by Paula Hayes
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Happy Place
“Are you sure you can do this?” asked Anna.
They had come back to the house in Fisher road. Jacqui sat on the crumbling half brick fence flanked by Anna and Dylan. Anna watched a rusty gate screech half-heartedly in the breeze. Jacqui stared at the knee-high weeds that had knotted with a runaway lantana. Thistles poked their heads up in the broken cracks of the driveway.
“Look,” said Dylan, as a Mac wrapper tumbled past. “The golden arches upside down make a giant W. W for wanker.”
“I’m never eating Maccas again,” murmured Jacqui.
“In the words of a wise young man; Never Say Never.”
“Who said that? Solomon Beiber?” grimaced Anna.
The three of them watched Kelsey’s taxi pull up over a clump of dandelion heads. The jolt released white hairy seeds and the three of them watched them spiral up into the Universe while some floated down to rest on Dylan’s hair. They stuck to his purple waves like twinkling diamantes in a veil.
Kelsey’s face shone with pleasure as she caught sight of Jacqui. Her smile dimmed as Jacqui mutely picked up one of Kelsey’s bags and followed her into the house.
Anna and Dylan waited.
They caught the word, “No.” It was followed by the sound of the two girls crying.
“She has told her,” said Anna softly.
Tenderly, she leaned forward and picked the fluffy clumps out of Dylan’s hair. They waited in silence.
Jacqui led Kelsey down the driveway with her unopened suitcase trolley trailing behind her. Jacqui carried a large cardboard box. Kelsey’s face was in a spasm of pain as she stared at Anna and Dylan with open hostility.
Anna stayed quiet, scared of her chronic foot in mouth disease, she could feel “Better off without him … and anyway, what were you doing with the creep?” stomping impatiently on her tongue. It was Dylan who took the lead. Silently, he gathered Jacqui and Kelsey into a bear hug. When he released them, he straightened up and said, “Well dolls, who is for a bite to eat? Maccas is off the menu. Apparently we are never eating there again. I know! Let’s have sushi. In fact, I am dying for a chicken teriyaki Californian roll.”
Kelsey looked confused and then her face softened. “I have never had sushi before.”
“You are going to love it, dollface.”
Kelsey moved forward and kept in step with Dylan as he led the way to the bus stop.
“I don’t eat a lot of different food.”
“Have you ever had a Kosha Mangsho?”
Kelsey shook her head.
“Oh, but you must try it. My mother makes the best Mangsho in the whole world. You are in for a real treat.”
Kelsey looked gratefully at Dylan then turned around and smiled bashfully at Anna.
Anna was surprised at how quiet and thoughtful Kelsey was. Her turquoise hair and pierced nose only temporarily camouflaged her very lady like and gentle manner.
Jacqui looked at Anna and then softly said to Kelsey, “Anna has a house guest at the moment. I think you would like him.”
Kelsey recoiled, “I think I am having a break after Pig Man.” She looked slyly at Dylan, “Good name for him,” but her attempt to snort daintily ended up in gulpy tears. Dylan patted her back and Jacqui stroked her hair as she regained her composure.
Jacqui frowned, “Mmm … not quite what I was thinking. He is a little old for you,” she said in a meaningful way. It had turned out that Callum was thirty-nine and an aging predator as well as a pig.
Anna pulled the two photographs out of her bag, “I’m sorry I took these photos out of your writing folder. I am really sorry, I had no intention of stealing them I was just very surprised because well, you see, they looked very familiar to me.” She pulled out the dishevelled frames containing Les and Leo and Agnes and Daisy. Kelsey frowned and shook her head, "What is going on? Is this a practical joke,” she gasped.
“NO!” said Jacqui emphatically, sensing her dismay.
“No, back up the truck sister, you are jumping ahead of yourself. Sometimes I jump ahead of myself and I can see my own bottom—it’s a perfect peach BTW,” laughed Dylan.
“These are my family copies of the same people. I’m just wondering how you come to have my family in your possession?” she asked.
“Your family? All I know is that woman there with her head turned is my Great Great Grandmother, Daisy I think her name was. I have no idea who the others are. I presumed they were her relatives of some kind. My Great Grandfather wants me to research them for him.”
“You are almost right. The other lady in the photo is her sister, Agnes McNamara. The man sitting down is their brother Leslie and the man standing up,” Anna’s voice faltered, “the man standing up was Daisy’s true love. Leopold Reginald Nolan.”
“You’re kidding? That can’t be, our family name is Knowles. I’m Kelsey Mary Knowles.”
“Knowles and Nolan? A Dickensian coincidence, I think not,” said Dylan triumphantly. “Perhaps Daisy tweaked the names?”
“Mr. Reginald Knowles who lives down the street and is the benefactor of the oak table, just celebrated his ninety six birthday. Is that a Dickensian coincidence as well?” Anna added suspiciously. The enormity of her discovery was beginning to hit her.
“Hey, he is my Great Grandfather, Rex Knowles. Guys, I am really struggling here. What does this all mean?” asked Kelsey. “What are you saying?”
“We are saying we would like you to meet Anna’s housemate,” said Jacqui. “He could do with cheering up. Look at me, I’m shaking again.” Her hand wobbled in the chilly wind.
“I’m getting chills up and down my spine, I think you have done it Anna,” said Dylan in awe.
“You have really pretty blues eyes, they’re ALMOST one of a kind,” laughed Anna as pure joy surged through her body.
Kelsey looked confused but she found herself trusting this odd trio.
“First, we will provide you with a full update while we eat soft serve, I must have my soft serve cone. Never mind the Maccas ban. The manufactured goodness is a soothing balm to the distressed and confused mind, let’s go dolls.”
Dylan held out his hand to Kelsey who hesitantly took it.
Jacqui and Anna glanced at each other and smiled.
“What are you like at suspending reality? It’s my specialty and I would be very happy to give you some tips because you are gonna freak girlfriend.”
Kelsey looked startled.
“Ooh, I meant girlfriend as in sister as in gal pal as in chum as in friend as in acquaintance as in someone I met an hour ago.” Dylan’s face burst into his very first brilliant red blush.
“Awkward Dyl,” mouthed Jacqui.
Dylan drew on all his theatrical experience to overcome his embarrassment, studying his mobile phone apps with forced enthrallment.
“Anyway, in the suspension of reality, one must have a happy place to go. Where is your happy place?” he asked kindly.
Kelsey looked at him blankly. Anna wondered by the tone of her poems and the company she kept, if Kelsey had experienced much happiness.
“You know … happy place. A memory where you feel safe and loved,” prompted Dylan gently.
Kelsey continued to look at him blankly and then she broke into a wide grin.
“That is easy, Fish and chips on the beach with my little nephews Cameron and James. Cam is three and James is one. They are two little fat angels. I love them. They make me laugh. I have just finished visiting with them.”
“Well dear acquaintance, that is your happy place from where you can travel far and wide.”
Jacqui and Anna softly hummed, “If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go,” as they trailed behind the two.