Birds of a Feather, page 25
Charlie had told her he’d done two tours in Vietnam but had said little about his service. His dad had died not long after his return and then Charlie had lost his wife and child in a house fire. He’d worked in mining, only returning to Melbourne permanently to care for his mother who’d had dementia in her final years and had died here in this house. After that he’d done any work he could find until he’d retired, living a hermit-like existence in his family home.
Lucy dozed, stirring when Charlie did, doing her best to keep him comfortable. Her phone died just before midnight. Charlie seemed to be sleeping better so she took the opportunity to dash out to her car. She had to strip off her precious PPE but it couldn’t be helped. Outside the night was cold and the yellow glow of the streetlights weren’t much help. She hesitated at the end of Charlie’s drive and peered down the street. The car that had blocked her access was gone. She could drive hers back and at least have it near.
She started to jog, reached the end of the street and came to an abrupt halt. The light wasn’t much better in this street but it was enough for her to see the space where she’d left her car was empty. She blinked and looked around, not believing what her eyes were telling her. She jogged on a little further. There were only two cars left in the street and they were both on the other side. Neither of them were the old Commodore that had been Alec’s pride and joy.
She cursed and the sound was loud in the still night. Her bag with her charger, her coin purse and a few other personal items had been in her car. Normally she’d bring it inside but today in her rush to check on Charlie, she’d forgotten.
A door slammed further down the street. A female voice yelled and a man swore. She turned tail and dashed back around the corner. Charlie didn’t have a landline or internet connection but he had a basic mobile phone. It was a flip phone with buttons and a large screen, perfect for someone with gnarled fingers and poor eyesight, but sadly it didn’t have internet connectivity. She would have to use that to report her car stolen and to keep in touch with Beryl and the doctor.
No sooner had she gowned up again and let herself inside than she heard Charlie groaning. She strode to the living room where he was doubled over, part on, part off his makeshift recliner bed. She settled him back and did her best to make him comfortable with the drugs the doctor had left. He calmed a little and the creases across his brow softened. His eyes fluttered open and his gaze focused on her.
“Thanks, Lucy,” he whispered. “You’re a gem.”
His hat had slipped off and she sat it back on his head. “You’re welcome, Charlie.”
In the end Charlie went downhill so quickly she could hardly believe it. He didn’t speak again but it was a mercy when he lost consciousness in the early hours. After that, all she could do was sit beside him, hold his hand and listen to his struggling breaths until finally they stopped. She checked his signs, made a note of the time then sat for a moment contemplating his life.
“I’ll miss you, Charlie,” she whispered as warm tears rolled down her cheeks. “You can rest now. See you again one day on the other side.”
Preparing Charlie’s body made her think of her foster mum. They hadn’t wanted to let her help with Rita. Even though Lucy had been the one to bathe her in her final months, the adults who came to take Rita away had deemed her too young to be involved in the rituals of death. She’d dug in her heels, and Burt and Mrs Redmond had supported her. In the end she’d been a part of it. Helping prepare Rita’s body had been the final loving thing Lucy could do for her on this earth, just as it was for Charlie now.
Once she was done she sat back in a chair, exhaustion leaching her energy. She dozed for a while then startled awake as the soft pre-dawn light crept around the edge of the curtains. Charlie was lying just as she’d left him, serene and at peace.
Her stomach growled. She’d made herself several cups of coffee during the night but hadn’t eaten anything since lunch the previous day. She closed the window, picked up Charlie’s phone and shut the door on the lounge. As soon as it was late enough she’d also use his phone to check in with her children and let them know she was all right.
She hurried to the bathroom, scrubbed her hands and washed her face, then rubbed herself vigorously with a fresh towel. The house was freezing.
In his kitchen she put on the small blow heater and found a loaf of stale bread. She toasted it and added some cheese. Once she’d eaten, she used Charlie’s phone to report her car stolen. It was still too early to ring the doctor’s rooms, and his personal number was on her phone so she’d have to wait until the practice opened to get in touch.
Lucy’s heart thudded in her chest as another thought struck her. Beryl’s number was on her phone. She didn’t know it off by heart. Usually they spoke face to face. She didn’t know her own work number either. Alec’s was the only number she’d committed to memory. She glanced at her watch. There were still several hours before his shift finished. Her heart beat faster. It was a possibility she could have caught Covid from Charlie, if that’s what he had, so she couldn’t go home, and now she couldn’t even phone her children.
She needed to charge her phone, but how? She gripped the kitchen bench and swallowed down the crazy thoughts tumbling around in her head. “Deep breaths, Lucy,” she murmured. There was no need to panic. Directory assistance would help. Beryl wasn’t listed in the white pages but Lucy’s work was. She resisted the urge to snatch up Charlie’s phone and start dialling. She’d be able to call as soon as the office opened.
Feeling calmer, she stared from the window and watched the soft light of the new day creep across the garden. Of course she’d been crazy to think it would all be sorted easily.
Lucy rang the surgery as soon as it was open. Charlie’s doctor wasn’t in and when she explained the situation the receptionist said she’d put her through to a nurse. The phone rang and rang and finally went silent. Lucy called again, got the same receptionist and repeated her story.
“Didn’t I put you through to the nurse?”
“I was disconnected.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, the nurse must be busy. I can get her to call you back.”
“Don’t hang up,” Lucy said quickly and tried to explain the help she needed.
The young woman was more worried about Lucy than Charlie. Then Lucy realised the receptionist’s concern was all about getting her tested for Covid.
“I’ve had a Covid test already,” Lucy said. “The problem is I’m stuck here without a vehicle, my phone has gone flat and there’s a body that needs taking away.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. What was good about anything she’d just told the woman? “I won’t be able to get the results. My phone’s flat. This is Charlie’s phone I’m on.”
“When did you have the test?”
“Yesterday.”
“Oh, you’ve got plenty of time to recharge your phone then. The results have been taking a couple of days.”
A mixture of anger and fear surged inside Lucy. She couldn’t wait that long. The doctor had said he’d put a priority on her test. She took a breath and tried to keep her voice calm. “I have children to care for. I can’t leave here until I know my results, and I can’t charge my phone. Can you arrange to ring Charlie’s number with my results?”
“I’m not sure if we can do that. I’ll have to find out.”
“Thank you.”
A phone began ringing in the background.
“I’ll have to call you back,” the young woman said.
There was silence followed by a soft beep. Lucy looked at the phone she gripped tightly in her hand and realised it was low on battery.
Her heart thudded. Where did Charlie keep his charger? She scurried from room to room, looking in all the obvious places. In the end she found it hiding in plain sight. Charlie had a cobble of cords plugged into a power board near his TV and the phone charger was one of them.
She took it out, plugged the phone in by the hall table and blew out a sigh of relief as she watched the battery icon begin to flash. She thought of her kids. They’d be expecting to hear from her by now. Beryl had probably tried to ring her. She would take Noah to school but Poppy didn’t have kindy today.
Lucy paced the passage, racking her brains for some way of getting Beryl’s number. Then it came to her. Noah’s school. Beryl was listed as a second emergency contact number because Alec worked away. Lucy could get the school number from directory assistance.
She didn’t go into too much detail with the school receptionist but finally she was punching Beryl’s number into the phone. It went straight to voicemail. Deflated, she looked at her watch. Beryl was probably taking Noah to school. She always turned her phone off when she drove. Lucy left a message and Charlie’s number then she rang her boss.
She gave an abbreviated version of what had happened.
“Poor old Charlie,” Mina said when Lucy finished. “How are you? You had a Covid test as well, you said?”
“Yes. I feel fine though. Just tired.”
“That’s to be expected. I’ll look up Charlie’s information and contact whichever funeral place he listed. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Is there anything else you need?”
“A charger for my phone.”
They ended the call and Lucy sank to the old chair beside the hall table. All she wanted was to be home with her kids but she’d have to wait for the test result. She prayed it would come back negative. The implications of a positive result were too worrying. What would happen to her kids? It would take Alec time to get back. She’d have to impose on Beryl longer. She pulled herself up. There was no point worrying until she knew what she was dealing with. She tried Beryl’s number once more, but once again it went straight to voicemail.
Over the course of the morning she tried several more times, in between calls from the funeral parlour, her boss, the doctor. Finally, it was all over. They took Charlie away and she was left alone. She’d agreed to wait at Charlie’s until her test result came back.
Mina had arrived just as the funeral people had so there had only been time for a quick word through the door. She promised to keep in touch and left a paper shopping bag for Lucy. Just some things she thought might help pass the time, she’d said. Inside were some fresh sandwiches, milk and coffee and, Lucy groaned, a packet of Tim Tams. She took them all out then snatched the remaining item from the bottom of the bag. A phone charger. She raced to get her phone.
“Thank you, Mina,” she said to the empty house.
twenty-seven
“I’m so sorry,” Eve said. “For both you and Charlie.”
Lucy looked down at her hands gripped tightly in her lap and forced herself to relax.
“What the hell did you do?” Julia exclaimed. “Obviously you made it through.”
Lucy nodded. Her mouth felt dry despite the two cups of tea she’d drunk while she’d told her story.
“You look done in,” Eve said.
Lucy lifted her gaze to the kind face studying her. “So do you.” There were dark shadows under Eve’s eyes again and she was holding herself stiffly upright. “Do you need some pain relief?”
“I’ll get it.” Julia jumped up.
“I’m all right,” Eve said.
“Have you been doing any of your exercises over the weekend?” Lucy asked.
Eve’s look was rebellious and Julia’s surprised.
“They will help, you know,” Lucy said.
“Hell, Eve, we haven’t. Unless you’ve done some without me.”
“I do the movements the doctor said.”
“There are more than those you should be doing,” Lucy said. “You have the sheet.”
“It’s lucky Lucy’s back on patrol tomorrow,” Julia said. “We’ve been a bit slack.”
“I feel weary all of a sudden.” Eve closed her eyes.
Lucy met Julia’s raised-eyebrow look.
“We’ll tackle the exercises when we’re all fresh tomorrow,” Lucy said.
“Good idea.” Julia nodded and glanced at the kitchen clock. “No wonder we’re all tired – it’s nearly midnight.”
Eve’s eyes fluttered open.
Lucy rose to her feet. “I shouldn’t have kept you up so long. Let me help you get ready for bed.”
“I’ll do it.” Julia stood resolutely behind Eve’s chair. “You take yourself off.”
Lucy was too tired to argue. “Goodnight then.” She started for the door then remembered her phone and went back for it.
“I guess that explains why your phone, its charger and you are joined at the hip,” Julia said.
Lucy frowned, not sure if Julia was having a dig or being empathetic.
“Sometimes it’s good to talk.” Eve gave her a warm smile. “You sleep well.”
Julia offered an arm to Eve, which she rejected, and the two of them shuffled out the door.
Lucy turned off the light and followed, staring at the phone she gripped in her hand. After her time at Charlie’s she never went anywhere without it. And she’d bought extra chargers. She had one at home, one in the car and one in her bag. She’d never let it go flat again. To her it had become the equivalent of a life jacket in a boat.
She crept into the children’s bedroom. Since the night of the storm when they’d shared her bed, they’d been happy to sleep in the other room in the two single beds. She tapped Poppy’s night-light. The soft blue glow showed the little girl sprawled across her bed in an untidy jumble. Lucy tucked her back under the covers and kissed her soft cheek. Noah was on his back, one arm flung above his head. She kissed him too then she stood watching her children until the night-light turned itself off. Only then did she drag her tired body to her bed.
Eve fidgeted a while before she found a comfortable position. She’d left the bedside light on thinking she might read but she couldn’t be bothered picking up the book. She was not used to feeling unwell and she was fed up. Eve hadn’t let on but it had been harrowing listening to Lucy’s story.
Beyond Eve’s slightly ajar door, she could hear the muffled sounds of Julia whistling a tune from the bathroom. Eve’s troubles with Audrey weren’t as awful as what Lucy had been through, but even so it had been hard. She did her best to swallow the depth of the hurt she’d felt when the town turned on her.
Eve had always been different in the eyes of many locals. Once she married Rex, she’d become involved in the prawn business. Beyond doing the books and cooking for the crew, she’d learned all there was to know. She’d even crewed on the trawler before she had babies. In the eyes of some of the locals that made her unusual. Her friends, Gert and Pam, had followed the correct path for women; married, had children, stayed home for their baby days and then returned to teaching. Eve loved the prawn business, and at sea or at home she was happy to do her share. She and Rex, along with Spiro, had made a good partnership.
Rex hadn’t helped her cause in the town’s eyes though. He’d been a risk taker. That hadn’t bothered Eve. It was one of the qualities she’d admired in him. But in business and in his personal life he’d made several enemies who’d included her in their dislike, and they had long memories.
Eve was no saint but she’d never done anything illegal or malicious. She’d done her best to toe the community line after Rex had died, not wanting any of his influence to taint her sons’ lives. She’d still been a young woman then and had her share of male admirers, but she’d shunned them. Another cause for suspicion. A rumour had gone around that she was a lesbian. That had given her something to chuckle about. She’d kept her personal life quiet and remained celibate. At least until her sons had left home, and after that she’d only accepted invitations well away from Wallaby Bay and the gossips. Only Pam and Gert knew about her private life beyond the bay.
She loved Wallaby Bay and most of the people in it had recognised her commitment and forgiven her Rex’s past, but bloody Audrey had stirred up a new form of distrust and Eve had been an easy target.
Julia stuck her head round the door, her body wrapped in a towel. “I thought you’d be out to it by now.”
“I was just about to turn out the light.”
“See you in the morning then. Sleep tight.”
“You too.”
Julia reminded Eve so much of Pam. Not in looks – Julia’s height and red curls had come from her father – but she was matter-of-fact like Pam. And tougher than Pam. Eve had been at Julia’s side through the difficult times, losing her dad, the terrible accident and the months of rehab, then dear Pam dying before her time. And at the same time her rat of a boyfriend had not only deserted her but fleeced her as well. Julia appeared confident but Eve also knew her vulnerable side. Her determination to walk again against the odds had sometimes resulted in days of despair. While she’d been stoic when she’d lost her mother, she’d come to Eve for comfort. She acted tough but she bled the same as everyone else.
Eve eased over and flicked off the light. She stared into the dark and thought about Glen. He was a good influence on Julia and Eve had hoped he’d stick around. Not that she was one to believe a woman had to have a man in her life to be happy, but Eve had truly thought Glen completed Julia. They were a good match. Pam would have liked him.
“Wish you were here, dear friend,” she whispered then forced her eyes shut and waited for sleep.
Julia pulled on her pyjamas and slipped quickly between the sheets. She was used to the chill of the big rooms and the darkness of the nights in Eve’s house now. The only light in her room was a soft glow from beside her bed where she’d plugged in her phone.
Lucy’s story had revealed so much about her. To have nursed a dying man was not a situation Julia could imagine, then the quarantine, the wait for test results and the worry about her kids. Nurse or not, Julia wasn’t so devoid of empathy that she couldn’t understand what a challenging experience that must have been for Lucy. And to have her car stolen and her phone go flat. Everything Julia needed was in her phone. Hell, if it hadn’t been for her phone she would have gone completely mad during the cruise Glen had taken her on.
