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Towards the end of the meeting, Liz headed for the door. ‘I just have to check on something, I’ll be back in a tick!’
Where was she going? Cara exchanged a furrowed-brow glance with Miranda.
‘Oh!’ Miranda said, her finger in the air. An image of a light globe above her head popped into Cara’s mind. ‘Do you think it’s…’
The door clicked open and they turned their heads towards the sound. Liz walked back in, along with…
Oh my God. Oh my God!
Cara wondered if her overactive imagination was playing havoc again. Was that really…
‘Ladies, please welcome Katherine Divo, our special guest!’ Liz held out a welcoming hand in front of the petite, raven-haired actress who graced television screens each week in Australia’s top-rating drama show,Nine Lives. Not to mention the fact that she was twice the recipient of Australia’s most coveted television award – the Gold Logie.
Cara froze. She didn’t know whether to clap, wave, or jump up and down and yell ‘Yippee! I just met Katherine Divo!’ The other women looked suitably stunned, and Miranda was about to have a heart attack, as she fanned her face with her hand in excitement.
Katherine gave a little wave and a big smile, her trademark dimples dimpling away. She was just as gorgeous in real life; wide brown eyes, a killer smile that lit up the room, and a warm demeanour emanating from her.
‘Hi, Katherine!’ Miranda stood, as did everyone else, Cara bumping her knee on the table leg on the way and resisting the urge to grab it and say ‘ouch!’.
‘What a wonderful surprise,’ exclaimed Wendy. ‘I watch your show every week!’
‘Thank you, I’m honoured that Liz asked me to pay a visit.’ Katherine made her way around the group and shook hands with each woman. Cara swiped her hand discreetly on her pants in case it was sweaty. She accepted Katherine’s hand and gave it a gentle shake.
I just touched Katherine Divo’s hand!
‘It’s so nice to meet you.’ Cara hoped she didn’t sound like a fangirl. Even though she was. Katherine was one of her favourite actresses; she knew how to elicit the full spectrum of authentic emotion from bittersweet sadness to frustration-fuelled anger. Her lead performances as the accident-prone veterinarian inNine Liveswere both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-wrenchingly beautiful.
‘It’s lovely to meet you too. Love your hair! Are they natural curls?’
She loves my hair? Eeek!‘Um, yes, all natural.’ Cara puffed them up with her hand.
When everyone had recovered their composure, somewhat at least, Katherine stood at the front of the group and talked about her journey and career. She discussed her hopes and dreams as a young actress, and how life had led her to where she was now. Then she explained how Liz had helped her make a difficult decision…
‘There I was, with a successful Hollywood movie under my belt, and the opportunity for more. But something didn’t feel right. I missed my home country, my family, my friends, and I craved the regularity of working on a television show.’ Katherine’s hands talked along with her, much like Miranda’s did, but in a more refined, delicate way. ‘After Liz took me throughThe Passion Test,and we had a few one-on-one sessions online, it hit me: I was living the dream, but it was someone else’s dream. Not mine.’ She paused for a moment,her gaze connecting with each in the room, her silence just as powerful as her words. ‘So, I came back to Australia. The gossip magazines decided that I had bombed in the States, headlines reading: “Poor Katherine, gave it her best shot”. They didn’t seem to think that it being my choice was newsworthy.’ She chuckled. ‘I realised that happiness in all areas of my life was more important than making it big. Making it big in Hollywood wasn’t my top passion, enjoying time with family and friends was.’ She took a sip of water. ‘And, not long after I took the job onNine Lives, I met the man who just recently became my husband.’ Katherine beamed. ‘I can’t imagine not having him in my life, and I never would have met him had I stayed in the States. My life feels more in control now, likeI’min control, whereas before I was running on empty, burning myself out, and following what I thought was right. Now that’s not to say that an actress can’t make it big in Hollywood and have happiness in other areas of their life, not at all, but at this stage in my life it wasn’t the right path for me.’
Wow. This woman gave up an opportunity of a lifetime to go back to the world she came from. It made Cara realise again how lucky she was to have her husband and family.
‘Do you think you’ll ever go back?’ Miranda asked.
‘Never say never,’ Katherine replied. ‘Life is always changing and priorities shift. Right now, I’m loving where I’m at, and my regular sessions with Liz help to keep me focused on what’s right for me.’ She smiled. ‘Seriously, you guys are in excellent hands!’
‘And can I ask what’s in store for Dr Sally Latham on the show?’ Miranda twisted cheekily like a child in her chair.
Katherine grinned. ‘Because I know you’ll keep this quiet, I’ll let you in on a little secret.’ She gestured us closerwith a curl of her finger and leaned onto the table. ‘There’s going to be a new addition to the show.’ She straightened up and patted her belly.
Cara gasped. ‘A baby? In real life or just on the show?’
‘Both,’ Katherine replied. ‘The producers were happy to write my pregnancy into the storyline. But as for who the father is…’ She raised her hands in the air as if she didn’t know. ‘I mean, on the show that is! Obviously, I know who the father is in real life.’
Chatter and congratulations ensued, though Miranda was quieter than usual. Cara made a mental note to catch up with her later. No doubt it would be hard for her to keep being reminded of the fact that she hadn’t found a significant other yet, and her time was running out.
TWENTY-TWO
“There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.”
~ Friedrich Schiller
The next few weeks flew by for Miranda while she kept busy with two jobs and four visits a week to the gym, one of which was her session with Naomi. That was a record for her, and she was very proud of herself. So proud she rewarded herself with a box of chocolates at her two-week exercise anniversary. It was a spur of the moment thing; they were half-price. It would have been a crime to let that opportunity slip by. Anyway, she was sure she would burn off all the calories in no time, if not from the exercise, then from the fear of facing Naomi each week. Or worse, facing Naomi if shegave upon her fitness regime. Now that they worked in the same building, there was no escaping her, and that was kind of good inthe grand scheme of things. She was even getting used to the aching muscles, it was actually a relief knowing they were hidden under her skin somewhere, and that she had indeed been born with triceps.
