His tall figure crossed from the school to the car park and Alex’s heart thudded.
‘Excuse me sir,’ she stood up and as he looked her way, his eyes widened in surprise. ‘Excuse me Mr. Fenwick, could I have a word?’ Ralph Fenwick put his briefcase into the boot of his car and walked over.
‘And you are?’
‘I’m Alex; I’m...actually I’m Miss Moon’s sister.’
‘Oh,’ he smiled at her, ‘you’ll have a delighted sister tonight because the school has done very well. No need to worry. Why are you waiting for her here in the rain? Shouldn’t you be inside?’
‘I don’t want to see Cleo; it’s you I want to see. Can we talk for a moment?’
‘Hmmm.’ He frowned at her.
She waited, fingers crossed in her jacket pockets as he considered her request. A deep frown furrowed his brow. ‘Can we sit in your car; I’m freezing?’
‘I’m not sure that would be appropriate, Alex; you see-’
‘Look sir, I don’t want Cleo to see me,’ Alex interrupted, ‘and I want to tell you about your daughter so it’s best that we sit in the car.’
‘You’re mistaken, I’ve got sons. I don’t have a daughter.’
Alex could see from his concerned expression that he was trying to be polite but she was troubling him. This wasn’t going to plan at all.
‘You do! Your daughter is in that school now. My sister.’
‘Cleo? Miss Moon?’
‘Yes, she’s your daughter.’
That hadn’t gone like she’d hoped but it was done now.
Mr. Fenwick glanced around the car park, was he going to call for Cleo? No, he opened the passenger door and turned back towards her.
‘You’d better get in and explain.’
Alex sat shivering as he looked at her closely.
‘Let me get this right. You are saying that Miss Moon, Cleo, you think she’s my daughter?’
‘I know she is. We both do, we know who you are because our mother is Margaret Donaldson - aged fifty. Well fifty this month and she went to school with you.’
‘My God!’
Alex knew she had his full attention now, ‘And she had your baby, and that was Cleo.’
Mr Fenwick sat rubbing his brow as if he was massaging this news into his head.
‘Alex, I don’t know what to say. Why hasn’t Cleo mentioned this? Where is Margaret? I swear I’ve often looked for her but could never find a trace.’
‘Margaret’s had a name change and she’s in Egypt so she doesn’t know any of this. Look, I need to let Cleo know that I’ve told you about her and then, do you want to meet up?’
‘I’m not sure what to do, Alex. I don’t know what’s best. I’ve got sons and this will be a great shock to them.’
‘I can’t stay any longer in case Cleo comes out and catches me here. Look, I’ve written our address and number on here for you so, in your own time… but don’t leave it. It’s not right.’
As he took the slip of paper, he nodded and Alex got out of the car.
She watched him drive off. Was he going to the family who knew nothing about a daughter? She headed for the metro station. She would get home just before Cleo and tell her when the time seemed right. She was sure she’d done the right thing.
32
‘We’ve been graded outstanding Alex. Celebration supper!’ Cleo had stopped off for Thai food and knew there was a Riesling chilling in the fridge that would match it perfectly.
‘I knew you’d do well.’ Alex jumped up and went straight to the cutlery drawer to set two places.
Cleo noticed that Alex’s hair was damp; she must have taken a shower before changing into the onesie she was wearing. ‘Here, you dish up and I’ll slip into something stretchy too. I can eat more then.’
Cleo was back in two minutes. ‘Whoa! That’s enough for me. I can always go back for more.’ She took her heaped plate from Alex and enjoyed relating all the ins and outs of the day and the way her tour of the new TeMPs unit had gone down so well with Ralph Fenwick.
Alex looked preoccupied.
‘Are you listening?’ Cleo asked.
Yes, of course I am.’
‘You look as though you’re miles away.’
‘I’m not. I was thinking about him too, the inspector, I mean. That RF, as you call him, I was thinking about him meeting you and not knowing he’s your father.’
‘No, he doesn’t and he’s not going to know either.’ Cleo was determined that wouldn’t happen. She’d seen him and that was enough. They both had their own lives.
‘That might not be the case.’ Alex looked concerned.
Cleo was puzzled, what was she on about? ‘What do you mean, Alex?’ Cleo stopped pouring a second glass of wine and searched Alex’s face closely, her little sis was acting strangely.
Alex pushed her plate away and grabbed one of Cleo’s hands. ‘Cleo, I thought he should know. He should know he has a brilliant daughter and you’ve done so well.’
Cleo felt heat rise to her cheeks and it wasn’t the Riesling. ‘What exactly are you saying Alex?’
‘I told him.’ Alex’s eyes were looking imploringly at her.
‘You what?’
‘I explained it all.’
‘When? When did you see him?’
‘In the car park tonight. I told him about Mum and you and gave him your number that’s all.’
‘That’s all? You stupid, stupid girl! How dare you. How dare you stick your nose in to my past like that.’
‘Don’t be mad, Cleo. He deserved to know and he might get in touch; he said he might.’
‘Oh, he said he might, did he? That makes it all just hunky-dory, doesn’t it! Don’t you understand that I don’t want him to?’ Cleo knew she was yelling but, bloody hell, what a thing for Alex to do.
‘You don’t understand.’
‘No you don’t understand. How can you go totally against what I wanted? What a terrible thing, what a bloody unsisterly thing to do.’
‘Don’t say that! I’m sorry; I thought you were just saying that.’
‘Sorry? Sorry isn’t enough Alex. You’ve really excelled yourself this time.’
‘Right! Just hate me all over again.’ Alex got up and slammed her bedroom door.
Cleo slumped into her chair and burst into tears. This was their first row since they’d become close. She shouldn’t have said ‘unsisterly’, but could she forgive her? Would they get over this?
A few moments later Cleo heard the front door open and, as she raised her head, she saw the back of Alex leaving with an overnight bag. She ran to the door and shouted after her but she was gone.
Cleo ran down the stairs but it was dark and raining and she couldn’t see which way Alex had gone. Slowly she headed back upstairs to the apartment. She’d left the door wide open, it was a blessing that it hadn’t slammed shut and locked her out.
She started to clear up the supper cartons and looked around for Pharos; there were a couple of prawns that he would devour. Where was he? Cleo did a quick search of the apartment. He was in none of his favourite nooks. He hated noise, was he hiding? Or worse, had he escaped when she left the door open? She grabbed her coat and went outside. She hoped he hadn’t gone far.
Cleo lay on her bed her eyes swollen with crying and wondered what to do next. Alex had sent a text to say she was at Gracie Grieves’ house; she was staying there for the weekend and wouldn’t be returning to the apartment. That was a worry. A second text stated that she was going to pick her schoolwork up on Monday and then go back to Dunleith and stay with the Collingwoods until Mum came home. Mary had agreed that she could stay as long as Cleo was happy.
Alex didn’t pick up when Cleo tried ringing and she knew that Alex would hate her going around to Gracie’s house. She could hardly drag her home and, from her school experience, she knew that the police wouldn’t take action over a seventeen-year-old.
She was worried about Alex and just as concerned about Pharos. She didn
’t know what would happen to an elderly cat out on the busy streets around here. She could hardly call the police about him either but she must do something.
She couldn’t call Mum; she’d let her down with Alex and her cat. Would she lose Mum’s love too? At a loss over what to do next, she rang Dan and, instead of telling him about her successful Ofsted, she had to confess that she’d chased away her sister and Mum’s cat.
It was breakfast time over there and he was rushing to his last stint of duty. She had expected sympathy but all she got was how she’d promised Mum to look after them and how she’d have to get them both back.
‘I’m aware of what I need to do, Dan. I just thought you might be supportive, maybe have a thought for me.’
‘Cleo, I love you and think of you all the time, but Alex is in her teens and you say she’s staying in a dodgy area. Your mum idolises the cat and it’s missing. You’ve vented your anger about your father out on them both and your kid sister was trying to help. I’ll get back as soon as I can; I have this one final shift in the outback and then I’m booking my ticket home. Until then, you’ll have to sort this out and quickly. Heather and Mark will help you until I get back and, you might not like this Cleo, but I agree that, if you’re not getting on, it would be best if Alex returned to her own school and stayed at Fernlea Lodge.’
‘Stop it. Stop telling me what to do. I’ll decide what’s best!’ Cleo yelled down the phone and cut him off. She furiously chewed on a handful of her least favourite jellies, even her sweet bowl was empty and held no comfort.
Why couldn’t Dan have just sympathised with her? And anyway, what did he know, her anger wasn’t at her father; it was about him finding out about her, wasn’t it?
Mac, he would have known what to do. Even as she thought this, she recognised that, over the years, she’d cast Mac as the perfect dad because he wasn’t here and couldn’t let her down.
Cleo couldn’t sleep. She got up again to look for Pharos but she didn’t dare call for him as one of her neighbours had shouted an infuriated ‘please!’ at two in the morning and it was almost four o’ clock now.
She looked out of the window at the courtyard below and there was a sleek black cat slinking along by the cars. The moon shone brightly lighting puddles and pavements but there was no silver dark-spotted boy in sight. It would be the corn moon; she wished on it as hard as she had as a child; Keep Pharos safe, help me to make amends to Alex and Mum and Dan, bring us all safely together.
She couldn’t believe she’d reacted so badly to Alex’s news. OK she didn’t want anything to do with RF but he was hardly going to broadcast news of a long lost daughter. She wasn’t likely to cross his path again. She’d been mean to Dan too just because he hadn’t said what she wanted to hear. She would try to make it up to them all, once she found the cat.
Posters. That’s what she’d do. She wasn’t going to sleep. By five thirty Cleo had a photo of Pharos and contact details on a hundred posters. She needed more printer cartridges to do more when the shops opened. She set off to put them on lampposts and through letter boxes and to check the roads, all the time terrified that she’d find Pharos lying there.
An early coffee with Heather and Archie helped to clear Cleo’s head. Heather listened to the whole saga of Ralph Fenwick and didn’t interrupt once. By the end of the story, Cleo, was crying again, she just couldn’t stop. Heather hugged her. What would Heather suggest? Her views were important to Cleo and she knew Heather would tell her the truth.
‘You may be annoyed with Alex but she was doing what she thought would help. I don’t know how much damage it will do to your new closer relationship, but just give her some space and then talk it over with her. She must know you’re sorry because you’ve tried to call her, so give her a breathing space.’ Heather handed her a tissue.
‘I’ll have to. I don’t want a scene in school on Monday so I’ll just have to go along with her going back to Dunleith and staying with the Collingwoods until Mum is back.’
‘Right, that’s Alex sorted. Now what can we do about your missing moggie?’ Heather asked.
‘We could post more leaflets about Pharos. I think we should call vets and catteries, the police too, just in case he’s handed in.’
‘I’ll do the calls and I’ll give my number too for anyone who wants to contact us with news.’ Heather volunteered.
Cleo was just hoping it wouldn’t be bad news such as he’d been killed on a road. The tears started again.
Heather went on, ‘As for arguing with Dan, don’t leave it too long before you call. You know he’s always on your side. I think he was just trying to be practical.’
A chilly feeling crept over Cleo, it was as if she was made of eggshells and her head was cotton wool. She was dimly aware that Heather was taking her up to her spare room and telling her to take a rest.
‘You’re in shock and you’ve had no sleep. It’s time to sleep or you’ll be no good to anybody.’
Cleo sank into the duvet, felt a blanket going round her shoulders and slept.
Nothing had changed when she woke up in the middle of the afternoon. Heather had no news from shelters and vets and her mobile showed that she hadn’t had a call from Alex or Dan.
Cleo set off for her apartment although Heather and Mark asked her to stay. She called at the shops for more print cartridges. The whole neighbourhood would know about Pharos because she just couldn’t contemplate him being lost forever.
Back at the flat, the living area was strangely tidy. No magazines, trainers or hair slides lying around and no Pharos lounging on the sofa. Alex’s door was open and she could see that she’d been back and taken most of her things.
Cleo walked to the back of the sofa and traced the scratch marks left by stretching cat claws, she looked at her pale grey covers that bore the evidence of many wine, juice and milk stains over the past few months and she walked into the tidy spare room, sat on the bed and howled.
A few months back all she had wanted was her own space in her own beautiful tidy apartment and now she had it, give or take a stain or two, but at what price? She’d lost her sister again and managed to chase away her mother’s beloved cat.
She couldn’t even get in touch with her boyfriend; his phone had no signal. Maybe Dan had thought about their row and regretted getting back with her. She wasn’t going to try ringing him anymore tonight, she couldn’t face more disappointment.
What would she do with herself over the weekend? More posters and a trip to the shop to hire an upholstery steamer? She had to keep busy while she was falling apart.
33
After saying goodbye to Gracie on Monday morning, Alex called into the newsagent’s and bought an iced coffee and a chocolate bar. There hadn’t been much cereal or milk to go around at the Grieves’ house this morning and the little ones needed something before school. Gracie was taking them to their primary school but she wasn’t going in to Tyneview herself.
She had been sick quite a lot, she thought she was starting to show and she wasn’t as focussed on keeping up with her courses as she had been before the holidays. Mrs. Grieves worked in a bar until late so, if Gracie was around, she didn’t get up until the little ones were at school. How on earth was Gracie ever going to manage her exam work with a baby on the way? The sooner Cleo had that teenage mums’ unit up and running, the better it would be for Gracie.
Alex was going into school early to collect her design work and clear her locker and say thanks to the staff who had supported her and then she was heading back to Dunleith. She had been going to stay at High Rigg on her own but Mrs. Collingwood had insisted that she should stay with them until her Mum returned and she didn’t mind doing that.
Anything was better than facing Cleo again after the spectacular mess she’d made of trying to reunite father and daughter. She had palpitations even thinking about what she’d done; she would never forget that row and that night as long as she lived.
On Friday night, after storming out of
the apartment, she had walked towards the metro station wondering where on earth she could go and had only come up with one solution, to ring Gracie.
Gracie was with Ty but told Alex she’d be home in an hour and to meet her there so, to kill time, she’d tucked herself into the corner of the tiny café by the metro station and ordered a cup of tea.
That’s when she saw Will, the karate instructor, come into the café and wrapped her scarf further round her face. She looked out of the window and hoped that he wasn’t sitting in. Through the reflection in the window, she saw him order a coffee to take out and was just breathing out a sigh of relief when he stopped by the door and glanced her way. Oh no, he was coming over.
‘Hi there,’ he started and then his eyes widened in recognition.’ Oh, hi Alex. It’s you!’
Shuffling further down the chair, she nodded.
‘I was just going to take this coffee onto the platform when I recognised the purple and black colours of my rugby club and had to come over to see who was wearing it,’ Will explained.
‘Huh?’ Alex didn’t follow what he was saying.
‘The scarf,’ he smiled, pointing to the scarf she was still holding tightly to her face.
‘Oh!’ she blushed bright scarlet and wished herself miles from here.
‘Who gave you my Scottish team’s rugby scarf, then?’ he asked.
Alex searched frantically for an answer. Could she say she found it? Bloody hell it was his! How could she forget that?
Will pulled out the chair opposite and sat waiting expectantly then his smile faded. ‘Hang on ...’ He reached over and stared at the silver Scorpio pin at one end of the scarf.
‘It’s my scarf, Alex. How did you get it?’
Alex was dumbstruck. This day couldn’t get much worse; she’d have to own up to being one of the idiots he had helped in June.
A Jarful of Moondreams: What Secrets Are Ready to Spill Out? Page 20