by HC Michaels
She drove forward and parked her car, stepping out wearing her most apologetic expression, only to see the other driver take off, waving at her with his middle finger.
Her eyes went straight to the back of his car to get his licence plate, only to see it was missing.
“Malaka!” she cried out, realising she’d have no choice but to pay for the accident this time. She’d make sure she reminded George she was doing his brother’s wife a favour at the time. That was if she ever made it to the hospital.
She’d have to pay the excess out of the wage she took for running George’s plumbing business and hope he didn’t notice.
She had a look at the back of her car and cringed at the damage. The bumper bar was hanging on as if frightened for its life. George was going to notice.
“Bloody eff!” She went to kick the bumper before withdrawing her foot, deciding not to push her luck.
She got back into her car and pulled her phone out of her bag, ready to fess up. Better she told him than for him to find out himself.
The text message she’d received earlier was on the screen.
Skye Manis
Hi Sophie. Thanks for offering to collect me today. They let me out early for good behaviour. I’m out the front. No rush. I’m happy to wait. Skye xx
“Shit.” She tossed her phone into her bag and pulled out from the kerb. She’d ring George later. Or maybe she wouldn’t bother. There was still a chance she’d get away with it.
At least she wouldn’t need to worry about parking now. With the luck she was having, she’d probably crash into a pole.
If only Theo wasn’t in court, he could’ve picked Skye up himself and her car would be in one piece sitting outside her house.
She overtook the truck in front of her, smiling as she saw a clear patch of traffic ahead.
It wasn’t Theo’s fault, she supposed. A lot of people counted on him with his job. He couldn’t exactly just stand up in the middle of a trial and tell the judge he needed to go and collect his wife.
His wife. She was still getting used to thinking of Skye in that way. She was young enough to be his daughter. The whole thing felt very strange.
She’d been shocked when George told her about Skye’s cancer. It was the last thing she expected to hear. How awful. Her heart bled for Theo. He was obsessed with Skye. This must be hurting him a lot. He’d be sick with worry. The poor client he was representing today surely wouldn’t be getting the best out of him.
She approached the hospital and spotted Skye almost immediately, sitting on the front steps. She waved at Sophie.
Sophie waved in return and pulled the car over.
Skye walked slowly, holding her stomach with one hand and her expensive overnight bag in the other. Sophie knew she was supposed to be able to tell what designer brand the bag was, but she’d never much cared for these things. No doubt it was worth more than it was going to cost to fix the damage to her bumper.
She climbed out of the car and took the bag from Skye, placing it carefully on the back seat.
“Thanks, Sophie,” said Skye, kissing the air several inches away from her face, wincing either from the effort of this token gesture of affection or the pain of her surgery.
Sophie helped her into the car, noticing how bony she’d become. Still, she somehow looked glamorous. Was it the Lorna Jane active wear she was wearing or her anorexic model look? Whatever it was, it wasn’t fair that on her worst day she still managed to look better than Sophie on her best. Life could be cruel.
A car tooted for her to move along and she raced around to the driver’s side and hopped back into the car. The way Skye was moving, she looked like she was in a fair bit of pain, so Sophie leant across and did up her seatbelt for her.
“Let’s get you home,” she said, starting the engine. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty sore. Not as bad as I expected, but that’s probably the drugs talking.” Skye waved a paper bag in the air and it rattled.
“So, it went well?” Sophie put on her indicator and checked her mirrors.
“Really well. My doctor couldn’t be happier.”
“That’s fantastic.” Sophie navigated the car back onto the road and headed in the direction of Malvern. She hated driving on this side of town.
“I’ll have to have regular tests of course and the chemo, but at least this bit’s out of the way,” said Skye.
Sophie nodded, wondering what question she could fill the empty space in the car with next. “When’s the chemo?”
“Oh, not for a couple of weeks. I need to heal up from the op first.” Skye winced, adjusting the seat belt across her waist.
“I can come with you if you like. You know, be your chemo buddy.” She’d never been very close to Skye. Chemo might be a good chance for them to get to know each other better. At the very least, it would make George happy to see her making an effort.
“Thanks, that’s so sweet,” said Skye. “But my friend, Elle, has her heart set on going with me. It’s only a few sessions anyway. I’ll be fine.”
“No problem.” Sophie tried not to feel rejected, but this was what always seemed to happen when she reached out to her sister-in-law.
Skye smiled. Well, it looked like she was smiling. It was always hard to tell, given the way she smiled without her teeth. Perhaps she was just grimacing from the pain.
“I read your blog post,” said Sophie. “You’ve got a lot of people supporting you with this. Quite a big fan base.”
“Yes, the more tragedy that strikes me, the more popular I get.” She laughed. “Hope I don’t die, imagine how popular I’d be then.”
Sophie smirked, unable to laugh with her. Dying wasn’t something to be joked about. Her mother had died from bowel cancer a few years ago and it was anything but funny. She missed her every day.
“Ouch.” Skye squirmed in her seat, her hands pressed to her middle.
“What’s the matter?” Sophie slowed down so she could look at Skye. “Do I need to turn around?”
She did look awfully pale. Maybe she should’ve talked to her doctor herself before she took her home, instead of just letting her get in the car like that.
“No, no. I’m fine.” Skye waved her hands. “It just hurts when I laugh.”
“Then no more laughing.” Sophie glanced in the rear vision mirror and increased her speed.
“But laughter’s the best medicine, isn’t it?” asked Skye.
“Not always.” Especially when it was about cancer. Maybe that was just Skye’s way of trying to cope.
“Then what is the best medicine?” asked Skye.
Sophie thought about it for a moment. What was her best medicine? It would have to be George. With his arms wrapped around her at night she felt safe. Like nothing could possibly go wrong. But she couldn’t exactly tell Skye that. She didn’t know what kind of relationship she had with Theo when the doors were closed. Did he make her feel safe? Or was it his bank account that made her feel secure?
She scolded herself for being so nasty as she pushed away thoughts of what her own life might have been like if she’d married Theo instead of George. It was a silly thought. He’d never have married her. One look at Skye could tell her that. A familiar pain in her heart nudged her, reminding her it was still there. Some things—some people—were hard to get over.
Theo and Skye may not have a conventional relationship, but they loved each other. Anyone could see that. She remembered the first time Theo brought her around to their house and how inadequate Skye had made her feel, tottering around on those stilettos in her skinny jeans. Sophie had never felt older, fatter or frumpier.
She knew she wasn’t too bad looking for her age. George still seemed to be attracted to her and that was the main thing. Still, she wished her hair was a little thicker and her waist a little slimmer. She was only five foot four, part of the reason her weight was such a challenge. If only she had long legs like the set in the passenger seat beside her it’d be so much easier to
control her weight.
“Still thinking of an answer?” asked Skye.
“Love. Love’s the best medicine.” Sophie smiled at Skye, just as a loud clanging noise sounded at the rear of the car.
“What’s that?” Skye looked alarmed.
“Probably just my bumper bar. I had an accident on my way here.” Sophie kept her voice calm. Calmer than it should be under the circumstances.
“What?” Skye turned to look out the back window. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She smiled reassuringly. “Not sure about the car, though.”
“Should we pull over?” Skye turned back to face the front of the car.
“No.” Sophie laughed, feeling lightheaded. Maybe it was the shock of the accident catching up with her. Or Skye’s cancer. Or was it her broken heart that so stubbornly refused to heal no matter how many years dragged past?
“It sounds kind of serious,” said Skye. “Why not pull over?”
Sophie gripped the steering wheel. “Because, Skye, sometimes when life hits you in the arse, your only choice is just to keep on moving.”
“True, but in this case, I think your whole arse is about to fall off.”
“Wouldn’t be a first.”
This time they both laughed, Skye with genuine amusement and Sophie as the only way to prevent herself from falling apart.
“Ouch. Don’t make me laugh.” Skye clutched her stomach.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Sophie’s eyes widened with concern.
“It’s okay. I’m good. Look, I really appreciate the lift, Sophie.” A serious expression crossed her perfect face. “It’s nice to have you here. With my Mum being ... the way she is ... you’re the closest person I have to a mother.”
The bumper bar clattered to the road, taking with it the last shreds of Sophie’s confidence. That was just what she wanted. To be a mother to her ex-lover’s wife.
She decided the only good thing about this day, was that it couldn’t get any worse.
Skye waved goodbye to Sophie at the front gate and climbed the stairs to her bedroom, letting her fingertips run along the white balustrade. She was a little lightheaded. Time with Sophie could do that to you.
She’d never warmed to her sister-in-law, mainly because Sophie had never warmed to her.
Sophie was suspicious of her the moment she first laid eyes on her. She’d often catch her staring, like she was some kind of turd stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Clearly, she was jealous. She went out with Theo briefly about a million years ago, before Skye had even been born. She was no competition.
It was nice of her to pick her up from hospital, she supposed. She had plenty of time on her hands, though. It wasn’t like she had a real job or anything.
Although, she’d been late. She’d had to sit on those hospital steps for ages. Not that Sophie had even apologised for that. She was too busy putting her seatbelt on for her like she was five years old.
She sat down carefully on her bed holding her stomach and smiled as she remembered what she’d said just before she got out of the car.
You’re the closest person I have to a mother.
The expression on Sophie’s face had been hilarious. She wished she had a photo of it. And to top it off, as soon as she said it, Sophie’s bumper bar fell off. It was like the car was giving her a standing ovation.
She knew she was being unkind with all these thoughts, but that was the effect Sophie had on her. And she was certain that whatever Sophie was thinking about her right now would be far from kind. Fair was fair. Some people just weren’t born to get along.
She closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable in the nest of pillows. It was nice to be home. It would be even nicer when Theo got home, too.
She reached for her handbag and pulled out her mobile phone.
“Call Theo,” she said, feeling too lazy to dial the number herself.
The phone obediently connected her call.
She knew he wouldn’t answer. She just wanted to hear his husky voice on his message service.
Hello, you’ve called Theo Manis. Please leave a message after the tone.
Two short, simple sentences she’d heard a thousand times on a thousand different people’s message services, yet somehow on Theo’s it sounded like she’d called a sex line. Probably because it was the same voice she heard whispering in her ear as he ran his hand down the curve of her hip when he lay next to her in bed.
“Hi, babe,” she said, deciding to leave a message. “I’m home. Sophie just dropped me off. I’m tired and a bit sore, but otherwise feeling pretty good. Can’t wait to see you tonight. Love you.”
The front door slammed. Amber was home. Linda never slammed the door like that. She knew better than to make such a racket.
How was anybody meant to get any rest? She was going to need to speak to Theo about this.
It’d never bothered Skye that Theo had a daughter. Until she moved in, leaving brightly coloured jackets draped over chairs and sticking tacky posters on her bedroom door.
“She’s just a teenager,” Theo had said. “Give her some space.”
So, Skye had ignored the loud music, and the dirty plates discarded on the coffee table and tried to form a friendship with her. After all, the age gap was only fourteen years. Surely, they could be friends?
She’d tried so hard to make it work, buying Amber concert tickets to see her favourite bands and clothes she thought she might like. She even had her decorator come in and fix up an entire wing of the house on the ground floor especially for Amber, painting it in her favourite colour, purple. Amber had her own living room and bathroom. What kind of teenager had that!
But her attempts at friendship had fallen flat. Amber made it clear she’d have preferred her father to have remained single.
That was when Skye decided to take Theo’s advice and give her some space. Amber already had a mother and she wasn’t looking for another. She wasn’t in need of any more friends either, judging by the amount of time she spent on her phone.
Another door slammed and Skye winced.
Peace and quiet was what she needed to recover, not a moody teenager stomping around. But if she ever had a chance of getting Amber out of her house, it was now.
There were some definite upsides to this whole cancer business.
34 Days Before The Break
Theo picked up his phone and smiled, happy to see his ex-wife’s name lit up on the screen. This wasn’t his usual reaction, but he really needed to talk to her.
“Theo Manis speaking,” he said out of habit.
“Hi, Theo. It’s Rin.” It was late for her to call. She must’ve just gotten her horde of kids to bed for the night.
“Right. Rin. Hi ... um, thanks for calling back.”
He always felt awkward talking to her. He knew it was the guilt for walking out on her all those years ago. He’d been a bastard. He could see that now. Her only crime had been loving him so much she’d suffocated him.
Skye smiled at him from the other side of the kitchen, looking delicate and beautiful in the silk camisole and pyjama pants she liked to wear to bed. Not that they usually stayed on for very long. Often, she’d leave the pants neatly folded in the drawer beside the bed before she hopped under the covers. It saved time.
She didn’t like it when he spoke to Rin, but this time was different. This was a conversation she wanted him to have.
“No worries. Is everything all right with Amber?” asked Rin.
It was fair enough for her to assume that was why he called. Amber was the only topic they ever spoke about.
“Yes, she’s fine. Great, actually.” He sat back in his chair at the breakfast table and drummed his fingers on the glass surface.
“Oh, okay. Um, look Theo, I’m sorry to hear about Skye.”
She sounded as awkward as he did. It was sad. Two people who’d once been so mad for each other they could barely make it through the front door without ripping each other’s clothes off and
now they’d forgotten how to even talk.
“Thanks. Nice of you to say that.” He winced at his politeness.
“How is she?” Rin asked. “Sophie said she had surgery last week.”
He nodded, not liking how close Rin and Sophie had remained. What else had Sophie told her? “She’s not great. That’s why I was calling. Her surgery went well—really well actually— but her chemo’s about to start soon and ... well ... I was wondering if maybe we could have a chat about Amber’s living arrangements.”
“You’re trying to get rid of her? Come on, Theo!” All politeness was now officially out the window. “You fought me tooth and nail to get hold of her and now it’s not convenient you want to send her back? You’re unbelievable, you know.”
She was upset. Actually, no, she was pissed off and he deserved it. He felt terrible to ask this of her, but it was what Skye needed. As she’d pointed out to him, she had the best chance of recovery if she could do it in peace. Amber was a good kid, but she was still a kid. And kids were noisy creatures by nature. What Skye needed was tranquillity.
“So, you won’t take her?” he asked.
“Of course, I’ll bloody take her,” she spat out. “She’s my daughter. I’d love to have her under my roof again. As you’ll recall I never wanted her to leave in the first place.”
“Then what’s the problem?” He drew in a deep breath, trying not to buy into her anger.
“You, Theo. You’re the problem. You always have been.” Her tone was far colder than he felt he deserved. “How do you think this is going to affect Amber? Have you even thought about that? She hasn’t gotten over you rejecting her the first time.”
“Hey, now that’s not fair.” He fought to keep his voice level. “I never rejected her. It was—”
“Me,” she said, finishing his sentence in a totally different way than how she used to. “I get it. It was me. Just say it. I can take it.”