds with one golf ball!”
She
handed the book to Rebecca, who grabbed it and read out loud, “Learning
to play golf is fun. Hitting a golf ball is easy, but hitting the ball
in the direction you want it to go takes an enormous amount of practice.
Mmm. Look at the warning at the end. Be sure never to stand in close
proximity to a golfer’s swinging club. I foresee disaster.”
Thanks Jacqui. I hope readers enjoy Rebecca' s challenges. I'd love to hear what's on everyone's wish lists. Lindsey
ReplyDeleteThe Wish List Addiction is so deliciously smart. Def. an enjoyable summer read.
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