The Presence

by Charlene Neil

Red-faced, Arthur Jones pointed to the door. “Get out of my house, you Afrikaner scum. And don’t you ever contact my daughter again.”

  “Please, Father. I can’t live without him. He’s the love of my life.” Catherine grabbed at her father’s blazer and sobbed. “I beg you, please don’t force me to choose.”

  Arthur froze for a second while he stared at his daughter in anguish. He then pushed her away from him. “Then get out of my house. I never want to see you again. You’re no daughter of mine.”

  “Arthur, can we at least sit down and discuss this first?” Elizabeth, Catherine’s mother, looked petrified when she spoke. She gripped his arm. “This is my daughter. Please don’t make me lose her.”

  “You have no right to intervene, Elizabeth. Sit down and keep quiet. I’ll deal with you later.” Arthur yanked his arm free and violently shoved her away. Elizabeth fell backward but stopped herself from hitting the floor by grabbing onto the arm of the chair. She pulled herself into the chair and sat down quietly.

  “Mr. Jones, I beg you, please don’t do this to your daughter. She has so much respect for you, sir. Please give us your blessing.”

  “Get out!” Arthur shouted and turned his back on them.

  Elizabeth hugged herself and rocked in the chair as sobs shook her body.

  Joshua took Catherine’s hand and tugged her gently toward the door. Catherine gave her mom a desperate look as she followed Joshua.

  Chapter 3

  Present day

  The steep dirt road leading up to the house offered a bumpy ride. At the end of the road loomed a mammoth, wooden, two-story house, which seemed to climb its way up the clear blue sky. A shiver of excitement ran down Kayleigh’s back. Since she’d moved to Sedgefield, being unsettled had left her with a constant hollow feeling in her chest. Now, it was as if the futility drained from inside her to make way for a new purpose.

  Graham, the estate agent, had already arrived and stood waiting beside his motorcycle. His grey hair was short and neatly cropped, perfectly styled even after removing his helmet. He looked like a brand new doll—straight from its box—right after removing the elastic band from the plastic hair.

  “Hi, Graham,” she called out to him as she and Sarah stepped down from the Jeep. “Why on earth didn’t you tell me about this place?”

  “I didn’t think you’d like it.” He appeared a little contrite. “You said you wanted something small, just for the two of you.”

  “Cheap, Graham. Not small. Cheap. This is perfect.” She reached for Sarah and held onto her hand.

  He raised his hands in gentle protest. “Now, before you jump blindly into anything, you have to take a look-see first. Especially since it’s a long-term contract. I don’t have any history on the house. It only became available recently, and I haven’t had time to check it out yet.” He spoke with a smooth English accent as he lifted a plastic container from the carrier of his bike and removed a bunch of old rusted keys.

  “Wow, Mom. It’s so cool.” Sarah was about to run toward the house, but Kayleigh stopped her, still holding onto her hand.

  “Let’s wait for Graham, honey.”

  The grass around the house was long, but Kayleigh felt sure she could manage.

  “All of this will be trimmed before you move in, so just ignore it, Kayleigh,” Graham mentioned as he saw her looking around the yard.

  Don’t have to mow my own lawn? Great. She was completely mesmerized by the house. Sarah hopped in anticipation beside her.

  Graham cleared his throat loudly, which got her attention, and Kayleigh turned toward him.

  “Hoekwil is only eighteen miles from Sedgefield,” he said. “Close enough to your practice and Sarah’s school.”

  “I can already see us living here. That’s a good sign, right?”

  “I hope you’re right.” He continued in what she assumed was his estate agent voice. “This house is built on a massive smallholding, which had been divided into smaller pieces of land…”

  Kayleigh struggled to listen to his detailed description of the land. Like her daughter, all she wanted to do was get a look inside.

  “You needn’t worry about maintaining the land. A farmhand and his family who live on the other side of the farm, which is about three hundred yards from the main house, care for the property. You may use the land if you’d like, but the owner promised to maintain it and to continue paying the salaries of the staff who reside here. One condition of renting the place is that you can’t ask them to leave.” Graham turned his attention back to the long grass around the house. “It’s been raining quite a lot these past few weeks, which is probably why they haven’t trimmed your lawn.”

  “Sure, of course.” Kayleigh nodded.

  With her free hand, Kayleigh cupped her eyes to block out the sun and looked out over the land as far as she could see. In the distance, she saw the small rondavels, the African-style huts, traditionally built with raw materials.

  “I don’t have a problem with that.” She looked back at Graham, and then down at Sarah. “Shall we?”

  Unlocking the front door presented somewhat of a challenge for him. “The lock is sticking I think it needs oil or maybe we should change them instead,” Graham said as he struggled with the key. He finally got it unlocked and as he stepped into the darkened hallway, dust clouded his boot and lifted into the air. “Place needs cleaning.” He coughed. “Oh, and painting.” He motioned toward the peeling walls. “This might be the reason for the low price. The place is not in excellent condition. Do you want to continue or have you seen enough?”

  “No turning back now. I love it.” Kayleigh was very enthusiastic about the bargain. With Sarah in tow, she proceeded ahead of Graham as he did his slower, closer inspection of the house. Kayleigh let go of Sarah’s hand, and Sarah skipped into the house. The long, narrow passage gave birth to a huge entertainment room with a fireplace. “Nice and cozy, I’ve always wanted a fireplace.”

  “You don’t have to worry about a thing. My team will come in to clean up, paint the walls, and fix anything that needs fixing.”

  Graham had been her estate agent since she’d moved to Sedgefield, and he handled most of the rentals in the area. She knew him quite well and was well aware that he always made very pretty promises when trying to close a business deal. She knew that the house would see no cloth nor a paintbrush unless she did it herself. Unfortunately, he was the only rental estate agent in the immediate area. Lucky for her, she’d never been a lazy person, and hard work had never put her off.

  She continued down the passage and reached the kitchen, which resembled a typical farmhouse kitchen. It was massive. The old-fashioned coal stove oven needed a good scrubbing, but looked in very good condition, and Kayleigh could imagine herself cooking a Sunday roast in it.

  She ran her fingers over the surface of the stove. “Oh, man. This is so fucking cool.” Kayleigh didn’t even bother to censor her words, because Sarah had already gone off in her own direction.

  “Mom!” Sarah shouted from the staircase. “Language!”

  “Sorry, Sarah.” Kayleigh covered her smirk with one hand.

  The banister of the staircase gave a little as she leaned on it for support, but that didn’t bother her at all. She hadn’t been watching the Home Renovations channel all this time for nothing. The house had three spacious bedrooms upstairs and one smaller bedroom downstairs. The main bedroom had an adjoining toilet, but unfortunately, the only shower was on the ground floor, adjoining the smaller bedroom. One of the rooms had its own bath, which was the room Sarah claimed as hers. It was right at the top of the stairway, just off to the right. Kayleigh noticed a door at the top of the landing, which, no doubt, had been installed for extra safety.

  After Kayleigh had seen the top of the house, she called down to Graham. “Sold, Graham. I want this place. It’s perfect.” Her mind rushed on with possibilities. Maybe I can even buy it if my business maintains its current pace.

  Since the house was empty anywa
y, she was able to move in at any time. Kayleigh decided that by the end of next week, they would be the new occupants of number twenty-five, Hillview Road, Hoekwil.

  †

  Valerie Marx, Kayleigh’s usual baby-sitter, was a young, twenty-year-old woman with no children of her own. Always punctual, she arrived at six sharp. “Hi there, Kayleigh. Where is my young superstar?”

  “Valerie,” Sarah called from where she sat by the dining room table. “I have the cards ready. Come on. Hurry.”

  “Okay, okay. Hold your horses.” Valerie winked at Kayleigh. “Have fun.”

  “You too. Thanks for looking after her. I won’t be late.”

  “No problem at all. You haven’t been out in ages. We’ll be fine.”

  The air was warm, so Kayleigh put the soft top down. She drove through the small town to Cola Beach where Lindsay and her life partner, Judy, lived. She was on her way to their house warming party—they’d finally bought their own condo near the beach.

  Lindsay worked as a general practitioner at the local medical suite. Kayleigh met her at the faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria, where they’d both initially studied to become veterinarians. After the first year, Lindsay had discovered her real passion was with human health instead of animal science, so Lindsay left and went to medical school instead. They’d clicked immediately, however, and maintained their friendship. Kayleigh thought back to their college days as she drove. About how they’d used to hang out at the gay clubs and how the girls used to chat her up. She remembered enjoying the attention, which was why she’d always tagged along. Lindsay and Judy had a great mix of friends. Gay, straight, bisexual… whatever. They never judged people.

  “Earth to Kayleigh,” Lindsay called from the door when Kayleigh walked up the driveway. “Hello, darling.” Lindsay immediately hugged her, and as Lindsay pulled away, she took the beer from Kayleigh.

  “Who are you calling darling, huh?” Judy said as Kayleigh followed Lindsay inside.

  “Oh, don’t you worry, Judy, she wasn’t talking to me. She was talking to the beer.” Kayleigh opened her arms to Judy.

  Judy laughed and embraced her in a tight bear hug. “You’re officially our first guest to arrive. Welcome.”

  “Thanks. It’s about bloody time we have a party. What took you guys so long? Hey, Lindsay. Before you hide the beer, pass us one, please. Don’t be so stingy.”

  They walked toward the patio which boasted a bar, which, like the glass-walled house, overlooked the ocean.

  “Breathtakingly and stunningly beautiful.” Kayleigh sighed wistfully as she took in the ocean view. “Did I tell you guys how proud I am of you?”

  “Only a million times.” Lindsay came out on the patio with a cooler in her left hand and a bottle of tequila in her right. “Don’t mind me. I can manage on my own,” she said with a sarcastic twist in her voice as she plopped the tequila bottle down on the bar.

  “Ah. My favourite. Patron.” Kayleigh sat down at the bar and faced the bottle.

  Rebecca Steward opened the trunk of her car and pulled the large cooler that was filled with everything Judy had asked her to bring. She slammed the trunk shut. She’d been staying in Sedgefield for a month and had been too busy settling in to come visit them. Even when she received Judy’s call inviting her to their housewarming party, she’d almost declined. All she wanted to do was stay at home and be alone. The move had left her exhausted.

  Rebecca sighed as she examined the long double driveway. She counted ten parked cars. She had parked on the left side of the drive planning to be the first to leave. If someone wanted her to move her car so they could leave, she had an excellent excuse to go.

  “Rebecca. Finally. The last to arrive as usual. You’d better not be the first to leave,” Judy said and waggled her finger at her. Then she grinned before hugging her in a vice-like grip and kissing her cheek.

  “Hello, Judes. How’ve you been?”

  “Very good, as you can see.” Judy waved her hand toward her new house.

  “I’m so happy for you. It’s beautiful.”

  “Come, meet our friends. Here. Give me that box. It looks heavy.”

  “Sure, but don’t drink it all in one go.”

  Rebecca followed her to the spacious patio where she found an empty bar stool and sat down. She stretched out her long, denim-clad legs in front of her. Everyone shouted quick greetings as Judy introduced her to the crowd of strangers. Rebecca’s gaze lingered on the stunning brunette with the sexy green eyes. The woman, Kayleigh, sat on the opposite end of the long patio bar as she downed a shot of tequila. Rebecca grinned at the way she pulled a face when she sucked on a piece of orange after swallowing the drink. The orange must have been sour because when she looked up, her eyes were watering. They locked gazes for a few seconds while the rest of the world seemed to stand still. Rebecca could hear the silence ticking away in her head as the woman smiled tentatively and took a sip of beer.

  “Kayleigh’s straight. Don’t you dare,” Lindsay whispered in her ear when she hugged Rebecca from behind.

  “How are you doing, girlfriend?” Rebecca squeezed Lindsay’s arm and accepted the beer she offered. “Thanks.” She sipped from her beer before looking up at Lindsay. She tried to offer up her best, reassuring smile at Lindsay’s inquisitive expression. “I’ve been fine. Really. Fine.”

  Lindsay parked herself in the stool next to her and leaned her back against the bar. “Why haven’t you been to visit?”

  “Been busy settling in and opening my new business.”

  Lindsay touched Rebecca’s arm. “Glad you’re finally here where we can look after you.”

  “I don’t need looking after,” Rebecca said, a little sharper than she’d intended. She softened her expression. “Really. I’m okay.”

  Lindsay turned away with a wave of her hand. “Yeah. Whatever you say.” Then she glanced back. “Just know—we’re here for you.”

  “I know. Thanks.”

  While Rebecca listened to her friends argue which whiskey was the best, her gaze wandered back to the pretty brunette at the end of the bar. Her long brown hair caressed her firm breasts over her tight white top. She was in perfect shape. Her stomach was flat and appeared muscular beneath the skintight material. She wasn’t really talking to anyone, so Rebecca decided to take the plunge.

  Kayleigh sat by the bar as she poured her second tequila for the evening. She took a pinch of salt, downed the drink, and felt the bitter burn sliding down her throat before she sucked on a slice of orange. The sweetness of an orange made the tequila more palatable. Still sucking on the fruit, she looked up and caught a blue-eyed newcomer staring at her. Something about her clear blue eyes took Kayleigh’s breath away. Or was it the tequila? The heat crawled up her cheeks in a never-ending blush. In her attempt to lose the redness in her face, she turned her eyes away and took a long drink from her beer. She’d missed the introductions while she was busy drinking her tequila and didn’t know anything about the woman. Kayleigh felt the air crackle between them, noting that the woman could probably enter a room full of strangers and instantly command attention.

  Fascinated, she watched as the woman picked up a bar stool and walked toward her. Their eyes connected once again while she placed her chair right across from her, making Kayleigh tense. Trying not to be too conspicuous, she inched her chair back.

  “I’m Rebecca. Hi.” The voice was low and husky, but it was the eyes that caught her attention. She felt as though they could reach into her soul.

  “I’m Kayleigh. Hi. I’m straight. Sorry.” Kayleigh nearly bit her own tongue off when the words slipped out. Since lesbians were always hitting on her she thought it was the best way to avoid getting into a situation she would struggle to get out of later.

  Rebecca choked on nothing and started laughing. “Why would you say something like that? Did someone tell you that I’m gay?”

  Kayleigh breathed out a sigh of embarrassment and frowned. “I’m so sorry. I
guess I assumed that if you’re friends with Judy and Lindsay, uh…. Well, I’m happy to meet you. Please forgive my rudeness. I’m not a homophobe…” She slammed her eyes shut before opening them and meeting Rebecca’s eyes, eyes that twinkled with amusement. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Kayleigh could feel her face heat up. “Sorry.”

  Rebecca laughed. “The pleasure is all mine.” She extended her hand. Kayleigh took it with a smile. “Going with your logic since you are friends with Judy and Lindsay you have to be a lesbian. So why are you telling me you’re straight?” She grinned.

  “No…that isn’t what I meant at all…oh, sometimes I just should keep my mouth shut.”

  Rebecca once again smiled. “Let’s start over. Now, tell me. Is the tequila to share?”

  “Of course. Excellent. No one else wanted to have shots with me and I was beginning to feel like a total idiot.” Kayleigh took the bottle and poured two shots. Rebecca raised a shot glass and held it up in salute before tossing it back. Kayleigh followed suit and sucked on an orange. She handed Rebecca a slice and when she took it, their fingertips touched for a brief moment, sending a tingling sensation up Kayleigh’s arm.

  “How long have you been in these parts?” Rebecca asked before she bit into the juicy orange slice.

  Something about Rebecca’s deep voice was very intriguing. “About two years now. You?”

  “Only about a month. I wouldn’t have moved here if it weren’t for my separation after ten years of bliss.”

  “Oh.” Starting a conversation about exes would eventually lead in her having to share her own drama and that was the last thing Kayleigh wanted. Changing the subject, she asked, “Where are you from?”

  “Cape Town.” Rebecca rested an elbow on the bar and leaned forward while maintaining eye contact. “You?”

  Kayleigh could feel Rebecca’s breath on her face and shifted in her stool. “Johannesburg, Gauteng.”

  “What made you move here?”