by John Kelly
The hospital was as busy as ever during visiting hour with people moving in all directions. When Julian entered Maria's room, she was sitting up, alone reading a book. She looked up and smiled. "Hello stranger," she said, with an alert, sprightly lift in her voice and with full colour in her face. "Geez, you look terrific," Julian said. "I feel terrific," Maria answered. "Guess what?" she said. "What?" Julian asked. "I'm going home tomorrow. How good is that?" Julian was flabbergasted and delighted at the same time. "Are they sure it's okay? Is your head all right?" he asked. Maria laughed. "I don't think they would be letting me out if I wasn't. Everything is fine. I had the results of the brain scan today. There is no problem. I have to take it quietly for a week or so and then I can go back to work." The look of relief on Julian's face said more than his words could possibly express. Maria was touched by his overt display of emotion and care. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it tight. "You don't have to worry about anything. It was an accident and now it's all over," she said. "Not completely," Julian answered. "There's still the little matter of a charge for dangerous driving to face. However that's minor compared to everything else." Maria smiled, "Well, you can deal with that when it comes. Don't burden yourself with it just now. You never know, maybe they won't bother when they see that everything has worked out all right." The prospect of a charge not being laid had not occurred to Julian and the very suggestion of it gave him a lift. "Never thought of that actually. Anyway did Michelle tell you I brought her in this afternoon?" he asked. "Yes, she said you were on your way to pick up Richard and the others." Julian nodded. "Yes, that's right," he said. "How are they all? I can't wait to get back," she asked. Julian was quick to reassure Maria. "They are fine. But something happened today. Richard apparently had a seizure and they took him home earlier in the day. When I arrived back at Elm Tree with the others, his mother was there with him. Do you know her? Her name is Elsie." Maria looked at him intently. "Of course I know her. I've known her for years, for as long as I've known Richard. She visits him every week. The seizures are fairly commonplace with Richard. You are lucky he has never had one in the taxi, although it's possible he has had a minor one without you even being aware of it. I take it you met Elsie, did you?" she asked him. "Well, yes I did," Julian continued. "I took her home to her flat and we had a little chat along the way. But something else happened after I dropped her off."
"What was it?" Maria asked.
"There was a man," Julian said, "an elderly man waiting outside the flats. I thought he was spying on the children playing in the courtyard, so I approached him. He said he was looking for Elsie, but he didn't know what her flat number was, and now I come to think about it, he didn't know what she looked like either because if he did, he would have seen me drop her off and approached her then."
"What did he want?" Maria asked.
"He didn't say. He just said he was trying to get in touch with her. He said he was from Baldargo, and had come down on the train today. He is staying at a hotel in the area. I said I'd find out what I could and get back to him."
"Well, you had better ask Elsie about it first, don't you think?" Maria suggested. "Yes, that's what I was thinking. Do you know her flat number, or better still, do you have her telephone number? Apparently she's not in the book."
"Yes, I have her number at work. Her number is not listed because her eldest son Warwick, is a security freak and won't let her have it in the book. I can call Elm Tree now for you if you like. Her number is in my address book in the office," Maria said.
"Okay, if it's not too much trouble. The elderly man's name is Gerard Martin, does that mean anything to you?" Julian asked. "No, not that I can recall, she answered. "I don't think he means any harm," Julian replied. Maria picked up the telephone receiver on her bedside table and dialled. Two minutes later, she gave Julian Elsie's telephone number, and her flat number. "Thanks, I'll call her in the morning. You mentioned her son Warwick. Does he look after her?" Julian asked, somewhat intrigued. "Yes and no," Maria replied. "Warwick is a successful Public Relations person. He has his own company and he is quite wealthy. He has long wanted Elsie to go and live with him in Templestowe but she is not interested in leaving the house where she has lived for many years. He thinks he's looking after her by not letting her have a listed number. He pays for most of Richard's needs but never comes to see him. Nor do any of the others."
"Others?" Julian asked.
"Richard has another brother and sister, and?" Maria stopped herself from going any further, as if she had already said too much. Her eyes looked downward, then across to the window. "What is it?" he asked. Maria looked at Julian for a few moments, and then turned her head toward the window. Sadness filled her eyes. "What's up?" Julian asked, concerned at this unexpected reaction.
"There are complications," Maria said as she took a tissue from the box on the bedside table and dabbed one eye. "It's all very complicated. Almost a soap opera, you might say. The family is very troubled. They have long ago buried things that should have been addressed and dealt with. But they didn't, and now half of them are in denial, the other half live in ignorance, and really, you don't want to get involved," she said. Julian, realizing that he had touched upon a sensitive nerve, retreated.
"Okay, well if you say so," he said. "It's just that I sort of like Richard as you know. Today was the first time I had ever met anyone from his family, so I thought knowing something about them would help. But that's okay, I don't want to intrude." Maria took his hand in hers. "I understand. One thing it won't hurt you to know is that Elsie is a wonderful lady, who has devoted her life to caring for Richard. She endured years of guilt, having him placed into full time care and even today, she still feels as if she has let him down," she said. Then, Maria hesitated for a moment. Julian could see that she was perplexed. "What is it?" he asked. Maria looked at him, quivered slightly and then said, "You're a good man Julian. It won't hurt to tell you, but you must never repeat this unless I say so." Julian nodded as he realized something was about to be revealed to him, something very important. "Okay, what is it?' he asked.
"On the day of the accident, Elsie's daughter Andrea died of cancer," Maria said. "Oh that's awful," Julian said, suddenly feeling the pain that accompanies the news of someone else's loss. "That's only part of it," Maria added as she took a deep breath. "Andrea was also my sister." Julian was confused. "How," he asked. "Elsie isn't your mother is she?" Maria grinned. "No, she's not. Andrea was adopted. So was I. It was Elsie that started the whole thing off by remarking on how much I looked like her daughter. Andrea and I met each other through Elsie, some years ago, and when we realised we were both adopted, we decided to look into it. We had a DNA test that turned up positive, and then Jigsaw, the organization that helps fractured family members locate each other, helped us fill in the blank spaces." she said. Julian smiled. "How fantastic for you," he said. "Well, not completely," Maria said. "As it turned out, we found that we had the same mother, but not the same father. Andrea didn't take too well to that piece of news, so we haven't been that close until recently."
"Hang on," he said, suddenly realizing the connection. "If Andrea is your sister, and Michelle is your niece, doesn't that mean Michelle is Andrea's daughter?" Maria smiled. "Yes she is, but it is very important that you never repeat that to anybody, not to anybody, do you understand. Not even to Elsie or even Michelle for that matter." Julian was silent as he tried to absorb all the bits and pieces that had been revealed to him. "Do you mean that Elsie and Michelle don't know about each other?" he asked. "Elsie doesn't know about Michelle. Andrea never told her. There was a further pause while Julian absorbed this last piece of the puzzle. "Why not?" he asked. "The answer to that is a little complicated and now very delicate since Andrea died. It will all sort itself out very soon now. It's just very important that you never mention this to Elsie or anyone else. If you were to mention to anyone that you know this, it could have some very awkward repercussions. I don't know who this man is, who is trying to contact Els
ie, but check with her first before you tell him anything. I would hate to think there was something else that might come out of the woodwork and upset her even more," she said. Julian nodded thoughtfully, his mind still ticking over the detail. But he trusted Maria enough to let the matter rest there. "Okay. I won't say anything. We'll leave it at that for the time being. I'll call Elsie in the morning and go along with whatever she wants." Then, looking at his watch, he said, "I'd better be off. I said I'd go with my wife to a prayer meeting tonight."
Julian was not so much concerned with the time, as he was with the prospect that Michelle would be at the prayer meeting too, and the very thought sent a tingle from his stomach straight through his heart into his mouth. "Michelle will be there too," he said to Maria. "Is there anything you would like me to ask her? Does she know you are going home tomorrow?" The very thought that he might be the carrier of a message that would give him legitimate reason to engage in conversation with Michelle was tantalizing. Maria, recovered from her moment of reflection and smiled. "Yes, she's coming to pick me up. This prayer meeting business, I know you have been before, but are you really into it? It doesn't sound like you." Julian shrugged his shoulders. "I only went in the first place because I thought you were going to die. My wife Annette is into it, and I thought that maybe going along would help make you better. Looking at you now, I think it must have worked, but then maybe you were going to get better anyway, I don't know." Maria smiled. "You did that just for me? I am touched." Julian felt embarrassed. "Well, I was worried. Anyway, do you want me to tell Michelle anything?" he persisted clumsily. "My, we do sound anxious. No, there's nothing I can think of. She'll be here tomorrow morning. Do I detect a certain interest there?" Maria teased innocently. The very suggestion rocked Julian who blushed with embarrassment. "Of course not, I'm married. I just think she's a very nice person and I'm glad that she's able to look after you," he said desperately trying to mask his awkwardness. A gentle silence followed as they looked at each other, one feeling the discomfort that flows from hidden feelings being exposed, the other, the strange sensation that accompanies an awakening, a realization. Maria studied his face, and detected the subtle give-a-way signs.
"Julian, do you have feelings for her?" Maria asked. Julian was silent and Maria realized the question was a gross intrusion. "I'm sorry, I had no right to ask you that." Another embarrassing silence followed until Maria tried to stabilize the moment.
"She's in a relationship at the moment," she said.
"Oh yes, is she really? That's nice." Julian's reply was quick, artificial and ill at ease, even for him. The prospect that Michelle might be involved with someone else did not occur to him. He was after all a man. Men didn't think that way when the first romantic chimes, the first overtones of love, heralded from the heavens.
"Yes," Maria added. "She's got herself involved with that idiot Douglas Bilby, the pastor at the prayer meeting. I guess you didn't know about him either, did you?" Julian looked at her unable to hide his disbelief.
"Him? He's weird. I could see that from the first moment I met him." Maria nodded in agreement. "Well, you won't have an argument with me on that one. I've tried to tell her. Perhaps you could drop some subtle hints if the opportunity presents itself. I'm sure he means well, but he just doesn't have enough between the ears to stop himself from being a twit. And he's too old for her. I sometimes think she sees him as a father figure," she said. Julian recalled Michelle mentioning her father earlier in the day. "She said her father is in Adelaide," he said. Maria nodded. "Her adoptive father yes, and she misses him a lot. Her adoptive mother Irene died a few years ago. Michelle came to Melbourne to stay with me, a few months ago." Julian was confused once more. "How did Michelle come to stay with you?" he asked. "When Andrea finally found Michelle, she asked me if I could look after her. She didn't want Elsie to know about her just yet. I think she was planning to tell her, but it didn't happen. I said earlier that things were complicated. I'll explain it all to you another time, but anyway Michelle came to live with me, and before long found herself hooked up with that Anglican minister. I thought it was just a bit of homesickness at first, but that little twerp of a fellow is still around."
The prospect of Michelle being involved with Pastor Doug, filled Julian with dismay. This wasn't part of his fantasy, and disappointment spread through his body. What had promised to be an evening full of anticipation had suddenly become devoid of any further pleasure. The complicated revelations surrounding Michelle's family only served to further dampen his mood. His only interest now was to go home. With a disconsolate, melancholy sensation he resigned himself to a lonely night in front of the television. "Well, I had better go," he said to Maria, indicating a loss of eagerness for anything. Maria tried to regenerate his zeal. "Okay, well, you will call Elsie Steedman tomorrow about this man you spoke to?" she reminded him. "Yes, I'll do that. I'll let you know how it turned out." With that, Julian turned and took a step away, then hesitated, and stepped back, leant over the bed and kissed Maria on the cheek. "I guess I'll see you back at work in a week or so," he said. As Maria watched him leave, she realized he was hurt. She realized that his feelings for Michelle were real and that if anything were to eventuate, it would be a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire for Michelle. "Oh dear," she said, as she watched him walk down the corridor. "What a mess!"
26.