by S M Mala
‘What’s wrong?’ he said, stopping as she opened her eyes and tears fell down the side of her face. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ she smiled, starting to cry. Jake stopped and gently held her chin in his hand. ‘I’m very happy, I really am.’
‘Silly,’ he said, kissing her gently on the lips as he started to move again.
‘I’d hate for all this to end. I’ll get a teaching job in New York to be close to you,’ she gasped as he stopped and smiled. ‘I don’t mind. Maybe I could help poor kids and do some good in the world. I do know about the world. You wouldn’t be ashamed to take me out with your friends?’
‘Oh Ha Ha,’ whispered Jake gently in her ear. ‘They’d love you as much as I do but it’s not fair to inflict you on innocent children is it?’
Hatty laughed as Jake continued to make love before she collapsed in tears again.
Jake rubbed her back as they sat on the sofa eating curry potato wraps and watching the news. Her eyes were wide open and a little red. They looked at the pictures coming through of the lightning, thunder and rain thumping New York.
‘Are you scared?’ he asked, for the umpteenth time, as she flinched at what she was seeing.
‘I even get jittery hearing it on the television,’ she sighed and bit into the flat bread. ‘I hate that sort of weather.’
‘You live on a tropical island. Surely you’d be used to it by now?’
‘I still hate it. Reminds me of when I fell into the sea,’ she replied and he felt a sudden pang of angst seeing a screwed up face. ‘I’m sorry about crying.’
‘I was worried you weren’t enjoying us making love.’
‘That’s not true but with everything that’s happening between us, I’m scared it’s going to stop. You’re going to stop loving me. We’ve been so happy and…’ She took a deep breath and he examined her profile. ‘I don’t want us ever to end, unless you don’t love me or are bored, or upset with me, then I’ll leave you alone without a fight.’
‘You’re not going to fight for me?’ he laughed out and knew she was being deadly serious.
‘We don’t have to get married, you know. I’d stay with you forever without anything to tie you down. You know I would, don’t you?’
‘What are you talking about?’ Jake smiled, seeing her pained expression. ‘I love you and want to be with you.’
‘You don’t have to. I know it’s going to cause so much trouble. We could be like this without anything complicating things.’
‘Being married is a complication?’
‘It will be for you,’ she said, putting her food down and turning to look at him. ‘I told Louisa today about your proposal. I think she wanted me to ask her to be a bridesmaid. I guess she doesn’t know we’ll get married when you’re fifty!’ Hatty smiled and Jake saw her eyes were full of doubt. ‘Let’s just be as we are until then.’
‘I just want you Ha Ha. If we were married then nobody could say it was a passing phase, could they?’ Jake closed his eyes for a moment and thought about his father. ‘And we will get married. We’ll decide the day and then aim for that.’
‘And the year,’ she smiled brightly.
‘Let’s do the date first then the year,’ Jake said, his heart beating faster knowing it was getting monumentally serious by the second.
‘Well it would have to be the thirteenth,’ Hatty said seriously. ‘Any month as long as it’s the thirteenth then we’ll be happy. No confusion about numbers.’
‘Winter or summer?’
‘Depends where we get married,’ she smiled. ‘It’s just dry mainly here.’
‘We’ll get married on the island then,’ he said and realised he’d marry her tomorrow, if time would allow. ‘What about next April?’
‘What? April 13th?’ Hatty looked aghast for a second as he wanted to laugh. ‘Isn’t that a little soon as it’s in a year’s time? Jesus, it’s the 3rd of April today.’
‘What about in ten days’ time?’ He saw the genuine panic before laughing out loudly. ‘Only joking! Look, in a year, you’ll be a ripe old twenty four, I’ll be twenty three and, collectively, we’ll be middle aged. I’d have been in the job for nearly a year and it’ll be perfect. Though we need to do something first.’
‘Like what?’ she said and he noticed her wide smile. ‘I’d have to get a visa or something to live in New York. I’ve got a British passport.’
‘No silly,’ he said, standing up and walking to the kitchen where he’d hidden the box. ‘You need an engagement ring.’
‘I don’t want to wear a ring especially your mother’s,’ she said sullenly.
He laughed for a moment, taking the box off the shelf and walking back to her only to be met with a frown.
‘I know but you’re wearing a wedding ring whether you like it or not,’ he said, sitting next to her. ‘I told dad about us getting married.’
‘You what?’ She was startled for a second as Jake touched her long plait. ‘Was he mad?’
‘He’s worried that’s all,’ he honestly replied. Then he took the necklace out of the box. ‘He bought this for your mother. She wore it when they were together on the island and, I think, the day she died. He said she didn’t want it when he first got it years before. He thinks because it’s attached to all four of us, in one way or another, it would make a better engagement present. And it’s not a ring.’ Jake watched Hatty stare at the necklace and knew she was on the verge of tears again. ‘And no crying. This is a happy moment.’
‘I am happy! It looks like a tear drop!’ she wailed, bursting into tears. ‘That’s beautiful!’
‘Harriet will you marry me?’ he asked, this time knowing he had to do it properly. ‘Be my wife for the rest of our lives together?’
‘Yes please,’ she said, lifting up her hair as he put the necklace on and kissed her neck. She turned around and he realised his father had the most perfect taste as she smiled down at the diamond. ‘Is it real?’
‘Of course it’s real and you’ll note the chain is quite thick so you don’t go breaking it.’
‘I love you Jacob,’ she said, wrapping her arms around him and he knew she really did.
‘Aren’t you pleased to see me?’ Caroline said as Murray stood speechless at his front door two days later. ‘You know the eye of the hurricane is hitting New York in four hours. I thought what a good time to come and see my nephew. Don’t worry I’ve booked into one of your hotels so I won’t be inflicting my company on you.’
‘Why didn’t you say you were coming?’ he asked, immediately thinking about Jake and Hatty, knowing this was more than a coincidence.
‘I wanted to surprise you plus I was holidaying in the Caribbean and not to drop in would be just rude,’ she said. He stood beside the door and she walked in. From her expression and tone of voice, Murray knew it was ominous. ‘Where’s Jake?’
‘He’s at work, watching the hurricane and finding out if it’s coming down here.’ Murray took a deep breath and didn’t know what to do. ‘Aren’t you worried it might be following you?’
‘I know I’ll be safe here and the boys are in Europe. I wanted to see the baby of the family. That son of yours hasn’t made any contact with me for weeks then he starts texting and emailing me to see if we were alright. He’s obviously very concerned about his dear old aunt. Delores around?’
Caroline glanced at the living room and turned to smile at Murray.
‘She’s in England. I expect her back in a few days weather permitting,’ he said dismissively, knowing he hadn’t heard from her in days.
‘Everything good with you?’ she asked, sitting on the sofa and waving her hand to cool her face. ‘How can you live in this unbearable heat?’
‘I like it,’ he replied and checked the time. ‘And I’ve not put the air conditioning on.’
‘And how comes you’re not in work?’
‘I have a few things to sort out and it’s nearly three so my day can end around now.’ Murray bit his lip fo
r a second. ‘Why are you here?’
‘Like I said, I want to see Jake,’ she replied and her face turned serious. ‘And everything’s okay with him, is it?’
‘Caroline, whatever you’re up to then-.’
‘Why should I be up to something?’ she said innocently.
‘You don’t turn up out of the blue and come to an island you can’t stand, maybe because I’m on it?’
‘Maybe.’
‘And dropping in when there’s a likelihood of you flying into a hurricane is pretty strange, don’t you think?’
‘It’s called ‘Hatty’. Caroline glared at Murray.
‘Pardon?’
‘The hurricane is called ‘Hatty’. And talking about Hatty how is she?’ Murray stood still for a moment realising Caroline knew about Jake and Hatty. He half smiled for a second then shook his head. ‘Something wrong?’
‘Nothing’s wrong,’ he slowly replied, walking towards her. ‘She’s very well and so is Jake.’
‘What time’s he coming back?’
‘He’s not staying here. He’s got a place closer to town, funnily enough, in Hatty’s house. Jake’s her lodger.’ Murray smiled widely as Caroline’s forced smile dropped. ‘They get on very well.’
‘I bet they do,’ she said, through gritted teeth. ‘They have so much in common, like sharing the same father in name.’
‘I think that’s brought them closer. They both now know about the adoption.’
‘And does Hatty know how you managed to adopt her?’ she said challengingly. ‘I’m sure she’d be interested.’
‘What do you mean?’ he said, riled by the comment. ‘She had no parents and Eloise asked-.’
‘She had a father, didn’t she?’
Half an hour later, Murray drove to see Frederick, knowing full well Caroline was on the attack. As he parked outside the timber yard and noticed Philip was talking to someone on the phone. He hung up and walked towards him.
‘Hey Philip! I see you’re back,’ said Murray, admiring Philip looking smart in a shirt and trousers. ‘How was it?’
‘Business mostly,’ he said and Murray distinctively saw a look of mischievousness in his face.
‘Business and lots of pretty girls?’
‘As always,’ laughed Philip, shaking Murray’s hand.
‘Where’s your father?’
‘He’s inside. Is everything okay? You look a little stressed.’
‘Jake’s aunt just turned up out of the blue, saying she decided to come on over to avoid the hurricane in New York.’
‘Oh,’ replied Philip and Murray saw the young man’s smile drop. ‘She knows about Hatty and Jake?
‘I don’t know but I expect she’s going to make sure she’ll make it clear to them she disapproves.’ Murray gulped hard and noticed Frederick at the window. ‘I better go and see your father.’
‘Sure,’ nodded Philip as Murray walked into the offices and was met with a forlorn expression from his friend. ‘Do you know where Delores’s been?’
‘Are you sure?’ said Frederick closing the door and sitting behind his desk. ‘You could be reading too much into this.’
‘I know Caroline and she wouldn’t turn up unless there was a reason,’ he said anxiously.
‘She surely can’t know about what happened?’ Frederick got a hanky out of his pocket and mopped his brow. ‘The woman is winding you up and wants to drag Jake back to New York.’
‘Where’s Delores been?’ he said firmly, sitting in the armchair by the window, glancing out and seeing Philip back on his phone, looking up.
‘Don’t jump to the wrong conclusions?’ his friend said calmly. ‘She went to the States, Boston and then took a flight to New York before heading to London.’
‘She went to New York?’
‘She’s got family there hasn’t she?’
‘No,’ Murray said and something clicked over in his head. ‘She wouldn’t.’
He shook his head from side to side.
‘Wouldn’t what?’
‘Go and see Caroline, would she?’
‘The pair of them loathes each other. What good would that do?’ laughed Frederick.
‘I think Delores dislikes me more at the moment and most certainly hates the fact Hatty might actually get what she wants.’
‘Which is what?’
‘Getting married to a Logan,’ he sighed and noticed Frederick do a double take. ‘Jake wants to marry Hatty. He asked her over a week ago and she said ‘yes’ but not before rejecting the engagement ring, which was the ring I bought his mother.’
‘Oh my god!’ said Frederick, trying to catch his breath. ‘Thank god she’s not wearing it. Can you imagine what Caroline would say?’
‘Can you imagine what Delores is going to say?’ he said, feeling momentarily sick. ‘Those kids don’t know how many people are against them, they have no idea. Jake thinks it’s going to be fine and I haven’t even told Hatty I know about it. I saw her last week and she acted as if nothing had happened. You can tell, any fool can tell, they’re madly in love and it’ll slip out about their engagement. I dread to think what’s going to happen to tear them apart.’ Murray buried his head in his hands. ‘And if Delores has got anything to do with this, so help me, I will kick her off the island.’
‘You’re over reacting,’ said Frederick gently. ‘Yes they’re young but nothing can break them up.’ Murray looked up at Frederick and saw his friend’s smile slip. ‘There are a few secrets but they’re not going to come to light.’
‘Are you sure we’re covered? Are you sure there’s no way they’re going to find out?’
‘It happened twenty two years ago and it was an accident. Who knows what he’d have done to Hatty if he got hold of her. I mean, blackmailing you for money and saying he’d kill her. What kind of man is that? He came at you, remember?’ Frederick said quietly.
‘But I didn’t mean to do it and…’ Murray again felt sick and suddenly his breath began to shorten. ‘To know what he’d done to Eloise and what he could do to Hatty, what he threatened to do to her, he needed to pay for what he did. I just lost it. It was an accident but-.’
‘Murray, forget about it. No one will find out. We hid everything. There’s no proof just hearsay about Carlos. The police cell was the best story. I know someone mentioned about him being found dead at the house but that’s gossip. Even Hatty asked me herself on New Year’s Eve. She’ll know you were protecting her and it went wrong. She’s never to find out or it could cause a lot of problems for us all.’
‘I killed her father. Accident or no accident, how will Hatty ever truly forgive me for that?’
Hatty stood outside and took in a sharp intake of breath when she heard the words uttered. Suddenly, she noticed Philip looking at her as she put her finger to her mouth and didn’t know what to do.
Quickly she ran to him and unable speak.
‘Ya lost ya tongue? Praise be to da lord!’ he laughed then frowned. ‘Harriet, what’s wrong?’
‘You mustn’t tell anyone I came through the side entrance,’ she said, her voice starting to shake.
‘What ya done?’
‘Promise me Philip? Just say I was looking for spare wood,’ she said frantically, hoping Murray wouldn’t see her.
‘Murray’s here, you know,’ he said tentatively. ‘Are you hiding from him?’
‘No … I mean yes,’ she said, her heart beat faster and feeling sick at the same time. ‘He’s a good man, do you hear me? He’s a good man.’
‘Okay, okay?’ he said, putting his hand out. ‘Dis love ting makin’ ya a bit crazy.’
‘Shit,’ she said, not knowing what to do with the information, who to trust, who to tell. ‘I have to go.’
Hatty ran out and got on her bike, pedalling furiously towards the house. She knew Jake was at work, everyone glued to the screens waiting for the hurricane to approach the States. She was feeling as if it was passing through her body before she stopped and got off her bike, exh
austed from the anxiety filling her up. Throwing her cycle onto the ground, she walked towards the beach, near one of the hotels, and looked out into the sea. Everything was calm but there was turmoil in her chest.
She didn’t know what to think.
There were people sunbathing around her as she walked closer towards the water and let it cover her feet.
She wasn’t scared.
Nothing could now scare her as she realised Murray was living with the secret, the guilt of what he’d done and Caroline knew. Hatty then realised Delores knew and maybe that’s what kept Murray with her, the secret of what happened.
Eventually, she wandered into the hotel and sat in the bar, watching the news as New York took a battering from the hurricane and the water spilled onto the streets. Then they said it was heading south towards the Southern States of American, Mexico and into the Caribbean, thinking it would be there in the next seven days.
For once, Hatty thought that might be a good thing, considering what trouble lay currently on dry land.
‘Caroline’s here,’ she said to Jake on the phone an hour later. ‘She flew in. I don’t know when but she’s on the island.’
‘What?’ was his eloquent reply. Hatty closed her eyes and drank her second glass of wine in the hotel bar on the beach. ‘Where are you?’
‘Watching the hurricane on the television in the hotel down the road,’ she miserably replied, not sure if she should tell Jake what she’d found out. Then she hesitated for a moment. ‘Are you busy?’
‘Very busy considering what’s going on and the prediction it’s hitting here in less than a week,’ he said, letting out a groan. ‘Where’s Caroline staying?’
‘Don’t know.’
‘How did you find out?’
‘Overheard someone talking,’ she said and sipped her wine. ‘I’m sure she’ll track you down.’
‘What? Look I’ve got to go. I’ll be home late tonight. You better start boarding up the windows. Go to the timber yard and-.’
‘I’ll call Philip and get him to bring some boards round,’ she said disheartened.
‘This is really serious you know,’ Jake said in a low tone. ‘You need to make sure the house is safe and-.’