Silently, I watched as Theo sniffed around, lifting his leg wherever necessary to spread his scent, and I thought how easy life was for him.
"When I die I want to be reincarnated as a dog," I said, eventually breaking the silence.
"Not all dogs have it as good as that one."
"I want to come back as that dog then."
"Do you believe in Heaven?" asked Brody.
"Well, something has to be better than here, doesn't it?" Okay, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself.
"I don't know. Here's pretty good."
I didn't reply. I just kept watching Theo, my feelings for Brody bubbling to the surface. No matter how much I tried to tell myself not to feel anything for him, every time he was near, my heart told me otherwise.
"I've just got a lot on my mind right now. Not that long ago my life was dull, but boring in a good way. Now so many things have come into my life, and if I believe my own philosophies, then it's for a reason. I just don't understand the reasons."
"You just have to have faith that it will all work out."
"Ha!" I scoffed. "Yeah, that's easy for you to say. From where I sit, your life is pretty good. You're not the one who cuddles up to a dog every night," I snapped, my emotions turning to anger.
"No, you're right, I don't," said Brody, his voice cracking. "I just get to think about him sleeping across the road."
"Well, you could always snuggle Becky's dog. He's perfect, like she is."
"I don't want Becky's dog. I want the one across the road."
"Well, you can't have him," I snapped, thinking we were still talking about Theo.
"Why not?" demanded Brody.
"Because you can't have everything in life, Brody. You have to make choices. And we all know you made yours!" Considering I had come here for some peace and quiet thinking time, the air around me seemed filled with electricity and anger.
"You think it's so easy, don't you," replied Brody, standing up. "You think everything in life is a choice we get to make. Sometimes we just deal with what's handed to us. And it sucks!" he yelled, raising his arms in the air, his tattoo clearly visible.
"You're telling me," I yelled, standing up next to him. I could see people cross to the other side of the path to avoid us, and as they did, a person I recognized came into view. Becky.
"Great. Here comes Miss Effing Perfect, now."
Brody turned to see whom I was referring to, and I heard his breathing turn heavy. "She's not perfect Chloe," he whispered. "She's not y—"
"Brody! Hi!" she trilled, stepping off the path towards us. Theo ran up and hid behind my leg. He didn't like her any more than I did.
"Becky. Hey. What are you doing here?" he asked, attempting to lose the emotion in his voice. Becky looked from Brody to me and back again, obviously trying to work out what was happening.
"I was just taking a walk. Trying to lose some weight." She smiled and patted her backside as she spoke. I looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. She seriously did not have a hair out of place, nor had she broken a sweat. As much as I didn't want to admit it, her ass was perfect.
I looked at Brody, and a lump formed in my throat as tears prickled my eyes. Pushing my sunglasses as far up the bridge of my nose as they would go, I swallowed and attempted to chase those feelings away. Silence filled the air around us as we all stood looking at one another. Finally, Becky broke the silence.
"Well, maybe I should keep walking then. I'm obviously interrupting something."
"No. You're not interrupting anything. We're done here," said Brody quietly, looking at me.
I made the mistake of looking into his eyes, my heart missing a beat as I did so. I saw sadness as he turned to Becky.
"I'll walk with you," he said, stepping up next to her.
I looked at them, both stunningly perfect, looking like they were made for each other and felt the crack in my heart deepen. Becky turned to him, her eyes wide, and smiled, a smugness radiating from her.
The air around me thickened. My breath came in short, sharp spurts as my heart pounded against my ribs. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to leave before the panic attack took over and I embarrassed myself completely. Grabbing Theo, I spun on my heel and rushed to escape.
Only when I could no longer see them did I stop, double at the waist, and try to slow down my breathing. That was the moment I realized I had completely and desperately fallen in love with Brody.
Shit!
* * *
The ringing of my phone dragged me from sleep, and as I looked around, memories of yesterday flooded my mind. Feeling groggy, I reached for my phone as the word Jodie flashed on the screen. It was my sister-in-law. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog.
"Hey! How're you doing?" she asked.
"Hi, Jodie. What's up?" Jodie ran the canteen for Cooper's soccer club, and judging by the noise coming through the phone, that was exactly where she was right now.
"I have a favor to ask. Some of the mums let me down, and I need help. Would you be able to give me a hand?" she begged.
I'd helped her before on quite a few occasions, and it was always an experience. First of all, I got to watch my seven-year-old nephew play soccer, and that was always fun. The downside was that I had to spend my day off in a hot kitchen, where I always ended up covered in a layer of grease from the deep fryers.
"Sure, when do you need me by?" At least working for her would take my mind off my troubles.
"As soon as possible? We have a carnival on today, and it's mayhem."
"Okay. I'll get there as soon as I can."
I hung up the phone and started on the morning ritual. I did grab my can of super-hold hair spray before opening my bedroom door, though. I figured Betty probably wouldn't be standing outside it, but it didn't hurt to be prepared, right? Even though, if she were out there, stiffening her hair probably wouldn't help me much.
By the time I made it to the soccer fields it was already lunchtime, and my grogginess had left me with a dull headache. Not the best thing when you're surrounded by several hundred excited children, but at least it was easily fixed. I downed several aspirin, opened the door to the canteen, and entered Hell.
"Just in time for the rush." I gave Jodie a hug.
Even if Jodie weren't my sister-in-law I'd still be her friend. She was never the girl I thought my brother Robbie would have married though. With her long hair down to her bottom and her bohemian way of dressing, she looked too hippy-chick for my very straight-down-the-line brother, but watching her with Cooper and seeing her run this canteen, I could see she was actually very organized and in control.
"Thank God you're here." She smiled and kissed my cheek. "Three sets of parents have let me down. I was supposed to have a dad on the fryer all day, but he didn't show." I could see even super-in-control Jodie was frayed around the edges.
"Well, I'm here now. Do you want me to take over that job?"
"Yes, please," she sighed. Her shoulders relaxed. I wasn't really sure why. I had set fire to the pie warmer last time I was here, but I guess beggars couldn't be choosers.
A couple of hours later, twenty large bags of chips, two hundred burgers, and more coffee than my anxiety levels could handle, things had slowed. I took a break and walked to the front counter to get some fresh air. As I did, Isaac walked over.
"Hey there, baby doll. The grease-soaked look suits you."
"Haha. I don't think I will ever eat another chip in my life."
"That's what you say every time, but you always do."
"Yeah, I know, but they are good chips. What are you doing here, anyway?"
"It was too depressing sitting at home alone, so I thought I'd get out and get some fresh air. Brody's here too. I believe he's in charge of some electrical work here today."
"Really?" I asked, going for nonchalant, but not really pulling it off.
I hadn't seen him since our argument, so I was really unsure of how things stood between us. I was also unsure whether I s
till wanted him as a friend. Well, of course I wanted him as a friend, I was just unsure as to how I would cope with having him as just a friend.
"Yep, he's over there talking to Jack, and he doesn't look impressed."
"What's Jack doing here?" I wondered.
"Probably hitting on a married woman," remarked Jodie. "Hey, Chloe, can you go out back to the refrigerated truck and grab some more bags of chips. I think it's going to get busy again once the seniors' games are finished."
"Okay." I sighed. Break over.
I said bye to Isaac, walked through the kitchen, and out the back door to where the refrigerated truck was parked. They called it refrigerated, but it really wasn't refrigerated at all. It was frozen. When Jodie ran a carnival, her cold room couldn't handle the pressure so she got the truck for the over flow. By this time of day though, the cold room was empty, and it was time to move out to the truck.
I jumped up onto the platform and pulled the handle to open the door. I found the latch that kept the door open and firmly put it in place. Looking inside there was no light, but with the door open I could see enough to make out the chip boxes, so I went in to retrieve what I needed. As I picked them up, the door to the truck swung closed, shutting me inside.
Omg! Plunged into darkness, my world stood still as panic rose in my throat. My heart rate increased, and claustrophobia gripped my mind.
I knew I couldn't cry because surely my tears would freeze, and when I was found—and I would be found, it was just whether I was dead or alive that was in question—I didn't want my black, tear-stained face to be the last thing people remembered of me. I made a mental note that if I got out of here alive, I really needed to buy waterproof mascara.
I rushed to the door and felt my way around it. There had to be a handle somewhere, but all I could do was scream in the hope that someone out there would hear me. Of course this particular truck was parked behind the building, away from the crowds of children and parents who would have run to my rescue.
The cold attached itself to my clammy skin and my breath came out as vapour. The darkness continued to close in. Visions of every television show I'd seen involving people dying in a freezer sprung to mind as I clawed my way around the door in the hope that I would find something to open it. I felt two nails break.
Why the hell is there no light in here? I can't die like this! I still had too many things to do! And what if I died? Who would look after Theo? Plus, my mother would do her best to see to my estate, and there was no way I wanted her to see my credit card bill, and I really didn't want her reading my diary. Shit! Why had I not destroyed that thing? I knew it was a bad idea to write down every bloody thought and feeling I had.
My Sexpo tickets! What would she think when she found them?
She'd also go through my dirty washing and see that damned G-string. That brought me to the fact that my cold, dead body would be taken away by who the hell even knew, and they would get to see my sunburnt ass. Oh God. And why, oh why, had I not listened to my mother when she told me to always go out in my best knickers, that way if I got hit by a bus I'd look presentable to the poor doctors in the emergency room.
I hammered on the door a little bit louder. My heart beating a million beats a minute, and I took solace in the fact a heart attack would probably kill me long before hypothermia. I stopped and listened for any noise coming from outside, but all I could hear was the gentle hum of the motor and the blood rushing in my ears. I gave into the tears and once again hammered on the door.
Screaming to God to please help me, I was mid-bang when suddenly the door flung open, and I fell forward into the arms of my saviour. Brody.
* * *
"Didn't you put the latch in place?" asked Jodie.
"Yes, I did," I replied, my lower lip trembling. "I don't know how it shut, but it did!"
"Then why didn't you use the handle and open it?"
"There's a handle?" I asked. "I couldn't find it. Look, I broke two nails!" I cried.
Now, as I sat back in the kitchen with Brody's jacket tucked nicely around my shoulders, I felt quite stupid and embarrassed.
"Of course there's a handle! Do you think Health and Safety would allow us to use it if people could die in it?"
"Well, I'd like to see what you would do if you were stuck in there," I snapped.
"I'd use my phone and call someone for help," she scoffed.
"Well, I didn't have my phone, did I? I left it in my handbag." My life was spinning out of control. Things like this didn't happen in normal, everyday life. They'd only started happening when Betty left.
"Betty's here!" exclaimed Isaac.
"That's exactly what I was thinking." I smiled, grateful Isaac understood me.
"She wants to talk to you, Chloe," replied Isaac.
I figured we were in a public place, so she would be on her best behaviour and at least have left the gun at home, but I still stumbled as I walked toward the counter.
"Where's Theo?" she demanded, before I could even open my mouth to speak.
As much as I hadn't wanted to leave Theo at home today, I'd had no option. Both Isaac and Brody had been out when I left, so I had tucked him up in my wardrobe with Bunny and locked the door.
"I want him back."
"No shit!" I yelled. A couple of mothers close by sucked in their breath and pulled their children away from us.
"Well, where is he?"
Brody stepped up behind me and placed his hand on my lower back. "Call the police, Isaac," he whispered.
Unfortunately, Betty heard him too. She stepped back away from the counter, and I saw a slow smile spread. "Never mind," she said. "Sorry to have disturbed you." She turned and walked away, a purpose in her step. Chills ran down my spine. I turned to Brody.
"She locked me in the freezer," I said.
"Why do you think that?"
"It's a warning. If I don't give her Theo, she'll kill me for him."
"She's had a lot of opportunities to kill you if she wanted to," he replied, concern creasing his brow.
"I'm not sure how, but I think Theo's the clue to everything that's happening."
"I agree. I was thinking about that microchip he has. Do you still have the number the vet gave you?"
"Yes, it's in my bag."
"Give it to me. I want to do some investigating."
"But I've already Googled it and found nothing."
"You know," said Isaac, "I was watching that National Treasure movie last night. Nicholas Cage is just so damn hot," he continued, fanning himself. We waited to hear the rest of the sentence, but Isaac seemed lost in his thoughts of Nicholas Cage.
"And?" I asked irritably.
"What?" asked Isaac, looking at me confused.
"National Treasure? Why did you mention that?" I snapped.
"Oh! Well, it's all about ciphers, isn't it? Maybe that's what the numbers in the microchip are." Isaac stood back, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
"Isaac, you've been watching too much television." I looked at Brody, expecting him to agree with me, but instead found his brows creased, looking thoughtful.
"Maybe," Brody replied. "I think I'll check it out, just in case."
"I need to go home and get Theo," I said, rubbing my arms. "I don't like the thought of him being alone."
"I'll come with you," said Brody, giving me a look that caused goose bumps for a whole different reason. Having Brody with me made me feel a whole lot safer, but it would mean I would have to address my feelings about yesterday.
"Me, too," added Isaac.
Good. Now I could address my feelings another time.
We headed to my car. Memories of being locked in the freezer running through my mind. I made a mental note to destroy my diary later, and I might quickly change my knickers. I mean, if Betty did succeed in killing me then I definitely wanted to be found in good underwear.
I was contemplating this as I heard Isaac say, "Is that Rick and Joy?"
I swung my head to look where
he pointed, knocking my arm on the side mirror of a car as I did so. Rick and Joy ran to their car. Looking around to see what their hurry was about, I saw a little silver car speed past me, Betty behind the wheel, waving as she went.
"I think we should be following them!"
Brody, Isaac, and I sprinted towards my car. I fumbled in my bag as I ran, looking for my keys, Brody behind me, pushing me along, making me run faster.
Rick and Joy had already reached their car and had sped off after Betty. Taking my eyes off of where I was running, I looked down into my bag. I had trouble finding my keys at the best of times, but while I was trying to run it was almost impossible.
Almost I say because, just at that moment, I spotted them. What I didn't spot was the kid's soccer bag sitting in the middle of the footpath. I just managed to get my hands out in front of me before my head hit the ground, but I felt the impact a lot harder as Brody came down on top of me, sandwiching me between the concrete and his body. Now this may not have been so bad if I hadn't had a dozen seven-year-olds all laughing at me. They even giggled when they heard the swear words rushing from my mouth.
Brody rolled off me and got back to his feet, my body shivering as he did so. He reminded me of the hurry we were in as he put his arm around my waist and pulled me up. I saw blood trickling over my wrists as I looked down at my grazes, but bravely ignored them as I retrieved my keys from my bag.
Thanks to my pit stop, Isaac had beaten us to the car and was gasping for breath as I ran up, beeping the doors open as I did so. Jumping in, I turned the key in the ignition and drove out of the car park at a speed that was usually frowned upon. Luckily, I was used to driving faster than I probably should, and being that today I was in my own car and not that big old van, I felt like I was an F1 driver. So as you probably guessed, it didn't take long for me to overtake Rick and Joy.
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