ALICE Ch 149

“Laudable restraint.”

Val looks up as Matt Berry sits beside her with a sigh, holding a wine glass.

“What?” Val asks, relieved. Matt is the only person on this team that she doesn’t mind interacting with.

“I’m glad you asked. In my country,” he says with enormous gravitas and complete self-awareness, “You see, Ms. Flores, I come from a faraway place.”

Val smiles and looks out to sea. He’s trying to cheer her up, and it’ll probably work. This is so pathetic. It’s embarrassing.

“Yeah?”

“Called Bedfordshire. And in my homeland, one does not need to suffer a devastating setback to get off-my-skull wankered.”

Val takes a deep breath and nods soberly.

“Yes,” Matt goes on sagely. “One will do this even on a good day. Yet here you are, with the perfect excuse, drinking… dear god, is that Rosé?”

“I don’t know. I’m not old enough to drink.”

Matt chokes on his wine. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m kidding.”

“Dear god. I’ve been slayed.”

“Slay,” Val repeats halfheartedly, making a lazy punching motion.

“I’m very sorry for this weekend.”

“It’s OK.”

Val isn’t stupid or naïve. This is a new team. It’s all fun and games when FUTA is having car trouble, but when it’s Val’s car? It just hurts so much more because of Alice’s win. Alice drove well. She’s done nothing wrong.

Matt studies her face. “You didn’t think you were in competition with her, did you?”

Val’s eye twitches. “I am now.”

“You’ve been on podiums. You were P2 in Australia. You’re on course, Valeria.”

“I know. What about you?” She turns to him. “The car stuff lands on you.”

Matt shrugs. “Golda will be cross with me.” He smiles. “It won’t be the first time or the last. Valeria?”

“Yeah?”

“Looking at the success of other people is not a healthy practice.” He’s serious now. “You see the hits. You see the successes. You never see the films that don’t get made. You don’t see the screen tests that didn’t make the cut. You don’t see the scripts that never sell. And when you find yourself failing, or in a moment like this, you think it’s only you. But you’re not alone. There are many people in the same situation, but they are unseen. This race was disastrous for nearly everyone, Valeria. There are other drivers feeling just as you are now.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Have some perspective. And it’s not, in my very personal opinion, classy to feel too sorry for oneself when by most measures one is well ahead of the pack. This weekend was not your fault, and this weekend notwithstanding, you are having a brilliant year. Try not to lose sight of that.”

Val nods with a sigh. “You’re right. Good speech.”

“Thank you. Now I can give you the bad news.”

She snorts. “Oh, god. What?”

“Well, it’s about Diorgasm.”