Heart

by Paula Hayes

CHAPTER TWENTY

  Rain, Rissoles and No Man’s Land

  “And then I heard the back door slam and I shouted at Dad to run down the driveway, round to the back and stop the slimy creepster from fleeing the scene of the crime … I have never seen Dad move so fast, his orthopedic flip-flop thongs were a flipping blur. You ought to have seen Pig Man’s face when he saw my Dad at the top of the carport, barrelling towards him. He nearly popped his pooper valve … it was legendary.” Dylan sucked in a hurried breath and steamrolled on.

  “Anna, Kevin and Natalie were knocking on the door across the road and they bolted over here. Natalie called Deepak and Mum, who were knocking on doors further down the street and then you came to the back door and now you are up to speed on Operation Vampire.”

  Jacqui and Anna were waiting for him to burst into Shakespearean parallel but instead he raved on about how proud he was of his Dad. “You know he is a Security Officer, apprehending criminals is second nature to him.” He looked at his Dad as if he were seeing him for the first time.

  Dylan took a quick squirt of puffer only to relieve his breathlessness after his incredibly long sentence.

  A policeman asked Jacqui if she minded coming back into the house to explain what had happened and to make a statement. Anna grabbed her hand and held it tightly as Jacqui recounted the past hour’s events.

  Jacqui knocked Kelsey’s poetry folder off the coffee table, releasing snippets of words and images that floated up to her. She saw drowned kittens and pinned butterflies. It made her feel suddenly very sad for Kelsey, it wasn’t just poetry, it was an SOS to the Universe. Jacqui’s hot tears distorted Kelsey’s angry angular handwriting and the words blurred into nothingness. She tried to put the poems back into order and shuffled paper knowingly. A photograph fell to the floor.

  Anna picked it up and squinted at it in disbelief. It was Daisy and Agnes! This time Agnes was looking directly at the camera. Daisy had her face in profile looking at Agnes. Agnes was truly beautiful and Daisy was beaming at her affectionately. She turned it over and inscribed in Kelsey’s handwriting were the words, ‘Daisy and sister?’

  Anna gasped and quickly put the photo in her pocket. She took the folder out of Jacqui’s shaking fumbling hands while she continued to talk to the policeman, pretending to place the folder back on the shelf she flicked through it at lightning speed catching the poems’ titles, ‘The Voices in my Head Are Bored with Me Already,’ ‘Seeing Double,’ ‘The Man who lives in the library wears Flares,’ and ‘Emptiness—A Personal Journey.’

  Who is this sick weirdo and what is she doing with an image of my Great Great Aunts? Anna wondered if she were hallucinating from the stress of the last few hours. I need Maccas and a Milo. Pronto! She worked her way through the wad of poems like a bank teller counting crisp paper notes. She lifted the last poem and slowed down, the first line was, “Last night I slept on a bed of Spinifex, while a pioneer’s wife stroked my hair. I stopped crying and began to sing.’ She really is a fruit loop. Anna lifted it up to read the whole poem, already beginning to pick on spelling, syntax and its jerky rhythm but there underneath it, staring up at her with his blue eyes in sepia was Leo. Leo was standing and Les was sitting. The same pose, a postcard copy of the same photo. She turned it over, written on the back was, ‘I thought you might like to have this,’ in swirly old fashioned fading cursive. It looked vaguely familiar.

  Anna felt a wave of shock smack her in the face. What is happening? She couldn’t think of a plausible explanation. Breathe, Anna, Breathe. Think rationally. Kevin’s voice boomed in her head. What was the most obvious answer? The Occam’s Razor? Had Jacqui found these photos in Anna’s house and given them to her morose friend as inspiration for her bleak poems? They weren’t bleak photos. Or was she making fun behind her back of the whole Leo thing. She looked up at Jacqui. The police had finished their questioning. Natalie was embracing Jacqui. She loved Anna’s family. She slipped Leo into her other pocket and wrapped her arms around them both.

  Callum was escorted to the back of the police car. His face was white and his voice was raspy. “I’m sorry,” he choked out pausing to cough, desperate to re inflate at least one lung. “I was drunk … just kidding around … don’t tell Kels, please,” he gurgled through frothy saliva.

  Jacqui just stared at him and shook her head in disbelief.

  Dylan stepped forward and said, “Apology not accepted we will all (he waved to both families surrounding Jacqui) see you in court Pig Man.”

  The police cars drove slowly away. The blue flashing light turned the corner and cast them into darkness. Arun sighed and Kevin scratched his head.

  Nina turned to Natalie, “I have some deep fried spicy chicken, very special Sorshe Ilish and yesterday’s Bandhahapir Ghanta and two Tupperware containers of bhat. Shall I bring it around?”

  “What is Ghanta?” asked Kevin, already sold on the spicy chicken.

  “Cabbage curry.”

  “Look out, it will be an interesting morning,” said Kevin rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “Better find your nose peg Anna, your mother is going to blow,” he teased.

  “Whatever, Mr Booby,” replied Nat.

  “Not cool Dad, you are so embarrassing,” moaned Anna.

  “My bad,” he answered.

  “OMG DAD, I hate it when adults teenspeak. Pathetic!”

  “Ooh vegetable curry, that will go nicely with my semi defrosted casserole, left over rissoles and a pot of French Onion soup,” countered Natalie. Arun patted his belly.

  “I have half a dozen bottles of home brewed beer,” said Kevin. Arun gave the thumbs up.

  “Come on, Jacqui,” said Anna. “Let’s go home.”

  Blake, Beth and Bubba were waiting in the kitchen. Blake’s head was now dazzling clean-shaven; Bubba was cocooned in a pouch against his chest. Beth had set the table and the casserole was wafting out savoury tomato vapours from the oven. The soup bubbled in the pot. Larry and Lottie sat on their mat by the heater. Leo was not at home.

  Jacqui walked through the door and embraced Blake and Beth. Beth cried out, “At least you know a good lawyer.” Blake, the free spirit hippie was a lawyer who lectured at University and worked at a private practice in the suburbs.

  “Thank you,” said Jacqui. She was starting to feel overwhelmed and wanted everything to go back to normal. Beth gently placed a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel onto her swollen face while handing her two painkillers with a green tea. She sat down and drank the tea with a quivering hand.

  “Have you named Bubba yet?” Blake placed the tiny pink bundle in Jacqui’s arms. She was fast asleep. With the snuggly weight of the baby in her arms, her trembling ceased.

  “I really like the name Summer,” Blake piped up.

  “But she was born in bloody autumn,” arced up Kevin.

  “Settle down Dad.”

  “It’s a bloody season, not a name.”

  “Dad, settle down.”

  Dylan peered into the blankets and wrinkled his nose. “How about Potato Head?”

  “Shut up Dylan,” said Jacqui and Anna at the exact same time.

  Nina, Arun and Deepak arrived with two enormous cardboard boxes packed to the brim with Bengali goodies. Eating became the main occupation of the adults. Natalie took charge.

  Dylan, Anna and Jacqui wandered out of the kitchen and into the front room.

  “He is not here.”

  “Yes, even I can tell,” sniffed Dylan. “It smells nice and the dogs aren’t poohing themselves.”

  “What happened to the room? It’s trashed again,” said Jacqui wide eyed. “Did Kevin flip his lid?”

  “Nope … more like poohed his pants. Let’s just say you have a supernatural supporter too. Leo was furious at the way I spoke to you and he gently suggested that I find you.” She waved her arm towards the cracked window glass and the curtain sitting askew on the
floor.

  Anna looked out at the rain falling heavily. Large cold sheets of water pounded the verandah, its blinding velocity made her think about long gone soldiers suffering Trench Feet while waiting for a signal in a saturated sap or trench somewhere. Subconsciously, she curled her toes up into her slippers.

  Larry pushed open the door and started sniffing and mauling the rug in ecstasy.

  Jacqui watched Larry, “Nope, he is not here.”

  “I wonder where he goes,” said Anna, staring into the grey gloom outside.

  “In Between world,” replied Jacqui exhausted.

  “That sounds like it’s at the top of the Faraway tree, Enid dear,” laughed Dylan.

  “Next stop after Toy Town but right before Bottom Spanking Brownie Borough.”

  “I don’t think it is In Between world, I think he is on Earth somewhere.” Jacqui thought of her old knotted tree and her perennial fall onto the path of a red Australian post van and quivered, “He is stuck.”

  “In a box where not everyone speaks the lingo and there are not many of us left, we know he is on Earth Jacqui,” Anna replied.

  “Not everyone speaks English,” said Jacqui suddenly.

  “He is in France.” Jacqui stood up.

  “Of course,” cried Dylan.

  “Which brings us back to the exacting location of’ ‘in the field’. Somewhere. Anywhere. Nowhere. NO man’s land. It’s bloody hopeless.”

  “No man’s land, that is where he goes, he goes back into the earth. Being the social fellow, he probably has a chinwag with the other lost souls hanging around their bones and bits, but I guess their numbers are dwindling … I wonder if he is able to wander around town pinching socks and keys for fun,” mused Jacqui. “I wonder how he transports himself here?”

  She attempted to use her phone to find out but it was useless.

  “As time has gone on perhaps most of his dead pals have been released from their earth bound shackles as they work out what is tying them down. You know, why they are earth bound in the first place. They have the last drag on their cigarette and wave a cheery goodbye and off they go into the arms of their loved ones at last.”

  Jacqui started crying, “That is the most beautiful thing you have ever said Dylan.”

  “And it’s a Dylan original,” said Dylan stunned at his tenderness.

  Jacqui’s lips wavered.

  "Are you all right?" Anna asked Jacqui.

  “I am fine, I really am fine. I thought for a while I was a lonely soldier girl but I am not, I’m not at all.” Jacqui's green eyes twinkled into glassy tears that glittered down her face. “Being alone can be hell; poor Leo is in Hell on Earth, apart from the fact he is looking for Les and needs Daisy like Dylan needs self involved drama."

  “Very rude!” Dylan laughed and continued on. “There are plenty of Australian tourists going to France at the moment. France has become incredibly fashionable, Mummy has an umbrella with the Eiffel tower on it.”

  Dylan thought fondly of his Mum as she ran through the rain with one hand clutching her umbrella, the other clutching her cotton sari to reveal Adidas trainers and mismatched socks. It was a look only his beautiful mother could carry off.

  “Yes, my Mum has two cushions, a note pad and a doona cover with Parisian themes,” added Anna.

  “Mum has three vintage Parisian prints, a cheese board with a map of France on it, a tea towel and oven mitt set and an Eiffel tower doorstop,” trumped Jacqui.

  “Are the prints of naked women?” Dylan asked with feigned innocence.

  “No, of course not. All the ladies have panties on and well placed tassels. Decent and decadent.” She winked at a bug eyed Dylan.

  “I thought every one was still going to Bali.”

  “Oh yes, that’s still in but all the middle class mummies and daddies are heading off to gay Paris.”

  “Do you think our Mums are trying to tell us they want to go to France too?”

  “Nah,” said Dylan. He could barely picture the three women in Paris. Images of sensible shoes and bum bags evaporated before his eyes like a bad dream. He shivered.

  “I don’t see how Aussie tourists could help Leo. They have probably drunk a fine drop or three of chardonnay in their chalet and are all tucked up with their French for Dummies book when the witching hour begins,” said Anna. “God, adults are boring.”

  Larry began to make conspicuous almost meowing sounds of pleasure as he nibbled the tasselled rug.

  “Get off it Larry,” snapped Anna.

  Larry was shunted out the door and into the passage. Nina wandered out from the kitchen with half a glass of ginger beer in her hand. She sipped and burped sweetly into the night.

  “Ah Larry, my dear friend, you look skinny, I haven’t forgotten you.” She bent slightly over and whispered conspiratorially into Larry’s deaf ear, “I have taken the chicken fat off our Murgir Jhol for good health.”

  She nodded her head in the direction of Arun’s tummy that appeared through the crack in the door. She nodded and smiled at the dog in an exaggerated way.

  “I remembered you love it so,” she placed her hand under her sari and pulled out a wad of chook fat neatly bundled up in cling film.

  Larry was in heaven.

  Anna shut the door firmly and pulled out the stolen photos. “I have something to show you.”

  “Is it a vat of my Mum’s Shorshe Ilish because I am ravenous?” Dylan headed toward the door and stopped as Anna held up the photos in front of his face, Les and Leo in one hand and Agnes and Daisy in another.

  He looked at the wall and then back at the photos, “Where did you find them? Did Natalie have them after all?” He paused and studied the photos.

  “Isn’t Agnes a peach? She is absolutely breathtaking.”

  Jacqui stood up and examined the photos as well.

  “Where did Natalie find them?”

  “She didn’t, you did,” answered Anna.

  “I’m not up for a brainteaser today peeps.” She slouched over the table and rested her head on the cool polished wood. Her face ached and the image of Callum’s filthy shirt and exposed flesh kept pinching her brain, she lay her head upon the cool table and found some relief.

  “How well do you know Kelsey and Pig Man?”

  “I met them on the bus about six months ago. Kelsey doesn’t drive and Callum had lost his license again. Kelsey was writing poems, she dropped her pen. It rolled toward me, I picked it up and we got chatting. We would go out clubbing and after Mum left, I would crash the night with them sometimes. I didn’t want to be alone and Kels is quite nice.” She added quietly, “In a disturbed kind of way.”

  “Why do you think Kelsey was with that fat oinker,” said Dylan in disgust.

  One of Kelsey’s first poems, an image of a small girl looking through a broken glass window washed back into her mind.

  “She is lonely,” answered Jacqui. Anna nodded. “She feels alone.”

  “Did you ever mention Leo or Agnes or anyone to her?”

  “No of course not, you asked me not to and besides I know not every one has the same open mindedness to the afterlife as I do.”

  Anna looked down ashamed. The world was upside down. Dadu was probably a baby lama in Peru. Was everything the human mind could conceive possible? Or did the human heart perceive the truths of the Universe yet struggle to understand them. She didn’t know. All she knew was that life; afterlife included was a spectrum of dazzling colours. Nothing is black and white.

  She remembered the photos. “These photos were in her poetry folder,” said Anna simply.

  “Surely you jest, madam?” cried Dylan.

  “Oh Dylan you know I don’t have much of a sense of humour or that much imagination,” sighed Anna.

  “Touché doll face, personal insights in every direction. We might need a group hug to finish off our thera
py session.” He opened up his arms and cocked his head coyishly to one side. “Cuddle me,” he said like a creepy talking dolly.

  “Shut up Dylan.”

  “When does Kelsey come back from up North?”

  “Monday afternoon.”

  “Well, we will find out then.”

  “We could text or email her.”

  Jacqui whipped out her mobile phone. She tapped the cracked glass. “Oh dear,” she cried, “I have nomophobia—I’m having withdrawals. I feel a bit shaky and headachy.”

  “Me too! I can smell smoke,” wheezed Dylan. “Comrade, are you with us Leo?" He spoke into the void of the room.

  “He isn’t here,” replied Anna. “My heart isn’t doing stunt aerobatics.”

  Leo’s last angry words still echoed in her brain and she fell silent.

  “The smell is coming from the outside.”

  The three of them looked out the window and saw Liam searching for a dry spot on the verandah; he had lit up a smoke outside as Natalie had forbidden him from smoking in the house. He had his heavy fluro orange work jacket on and was unshaven. He was talking to another man, his friend Michael. They had only met him once or twice. He was a bearded tubby man wearing a heavy woollen striped jumper.

  Dylan looked at the pair through the broken glass. “OMG, those two need a visit from the fashion police, that woolly sheep sweater is a crime. Needs to be locked up where it can’t hurt delicate lambs like me.”

  Anna rapped on the window and Liam burst into a big grin. He stubbed out his cigarette and carefully hid the butt in Nat’s succulent pot plant. Finding butts made Kevin crazy and Natalie weepy.

  “Let’s go and eat, peeps,” said Jacqui wearily.

  Natalie was at the front door, “Come in, come in Liam and meet your new niece.” She teared up and hugged him fiercely. The homebrew had dulled her senses as she clung steadfast to his dripping wet work coat.

  The kitchen was a warm haven as laughter and food were shared. The table was laden with curries and casseroles. Natalie had toyed with the idea of making a Lemon Delicious pudding from scratch when she sampled Nina’s deep fried fish balls. But then slipped out of the room to her secret Tim Tam hidey-hole and retrieved four packets and a box of Cadbury Roses.

  The chatter stopped when Arun stood up, glass in hand. Arun was a man of few words. He toasted Jacqui and her safe return and praised her sweet caring nature. He toasted Anna for facilitating a cosmic reunion between his father and himself.

  Dylan was busy surreptitiously sipping poorly guarded glasses of home brew.

  “What was the problem anyway with Dadu?” He shouted in a tipsy voice as grains of rice escaped his mouth. “What was all that I’ve caused you a lot of trouble stuff about?”

  Nina froze and looked tentatively at Arun. She nodded her head. Arun was silent for a moment and then responded.

  “When my mother died in 1992 of lung cancer in Kolkata, (Liam squirmed in his seat) my father was very sad, very sad.” Arun paused. He bit his bottom lip hard. “Indeed, my mother’s untimely death nearly destroyed him. Nina and I had just met and my lovely Nina was a great source of support for me.” He stopped to wipe a very large salty tear away and looked lovingly at his wife.

  “Thakurda … Dadu threw himself into his work but when he retired he became very lonely and depressed. He took up with an actress who managed to connive her way to the deeds of our ancestral family home. Our Paitrik Bari. We lost everything.” His voice cracked, “This is why I grew to distrust the acting profession. I was furious. Nina and I planned on imigrating to Perth but Grandfather was so destitute and alone, Nina insisted that he travel with us and teach again. This is how we reached our unhappy truce for his remaining years.”

  “No fool like an old fool,” said Kevin solemnly shaking his head. Natalie kicked him under the table.

  Anna wondered why Arun didn’t speak more often. His deep melodic voice had a soothing presence.

  “However, if it had not been for my quick thinking son, who is a very fine actor, the finest of actors I dread to think what would have happened tonight. To Dylan,” Arun raised his glass and led the praise on Dylan’s police impersonation.

  Kevin, who was not to be outdone in his own kitchen, stood up and toasted Leo for giving his life for his country and his extra sensory perceptiveness but he wished he didn’t stink so much. Natalie kicked him under the table.

  “Who is Leo?” asked Liam.

  “Our intern ghost,” replied Beth.

  “Okay, cool,” replied Liam, reaching for more bread.

  Kevin toasted Bubba who he was going to name himself if the pair of them didn’t get themselves sorted soon. He was quite hurt no one had thought of his mother’s name, Prudence Loretta. He really enjoyed this grand parenting thing and asked Liam when he was going to meet a girl and give him some more grandbabies.

  “Sit down Kev,” said Nat, pulling him into his chair.

  Arun bounced back up, “I would like to say one more thing.” Nina held his shirt tightly and looked up into his face. “I want to say again how proud I am of my son, and I support him, in his, in his lifestyle choices.” Arun’s velvety voice choked.

  Kevin bounced back up, “Everybody raise your glass in honour of Dylan.” Dylan was popping the last rissole into his mouth. His eyes popped out of his head. He coughed and spluttered flecks of mince everywhere.

  “Life style choices! What life style choice are you talking about?”

  “Oh My God.” Dylan put his freshly manicured hand on his chest. “You all think I’m gay. I’m not gay! Sure I enjoy a bit of cross-dressing, it stopped me from being the skinny Indian boy useless at sport. And now it helps me get into character. Actually, it’s very time consuming and I am starting to lose interest in it these days. Not one of you noticed I have purchased runners and some jeans that give me and my chums room to breathe. Points and heels are really constricting. I need to be free.”

  Dylan plopped his foot up onto the table. It was clad in a bright fluro pink and black sneaker.

  “Are you sure you’re not gay?” whispered Nina.

  “Mummy! Not you too! I was watching that Heath Ledger movie, you know the gay cowboy one and I realised, I realised that I am straight. I always suspected so. I tried to push it away. I can’t stop thinking about Michelle Williams. She is mesmerising. She is a peach, just gorgeous. I found the other stuff, well not for me. Saddest day of my life to discover I am a boring old heterosexual.”

  “What about your fascination with this Davis Lowie?” asked Nina as she peered into his glittering eye socket.

  “You mean David Bowie? Sadly he discovered he was a heterosexual too. He is the master of image, intelligence and imagination. He reinvents himself every few years while still being David. He is my role model—performer, fashionista, actor, singer, songwriter and musician. He is one very sexy chameleon and he is married and has kids, Mummy.”

  Nina reached for the chocolates, not convinced. Anna and Jacqui looked at each other and sighed. They would not get much research done on Leo tonight. Tonight’s topic of conversation would include A study of Dylan Ray, my love of eyeshadow and boobs … yet again.

  Kevin slapped Arun on the back and then went to the fridge to find the ginger ale.

  Liam stood up.

  “I would like to say a few words.”

  “Well make it short,” said Kev looking at his watch. “The football is about to start on the telly.” Arun had started filling up his plate again to take in front of the TV.

  “I would just like to say I’m glad you two got back together. Grats on the baby. I am glad I am an Uncle, kinda makes me feel grown up. It kinda makes me realise how important family and stuff is. So I need to tell you all that Michael is my boyfriend.” Liam sat down and continued eating.

  The ginger beer slipped from Kev's hand, bounced on the floor and
sprayed sweet gingery liquid on every one.

  Natalie looked at Kevin. He clutched his heart as his face turned the tell tale beetroot again. Anna and Beth leapt up and starting cleaning. Deepak jumped up and started mopping the floor with an old tea towel. He smiled at Anna. In all the confusion, Anna felt herself redfaced but smiling back at him.

  “Did you know this?” Natalie nodded her head slightly.

  “How long have you known?”

  “Not long Kev, only six months.”

  “Why doesn’t any one tell me anything,” roared Kevin. The wormy veins in his neck were cart-wheeling.

  “I can’t think why Dad,” said Beth drolly.

  Suddenly Larry and Lottie went crazy and scrambled for the back door.

  “It is Leo,” said Anna.

  “Who is Leo again?” asked Liam.

  “He is a ghost trapped in the green room,” answered Beth.

  “Okay, cool,” said Liam as he swiped four Tim Tams.

  Bubba started to cry.

  Nina clapped her hands together, “May I meet Leo? Arun, would you like to meet Leo?”

  “I’d love to.” Arun held out his hand for his wife. She blushed and giggled.

  “What a good idea,” said Blake quickly. “I would love to meet Leo too.”

  Natalie led the way while holding Kev’s shell-shocked hand. Anna followed and the troops filed behind her.

  “He may still be in a bad mood,” Anna whispered to her mother.

  “I will take that over your father having a heart attack on the kitchen floor,” replied Nat, out of the corner of her mouth.

  Anna stood at the door; she looked at Natalie who knocked very gently.

  “Leo, love, we have found Jacqui.” Jacqui was pushed to the front of the group.

  Leo was sitting cross-legged in front of the empty cold fireplace.

  “That’s bonza news, thank God, is she okay?”

  “Yes she is fine.”

  “Are you alright Leo?” Natalie sat on the ground next to him.

  “Who is this mob?”

  “Family and friends.”

  “What happened to Dylan? Did somebody finally deck him?”

  “No.” Anna turned and looked at Dylan’s sparkly purple and green smudged butterfly eye.

  “I hear Beth had a baby girl.”

  Natalie brought Bubba forward for Leo to admire; instead of cheering him up he became listless and sad.

  “Beautiful baby,” he touched her little pink cheek, Bubba gurgled happily.

  “You seem very quiet today? Still upset about Jacqui?” Natalie asked.

  “No, just Les and the others.”

  “Same old, same old then.”

  “Yep—same old, same old.”

  “You know I tried to help you but I couldn’t raise a flower bed let alone a spirit who is happy in heaven.”

  Leo pointed a finger at Anna and smiled wanly, “This one here has a file on me as thick as a brick. All different kinds of information from chest measurement to God knows what else but I’m still here. I’m still here and I’m starting to feel weak and crumbly like old plaster or dried out dung. I’m just crumbling away, it’s getting harder to manage the journey.”

  “Do you go back to the earth in France?”

  “Yes. There were crowds of us at first but now there is just me and a very confused German fellow named Fred who never shuts up. He got put in the wrong cemetery. By jingo, he is good at cards, Gin Rummy is his game but he spends a lot of time playing Solitaire. I don’t understand a bloody word he says … and we can confirm I was K I A on the ‘field’. Wasn’t that a big surprise,” he said in an almost nasty voice.

  “Can’t you read the signs around there,” asked Natalie.

  “I can’t read English, let alone bloody French! Anyways, it’s not about facts, it’s about here.” He pointed to his own chest. “Since Jacqui did a runner I have worked out … it’s how you feel that is important. The feelings are trapping me.”

  “What sort of feelings?” asked Nat softly.

  “Feeling guilty and just not knowing what really happened,” a small phantom tear ran down his face and splashed into nothingness.

  “What is he saying Anna?” said Kevin loudly.

  “He is lonely and weak and probably clinically depressed.”

  “You know what you have to do,” whispered Jacqui to Anna.

  “But you are hurt.” The red mark on Jacqui’s face was turning deep purple. “You must feel shattered … how about tomorrow?” stalled Anna.

  “I am fine, the drugs are kicking in. Please Anna, we must do this now.”

  “I know what I have to do but I’m afraid. Last time when we wanted Les, we got Leo. What if I make another mistake? What if it doesn’t work? Then Leo’s heart really will break.”

  “It can’t be rebroken Anna,” said Leo.

  “We are all here together; it will be different this time.”

  “What’s going on?” said Kev.

  Dylan turned to the group and said, “Dad, grab a couple of extra chairs. Everybody sit down. Anna you sit in the middle, Mrs. Grey you sit next to her, Mummy you sit on the right of her. Beth, you can see shadow ghosts, come and hold Mummy’s hand. I really feel if you ladies lock forces anything can happen. Jacqui, please bring forth the photo of Les and place it in front of Anna. Mr. Grey, would you be so good as to light these candles. Now everyone hold hands.”

  Kevin tried not to look at Liam placing his hand on Michael’s.

  Dylan found the atmosphere thrilling and wondered whether he should branch out into directorship. “Seven out of ten of you are wearing track pants and three of those are coupling the look with Uggs and slippers,” he whined. “Mummy,” he exclaimed, “Why don’t you chant a mantra to cleanse the atmosphere and neutralise the polar fleece?”

  Nina closed her eyes and started chanting. Jacqui, Natalie and Beth joined in slowly. Their voices merged into one soothing sonorous vibration. Leo grew relaxed and calm and stood up from the fireplace. His mood became so buoyant that he tweaked Kev on the nose. Kev snuffled and twitched as he shooed away a giant imaginary mosquito.

  Nina paused. Natalie continued.

  “Dear Lord,

  We thank you for the gift of Bubba and the countless blessings you have bestowed on our families. We ask you to guide us through this experience. Please give Leo the resolution he desires. Please allow him to move through to the next stage, as ninety-six years in no man’s land is purgatory enough.

  Amen.”

  “It’s showtime,” whispered Dylan as he took his place next to Jacqui.