by Marnie Perry
‘Yes. You’ve had a shock and need to sleep. You’ll be more comfortable in the bed.’
Olivia continued to look at Adela as though another head had suddenly appeared on her shoulder. ‘I can’t do that.’ She shook her head and put her spoon, ‘I have to go.’ She half rose but Adela stood and pushed her back down, ‘oh no you don’t. You can’t just walk out in the middle of the night; those men might still be around.’ Adela felt awful saying this but frightening the girl seemed the only way to make her stay put.
Olivia’s eyes widened then she looked away, ‘I’ll be careful.’
‘Look, Olivia, I helped you tonight didn’t I? Saved you from God knows what, right?’
Olivia nodded, ‘yes, I’m grateful but…
Adela interrupted her, ‘so, that means I’m responsible for you now whether you like it or not. It’s a law of some kind.’ Olivia looked at her as if she was mad but then saw the glint of humour in her eyes, ‘Adela continued, ‘you wouldn’t want me to go to jail would you, after I helped you and everything?’
Olivia did not respond to her teasing but shook her head, ‘you don’t know these people, what they’re capable of, you’ll get hurt. Please, I have to go; I don’t know why I came here with you.’
Olivia’s words had caused Adela’s blood to turn cold and a spark of fear shot through her but she knew she couldn’t let Olivia leave. She had a sudden vision of turning on the radio tomorrow and hearing that a young girl fitting Olivia’s description had been pulled from a river or been found in an alley somewhere. If anything happened to her she would never forgive herself. No, despite Olivia’s words of warning she could not let her leave. She desperately wanted to ask who those men were and why they had targeted Olivia specifically, but this was not the time.
‘I can’t stay here,’ Olivia insisted, ‘if you could get me a cab I’ll leave. That cab driver gave you his card you can call him, he said he’d come anytime.’
‘Do you have somewhere to go? Family? Friends?’
Olivia looked away and did not answer but Adela knew the answer would have been a negative. She said, ‘I’ll make a deal with you,’ Olivia looked up at her, ‘stay here for tonight and tomorrow I’ll get you a taxi and you can go wherever you want. Deal?’
The girl shook her head and made to rise but fell back onto the sofa.
‘See,’ Adela said, ‘you can’t even stand up let alone leave and go wandering around a strange place in the dark. Look, I just want to make sure you’re all right, as I’ve said, you’re my responsibility now.’ Olivia still looked doubtful but she was wavering, Adela pushed home her point, ‘please stay, get some sleep and tomorrow when you’ve recovered a little you can leave, I promise.’
Olivia looked at her steadily then to Adela’s relief nodded her head, ‘all right, I’ll stay…until tomorrow, but then I must leave. You’ve been very kind to me, you saved me, I don’t want to see you hurt.’
Adela again tried to ignore the shiver that went down her spine and the uncomfortable somersault her heart gave and smiled, ‘they’d have to find me first.’
Olivia looked impatient. It was obvious she was thinking that Adela was either not taking her seriously about the danger she was in or being deliberately obtuse. She continued to look at her with something akin to sympathy before saying, ‘that thing you did, pretending there was someone coming down the street, that was pretty quick thinking.’
Adela’s smile was bright, ‘not to mention Oscar wining, Meryl Streep eat your heart out.’
Olivia frowned obviously trying to figure out what made this English woman tick. Then she smiled, a small very tired smile but the first Adela had seen, it was nice.
She said, ‘right, I’ll find you something to wear in bed, you can change in the bathroom.’ She went to the set of drawers next to the bed and pulled out a nightdress, it was short and yellow with blue flowers around the neck and hem. Olivia hesitated before taking it from Adela’s hand holding it to her chest with both hands as though Adela would suddenly change her mind and snatch it back.
Aided by Adela’s arm Olivia rather reluctantly rose and they went to the bathroom, at the door Adela said, ‘leave the door slightly open just in case you feel dizzy or nauseas.’
Olivia nodded and went into the bathroom leaving the door a few inches ajar. She looked at herself in the mirror but did not wince at the purple swollen lip nor the bruised chin, as she had said, she had had worse…much worse.
She did not know why she had said that. She did not know why she had got into the cab with this woman; she did not know why she had been persuaded to come home with her, and to have given her real name too, what had she been thinking? She should not have done that, she should have left as soon as the woman had seen to her lip, she should leave now.
She shuddered as she thought about what would have happened to her had those men taken her back, he would not they let her off as easily as last time, if you could call what he had done to her last time easy. But what could he do that was worse than that, except kill her, and sometimes she thought she would welcome even that.
But she did not want to leave here, maybe because the woman had shown her a kindness she had not known in a long, long time. When she had first spoken to her in the alleyway, the first thing that had registered was not the English accent but the soft tones filled with such concern. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken so softly to her or given a fuck whether she was hurt or not. She told herself that the woman had been very persuasive, but if she was honest with herself she had been more than half persuaded already. She would stay until the morning and then she would leave, she could not bear the thought of putting this woman in danger.
She washed her hands and face avoiding her lip as much as possible then picked up the nightdress; she did not immediately put it on but held it up to her face, it smelled nice, like flowers. She took the documents she carried out of her jacket pocket and looked around for a hiding place. She noticed the sink had a curtain around it and looked underneath it; there were pipes there so she put the fake passport and driving licence. Hiding these had been the most difficult task she had had to accomplish leading up to her escape. She straightened the curtain and stood up.
Taking off her clothes she slipped on the nightdress then went back out to the living room. Adela was arranging a blanket and pillows on the sofa but looked up smiling when Olivia appeared. She said, ‘oh, it suits you better than it does me. Yellow is your colour I think.’
Olivia smiled but as before it was strained and unsure. When she saw Adela’s smile she had a horrible vision of what might happen to her if those men found her here. They would kill Adela as easily and as coldly as though she was an irritating bug at a picnic.
Adela saw the hesitation and fear in the girl’s deep brown eyes and said quickly, ‘I think you should get to bed, you look exhausted.’
‘Look, thanks for the offer, Olivia replied, ‘but I can’t take your bed, I’ll be all right on the couch.’
Adela shook her head emphatically and in a tone that brooked no argument said, ‘no, I insist, and as this is my house and you’re my guest you do as I say, understood.’
Olivia seemed surprised at Adela’s tone but again saw that glint of humour in her eyes which belied the firmness of her words. This time Olivia’s smile was less strained than it had hitherto been. She said, ‘yes, ma’am, whatever you say, ma’am.’
Adela laughed and the sound was like music to Olivia’s ears. She could not recall the last time she had heard laughter that was not course or vulgar.
Then Adela said, ‘try to sleep. Olivia obeyed and lay down on top of the bed; it was too hot to climb beneath the covers. She closed her eyes but opened them abruptly as Adela said softly, ‘Olivia?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’ll be all right, you’ll see. They won’t find you here, you’ll be safe, I promise.’
Olivia lifted her head from the pillow and showed Adela eyes that were unconvinced. She smi
led but once again the smile was infinitely sad. Adela nodded as though to emphasis her words and Olivia lay her head back down. ‘Goodnight, Olivia.’
The girl hesitated before answering, ‘goodnight.’ And to herself, ‘may it not be your last.’
Despite the night’s events and her fears for both herself and Adela and through sheer exhaustion she was soon asleep.
Adela switched off the lights but left on the little lamp. She lay awake listening to Olivia’s soft breathing telling her that she was asleep. She thought about what Olivia had said about those men and when she’d said, ‘"I’ve had worse."
She asked herself again who those men were. What did they want with Olivia? And why was she so sure that they would find them and hurt not only Olivia but herself too? And what’s more, could she trust Olivia? After all she did not know her, she could be a criminal, a drug addict, although she had seen no track marks...as she knew they were called from reading her crime books...on her arms. But she could be a nutcase, a killer even. Well, she would find out when she woke up robbed or dead.
Certainly this holiday had turned out to be much more eventful and exciting that she could ever have imagined. So much for peace and quiet. She couldn’t help but smile as a mental picture of Sally’s mortified but smug expression came to her. Like Olivia she did not think that she would sleep but unlike Olivia she was right. She lay awake until it was almost dawn then she was being woken as usual by the birds singing outside her windows.
CHAPTER 4.
It took Adela a moment to get her bearings and to remember why she was sleeping on the sofa. She shot up and looked towards the bed half expecting Olivia to be gone; although she had locked the door last night and hidden the key…and she was ashamed to say her handbag too…it would not have surprised her if Olivia had climbed through the window during the night. But Olivia was still there in Adela’s bed fast asleep.
She smiled and silently asked Olivia to forgive her mistrust. But the smile swiftly left her lips as she thought again about what Olivia had said. She felt a little sick and her stomach was tied up in knots. She realised that she was very afraid, not only for Olivia but for herself too. What had she got herself into?
She went to the bathroom and washed and changed into jeans and a short sleeved white blouse and felt a little better.
As she entered the living room she glanced towards the bed and smiled at Olivia’s sleeping figure. Yes, she had done the right things last night, interfering in those men’s plans and bringing Olivia here. Despite her apprehension and fear she would not have changed a thing. She went to the set of drawers and took out a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and a clean pair of undies. The clothes would be too small for Olivia but they would be better than what she had been wearing.
She saw her trainers under the bed and silently went to retrieve them. As she bent down Olivia opened her eyes, and to Adela’s amazement, threw herself back towards the wall putting her arms up to her face as she did so. Adela stood upright and held out her hand in a placating gesture, ‘it’s all right, Olivia, it’s only me, you’re quite safe.’
It took Olivia a moment to gather herself and to see that it was indeed Adela, the woman who had helped her. Nevertheless she lowered her hands very slowly as if still unsure. Adela became all brisk efficiency said, ‘you must be hungry, how about breakfast?’ She began to walk towards the kitchen, ‘although I don’t have much in, I intended to go to the shop today and stock up.’
This change of subject and Adela’s matter- of -fact tone seemed to calm Olivia because she said, ‘I…I am hungry yes.’
Adela smiled at her over her shoulder, ‘I’ve put some clothes on the bed there, they’ll be a little too small but better than what you were wearing,’ she nodded down at Olivia’s torn blouse and dirty, stained skirt, ‘go and take a shower, there’s plenty of water and fresh towels in the cupboard.’
Olivia obeyed and went into the bathroom. Adela stared at the closed door concerned and dismayed at what had happened when Olivia had woken. She had looked so scared, terrified even, before she had realised that it was Adela who stood there.
She made toast and found the marmalade and poured cereal into two bowls then made coffee. By the time she had done this Olivia had finished her shower and entered the living room. Adela was struck afresh at how young and vulnerable she looked with her scrubbed face and shoulder length hair combed back into a ponytail.
She smiled at her then gave a little laugh, ‘well, you’re no fashion plate but they’ll suffice for now.’ Olivia looked down at herself, at the much too short jeans and the baggy T-shirt. She might have been taller than Adela but she was not so amply endowed in the chest area. She looked up and giggled, it seemed to take her unawares because she looked surprised for a moment then quickly looked away like a little girl caught doing something she shouldn’t.
Adela said, ‘come on, breakfast is ready.’
They sat at the table and Adela poured coffee for them both then they tucked in. Olivia ate tentatively at first because of her cut lip, but after the first two mouthfuls of cereal began to tuck in greedily.
Adela smiled Olivia saw it and looked embarrassed and began to eat slower.
‘What will you do now,’ Adela asked, ‘where will you go? I mean, if those men are dangerous to you, do you have someone who can help you?’
Olivia didn’t look up but began playing with her toast pulling it apart as she spoke, ‘I’ll be okay.’
‘I don’t suppose it’s any use my asking you to go to the police?’
Olivia shook her head emphatically. Adela sighed, ‘well at least let me get you a taxi to wherever it is you’re going.’
Again Olivia shook her head, ‘no, you’ve done enough, I’ll get a bus out of town, out of the state if I have too.’ She said this as though being out of town or even out of the state would not help her but it was all she had.
They finished breakfast in silence then Olivia stood and said, ‘thank you for everything, for saving me last night, for the bed, for the clothes and, well, everything.’
She began to walk towards the front door but paused as Adela said, ‘but what about your lip?’
‘It’ll be okay.’
‘Do you want to take your clothes with you; I could put them in a bag?’
‘Oh, no, no thanks, would you throw them away please?’
‘Of course.’ Adela could understand her not wanting to take them; they were a reminder of what could so easily have happened last night. She said, ‘oh, wait a moment,’ she hurried to the dressing table and picked up her hat then coming back to Olivia handed it to her saying, ‘this will keep the sun of you and also hide your face from…enquiring eyes.’ She finished diplomatically.
Olivia looked uncertain, ‘are you sure, won’t you need it?’
‘I can buy another today when I go into town.’
Olivia took the hat from her hand and put it on. Adela tied the ribbon under her chin and laughed, ‘it suits you.’ Olivia smiled back never taking her eyes from Adela’s; she wanted to remember in the days ahead what a kind smiling face looked like.
Adela asked, ‘do you have any money?’
Olivia glanced at her over her shoulder, ‘I have enough.’
Adela knew she was lying, she went to her purse, took out all the money she had in there, about two hundred dollars, and handed it to Olivia, ‘here, I wish I had more, but that’s all I have on me right now.’
Olivia looked at the money then at Adela then back again, ‘no, I can’t take your money.’
‘You’re not taking it; I’m giving it to you.’
Olivia shook her head as if to say, what is it with this woman, why won’t she be told.
Adela took Olivia’s hand and pressed the money into her palm then closed her fingers over it, ‘you’re not leaving without it, so you might as well accept graciously.’
Olivia looked up into Adela’s soft green eyes and felt something she had not felt in a long time, the beginnings of tears
at the back of her throat, she had to swallow several times to suppress them. She nodded, ‘thank you…Adela.’
Adela’s smile was sad as Olivia opened the door and stood on the threshold for a moment, obviously afraid to venture out. She had taken one step when Adela took her arm firmly saying, ‘I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try one last time to get you to change your mind, so please, let me help you,’ Olivia began to shake her head. Adela rushed on, 'then please stay a while longer, at least one more night.’
Olivia looked down at Adela’s fingers curled around her forearm. When she raised her eyes there was such a deep sadness and regret in them that Adela almost closed her eyes to block out the sight. Olivia said nothing but smiled a tender smile then turned and walked down the few steps to the path. Adela watched until the trees swallowed her up and she was lost from sight, then she shut the door leaned against it, closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for Olivia’s safety.
Adela pushed away from the door and took a deep breath; she felt very depressed and needed a long walk to clear her head and think about last night and all that had happened. But first she would go to the shop and get some food, she had three more days here and what she had would not last.
She left the house and walked through the woods to the town. The lady who ran the shop, Mrs. Hosewater, (Adela had congratulated herself for not roaring with laughter when she had first heard that name), greeted her enthusiastically as usual, ‘good morning, Ma’am, how can we help you this fine day?’ Mrs Hosewater always used the plural when asking this yet she ran the shop single handed. The postmaster, Mr. Stebbings, had told her that Mrs. Hosewater’s husband had died at least twenty years ago, but that she often spoke as though he was still around. Perhaps he was, but only Mrs. Hosewater could see him, Adela had said which caused Mr. Stebbings and the other customers to stare at her in confusion until Mr. Stebbings had smiled and said, “yes, that must be it, that’s very astute of you, Ma’am.’ She had laughed when she had left the store not really at them but at their willingness to give people the benefit of the doubt. She liked the people of this town, all of them.