by A. E. Murphy
“So,” I add, staring them both down. “I turn eighteen in two and a half weeks.”
My dad rolls his eyes but smiles with it, so I know he’s not annoyed by the turn of conversation. “You’re not getting a car.”
My hands fly up defensively. “No, I know that. That’s not what I want.” They both stop eating and look at me, their brows raised. I laugh a little. “Actually I was hoping for money towards a trip. I really want to go to France with Hayley before I start university. She goes with her parents every summer, as you already know, but this time we were thinking of venturing out on our own.”
My dad blinks and sits back in his seat. I can tell he’s shocked and has a million things running through his mind, most of them being images of me maimed and dying on the streets of Paris.
“I don’t have a problem with that,” my mum says and resumes eating. “Remember when we took that trip to Italy? We were only eighteen and we were fine.”
My dad chews on his lip and steeples his fingers beneath his chin, resting his elbows on the table. “If you continue to work hard and study hard, as you have been doing, and you prove that you’re able to look after yourself over the next few months, I’ll agree.”
My heart jolts and tears of excitement fill my eyes. “Really?”
“Yes, if you apply yourself and finish this year with high grades, enough to get you into a decent university of your choice, then I’ll even pay for your ticket and accommodation.”
“Oh my god,” I squeal, jumping from my seat and launching myself at my dad, who grunts when I collide with him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“What about me?” Mum pouts, disappointed at her lack of hug, so I wind my arm around her neck and pull her into ours.
“I love you guys,” I tell them, kissing them both on the head before jumping up and racing to the door.
“Where’re you going?”
I turn back to grin at them. “I have to budget! I have to open a separate savings account and I have to call Hayley!”
“After your dinner.” Dad orders, no longer smiling.
“Right.” I retake my seat, still glowing and trembling with glee.
******
I watch as the card passes around the classroom before coming back to me. Hayley stuffs it in the dark purple envelope and licks the seam before sealing it shut.
“Think she’ll like it?” She asks, handing it to me.
I nod and place the card on the hamper. “I hope so.” I grab the handle, ignoring the crackle of the plastic cover, and wave goodbye to my friends.
We head directly to the main office, smiling and talking animatedly about our trip next summer. There’s no way I’m not going. I’ll get good grades, I’ll get into University and I’ll work extra hard at Crystal’s.
“Is Mr Price available?” Hayley asks the receptionist, who smiles kindly at us from behind the large curved desk.
“Go on through.” She motions to the door to our right.
After knocking, Mr Price calls us through. I can see how tired he is and can’t help but notice how much he looks like his son right now. The resemblance is almost shocking.
“We heard Mrs Price had an accident and broke her leg,” Hayley begins and the urge to slap my hand over her mouth is almost too much to bear.
“So we put together a hamper. It just has some scented lotions and hot water bottles and chocolates.” I hold it up by the handle. “And everybody signed the card. We were wondering if you could give it to her?”
Mr Price’s eyes round slightly and his lips part. “That’s a lovely gesture, thank you so much girls.” I feel a ‘but’ coming. “But…” I wasn’t wrong. “I think Mrs Price would appreciate it if you delivered it yourselves. Lord knows she’s lacking visitors.”
That’s a good but, not a bad but. I nod eagerly. “I’d be honoured, Mr Price, as long as we wouldn’t be imposing on her healing time.”
He smiles warmly. “Not at all.”
“We could come tonight? Five thirty?” Hayley interjects, smiling widely.
I nod my agreement as Mr Price scribbles his address on a piece of paper and hands it to me. “I trust you to keep our address to yourselves. You know how kids can be when they know where a teacher lives and we really can’t handle any kind of vandalism at this point.”
“You have my word.” I promise and Hayley agrees. “Thank you, Mr Price. We’ll see you later.”
“Take care girls; study hard.”
“We will!”
Isaac
I help Mum move from her new wheelchair to her favourite seat and gently elevate her leg on the footstool. My dad hands her the TV remote and a warm cup of tea before we both take our seats on the couch and fight over the newspaper.
Even though Mum is definitely in pain, her spirit hasn’t faltered in the slightest. She looks so calm and content and perfectly happy to just sit in our presence with the hum of the TV in the background.
“You two should play chess. I miss watching you both play chess,” she says with a sigh and pulls her fluffy gown tighter around her front.
“Are you cold?” My dad asks and immediately jumps up to switch on the gas fireplace.
“No, I’m perfectly okay. Please play a game of chess soon.”
I look to my dad, who shrugs, a devious smile on his face. “Think you can beat me now?”
“I have zero doubts that I could most definitely beat you now.”
“Want to make it interesting?”
“I wouldn’t be my father’s son if I didn’t.” I pull a twenty from my pocket as he laughs and goes to the hallway to collect the old chess board from the closet.
Once the board is set up between us on the couch and we’re both sat, the game begins. Such a calm game, yet when my dad and I get started we may as well be playing football.
“I’ll get it!” My mum suddenly announces, when I’m stuck between whether or not I should swap my king with my rook.
“No!” My dad bellows, startling us both. It’s not until I see my mum place her bandaged leg on the ground that I recognize his bellow was of panic and not of anger.
My mum jolts back, clearly upset at my father’s yell.
“I’ve got it, Mum,” I tell her softly as my dad puts her leg back on the foot stool.
“I can’t believe I forgot,” my mum whispers, embarrassed.
I shake off the pain inside and head to the door.
“Eloise?” I know it’s her behind the large hamper basket. It looks similar to the one I received. She seems as shocked as I feel inside. “What are you doing here?”
“Umm… your dad said to come.” He did? “I brought this for Mrs Price.”
“Oh, well then you better come inside. Ignore the mess, we’re…” I scratch the back of my head and move to the side. “Playing chess.” She smiles and steps past me. I inhale when a sweet scent tickles my nostrils. I can’t quite place it, but it reminds me of rhubarb and vanilla pie. My mouth waters and I barely stop myself from leaning in to catch another whiff of the beautiful scent.
“Are you sure I haven’t come at a bad time? Hayley was supposed to join me, but her little brother has a piece of Lego stuck up his nose, so she has to watch her other siblings whilst her mum rushes him to A and E.”
“This is why I’m so glad I was an only child growing up,” I joke and her laughter fills the hall like a soft melody.
“Me too.” Something I didn’t know about her, she’s an only child. I don’t know why I’m taking a note of that, but I am.
“Come on through.” I can tell she’s nervous and slightly uncomfortable, but she’s here and that’s what matters. My mum hasn’t had many visitors lately and I can tell it upsets her.
“Oh, who’s this then?” My mum beams from her seat and places the remote on the arm. “Eloise Blackburn, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
Eloise smiles at my dad and moves towards my mum. She places the basket on the floor and leans forward to embrace the ageing
woman. “Everybody in the school has been worried about you, so we put together a few things and a card.” She turns to my father. “I’m sorry Hayley isn’t with me, family emergency.”
My dad waves her off. “You came and we appreciate it. Would you like a drink?”
“She likes apple juice,” I say before I can stop myself. “There’s some in the fridge. I’ll get it.” She looks at me curiously, but I avert my eyes before she gets the chance to ask how I know that. I’ve seen the cartons she brings with her lunch, the small ones you get as a young child with the straw stuck to the side.
“I’ll have a tea son!” My dad’s gruff voice follows me into the kitchen.
Eloise
“It’s so lovely to see you.” Mrs Price grins as she goes through her hamper. “And this is just divine. So many wonderful things, I can’t wait to start using them. Oh and my favourite!” She holds up a bottle of her favourite brand of cloudy lemonade and places it to the side. “Isn’t this wonderful?”
“It is,” Mr Price agrees and winks at me. “So Eloise, how are the Halloween preparations coming along?”
I sit on the chair that he moves from the corner of the room for me. “It’s going better than I thought it would. Everything is bought and ready to be put up.”
“I’m guessing it wasn’t cheap.”
Understatement of the year. “We got some great discounts and luckily Crystal is a generous lady.”
“What’s this?” Mrs Price asks, looking between us both. “Halloween party?”
“Remember, Love? I told you about a party we’re hosting at the school on Halloween.”
“Oh, I could make the food!”
Mr Price shifts uncomfortably. “You can’t, not with your leg like that.”
“It’s okay, I’ve got it all covered,” I assure her when her eyes come to me in question. “We’ll handle it.”
“But… I always do the sandwiches and those mini cupcakes that everybody loves.” The disappointment in her eyes is just too much. I look away and decide to let Mr Price handle it.
“We’ll figure something out, Love,” he tells his wife and reaches for her hand.
She ignores his gesture and turns to me. “So tell me how my son is handling his classes?”
“He’s great, but we all miss you.” It’s not a lie. I really do miss having her as my teacher. She’s been teaching my History lessons since I was eleven years old. “The class is a lot quieter though… they daren’t speak. He’s too intimidating.”
“Gets that from his father,” she says proudly and seems to forget her anger towards her husband. “What about you? Are you applying for any universities yet?”
“I am. I’m looking at my options. I want the best, but I have to be realistic.”
“Are you going local or to one further out?”
“Definitely further out. I was thinking Boston. It’s a three hour commute, so it’s not too close yet not too far.”
“Isaac went to Boston. Such a wonderful university, one of the best in the country.” She smiles proudly again. “That boy made me so proud when he chose to follow in our footsteps. What about you? What do you plan to study?”
Good question. “I want to study Business. I haven’t decided which classes I’ll apply for yet, though.”
“Following in your father’s footsteps?” Mr Price asks and I nod. Although I don’t have to go into property, it’s something I’ve always enjoyed being a part of. “I bet he’s proud.”
“He is.” At least I hope he is.
Mr Price Junior walks in with a tray in his hands. He places it on a nest table and hands me my cold glass of apple juice. He was right that I do in fact love apple juice over every other drink, especially ice cold apple juice, though I don’t know how he knows that.
“Thank you,” I say to him and watch as Mrs Price picks up the TV remote.
She seems to stare at it for a moment and I notice that it’s upside down and facing the wrong way. Neither Isaac nor his father have realised her predicament.
I wait to see what she does and watch with no small amount of sorrow as she points the remote at the TV and pushes on the back of it. The buttons are on the other side.
“Eloise, are you any good at chess?” Mr Price Senior asks as Isaac takes his seat and switches his King with his rook.
“I’ve played before,” I respond, my eyes still on Mrs Price’s hand.
“Care to join us? You can referee, stop my son from cheating.”
“I don’t cheat,” Isaac guffaws, before looking at me. “I don’t cheat.”
“You bloody well do…”
“Please, the only way you win is by cheating! I bet you moved your pieces while I was in the kitchen!”
“I did not, did I Eloise?”
I have no idea why I’m now involved in this, no matter how funny it might seem. “I honestly wasn’t looking.”
Mrs Price presses her thumb against the back of the remote again and I see her face scrunch with frustration. Without thinking, I quickly flip the remote in her hand so it’s facing and pointing the right way. My action brings all attention on us.
Mrs Price’s eyes glisten and I immediately panic. I shouldn’t have touched the remote, but what else was I supposed to do? “I’m sorry… I wasn’t…”
“I can’t remember what to do with it,” she whispers and her eyes tear up further, causing my heart to crack and shatter.
“That’s okay,” I say softly. “It’s Monday. Nobody knows what they’re doing on a Monday.”
She shakes her head and looks at me. “Such a sweet girl.”
My own eyes burn. I’ve never witnessed Alzheimer’s disease, nor have I ever seen anybody suffer from it, and by God it’s awful.
“We should eat,” she says, looking at the gold, sparkling watch on her wrist. “Will you stay for dinner, Eloise? I make the most amazing spaghetti, with my very own homemade sauce.”
“That’s okay, Mum.” Isaac stands, forgetting about his game of chess. “I’ll cook tonight; you should rest.”
“Of course.” Mrs Price smiles and places her hand on mine. “He’s not such a bad cook either.”
“I’m okay,” I say awkwardly, glad to be here but feeling slightly uncomfortable. Three teachers, one room, one student… this is the stuff of nightmares. Next I’ll be naked and the entire faculty will be here. I’ll wake up in my bed and never look my teachers in their eyes again.
Isaac catches my eye and winks at me. “I’m sure I can find something worth cooking. Here, take over.” He motions to the chess board as he exits his seat.
“Ooh, this should be interesting.” Mrs Price grins, looking way too excited about a game of chess.
“Do you know how to play? I could walk you through it?”
“It’s been a while since I played chess, but I think I remember.” I move my first piece, the left knight.
“Okay then,” he chuckles and makes his move.
“My bets are on the girl,” Mrs Price comments, slapping down a twenty pound note from her own purse.
“Mine too,” comes a voice from the doorway and I turn to see Isaac stood leaning against the door frame, his eyes on me. He winks and folds his arms across his chest. “You should start again, refresh the board.”
“Agreed.” His father gets to work placing the pieces back, but my eyes remain on Isaac’s.
“Something smells good.” I breathe through my nose and detect mint and something I can’t quite place lingering in the warm air.
Isaac inhales deeply and I watch as his pupils, still attached to mine, dilate fully, almost turning his unique irises black. “Agreed.”
I feel like there’s something hidden in his word, some secret thought not meant for my ears. I’m probably reading into it, but at the same time, I really hope I’m not.
Throughout the game Isaac comes and goes, each time he stops and offers me a little guidance before returning to the kitchen.
Mrs Price chats animatedly througho
ut the entire event, getting more and more excited as I begin to trap the opposing king with a few of my pieces. Mr Price gets more and more silent as we go along, huffing and slamming his pieces down the closer he gets to defeat.
“Check,” I say and hear Isaac laugh from the kitchen.
“Bloody hell,” Mr Price snaps, though it’s all in good nature. “I can’t move…”
“Mate,” I add with a smug smile. I got lucky, but still, I beat him.
The ageing man quickly throws his wife a twenty and slams another on top of the one Isaac left on the nest table.
“I should give you detention for forty days,” he grumbles, pouting like a child, which makes Mrs Price laugh even harder than Isaac, who is once again stood in the doorway.
“And just in time for food,” Isaac comments, moving into the room and pocketing his money. He tugs on my hair and nods for me to follow him into the kitchen. “Come on, chess champion. You can help me bring the plates through.”
Isaac
I pull on my coat, smiling at the sound of my mum’s laughter as Eloise and my father amuse her with tales of the lunchroom staff being tortured by the year nine students. Eloise swiftly hugs my mum and shakes hands with my father, before following me to the door with a glowing smile on her face.
We step outside and shiver immediately at the biting chill in the air. I watch as she immediately stuffs her hands into her pockets and begins trembling. I’m not surprised she’s freezing; her jacket is thinner than my socks.
I pull my scarf from around my neck and loop it around hers, smiling at the pinkness of her nose.
“I’m okay,” she lies through chattering teeth as I flatten out my dark blue scarf and lock it in place with an extra loop.
“Come on.” I place my hand between her shoulders and guide her to my car. The pavement is frosty, but I’m not certain that that’s my reason for touching her. It’s inappropriate. I know I shouldn’t, but my mind just doesn’t seem to care. I feel like I owe her for tonight, the way she handled my mum and her illness like it was nothing new. She didn’t break down or get frustrated like Dad and I; she just dealt with whatever my mum was suffering with, be it the remote control or holding her knife and fork in the wrong hands.