by Lesley Crewe
“Brian.” She took the pen and wrote, ‘To Brian, Thank you for everything. Ava Harris.’
She passed it back to him.
“Thanks a lot. My wife will be very excited.”
She gave the doctor her professional smile. “I wonder if it would be possible to have my aunt and uncle in the same room. I know it would make them feel much better. I’ll pay for it, of course. I’d also like to hire private nurses, to help with their care while they’re here. My brothers and sisters have to work and they have families to look after. On top of everything else, my mother is in the final stages of cancer, so everyone has a full plate at the moment.”
“I’m sure something can be arranged. I’ll contact the administration office and they can help you.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. If there’s anything else you need, I’d be glad to help.”
She reached out and shook his hand. “You’ve been very kind. I appreciate it.” She flashed the famous smile again and Dr. Richardson floated away. As soon as he was gone, she frowned and went back to her family.
They spent the whole day at the hospital. When they called home Lola assured them that Mamie was fine, that she’d slept through most of the afternoon. Uncle Angus’s surgery was performed and everything went well, so the clan left finally. Their uncle would spend the night in I.C.U. and Aunt Vi was resting in their private room, knocked out on pain killers. A private nurse would be there in the morning.
Rose drove Ava back to the house. They went in together and broke the news to their mother, glossing over the details. Mamie was upset, of course, but they assured her that everything went smoothly and Vi and Angus would be back before she knew it.
After giving their mother her medication and settling her for the night, they finally went downstairs and collapsed into the kitchen chairs.
“I’m pooped,” Rose said.
Ava yawned. “Me too.”
Lola came out of the pantry with a plateful of homemade bread. “Here. Have some of my specialty. White bread hard enough to break your teeth.”
“Can I have a cup of tea with it?” Ava asked. “To wash it down.”
“I’ve already made some.” She went to the stove and poured the tea, bringing the mugs back to the table. Rose took her first bite and chewed for a while.
Lola looked at her hopefully. “It’s not too bad, is it?”
“No. I’ve had worse.”
“Well, its better than the first batch,” Lola sighed. “I put the loaves to rise in the warming oven and they were glorious. They puffed up like magic.”
“Can’t we have some of that, then?”
Lola shook her head. “Sorry. When I cut them open, there was no bread inside.”
“What?”
“It rose really high. It must have used up all the dough.”
They started to laugh. It felt good after such a horrible day. Despite the chewy nature of the bread, Rose and Ava ate two pieces each. They hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so it filled the hole in their stomachs.
Rose downed the last of her tea and looked at her sister. “Did you mean it when you said you could stay here?”
Lola gave Ava a surprised look.
Ava nodded. “Of course. I need to make a few phone calls though.” She turned to Lola. “Trent will have a fit but I don’t care. I know I can’t get out of the New York gig, but that doesn’t start until the end of August. Do you remember when?”
“You have to be in New York on the twenty-fifth,” Lola told her. “But what about the promotional tour for your new movie? That was going to take a couple of months at least, and wasn’t there a Broadway play?”
“Promotional tours and Broadway plays can get along without me. There are about five big-time actors in this new release, so for me not to show up on TV talk shows is not a great loss. And the understudy for the play will kiss my boots.”
“Trent won’t be a happy camper,” Lola frowned. “And Camilla will be scrambling.”
“Fortunately I’m five thousand miles from her office, so she can scramble away.”
“If you do stay here,” Rose said, “you’ll be worked off your feet.”
Ava shrugged. “It’s payback time.”
“Do you want me to stay too?” Lola asked. “I don’t want to be in the way but maybe you could use an extra pair of hands.”
“I couldn’t let you do that,” Ava said. “You’ve done enough. Go back home and have a vacation. You’ve earned it, chasing me around 24/7.”
“That’s okay…”
“No, really. I can’t take you away for months. That’s ridiculous.”
“Well, let me stay for a couple of weeks anyway, until you get your aunt and uncle sorted.”
“All right,” Ava conceded. “But I need you to do something first. Would you mind going back to Malibu for a few days to pack some of my clothes and sort out the house? Tell Mercedes and the gardener to take a paid holiday. And cancel that decorator, too.”
“God, you live in another world, don’t you?” Rose said.
“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds. People underfoot all day.”
“Oh shut up. That is so not true,” Rose laughed.
Ava laughed with her. “I know, just thought it would make you feel better.”
“Sure, I don’t mind going back,” Lola said. “I better go now, while Aunt Vi and Uncle Angus are still in the hospital. You’ll need more help when they come home.”
“It’s settled, then.”
“Well, that’s great,” Rose sighed. “Thanks a lot, you two. This will be a big help. Who knows how long Ma can hold out? It’s so upsetting.”
Ava patted her hand. “Let’s get through one day at a time, eh?”
“I must go. I’ve got to drive Vicky to school tomorrow. She’s excited; they’re practicing their Grand March routine.”
“Vicky is graduating from high school this year?” Ava said. “I can’t believe it.”
“What’s a grand march?” Lola asked.
“All the graduating students gather before the prom and parade around the school gym in formation,” Rose explained. “It’s set to music, which makes it very festive. It’s a chance for the parents to see the kids in their finery. In a small town, most people know all the kids, so it’s a lot of fun. Samantha and Emily are graduating too.”
“Imagine,” Ava sighed. “The prom is such a magical night in a young girl’s life.”
“It might have been for you,” Lola frowned. “Mine was a disaster. The stupid jerk barfed all over my dress.”
“Mine was pretty bad too,” Rose laughed. “Not yours, Libby. You looked like a princess that night.”
“I felt like a princess, too.”
“You must have gone with Seamus.” Lola quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Ava looked at her. “How do you know about him?”
“Sorry.” Rose looked sheepish. “I told her about him the night you arrived.”
Ava stood. “That was none of your business, Rose. Why can’t you ever keep your mouth shut?” Then she turned to Lola. “When were you going to ask me about him? Or were you going to pretend you didn’t know a thing about it?”
“No one meant any harm. It came up in the conversation.”
“Well, stop talking behind my back. I’m going to bed. Good night.” Ava walked out of the kitchen. Lola and Rose were left looking at each other.
“God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”
Rose waved her away. “She’s right; I do have a big mouth. But you know what bothers me? She’s way too touchy about Seamus, which leads me to think that she’s not over him.”
“Maybe,” Lola nodded. “She never keeps a guy for long.”
“Is there anyone in her life now?”
“She’s dating someone but I think she gave him the boot last night.”
“Is he famous?”
“Ah…he’s a bit of jerk.”
“Handsome,
I bet.”
“Yeah, but he’s not that nice.”
“You must meet a lot of cool guys because of her.”
“They don’t look at me when Ava’s in the room.”
“Doesn’t that bug you?”
“No, I’m happy being around her.”
Rose stood and grabbed her keys. “Well, enough of this, we better get some sleep.”
“You’re right.” Lola put her hand on Rose’s arm. “Please drive home safely.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll crawl home.”
Since Lola was the only one downstairs, she locked the back door and put on the outside light, then made sure the stove burners were shut off before she turned out the kitchen lights. Careful not to wake Mamie, she crept up to bed. Ava was pretending to be asleep when she entered the room.
Lola sat on the twin bed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say, so I figured I wouldn’t say anything.”
Ava didn’t answer her.
“Okay. Good night then. If you need any help with your mother during the night, wake me up.”
Ava turned over. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“That’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I find it hard to talk about him.”
“How come you never told me?”
Ava didn’t answer at first, so Lola waited. “It was so long ago,” she said finally.
Lola took her watch off and put it on the bedside table. “Are you sure about that?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not like you to fly off the handle about something so trivial.” “Well, it’s been a long day, hasn’t it? I’m tired.” She turned away from her friend. “Good night.”
CHAPTER SIX
The March wind blew off the water in a north-easterly direction, which made the air bitterly cold and damp—the kind of wind that went through you not around you, as his mother used to say.
Seamus finally brought the kids inside, because making a snowman isn’t much fun when fingers and toes are chilled to the bone. He helped them take off their wet snowsuits and boots in the back porch and said it was Jack’s turn to kick their gear downstairs. It was a great game, as long as Seamus remembered to pick the stuff up off the basement floor and throw it in the dryer before he went to bed.
Now he had to think about dinner. The cupboard doors were already open, and they didn’t reveal anything appetizing, so he looked in the fridge. That’s when Jack held his nose and pointed at his little sister.
“Poohy! Sarah stinks!”
“Yeah!” Sarah confirmed. Her father grabbed her and tucked her under his arm. Jack demanded the same treatment, so all three of them headed for Sarah’s room. He dropped Jack on the bed and Sarah on the dressing table.
That’s when he heard the back door open.
“It’s only me,” his sister’s voice rang out.
“Hi Colleen, I’m in Sarah’s room.”
“I’ve got a pot of spaghetti sauce. I’ll put it on the stove.”
Seamus smiled at his baby girl as he changed her diaper. “Aunt Colleen made you some pisgetti.”
Sarah clapped her hands. “Yum.”
Jack jumped up and down on his sister’s bed. “I don’t want pisgetti.”
“It’s good,” his father informed him. “Better than mine.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, yours is poohy.”
“Hey mister…”
Colleen poked her head in the door. “Hi guys. Where’s my hug?” Jack bounced off the bed and straight into his aunt’s arms. “Have you got a treat?”
“Don’t I always?” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small Caramel bar.
“Oh boy. Thank you.” Jack ran off with it.
“Wait until after supper,” his dad yelled after him, knowing it was a lost cause.
Sarah held her hands in the air. “Mine?”
Colleen poked her niece’s belly button. “I’ve got one for you too, don’t worry.”
Seamus picked Sarah up and put her on the floor. Her aunt placed the treat in her hands.
“Tanks.” She ran after her brother.
Colleen leaned in the doorway. “You look tired.”
“Sarah was up a couple of times last night. I think she’s coming down with a cold.”
“Have you got stuff in? Cough syrup and the like?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid, you know.” He picked up the dirty diaper and walked into the kitchen with it, lobbing it into the garbage can like a basketball player. “Yes! Three points.”
“You should empty that thing a little more often.”
“Nah,” he grinned at her. “The cat would starve.”
“You’re hopeless.” She sat at his kitchen table, still covered with the breakfast dishes. “I have to go in a minute. Just wondering if you want me to take the kids tomorrow. Are you on night shift?”
He removed the lid from the saucepan and smelled the sauce. “No. I’m home.”
“Okay. By the way, I went to see Dad today.”
He put the lid back and went to the fridge for a Coke. “Want one?” “No. Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard ya.”
“Don’t you want to know how he is?”
Seamus twirled the kitchen chair around and straddled it. Then he picked the tab of the Coke can and pulled it back. “I know how he is. Drunk.”
“He wasn’t, actually.”
Seamus downed a half a can before he spoke. “Well, that is news.”
Colleen rubbed her forehead. “I hate being the go-between.”
He looked at his sister. She seemed tired as well. “I’m sorry, Coll. But you can’t change him and I don’t know why you try.”
“Because he’s the grandfather of your children, even if you don’t like to admit he’s your father.”
“He’s been drinkin’ his whole life and now that Mom’s dead, he’s trying to kill himself with it. If that’s what he wants, you should leave him alone.”
“He’s weak,” Colleen sighed. “He feels bad about it.”
“Not bad enough to quit.”
“Okay, I’ll shut up.” She got out of the chair.
“Sit for a minute, don’t run off.”
She sat. “What?”
“How was your day, anyway?”
Colleen brushed her hair back with her fingers. “Lousy. I had a fight with Dave before I went to work, the kids were cranky and then, to top it off, I saw a horrible accident by Tim Horton’s in Reserve Mines on my lunch hour.”
“Jesus. Was everyone okay?”
“No, an elderly couple was taken away by ambulance.”
“Do you know who they were?”
She looked down and shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
It was the look on her face that alerted him that something wasn’t quite right. “You know who it was.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Why are you keeping it from me? What difference does it make?”
She crossed her arms in front of her. “It was Angus and Vi MacIntosh, if you must know.”
Her family. He downed the rest of his Coke. “I hope they’re not badly hurt.”
“So do I. They have enough to contend with, what with Mamie on her deathbed.”
He got up and went to the sink, rinsed out his can and looked out the window. A full minute went by. Neither of them spoke. Eventually his sister said, “I didn’t know whether to tell you or not, but you might as well know. She’s in town.”
His throat seized and suddenly he had to remind himself how to breathe. He tried to keep his wits about him, because he knew Colleen was watching his reaction. A shiver crawled along his spine. He turned around. “Is that so?”
“I didn’t want you to run into her on the street and be surprised.” He grunted. “Does she walk on the street like the rest of us? I assume she’s chauffeured wherever she needs to go.”
“I have no idea.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t run int
o her.”
“Well, I hope I do,” Colleen frowned. “I’d love to tear a strip off her.”
“She’s not worth it. Leave it alone.”
“No, Seamus. One of these days I’m going to tell her exactly what I think of her, whether you like it or not.”
He held his hands up in front of him. “Okay, okay, Sis. Down girl.”
She smiled and got up again. “I have to go. Call me if you need anything.” She walked over and gave him a quick kiss. “Go to bed early. Try and get some rest.”
He nodded. “Same goes for you.”
“Bye, kids,” she hollered.
They hollered back, “Bye!”
Seamus fed Jack and Sarah, gave them their baths, read them a story, and kissed them good night. He did the dishes and put the snow suits in the dryer before he locked up for the night. After a hot shower, he crawled into bed. Only then did he let himself think of her.
She was here. Only twenty minutes away.
He put his hands behind his head and stared out the window at the night sky before he reached over and picked up Sally’s picture, kissed it and put it in the bedside table drawer.
Returning to his memories, he went to his favourite—the night of the prom. When Libby came down the stairs into the kitchen, he thought he’d burst with love for her. She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on. Her dress was simple and she wore her hair long, unlike most of her friends. When they got to the dance, he was aware of guys looking at her, but she only had eyes for him. He wondered what he’d ever done to deserve her.
Everyone headed for Mira to party at some of the bungalows there. They went along, but soon got bored with the drinking and carrying on. It was a beautiful moonlit night, so he took her by the hand and they walked along the beach.
She ran through the surf in her bare feet, holding up her gown. “You can’t catch me.”
Of course he did, as she knew he would. He carried her up through the dunes, laid her down on the edge of the field, and got down beside her. She reached up and put her hands through his hair.
“This grass is full of wild strawberries. Can you smell them?”
He nodded.
“I love wild strawberries,” she whispered. “Almost as much as I love you.”
He kissed her then. All he could remember afterwards was how soft her skin was, how sweet her mouth was, how stars and strawberries and the saltwater breeze made him drunk with desire. His breathing became ragged and he groaned with the wanting of her, but before he could fall over into that heavenly darkness, she stopped it.