by Iris Deorre
‘That’s not an option I’m afraid. What about your friends, you like them, don’t you?’
He nodded.
‘So there, you do like something about school.’ She encouraged. ‘You’ll find that you like a lot of things at school.’
He was silent, and that’s how it remained the rest of the journey. It was like talking to a miniature adult who had a mind of his own. What Amelia felt, her mind didn’t want to accept it, but she also knew that denial wouldn’t solve anything.
The car pulled outside the house and Rebecca met them at the door.
‘I’ll be in my office if you need me,’ she told her. ‘I think he might need a good play outside in the sun and fresh air.’
‘Yes Miss Woods.’
‘Can I have something to drink first?’ he asked.
‘Course you can,’ said Amelia. ‘Rebecca will help you with that. If you need mummy, I’ll be in the office.’
He didn’t say a thing, instead he walked in the direction of the kitchen and Rebecca followed him. Amelia felt a lump in her throat, she wished she could connect to him more, but she didn’t know how.
The minute she stepped into the office she rang Justin, but the phone went straight into voicemail. She checked the time and realised that he was in the meeting she was supposed to be in. She would give it an hour and a half and then try him again.
While she worked, she couldn’t shake the events of the day. There was so much to do, but her concern for Gabriel took precedence in her mind. As she was about to answer an email, she heard an almighty scream. There was sudden commotion and the sense of panic. Amelia sat dead still a moment, her stomach in a knot. There was the rush of footsteps and this brought Amelia to her feet. She rushed out and headed towards the kitchen where she found Gabriel standing with bloody hands and a cat’s tail in his right hand.
Rebecca was beside herself, frantic and holding a grey cat in her arms. At first Amelia didn’t know what to do. She stood dead still and blocked out all the noise around her, and then suddenly as if waking from a dream she said, ‘What the hell happened! How the hell did this happen?!’
‘I only left him for a moment, I didn’t know he had the pair of scissors.’
‘Whose cat is this?! How did he get a hold of it?!’
‘I gave it some of my drink. It was thirsty.’
Amelia turned to the little boy a moment and then back at Rebecca.
‘Mandy!’ She shouted. ‘Mandy!’ She was certain Mandy was in her office and would hear her.
Mandy rushed into the kitchen and stood frozen as soon as she saw the sight of blood, and tail in Gabriel’s hand.
‘Take this cat to the vet,’ said Amelia. ‘I don’t know whose it is, but we need to make sure it’s treated.’
‘Yes, Miss Woods,’ she said without questioning.
‘See if you can’t get a towel and wrap it around the poor thing. My driver shall take you, and use the company credit card to pay the bill.’ Amelia spoke so fast she didn’t even know if she were saying the right thing.
After Mandy had rushed out with the cat, Amelia knelt down and looked at her son.
‘Can you tell me why you cut the cat’s tail?’
‘I don’t know.’
She felt her blood boil. There was a part of her that wanted to shake him, make him see what he’d done was wrong, but she knew that this wasn’t the way to go about it...
Amelia stood up and paced with her hand to her forehead. She took one look at the little boy in the sky blue top and grey shorts. As she looked at him, she didn’t know what to feel. He was as calm as a warm summer’s day. He pushed up on his toes and down again, put his hands in his pockets with the tail sticking out, and flashed a slight smile at her.
‘Honey,’ she said in the calmest manner possible. ‘Could you please just stay here while mummy makes a phone call?’
The child nodded.
‘Rebecca, don’t let him out of your sight!’
‘Yes, Miss Woods.’
Amelia stepped out of the kitchen into the living-room to pick up the portable phone.
‘Doctor Gallagher,’ she said. ‘It’s Amelia.’
‘Amelia,’ he said. ‘Something has happened, hasn’t it? I can hear it in your voice.’
‘Yes.’ She was almost in tears, but she didn’t want her son to see her cry. ‘It’s Gabriel, he’s...’ She looked in the direction of the door to make sure Gabriel hadn’t followed her. ‘He’s...’ She couldn’t spit it out.
‘What has he done, Amelia?’
Amelia bit the back of her index finger a moment.
‘Amelia?’
‘He cut a cat’s tail with a pair of kitchen scissors. I don’t even know how he got a hold of them! Rebecca was supposed to be watching him!’ The words trailed out like a gush of water from the tap. ‘I don’t know what to do! Oh God!’
‘First take a few deep breaths and calm down. We talked about this, about the possibility. Remember what I said to you.’
‘Yes, yes I do.’
‘Good. Now why don’t I make an appointment for you and Gabriel to come and see me?’
‘Yes, yes okay.’ She took in deep breaths.
‘I’ll pass you back to my secretary to make the appointment.’
She nodded, ‘Yes, yes okay.’
‘It will be fine, I promise.’
Amelia hoped so!
****
By the time Justin had walked into the house later that evening all had calmed down. Gabriel was in bed sound asleep, Rebecca had somewhat recovered from the whole incident, and Amelia had gone to lie down. It had all been too much.
He stepped into the room looking calm and handsome as always. She looked at him and wondered how he could live that way with the knowledge of what he’d done.
‘Hey,’ he said as he stepped closer and loosened his tie.
Amelia had told him the day’s events over the phone.
‘Hi,’ she said.
He sat down, pulled off his shoes and then lay next to her. They lay in each others arms silently, Amelia with a trail of thoughts of her own. She felt helpless and trapped all over again, but this time mentally.
‘I’ll do it,’ he said after a long while.
She turned to him not sure what he meant.
‘Do what honey?’ she asked.
‘I’ll turn myself in.’
She lifted from his embrace and looked down at him.
‘I’ll do it. I’ll do it for him. You’re right, things shouldn’t be this way. I don’t want him to be like me.’
Tears welled up in her eyes.
‘I’ll do it on one condition.’ This time he smiled gently.
‘What’s that?’
‘That you’ll marry me. Say yes. I can serve my prison sentence knowing that you’re going to be with me every step of the way. Even if I get to see you once a month or a year, as long as I know you’re mine, I’ll do just fine. What I won’t be able to live with, is not having you in my life at all.’
‘Oh Justin!’ She burst into tears.
‘Is that a yes?’ he asked.
‘Yes, yes, I will marry you. And don’t you worry, I will be with you always. I will come and see you everyday if I have to. I choose you, we’re family. I choose you.’
He took her into his arms. ‘I love you Amelia Woods,’ he said. ‘You have introduced me to feelings I’ve never known. Now I know that I can’t live without you in my life. And you gave me an amazing son, I don’t want him to land behind bars, the way I will. I know that he doesn’t feel bad about what he does, but I know you’ll figure out a way to make him understand what he does is wrong. He has an amazing mother, and I’m so proud of you.’
‘I’m so proud of you too,’ she sniffed. ‘I love you too, Justin Hughes, I love you too!’
Chapter Nine
They were making progress with Gabriel. Amelia had learned different techniques given by Doctor Gallagher to help him. The doctor had run some tests and had ruled out autism. Gab
riel understood what he’d been doing was wrong, he just seemed unable to empathise with it. Although Amelia was disheartened by the diagnoses, the doctor wasn’t. He’d said it could’ve been worse, but that fact that they knew what they were dealing with, they could work with it.
‘It’s like having an illness in the body,’ he’d said. ‘And you didn’t know what it was. But then suddenly, one day your doctor tells you, that what you have isn’t curable, but it is treatable, wouldn’t you be happy.’
‘If you put it like that, yes,’ she’d said.
‘Not everything’s curable, but that doesn’t mean we can’t manage the symptoms to help that person have a normal life as possible. Gabriel is a very smart boy, he gets it, and so we can work with it.’
The doctor had been so positive about the whole thing, Amelia couldn’t help but be positive too. Justin gave a hand too and they informed the school about his diagnosis and what they were to do.
‘When he miss behaves, don’t go into too much detail. Just give clear consequences.’ The doctor had said.
Amelia had learned to practice that, consistently. In a calm manner, his disobedience was dealt with quickly. But the most important thing Amelia learned and notice improvement, was when she rewarded good behaviour and paid less attention to bad behaviour. She’d started to take thirty minutes out of her day to give Gabriel her undivided attention. It was at those times she saw him at his best. He would light up, do things to impress her and just want to show her how good he was, and each time she would reward his good behaviour with a treat of his choice. The doctor’s advice was working in heaps and bounds, and Justin had also played his part. It was so good that Amelia had a great idea that she shared with Justin.
‘I think that’s a great idea,’ he said after she’d told him at dinner.
‘I thought I could name it the Justin Hughes Centre.’
He smiled. ‘That’s a great business move honey.’
‘I’m glad you like it.’ She knew that he liked it in the sense that it would draw more attention to his business.
Amelia had come up with the idea to open a centre for children like Gabriel. To help parents understand them and work with them, rather than label them naughty children. It would also take referrals from schools and foster care homes. It would be set up as a charity centre which was one of the reason’s Justin loved the idea.
Amelia realised that the two men in her life would probably never be able to empathise, but they had learnt the difference between right and wrong, and they’d all taken steps to correct that.
****
Things had become busier, Amelia split her time between Gabriel, work, her up coming wedding and the setting up of the centre. The wedding dress task had been assigned to Suzanne. Mandy had hired an assistant for herself as the work was getting too much for one person to handle. Mandy gave the assistant the wedding arrangements. They’d found a wedding planner and the new assistant was the go between Amelia and the planner.
Everything seemed to be working like a well oiled machine. Kira and Gary were over the moon about the wedding and so were her parents. She did explain that after the wedding what would happen. The only people who had truly understood it and respected her decision were her parents. She couldn’t have asked for better parents. They’d been so loving and supportive that it made her work harder with Gabriel.
Tate wasn’t as pleased about the decision, but didn’t show it. Instead he gave her all his support. He was happier now, with Mandy in his life. His purpose in life wasn’t about making Amelia love him, he understood that now. Some things would never be the way he wanted them to be, he had to live with that and be happy within himself.
Justin had started to make arrangements for his departure. He’d spoken to the authorities, and a deal had been made between him and the family. He was to pay a large sum of money to the parents of Sandra Reeds, give a public apology and serve some time in prison, details of which weren’t released to the press, or anyone else for that matter. It had been an internal matter and the family of the victim were satisfied with the outcome.
As far as Amelia could see it, her world was slotting into place. It wasn’t like the world she saw around her, where everything had to be done a certain way. She didn’t have to follow anyone’s rules but her own. Amelia felt free, for the first time in her life she understood what freedom was. The freedom to follow the beats of her own heart, to do what made her feel good, because that was all that truly mattered.
****
The wedding day came sooner than she would’ve liked. That day would be the happiest day of her life. She tried not to think about anything after that, just to stay in the moment.
Friends and family had already started to gather in their amazing garden. The wedding planner had done a brilliant job. For the first part of the wedding, white chairs had been put in the garden theatre style, split down the middle. In the middle was a trail of white petals all the way down to the front, where there was a white arch for the couple to say their vows. Everyone was wearing white and had been requested not to wear any shoes.
For the second part of the wedding, a marquee was set up a little further into the large plot of land. The colour theme was white and purple. Chairs and tables had been set up in a U-shape with a wooden dance floor in the middle. Everything was just perfect, the way Amelia had requested it.
‘You look amazing,’ said Kira. ‘And so happy.’
‘I am, I’m happy.’ Amelia sniffed, trying not to spoil the makeup.
Suzanne had done a magnificent job with the dress. It was simple, but chic. It clung to her slim but not skinny body perfectly. It was a white off shoulder dress, that made her look like a princess. She loved it, and she hoped that when Justin saw her, he’d love it too.
‘I can’t believe I’m getting married!’
‘Well you better believe it, everyone’s waiting for you,’ said Kira.
Just as she was stepping out of the room she bumped into Tate.
‘Wow.’ He couldn’t help himself. ‘You look...beautiful.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I was just coming to see you, to say...I wish you the best. I’m really happy for you.’
‘Thanks, Tate that means a lot to me.’ She took him into a hug.
‘Come on young lady.’ Her father interrupted. ‘Your man is waiting for you.’
There were a few chuckles and then she took her fathers arm. They walked in the direction of the gardens, and soon Amelia was walking down the isle of rose petals to marry the only man she really loved. It had been a long and difficult journey. A journey she’d never imagined she’d travel. It had taught her a lot and she would never forget everything she’d learnt.
Amelia stopped at the arch and looked into his eyes. He held out his hands and she took them. In the front row, Gabriel and her mother watched on. It was the best day of her life. They said their vows in front of each other, their witnesses and God and soon they were man and wife.
The family and close friends were ushered to photographs to a different part of the land. It had beautiful flowers around. Her favourite picture was the one taken of her, Justin and Gabriel, in front of a giant oak tree.
By the time food had been served, and they’d had their first dance, it was almost time for Justin to leave. But before that, each of them would give a little speech. Amelia stood up with and turned to Justin.
‘I’m going to cry,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to cry.’
He gave her his hand.
‘We’ve been through so much together,’ she started. ‘If there is one thing I’ve learnt through all this, is that only the good matters. That doesn’t mean I forget the bad, but I’ve chosen not to dwell on it. You’ve made me so proud!’ She sniffed. ‘I’m so proud to be your wife right now, and I want everyone in this room to know it. We’ve grown, we’ve gone through the darkest times of our lives, but here we are, man and wife. I love you Justin Hughes, and so does your son. We love you so much.’
There was a round of applause and she sat back down. He gave her a long kiss then stood up. But as he stood up, two men in black suits entered the tent and stood at the entrance. Justin looked at Amelia and she nodded, he turned to look at the men and nodded. They nodded back.
‘I’ve done things I’m not proud of,’ he started. ‘Things, no person should ever do to another human being.’ He turned to Amelia. ‘You saved me,’ he said looking into her eyes. ‘You made me feel something I’d never felt before. I took this step today, just to prove to you that a person can change, if they choose to. I choose you, I choose to do as you ask, because I love you.’
Amelia couldn’t help but cry.
‘The word love.’ He smiled faintly. ‘I had no clue what it was. But now I do. I guess I might be the best person to describe it.’ He smiled. ‘A professor once said to me...’ He looked at Doctor Gallagher. ‘That love isn’t just an emotion, it’s an action. As he prepared me to get to this day, he said he understood that I didn’t feel the way others did, but I did understand it. He said the easiest way to her heart, is to love her.’ He turned back to Amelia. ‘I love you, Amelia, I really do, and I’m taking the action to show you that I do. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You are the woman who will change the world one person at a time. You have certainly changed me.’ He pulled her up to him. ‘Many say that a person can’t change, I would agree. Who I am inside hasn’t changed, but I choose to make changes, I choose to change. I think that is the biggest lesson I’ve learnt. So thank you, Mrs. Hughes.’ He took her into a hug and she cried into his shoulder.
He pulled away and mouthed, ‘We’ll be okay.’
‘I know,’ she cried. ‘I know.’
He walked over to his little boy who sat with Amelia’s parents and knelt down.
‘You look after mummy young man.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘We talked about this son, do you remember.’
Gabriel nodded.
‘It’s time, but you’ll see daddy everyday, that’s a promise your mum and I have made. And one day, we’ll all be together.’
He stood up and just as he was about to walk towards the men, Amelia ran towards him and took him into a big hug, pulled back, gazed into his stunning grey eyes and then kissed him passionately.