by Ilsa Evans
Maddie laughed. ‘Oh Hilda, it’s so nice to speak to you.’
‘But is that why you rang? To just speak? I thought maybe something has happened.’
‘It has.’ Maddie took a deep breath. ‘Jake tracked us down and we’ve ended up in court, over custody.’
‘Ah, Mattie. So he found you, after all this time.’ Hilda’s sigh echoed down the line, and then she continued briskly. ‘You need someone to say what it was like? A witness? That is not a problem. I can say what I heard, why I rang police. And also what I saw. Your bruises.’
‘Hilda, thank you. Thank you so much.’
‘But when do you need me? I am in Vienna now until Krampus. That is in early December.’
‘That’s fine,’ said Maddie quickly. ‘Because all you need to do is fill out an affidavit. It’s like a statutory declaration and then you can just fax it.’ She flicked a glance over towards Robyn, who had hung up and was now jotting down some notes. ‘Probably to my lawyer.’
‘Yes. Good. And my cousin’s son is a law clerk so I will go to him tomorrow and ask him to help me with this form. He is a clever boy. He will know what is needed.’
‘That’s wonderful, Hilda. You don’t know what this means,’ Maddie spoke quickly. ‘But I’m going to have to go. I’m actually at my lawyer’s office right now.’
‘Yes. Of course. Very good. I will ring again tomorrow, when I have filled out this form.’
‘Thank you, Hilda. Thank you so much.’
‘My pleasure.’
Maddie returned to her seat, smiling apologetically at Robyn. Waiting for her to finish writing so that she could tell her who that had been on the other end of the phone. Her number-one witness. It seemed that one thing after another was just tumbling into place, building her case. Her future. But even as this thought formulated, superstition fluttered within. It would all be jinxed if she didn’t do something, right now. She reached forward, straightening the pen a little more, and then the desk calendar beside it. But that wasn’t enough, it had to be more. So she tapped her foot against the desk leg, gently so that Robyn would not feel the vibrations. Fourteen times for Sam, twelve times for Ashley. And one for luck. Only then realising that all the way through the ritual, her smile had stayed in place. Because everything was finally going her way.
NINETEEN
Everything was ready long before they were due. Clean sheets on the beds, rooms tidied, Guess bathed and brushed, a computer print-out reading: Welcome Home! sticky-taped to the fridge, and a chocolate mud cake on the table, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream on the side. She even placed after-dinner mints on their pillows as a joke, just like in a hotel. The small gifts she bought when shopping with Hannah, so long ago, lay on the table beside the cake so that it all looked like a celebration of some sort. Which is exactly what it was.
Just before five o’clock Maddie took up position by the lounge room window, pulling the curtains back slightly for a clear view of the kerb. Guess sat beside her, his tail sweeping the floor as he looked up questioningly. A woman was mowing her lawn further up the road, the drone of the mower swelling every minute or so and then fading again. Maddie looked at her own lawn and grimaced. She thought she might call Kim on the weekend, borrow hers, before the job got out of hand. Or she got another call from the real estate agent.
A car turned into the street and Maddie’s heart leapt, thumping up into her throat so that she had no choice but to hold her breath. But it was a gold station wagon, which cruised on past and then turned into a driveway about six houses away. Maddie rubbed her arm, amazed at how excited she felt. Like Christmas Eve as a child, lying in bed, electrified by anticipation. She smiled at herself, at everything that was happening, at the weekend to come.
And the smile stayed in place throughout the next fifteen minutes, while nine cars came and went, none of them the one she wanted. She was even able to laugh at herself, and the naive expectation that they would be on time. Of course, Jake would take this opportunity to score points. She should have been prepared. The lawnmower up the road spluttered to a halt, leaving behind a silence that seemed absolute. Maddie wandered back out into the kitchen, straightened the two presents, wiped a few crumbs off the cake plate, smoothed down the sign on the fridge. Then she washed her hands at the sink and shook them dry, watching the droplets fly through the air. Beside her, Guess shook his head and backed away, looking confused.
‘It’s only water,’ Maddie grinned and shook her hands some more, aiming them in the dog’s direction. Then she went back to the lounge room, taking up her position by the window. She was rather surprised to find that she was relatively unperturbed by this little ploy of Jake’s. Irritated certainly, but more with what it said about his inability to work within orders that favoured him. And the childish stupidity of it all. But she had no doubt that they would turn up, sooner or later, and that was enough to rejuvenate her happiness, even when it began to slip.
In the end they arrived just as she bobbed down to pat Guess, so that when she stood it was to suddenly see an unfamiliar red hatchback by the kerb, with both back doors open and Sam and Ashley clambering out. Her heart immediately cannoned back to her throat, with such force that for a moment she thought she was going to be sick. She swallowed, forcing everything down. Taking a couple of steadying breaths as she watched them lean back into the car, speak to the driver, then emerge again. The car took off as soon as the doors were closed, as if it hadn’t wanted to be there in the first place.
Guess leapt to his feet and barked once, twice. Then he raced towards the kitchen, pausing momentarily and then leaping against the back door to be let out. Maddie followed, a little slower, just in time to see their heads bob past the kitchen window. Guess increased his urgency at the door, scrabbling his claws against the wood, barking frenetically. Then it swung open, forcing him backwards, and there they were. Guess went crazy. Jumping up first against Sam and then Ashley and then repeating the order again and again. His bark edged with a whine that sounded desperate, his plumy tail whipping through the air as he tried to climb their bodies. And they responded in kind, both embracing him and then laughing as he whipped from one to the other.
‘Calm down!’ Sam tried to hold him steady, but the dog wriggled out and continued his assault.
Ashley was still laughing. ‘He’s gone mad!’
‘Sit!’ Sam made his voice stern, pushing down on Guess’s hind-quarters. After a momentary struggle the dog acquiesced, though his bottom still had a wriggle that polished the floor. Sam ruffled his fur. ‘Good boy. Good boy.’
‘He’s gone mad!’ said Ashley again, this time looking at her mother and smiling, almost shyly.
Without thinking, or planning, Maddie returned the smile and then simply held out her arms. And Ashley didn’t hesitate, shooting forward to wrap herself within her mother’s embrace and then return it. They hugged, rocking slightly from side to side. Both exactly the same height but very different.
‘I’m sorry,’ muttered Ashley against Maddie’s shoulder. ‘I’m really, really sorry.’
Maddie pushed her away, holding the girl by her shoulders. Drinking in her appearance – same new jeans from the airport, T-shirt with a horrid Betty Boop caricature, brown hair done up in a high pony-tail with tendrils hanging either side of her face – even as she frowned. ‘You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. Understand? Nothing.’ Her frown deepened when Ashley didn’t answer. ‘Do you hear me?’
Ashley nodded, finally.
‘Good.’ Maddie dragged her forward again, hugged her briefly as if for emphasis. Then she left her arm around the girl’s shoulder as she searched for a change of subject. ‘Who was that who dropped you off? The red hatchback?’
‘Oh, just Natalie.’
Maddie closed her eyes briefly, flicking them open again to continue brightly: ‘Hey, how do you like your welcome home cake?’
‘Yum.’ Ashley stared at the table. ‘Are those presents for us?’
‘Absolut
ely.’
‘Can I open mine now? Is it the one with the pink and purple wrapping?’
Maddie nodded, grinning at her pleasure, pushing aside all thoughts of Natalie and the hatchback and her scoring points by delivering them late. Or perhaps just doing what she was told. Ashley had leapt over to the table and was now tearing open the wrapping, pulling out the pewter Twilight key ring. She gave a squeal that clearly indicated her appreciation. The stickers fluttered down onto the table and she grabbed those up too. ‘Look! There’s one of all of them! Even Jasper and he’s my favourite! Wicked!’
‘My pleasure.’ Maddie turned to Sam, who was still patting Guess. Watching them. ‘What about you? Want to open yours?’
‘Sure.’ Sam rose slowly, laconically. Highlighting their differences. He picked up the present and shook it, sending a grin towards his mother. ‘Let me guess. Twilight as well?’
‘That’s right. I know you that well.’
Sam undid one end of the wrapping and slid the present out. He raised his eyebrows and then turned the computer game over and read the back intently, nodding every so often as if pleased.
‘And look.’ Ashley held up the key ring. ‘It has the Twilight apple! I love it, Mum!’
‘And you, Sam?’
‘Very nice. Thanks, Mum. I’ll play it after we’ve had cake.’
Maddie nodded, unwilling for a moment to speak. There was a tranquillity about having them both here, knowing they were safe, under her wing, that was so real, and so present, it was almost tangible. Forming a lump in her throat. She smiled from one to the other and took a deep breath, of everything. ‘It’s so nice to have you back. So nice.’
‘I want to stay,’ blurted Ashley, looking surprised even as she said it. She glanced quickly at her brother and he gave an imperceptible, rather exasperated, shake of his head.
Maddie followed the glance and read it. ‘How about we have a really good talk later? When we’ve had a chance to relax, settle in?’
‘Good idea,’ said Sam quickly. ‘Let’s have cake instead.’
‘How about we save that for after tea.’
‘But we’ve had tea,’ put in Ashley, frowning. ‘We had spaghetti bog before we came.’
‘Oh.’ Maddie paused, surprised. She took a deep breath.
‘Dad said that was the way it worked.’ Sam was watching her closely. ‘Isn’t that right?’
Maddie smiled, shrugged. ‘Doesn’t matter. I was going to order pizza but we can do that another time.’ She watched their faces, perversely pleased at their disappointment. Then she went over to the cutlery drawer and pulled out the bread knife, holding it up.
‘God!’ Sam threw up his hands in mock horror. ‘Sorry! We’ll never do it again!’
Maddie grinned, grateful for both the easy humour and Ashley’s giggle in the background. She cut the cake into eighths and got out some plates and cutlery. ‘There you go. Help yourselves.’
‘Can we have the pizza tomorrow night?’ asked Ashley, sliding cake onto a plate and heaping whipped cream on top.
‘We’ll see.’ Maddie watched them as they pulled out their usual chairs and sat down. Ashley fanned out the Twilight stickers while she ate, examining each one carefully. Sam finished his cake in three bites, sans cutlery, and then patted his lap so that Guess put his front paws up, leaning his head forward to get his fur ruffled. She thought of the weekend, stretched out before them like a gift. And the money, soon to be deposited into her account, and Robyn, with her brisk and passionate understanding, and everything else. ‘Hey, what would you two think of me going back to school? To university?’
‘What for?’ asked Ashley, surprised. There was cream on her top lip.
‘To do a course in something. Get some qualifications.’
‘But I thought you liked your job.’
‘I do. But I don’t want to be doing just that for the rest of my life. I want something more, I don’t know . . . challenging. Rewarding.’
‘I think it’s a great idea,’ said Sam suddenly, as if he’d needed a few minutes to process the idea. ‘What do you want to do?’
‘Does that mean,’ Ashley paused, still staring at her mother, ‘that you’d move? Go away?’
‘Certainly not.’ Maddie blinked, taken aback. She reached over and wiped the cream off Ashley’s lip and then squeezed her quickly, around the shoulders. Touched by the smallness of her voice. ‘I’d just go to the local university, Ash. Or even if I did have to go to the city, I’d just commute. People do it all the time.’
‘Oh.’ Ashley adjusted her Twilight stickers, swapping the order around. Then she glanced back at Maddie, tucking the hanging tendrils of hair behind her ears. ‘Then that’s good. And you’ll be at school the same as us!’
‘That’s right,’ Maddie smiled and looked back towards Sam. ‘As for what I’ll be doing, I’m not altogether sure. I was thinking maybe . . . law?’ She watched him carefully, and then Ashley, waiting for any sign of disbelief, astonishment.
‘Cool,’ said Sam, helping himself to another slice of cake.
‘Is that because you had to have a lawyer yourself? For the court thing?’ asked Ashley, still fiddling with her hair. ‘So you thought it looked interesting?’
‘Something like that.’
‘Good money,’ added Sam. He peeled the icing off his cake and held it up, like a sheet of chocolate skin. Then he tipped his head back, mouth open, and folded the icing inside.
Maddie smiled, because it was all so wonderful. She wanted to bustle around them, feeding them more cake, and hot chocolate. Wiping cream from their faces. Like a Stepford mother, just giving and giving and giving. Drawing her own sense of wellbeing from theirs alone, just for a little while. She thought about discussing the money and even formed the words, looking forward to their input, when she quite suddenly decided against it. She had to start being clever, thinking ahead. There was a sharp knock on the back door, as if someone was applauding her decision, and Guess shot over, barking. Sam glanced at his mother but Maddie had momentarily frozen while she tried rapidly to think of who it might be. He got up to answer it himself.
‘Sam!’ Kim stood on the threshold, staring at him with surprise. Beside her Ryan reached up to grab Sam by the hand and start tugging, with a grin.
‘Hey there.’ Sam pulled loose. ‘You want to break my arm, mate?’
‘I’m Superman!’ Ryan dived forward but Sam had now put his hands behind his back. Laughing, the small boy started to run circles around him as Sam turned, keeping one step ahead.
‘They’re here for the weekend,’ explained Maddie to Kim.
‘Oh. Of course.’ Kim put a hand out to try and slow her son down. ‘I wasn’t sure what was going on. Thought I’d drop around and see if you needed company.’
Maddie kept her smile in place even as she thought rapidly how best to put Kim off. Because the last thing she wanted was company, except for what she already had. ‘That’s so nice of you. Thanks. But the kids have only just got here so . . .’ She left the sentence hanging, hoping that was enough.
‘Oh. Okay.’ Kim glanced over at the table, at the cake and the discarded wrapping. ‘Sorry.’
‘No, not at all. It was really nice of you.’
‘Ryan!’ Kim snapped at her son, yanking him to a halt. The boy weaved, giddy now, grinning at the feeling. He staggered sideways and Sam reached out to steady his other side.
‘Everything’s all dizzy!’
‘I think you’re the one who’s dizzy,’ commented his mother. ‘In more ways than one.’
‘Hey Kim,’ called Ashley from the table. ‘Hey Ryan.’
‘Hello Ash. I like your hair like that.’ Kim turned back to Maddie. ‘Well, I’ll leave you all to enjoy your reunion. And I’ll give you a ring. We’ll make a time to catch up.’
‘That’d be lovely,’ said Maddie enthusiastically, grasping this. ‘It seems like ages. Or maybe that’s just because so much has been happening.’
‘Yes. Okay t
hen.’ Kim took a firm hold of her still swaying son. He rolled his eyes, making ‘Whee!’ noises and resembling nothing more than a miniature drunk. Like mother like son, thought Maddie viciously, almost immediately regretting it. Where had that come from?
‘Do you want to see my new phone?’ asked Ashley. ‘It’s an iPhone.’
‘Maybe next time.’ Kim was already backing out. ‘I’ll let you guys enjoy your party and I’ll catch up later.’
‘I’ll ring. I promise,’ said Maddie, with extra gusto to make up for her earlier thought.
‘No problem.’
The screen door swung closed and then Maddie could hear Kim’s heels as she clattered across the cobblestones. Shortly afterwards her head came past the window and then her hand rose, to give a brisk wave goodbye.
‘That was a bit awkward,’ commented Ashley. ‘Are you guys fighting or something?’
‘No, just a lot going on.’ Maddie gave an inward sigh and then picked up the shiny black phone now lying on the table before Ashley. ‘So your father bought you an iPhone.’
‘Yes.’ Ashley glanced at her guiltily. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, licking her lips.
‘I thought we discussed this.’ Maddie turned the phone over. It was impossibly slim, with smoothly curved edges. ‘No mobile phones until you’re fourteen. Same as Sam.’
‘Well, Sam got one too.’
Maddie turned to face her son, rather stunned. He flushed, instantly answering her question, and then glared at his sister. ‘Christ, you’re a cow.’
‘But . . . you already had a phone,’ said Maddie. She put Ashley’s phone down quickly, not wanting to touch it any more.
‘Mum, it’s got all this cool stuff.’ Sam pulled it out of his pocket, holding it up as Exhibit A. He continued rapidly, eagerly. ‘GPS, a camera, push emails, plus all these apps you can get as well. Old school games like Pacman and, hey look! This is the one Dad got me.’ Sam whirled around suddenly to face the door, holding the iPhone out as if it was a gun. Then, even as Maddie was trying to take this in, he pressed his trigger finger onto the keypad and amazingly, shockingly, a shot rang out. Then another.