Birds of a Feather, page 22
Lucy drove away from the destruction that had been their home. For Noah’s sake she was holding herself together, trying not to let him see how worried she was.
Mr Flavel had been there when they’d arrived. The main part of the house was a wreck. In the daylight, the sight of the huge branch that had crushed the verandah and smashed the window made her realise how lucky they’d been. The living area was a shambles. Between the tree through it and half the roof missing, the whole place was beyond repair. Miraculously, her precious Thermomix, while splattered with leaves and seaweed, appeared relatively dry and unharmed.
Noah had helped her load it and what they could of their personal belongings into the car. Mr Flavel said he’d store the rest of her stuff in the shed at the back of the house until she could shift it. The bottom line was Lucy and her children were homeless.
Noah had taken it all in and said little. Now, as they headed back to Eve’s, he was staring ahead, his young face so serious.
“We might need to buy a tent,” Lucy said, trying to lighten the mood.
His frown deepened. “It would blow away.”
“I’m kidding.” She reached across and ruffled his hair. “We’ll find somewhere safe.”
“We can live with Yiayia and Papou. Their house is new and big and strong.”
“We might have to.” Lucy imagined how smothering that would be. “Until we find another place.”
“Not by the beach.”
She glanced at his worried face. “Okay.”
She’d been the one who’d wanted them to live in the old shack. Apart from the cheap rent, living so close to the beach had seemed a good idea. And it had been, until now. Once again her choices had traumatised her children.
She called out hello as they let themselves in Eve’s back door.
“In the playroom,” Julia called.
Lucy and Noah both pulled up short. Poppy had set up what looked like a tea party beside Eve’s recliner and Julia was perched on one of the small chairs between Poppy and Bingo, who had her own seat. Instead of the child’s tea set Poppy had been playing with earlier, there was a real teapot and cups and saucers.
“Mummy, we’re having frog cake for morning tea.”
“They thought they were going to eat all the cake without me.” Julia laughed.
It was the last sound Lucy had expected to hear and, along with the total absurdity of the scene in front of her, she was suddenly overwhelmed by tears. She blinked them back.
“It’s all right, Mummy, we saved you some,” Poppy said.
“Come and join us,” Eve said. “The tea’s still hot.”
Noah darted forward. He loved the little frog cakes.
“It is okay for children to drink tea, isn’t it?” Julia said and shifted Bingo to her lap so Lucy could have the last chair. “Poppy said you made it for her sometimes.”
“Once.” Lucy raised her eyebrows at her daughter. “A weak cup with lots of milk.”
“That’s what we gave her.” Eve chuckled.
Lucy still hadn’t tried a frog cake. She’d given hers to Julia the day she turned up. She inspected the strange-looking cake, peeled off the paper and took a bite. “Ugh! That’s so sweet.” She screwed up her nose against the sugar hit. “How can you eat them?” She looked at the remaining cakes, horrified she’d been buying them for her children.
“They’re delicious, Mummy.” Poppy slipped one into her mouth.
Julia winked at the little girl and leaned in. “That’s good she doesn’t like them. All the more for us.”
Poppy giggled.
Lucy glanced around, taking a more careful look at their little group. Poppy placed more of the little cakes on plates and offered one to Noah, who removed the paper in a flash and popped the cake into his mouth. Eve’s sling had been decorated with animal stickers and she nursed an assortment of colourful unicorns on her lap. Julia was laughing and pouring a cup of tea with Bingo tucked under her arm. Lucy blinked, not to hide tears this time but to check her eyesight. She felt for all the world like Alice must have, down the rabbit hole.
twenty-three
Julia walked away from the lounge and the sound of the TV and the children’s giggles. Eve’s bedroom door was still closed. After their crazy morning she’d decided to try to get some sleep. Lucy was back at her house getting the last of their things. Poppy and Noah had gone with her before lunch but had complained when she’d said she had to return for one last load. To everyone’s surprise, including her own, Julia had offered the television in the main house. Eve’s lounge was big and the TV huge. Evidently it was something Zac had talked her into when he was home last. It was almost like being at the movies, and for a while Julia had been sucked in by the show the kids had chosen, then her phone rang.
“Hello, Margaret,” she said as she shut herself in her bedroom.
“Have you got a moment?”
“Of course.” Julia sat on the bed she hadn’t yet made. “What’s up?”
“We’ve had a few interesting conversations with the head of the uni research team.”
“We?”
“Bill and I.”
“I hope you’re not still trying to get me to work for Bill. I’m not—”
“Julia, just listen!” Margaret’s voice was sharp. “This is something worth your while pursuing.”
Julia flinched. Margaret rarely raised her voice let alone snapped. “All right. I’m listening.”
By the time Margaret had filled her in and answered several questions Julia was more than a little intrigued. The uni in Queensland was sharing their research with a couple of other universities and, while Julia’s team had become defunct, the uni’s was expanding. There was to be a meeting with the group leaders soon and they wanted to meet Julia. The work was something she could get her teeth into, a little different to what she’d been doing, and the backing was strong. The only downside was being based in Brisbane. She didn’t like heat, especially humid heat. She told Margaret she’d think on it and get back to her on Monday.
She let herself out of the bedroom. The TV was still going in the lounge and from outside she heard a car. Probably Lucy; she’d said she wouldn’t be long. On her way outside Julia stopped at the open playroom door. The tea party had been tidied away and tucked in a corner was a mounting stack of bags, toys and clothing. Considering Lucy had said they didn’t have much, it was quite a pile.
Lucy’s car door and boot were open and she was draping bedding over the clothesline.
“I found something on the TV the kids seem to like,” Julia said. “A family of cartoon dogs talking in Aussie accents.”
“Thanks.” Lucy nodded. “It’ll be Bluey.”
“It’s actually quite good.”
“Noah will probably get sick of it after a while but Poppy would watch it all day if I let her.” Lucy tossed a doona over the line. “It’s so sunny now I thought I’d air the bedding I brought from the shack. Everything felt damp.”
Julia tugged the other end of a doona out straight and the breeze caught it. “Hard to believe we had such a wild storm last night.”
“Here, yes. There’re a lot of trees down around where we lived, a few fences and sheds worse for wear, and the damage to the shack, of course.”
“Is it fixable, do you think?”
Lucy shook her head as she tossed another doona over the line. “The owner wants to build something new one day. He says the storm’s done him a favour.”
“That’s all right for him,” Julia huffed. “What about all your things?”
“Most of it’s his stuff. The rental was fully furnished. It even had crockery and some kitchen appliances. A lot of our things are in storage. We only had our bedding and clothes, the kids’ toys and a few other personal items. And most of that was in the bedrooms so it’s okay. The living area is the part where the roof came off.”
“Sounds awful.”
“I salvaged what I could but some things … my poor Zig …”
“Who’s Zig?”
Lucy sunk to her haunches and her words were muffled in sobs. “It … only … pla …”
Julia took a step forward, clenched her fingers shut then open. She leaned down and placed a hand on Lucy’s shuddering shoulders. She was confused by the reference to Zig. “There’s no-one else in your family, is there?”
Lucy straightened immediately, wiping at her eyes. Julia’s hand dropped back to her side.
“It’s a plant. A fiddle-leaf fig.”
“Oh.”
“The tree branch snapped it off at the base.” She blew her nose on a tissue and put it carefully back in her pocket. “It was only a plant. At least my children aren’t hurt.”
“What’s wrong?”
They both turned at Eve’s call.
“Nothing.” Julia strode back towards Eve. “I thought you were resting.”
“Spiro rang. They’ve been in the marina since Friday morning, safe and sound. They’re heading out again this afternoon.” Eve glanced around. “Where are the children?”
“Watching TV,” Julia said.
“TV’s playing to an empty room,” Eve said. “And they’re not in the playroom. I thought you must have brought them out for some fresh air.”
“They must be in their bedroom,” Julia said.
Lucy dashed past her into the house. “Poppy! Noah!”
Julia met her as she came out of the playroom. Her face was drained of colour. She hurried up the passage, calling the kids’ names as she went.
“I thought you were watching them,” Eve said from behind her.
“I was. They were glued to the TV.”
“They’re not in the kitchen.” Lucy’s voice had taken on a desperate tone. “Can I look in your rooms?”
“Of course,” Eve said.
“They won’t be in there,” Julia said. “Perhaps they’ve gone outside.”
Lucy came back. “Weren’t you with them? You said you watched Bluey with them.”
“I was but … I took a phone call …” Julia put a hand to her head. Her call with Margaret hadn’t been that long.
“Can they get to the beach from here?” Lucy asked.
“Yes,” Eve said. “But it’s quite a walk. Let’s check the sheds and yard first. I’m sure they’re just playing somewhere.”
Eve stayed on the verandah while Lucy and Julia did a circuit of the house yard. They went in opposite directions and met in the front. Julia averted her gaze from Lucy’s desperate look as she sped off at a jog back around the house, calling the children as she went.
“I’ll check the car shed,” Julia called after her.
She took the side gate, a sick feeling swirling in her stomach. Julia had never liked children much. She’d had some fun with her nephews when they were little but she’d been younger then too and she hadn’t seen them that often. Verity had certainly never left her alone with them. Once they’d become young men, they were much more entertaining. They’d visited her in Melbourne a few times and they’d gone to the tennis, the footy or a concert together. She had to admit she was awkward with children the age of Lucy’s two. Surely they couldn’t have gone far.
“Take a deep breath, Lucy,” Eve said. “There’s no need to panic.”
Lucy glared at the older woman.
Julia came round the side of the house, shaking her head. “They’re not in the car shed.”
A sob fought its way up Lucy’s constricted throat. She ran out of the gate, around her car and scanned the barren space between her and the huge stone shed. “Poppy! Noah!” she yelled, but the breeze blew her words away.
“Take Lucy to the boatshed,” Eve said. “The walls are solid stone and you can’t hear much beyond them once you’re inside. I don’t think they could open any of the doors, they’re so stiff, but maybe …”
Lucy was already jogging across the yard towards the huge doors in the side of the shed.
“This way.” Julia had headed in the opposite direction.
Lucy followed her to a smaller door, partly obscured by some straggly gum trees. It was firmly shut. “I want to go in.”
“I’m sure they couldn’t get in,” Julia said. “Look, it’s got a sliding bolt on the outside.”
Lucy called the children while Julia wiggled the stiff bolt until it finally slid back. The door swung inwards.
“Noah! Poppy!” Lucy’s voice echoed around the cavernous shed. She went further inside. There was only a small window and the open door to let in light. She could see the boxes and furniture that Alec and his dad had brought, stacked in one corner, but it was obvious the children weren’t inside. “Where are they?”
“Lucy!”
She hurried back outside. Eve was halfway across the empty yard.
“I told them about the boat,” she called. “Maybe they’ve gone there.”
Lucy’s heart thundered in her chest. “What boat?”
“Of course. The first Evie. Round the back of the shed.” Julia led the way. “We used to love playing on her.”
As Lucy followed Julia around the shed, she thought she’d ended up in a junkyard. Stacked against the outside back wall were planks of wood, rolls of wire, posts, drums, all kinds of scrap and, looming out of it as high as the shed, was a boat. Paint peeled from the hull, a tangle of cables and ropes hung from towering metal arms and a couple of windows were missing from the cabin. There was no sign of the children.
“Noah! Poppy!” Lucy yelled.
A muffled response came from above. Lucy’s heart thudded harder, then Noah’s head bobbed up. “Mum. Come up.”
“Where’s Poppy?”
“Driving the boat. It’s cool.”
“How did you get up there?”
“There’s a ladder.” He pointed and Lucy noticed the old ladder propped against the side of the boat.
Her relief at finding her children turned to anger. “Get Poppy and come down now!”
“They’ll be okay.” Julia had come to stand beside her.
“Says the woman who lost them,” Lucy snapped.
“Mummy! Mummy!” Poppy appeared above the side of the boat, jumping up and down. “We’re playing a game. We’re being pirates.”
Lucy went to the bottom of the ladder. It was wooden and, like the boat, had seen better days. “Come down.”
“Why are you cross?”
“I didn’t know where you were.” Lucy started up the ladder as Poppy’s little leg waved over the side searching for the top rung. She reached up and guided her daughter’s foot then together they came down, followed by Noah.
When they were all at the bottom, Lucy checked them over for any sign of injury, admonishing them for not telling anyone where they were going.
“You told us not to bother Eve,” Noah said stubbornly. “And we couldn’t find Julia.”
Lucy sent the woman a withering look.
“For goodness sake, stop fussing,” Julia said. “This boat’s been a kids’ playground for years.”
“I don’t care about that. You said you’d watch them.”
“They weren’t out of my sight for long.”
Lucy put a hand on each child’s shoulder. “Back to the house.”
“Ohh!” Poppy wailed.
“You know not to go off without telling someone where you are.”
“We’re at Eve’s place, Mum,” Noah said.
“I’m hungry,” Poppy said.
They rounded the shed and almost ran into Eve.
“You found them.” She smiled at the children. “Were you on the boat?”
“Yes, but Mummy said we had to get off.” Poppy pouted.
Lucy ignored Eve’s questioning look. “Inside and wash your hands,” she said. “I’ll get you some lunch.”
She was aware of the two women murmuring behind her as she marched the children back across the yard and into the house. It was stupid of her to have left Noah and Poppy in Julia’s care. She’d let her guard down since they’d moved to Wallaby Bay. She’d been getting used to leaving the children in Kon and Helen’s care. The storm and then the house almost caving in had been a distraction. When Julia had offered to watch the kids while Lucy went back and collected the last load it had been a relief. She’d known she wouldn’t be gone long.
Now as she supervised her grumbling children washing their hands, she berated herself. She’d vowed she’d never leave them with anyone else again. How could she have been so careless?
twenty-four
Eve lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. The joy of having four extra people in her house had soured and turned rotten, and her with it. This morning’s tea party had lifted her spirits only to have them come crashing down when the children went missing for a brief time.
Eve didn’t blame Lucy for being upset. She understood a mother’s fear. Her sons had given her many chances to experience it, but Lucy’s reaction had been intense. Both Julia and Eve had quietly agreed on that as they ate their lunch in the kitchen. Lucy had fed the children in the playroom. She had the contents of her fridge in an esky. Eve had offered for her to transfer everything to her fridge but Lucy had declined, politely and firmly.
After lunch Julia and Eve had spent a restless afternoon, expecting Lucy to emerge, but she and the children had remained at the other end of the house until late in the day. Julia had begun to prepare dinner and Eve had gone quietly down the passage and knocked gently on the playroom door. Lucy had opened it to reveal the children dressed snugly. They were going out for a meal. That’d been two hours ago and they still hadn’t returned.
There was a tap on her door. She turned as it opened and Julia poked her head in.
“Would you like a cup of tea and something to eat? You hardly ate any dinner.”
“No, thanks.”
“Are you all right?” Julia came further into the room. “Do you need pain medication?”
“I’ve taken it and I’m fine.”
“You’re not still worrying over Lucy, are you?”
