by Sophie Hart
‘Af,’ Jack managed, staring up in wonder at the long-legged, long-necked creature in front of him. He hugged his toy giraffe, Raffy, close, watching in fascination as the real giraffe silently chewed on a leaf it had plucked from the trees, its long lashes sweeping up and down as it blinked.
‘Clever boy!’ Julia exclaimed. ‘Giraffe, that’s right. Did you hear that, Nick?’ She swung round excitedly to face her husband.
‘Yes, I heard,’ he smiled indulgently, amused by Julia’s enthusiasm. ‘I’ve always said that boy’s a genius. He clearly takes after his dad.’
Julia rolled her eyes, but she was laughing.
‘Do you want to take a closer look, Jacky-boy?’ Nick wondered, bending down to unclip Jack from his pushchair and hoisting him up onto his shoulders, holding him to keep him stable.
Jack’s chubby legs clung tightly around Nick’s neck, grasping him in a virtual headlock.
‘Af af af!’ Jack screeched, pointing up at the giraffe which suddenly seemed much closer and larger than it had from buggy level.
It was a glorious Saturday in mid-June, so the animal park was packed, with families milling all around, enjoying the fine weather. The two giraffes were the star attraction, and were the most exotic creatures the small zoo held.
‘So where next?’ Nick wondered, as he swung Jack back down again, squinting up at the nearby signpost. ‘We could go to the reptile house, or the farmyard, or the aquarium?’
‘Let’s wander this way and see where it takes us,’ Julia suggested, pointing at a winding path that led off into the trees.
‘Okay, you’re the boss.’
They set off, Julia doing her best to push the cumbersome buggy over the uneven ground.
‘Do you want me to take over?’ Nick offered.
‘No, I’m fine thanks,’ Julia insisted. ‘It’s good exercise for me.’
‘Not that you need it. You’re looking amazing lately,’ Nick growled, giving her a cheeky pat on the bottom. ‘Very sexy.’
Julia flushed, glancing around in case anyone had seen. ‘I can’t wait to get back to Zumba classes once this last wedding’s out of the way. I’ve had no time for anything recently.’
‘Don’t I know it,’ Nick teased. ‘So you’ve just got Gill’s wedding next week?’
‘Yep, just one more to go. And Debbie gets back from her honeymoon tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear all about it. She posted some pictures on Facebook and it looked amazing.’
‘So does that mean we get our babysitter back?’ Nick grinned. ‘Then we can make the most of your free time.’
‘Hmm…’ Julia replied, deciding that now wasn’t the best moment to tell Nick about the email she’d received that morning. Debbie’s uncle was the Director of the Norfolk Museum of Antiquities, and he’d got chatting to Julia at the wedding, asking for her card. According to the email, he was very interested in hiring her to plan the museum’s one hundredth anniversary celebrations…
‘I hope Aimee’s okay,’ Julia chattered on, changing the subject. ‘I texted her this morning, but I haven’t had a reply yet.’
The reason Julia had a rare Saturday free to spend with her husband and son was because today should have been Jon and Aimee’s wedding day. Julia couldn’t even begin to imagine what Aimee was going through; as much as their split was undoubtedly for the best, she knew that Aimee would be finding today incredibly difficult.
‘Have you had any response from the dragon lady?’ Nick wondered, referring to Valerie.
Julia shook her head. ‘No. I think I’m going to have to get a lawyer involved. I really didn’t want that to happen, but I don’t see what choice I have. I can’t afford to lose all that money.’
Despite the fact that the wedding had been cancelled, Valerie still owed Julia for all of the work she’d done to date. But when Julia had submitted her invoice, she’d received a very impolite phone call from Valerie telling her exactly where she could shove it. The fact remained that Julia had spent weeks working on the wedding, and Valerie was contractually obliged to pay her for all the hours and expenses she’d accrued up until then.
‘Anyway, let’s not talk about that now,’ Julia went on. ‘I want to have fun today, not think about anything bad.’
‘Fair enough,’ Nick nodded, a mysterious twinkle in his eye. ‘Although I might have a cunning plan to get the old battleaxe to pay up… Leave it with me for now.’
‘Okay,’ Julia giggled, wondering what on earth he had in mind. ‘Oh look, Nick, this is beautiful. Don’t you think this would make a good picnic spot?’
They’d emerged at the top of a low hill, with grassland spreading into the distance, and a large duck pond just in front of them. Beside the pond were a dozen picnic tables, already occupied by harassed parents and excited children, and an ice cream van parked up nearby was doing a roaring trade.
‘Looks good to me,’ Nick grinned, as Julia came to a stop and Nick began unpacking the buggy, shaking out the picnic rug and spreading it on the ground.
Julia unclipped Jack and sat him down, passing him his toy cars to play with, while Nick opened the containers of food, arranging them on the chequered blanket.
‘Mmm, this is lovely,’ Julia sighed, stretching out her bare legs and turning her face up to the sun. She was wearing denim shorts and a white T-shirt, a straw trilby perched jauntily on her head.
‘We should definitely do this more often,’ Nick declared, as he tucked into a mini pork pie.
‘Oh, I meant to mention, we’re both invited to Gill’s reception next week. Obviously I’ll be there anyway, in a professional capacity, but they’ve asked if you’d like to come along as well, as a guest in the evening.’
‘Is that the one that the kids are organising?’
‘I’m helping them!’ Julia retorted indignantly, as she peeled open a yoghurt and began feeding Jack. ‘But yeah, they’ve come up with the ideas and they’ve done a brilliant job. I can’t wait for you to see it.’
‘Do I even know Gill?’
‘I think you might have met her once or twice at nursery. But like I said, it’s just for the evening reception, and the kids want as many people as possible to create a party atmosphere.’
‘Right, so I’m just there to make up numbers,’ Nick teased. ‘What about Jack?’
‘We can take him with us. Debbie’s invited too, so she won’t be around to babysit,’ Julia joked. ‘We can just stick him in his buggy when he’s ready to sleep. There’ll be loads of other children there too, so it should be a fun night.’
‘Sounds good,’ Nick agreed amiably.
There was a sudden commotion down by the water, as a flock of ducks came in to land, quacking loudly and causing excitement amongst the children at the water’s edge.
Jack turned his head to watch, pointing at them agitatedly, and making a noise that clearly indicated he wanted to go see what all the fuss was about.
‘Do you want to go see the duckies, hey, Jacky-boy?’ Julia fussed, as she cleaned his sticky face and hands with a baby wipe. ‘You want to go visit the quack quacks?’
‘I’ll take him if you like,’ Nick offered. ‘You’ve hardly had a chance to eat anything.’
‘Okay, thanks,’ Julia said appreciatively. ‘Here, take these crusts with you.’
She passed them across as Nick got to his feet and helped Jack up, holding his hand as they slowly toddled off across the grass towards the pond.
Julia smiled as she watched them, unconsciously checking out Nick’s body in his shorts and slim-fit T-shirt. He looked so strong and manly; it was incredibly sweet to see him playing the doting father as he strolled along with Jack.
Watching the pair of them, Julia couldn’t help but reflect on everything they’d gone through since Jack had been born. It had been a real rollercoaster of ups and downs, and she knew that Nick, especially, had struggled to adjust. But since Jack’s time in hospital he’d been as good as his word, really making an effort to spend quality time with his son. He
’d started coming home from work earlier, and it seemed as though he’d barely seen his friends for weeks, genuinely preferring to hang out with Jack and Julia.
Now, whenever Julia needed to work, Nick was always available to look after his son. The other week, when Jack had fallen over on the patio and scraped his knee, it had been Nick, not Julia, he’d wanted to comfort him. It was a strange sensation for Julia, but she understood that her little boy was growing up. One day, he wouldn’t need her at all, she realised with a pang of sadness.
In the distance, the sun was shining off the water, so bright that it cast Nick and Jack in silhouette. A cluster of eager ducks flocked around them, fighting for the bread crusts, and she could hear Jack laughing, that delightful, joyful, childish giggle, so free and unselfconscious that it made her heart soar. And Julia knew that moments like these were the stuff life was made of; memories like these would be cherished forever.
38
‘Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering’ – Unknown
Gill’s house was usually chaotic, but she’d never seen anything like the mayhem that reigned on the morning of her wedding.
Mike had spent the night at the home of his best man, Dennis, so Gill was in charge of getting all five children prepped and ready. Of course, she wasn’t entirely alone; Julia was rushing around ensuring everything ran smoothly and to schedule, while Gill’s mother, Dee, was also helping out, shepherding the kids to where they needed to be and doing her best to keep them all entertained.
What seemed like dozens of people had passed through the house that morning, a veritable convoy streaming in and out as the florist dropped off the bouquet and the buttonholes, the postman delivered a flurry of cards, the neighbours popped in to say congratulations, and good luck, and generally bask in the party atmosphere. The kettle was constantly boiling, with Dee making endless rounds of tea and coffee, hand-washing the cups to ensure they didn’t run out.
Right now, Gill was sitting in her bedroom – otherwise known as wedding HQ – in her dressing gown, watching as Paige had her hair styled and make-up applied by Jenny, a friend of Gill’s from the local beauty salon. Sammy was giddier than Gill had ever seen him, bouncing up and down on her bed, clutching a Ben 10 figure which he was waving in the air. She’d given up trying to stop him, and was now just hoping that he wore himself out and kept quiet for the ceremony. She was ashamed to admit that she’d left the twins to play on their PS3, something that was never usually allowed on a Saturday morning, but it kept them occupied and out of the way.
‘What time is it?’ Gill asked for the hundredth time that morning, turning to Julia.
‘Eleven twenty. Just over three hours until we need to leave. Don’t worry, everything’s on schedule,’ Julia smiled, consulting her notebook. ‘Have you heard from Mike yet?’
‘Yeah, he texted earlier. He’s got the easy job,’ Gill grumbled. ‘A nice lie-in, followed by a cheeky nip of Scotch to calm the nerves, and a chilled morning getting ready at Dennis’. He doesn’t have to deal with all this drama,’ she continued, as Sammy’s shrieking reached fever pitch and he threw himself down on the pillows.
‘Well all you have to do is worry about getting to the ceremony on time and looking spectacular,’ Julia assured her. ‘The reception’s all taken care of.’
Paige overheard Julia’s comment and squealed gleefully. ‘Don’t give anything away,’ she warned.
‘I won’t,’ Julia smiled, putting a finger to her lips.
Paige grinned back, mimicking Julia’s gesture, then looked over at Gill. ‘I can’t wait for you to see it.’
‘Me neither,’ Gill replied. ‘I’m honestly clueless about what you’ve got planned. I’m really looking forward to the surprise.’
‘All done,’ Jenny called out, causing Paige to jump up in excitement, turning back and forth in front of the dressing table mirror to admire her reflection. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek French plait, accessorised with a sparkling headband. She was wearing pale coral lip gloss, with a touch of light brown eye shadow and clear mascara, emphasising how young and fresh she looked.
‘Gorgeous,’ Gill proclaimed, as Paige beamed.
‘Can I put my dress on now?’ she begged, as Gill shook her head. The kids were still in their pyjamas, and Gill didn’t want them putting on their smart clothes until the last possible moment.
‘No, not yet, I don’t think my nerves could stand it. One spill or tear and it’ll be ruined. Let’s wait a while, okay?’
‘Okay,’ Paige huffed, but nothing could ruin her good mood today, and her smile was quickly back on her face.
‘Could you do me a favour if you’re not busy? Could you go and grab Kel and let her know Jenny’s ready for her.’
‘Sure,’ Paige said obligingly. ‘Come on, Sammy,’ she added, reaching out a hand for her little brother. ‘Let’s go get Kelly.’
‘Hiiiii-Yaaaa!’ Sam let out a terrifying cry as he leapt off the bed with a karate kick, sprinting out of the door ahead of Paige.
‘Peace at last,’ Gill sighed, sinking back in her chair and closing her eyes for a blissful second. ‘Not that it’ll last.’
‘You deserve a medal,’ Julia joked.
‘Well, it was sweet of Paige to take Sam with her. I don’t know where he gets his energy from. Ooh, do you know, I could murder a cup of tea.’
‘No champagne this morning?’
Gill shook her head. ‘I need to keep my wits about me with this lot. I don’t want to be half-cut before the ceremony!’
‘Well I’ll pop down and get you one if you like.’
‘I would love that, thanks Julia.’
‘Can I get one for you, Jenny?’ Julia addressed the hair and make-up stylist.
‘That’d be lovely, thank you. Milk, no sugar. Oh, and if you see Kelly send her this way. I’m aware the timings are tight, so I need to get started on her as soon as possible.’
‘Hmm,’ Julia frowned, looking at her watch. ‘Good point.’ She jogged downstairs and into the kitchen, spotting Paige and Sammy outside in the garden. ‘Paige,’ Julia called, as she stepped out of the back door. ‘Did you tell Kelly that Jenny’s ready for her?’
Paige shook her head. ‘I haven’t seen her yet. We’re looking for her out here.’
‘Okay, thanks. You haven’t seen Kelly, have you?’ Julia asked Dee, as she dropped three teabags into three mugs.
‘No, not for about half an hour. Do you want me to make the teas and bring them up?’
‘Could you? Thanks,’ Julia said gratefully, heading back up the stairs. Gill and Jenny looked up expectantly as she entered the room. ‘Look. I don’t want to alarm anyone unnecessarily, but no one’s seen Kelly for a while. I’m not sure where she’s got to.’
Gill frowned. ‘Isn’t she in her room?’
‘Apparently not – Paige said she’d checked there.’
‘Well she has to be here somewhere,’ Gill said, sounding exasperated.
Dee arrived in the doorway carrying the drinks, Paige and Sammy running up behind her.
‘Kelly’s gone,’ Paige announced dramatically.
‘Gone,’ Sammy echoed.
‘What do you mean? She can’t be gone,’ Gill retorted.
Paige shrugged. ‘We checked. She’s not in her room and she’s not in the bathroom or the living room. We checked all upstairs and downstairs, and she’s not outside either. We even looked in the garage.’
‘We saw a spider,’ Sammy piped up.
‘Oh, this is ridiculous,’ Gill tutted, reaching for her phone and calling Kelly’s number. ‘I told her not to wander off. She knows how important today is and—’ Gill broke off, listening intently. ‘Voicemail,’ she mouthed at Julia. ‘Hi Kelly, it’s Mum. I’m not sure where you’ve got to, but if you’ve popped to the shop or something, can you get back here as soon as possible? It’s kind of an important day. Love you.’
Gill hung up, looking around at the sea of worried faces sta
ring back at her.
‘What now?’ Julia wondered, her eyes full of concern.
Gill raised an eyebrow. ‘Now? Now we wait.’
* * *
An hour later, all hell had broken loose.
Kelly was officially missing. No one had heard from her since she’d left the house that morning, and no one knew where she was. Dee and Jenny were out combing the nearby streets, checking with neighbours and local shops, but there’d been no sightings.
Gill was growing hysterical and Julia was doing her best to keep her calm.
‘What if she’s run off with someone she’s met on the internet?’ Gill panicked. ‘I knew we should never have let her write that blog, I told Mike, but he insisted…’
‘She won’t have done,’ Julia assured her. ‘She’s far too sensible for that, you know she is.’
‘Do I?’ Gill looked at her uncertainly. The fact remained that Kelly had gone, and no one knew why.
‘There’s nothing missing from her room, is there?’ Julia pointed out. ‘She hasn’t taken a bag, or a change of clothes.’
‘I think we need to call the police,’ Gill declared, pacing up and down her room, too on edge to stay still. ‘We’ve waited too long already, we have to—’ She was interrupted by her phone ringing, and she pounced on it. It was Mike.
‘Have you heard anything?’ she demanded.
‘No. I take it that means you haven’t either?’
‘I think we need to call the police, Mike. Anything could have happened to her.’
At the other end of the phone, Mike sighed heavily. ‘You’re probably right. How long’s it been now?’
‘Nearly two hours!’ Gill wailed. ‘She could be anywhere by now. With anyone!’
‘I’ll call the registry office,’ Mike said softly. ‘Explain that we might not make it.’
‘Oh, Mike,’ Gill murmured.
‘Kelly’s the priority right now,’ Mike replied, and Gill felt a wave of love and affection for this caring, big-hearted man.