{"id":512,"date":"2011-07-12T06:00:33","date_gmt":"2011-07-11T19:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=512"},"modified":"2013-09-27T16:36:37","modified_gmt":"2013-09-27T23:36:37","slug":"parsnip-and-lemon-soup-and-an-invitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=512","title":{"rendered":"Season 3: Episode 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Ana drummed her fingers on the table as Johnny\u2019s phone rang out. Again. She\u2019d been trying to call him for the last three days, but he wasn\u2019t returning any of her messages. She was used to him being aloof, but seriously, this was getting ridiculous. She sat at the kitchen bench, wondering what to do, and listening to the rain gently patter on the roof. She was hoping to get all her closest friends together for dinner this evening to tell them her and Tom\u2019s exciting news that the wedding was back on and to give them all the invitations that Tom had got printed earlier in the week. It was just going to be a small wedding \u2013 their closest friends and family \u2013 but she still wanted a bit of pomp and ceremony. After all, she was only going to get married once.<\/p>\n

Ana heard the front door open and Mia wandered into the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cMia, can you do me a massive favour?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia nodded. \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that Johnny is mad with me about something and I need to get in touch with him,\u201d she sighed. \u201cI have no idea what I did, but he\u2019s not answering his phone. Will you call him from your mobile and see if he picks up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia hesitated. \u201cWhat do you need to speak to him about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight. He\u2019s supposed to be coming over for dinner, but he doesn\u2019t know it yet because I can\u2019t get through to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia groaned inwardly. She had forgotten about dinner this evening and that she would have to potentially be in the same room as Johnny again. From past experience, she knew that did not bode well for a good night.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s probably busy,\u201d she said wandering to the fridge and staring in, more for something to do than the fact she was hungry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but I just want to try once more.\u201d She put on her best puppy-dog eyes. \u201cPlease Mia?\u201d<\/p>\n

The last person Mia wanted to speak to was Johnny, but if she didn\u2019t Ana might think something was up and then she would, literally, never hear the end of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, fine,\u201d she said, not even trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She dialled his number from her mobile and willed him to not pick up.<\/p>\n

Johnny answered on the second ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cMia?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHi Johnny. I have\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He cut her off. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to call you for weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia glanced at Ana who was looking at her expectantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, yes, it\u2019s been a very frantic couple of weeks, hasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d he said, his voice deadpan.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell him about tonight,\u201d Ana hissed to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe, I mean Ana, would like to invite you over for dinner tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to come over tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAna does,\u201d Mia said between clenched teeth.<\/p>\n

Johnny hesitated. \u201cI\u2019m not coming if you don\u2019t want me there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Ana\u2019s having a dinner party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you don\u2019t want me there?\u201d He sounded genuinely hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you should come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana was straining to hear parts of the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would mean a lot to, err, Ana,\u201d she said finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk him if he\u2019s mad with me?\u201d Ana whispered again.<\/p>\n

Mia rolled her eyes. \u201cAre you mad with Ana?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would I be mad with Ana?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe thinks that you\u2019re mad with her because you haven\u2019t answered her calls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh right.\u201d She could hear him sigh loudly. \u201cI just assumed that you\u2019d told them about, you know, what happened and that she was trying to call me to yell at me or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not at all,\u201d said Mia brightly. \u201cShe\u2019s very much looking forward to seeing you tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny paused, all kinds of things suddenly falling into place.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s standing right there, isn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErr, absolutely. See you tonight!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana jumped up and clapped her hands together. \u201cHe\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh goody. This is going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia wasn\u2019t entirely sure if fun was the right word, but she managed a wan smile before disappearing upstairs.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Hours later, the five friends were sitting contentedly around the table. Ana and Tom had put together a delicious meal for them. Mia snuck a look over at Johnny, marvelling at just how gorgeous he looked. Even though she\u2019d abstained from wine, remembering what happened whenever she drank around him, she couldn\u2019t help feeling weak at the knees and wobbly in her tummy just from looking at him. Why oh why did he have to look so good every time she saw him? He caught her eye and held her gaze until she blushed and looked away.<\/p>\n

Ana stood up and gently tapped her fork against her wine glass.<\/p>\n

\u201cAhem. We have an announcement to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom reached into his jacket pocket and took out three envelopes, handing one to each of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like to invite you to our wedding,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tom stood up and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently on the cheek. Everyone cheered and opened their envelopes, making the appropriate noises of appreciation at the delicate craftsmanship of the invites.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can all bring dates if you want,\u201d Tom said, grinning around the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might just do that,\u201d Johnny said, laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOoh, someone in particular? Do you have a girlfriend?\u201d Willow teased.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I do have someone in mind as a matter of fact, but I\u2019m not sure if she\u2019ll go with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho could resist you?\u201d Willow said, jumping up and pinching his cheeks.<\/p>\n

He laughed and batted her hands away. \u201cWell, she’s done a good job of it so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia hoped that no one else noticed that he looked pointedly at her when he said this.<\/p>\n

\u201cRubbish,\u201d called out Ana, topping up her glass. \u201cI\u2019ve never known a single girl to say no to you Johnny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, literally!\u201d called out Willow, holding out her glass for a refill too. It had become a ritual for the two of them to gently rib Johnny about his colourful love life. \u201cAnd he never says no back, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Only Tom noticed that Mia and Johnny didn\u2019t find this in the least bit amusing.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Mia stomped upstairs leaving the others to clean up. She knew that she was being unreasonably petulant, but she couldn\u2019t help it. She didn\u2019t want to know about Johnny\u2019s sordid love life. If she was truthful to herself, she just wanted him to want her, but that was never going to happen. Not really anyway. Sure, he thought he fancied her now, but no doubt he\u2019d get sick of her in no time at all when he realised that she wasn\u2019t like the other girls he dated. She just felt so\u2026 dull compared to the other women she\u2019d seen him with.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m boring,\u201d she sighed, flopping on her bed.<\/p>\n

She looked at the framed photo of her last trip overseas to visit her family, wishing that she could have even a little taste of the humidity, warmth and holiday feeling to take her mind off Johnny.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. Why couldn\u2019t she? She was owed a few weeks holiday and what better time to escape than during the middle of Melbourne winter?<\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes later she was booked to fly to Thailand the following Thursday for two weeks. She smiled to herself as she lay back on the bed. Boring people don\u2019t just book themselves trips overseas on a whim. Maybe she wasn\u2019t so bad after all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ana drummed her fingers on the table as Johnny\u2019s phone rang out. Again. She\u2019d been trying to call him for the last three days, but he wasn\u2019t returning any of her messages. She was used to him being aloof, but seriously, this was getting ridiculous. She sat at the kitchen bench, wondering what to do, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[199],"tags":[102,137,194],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=512"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1221,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512\/revisions\/1221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}