Beneath the Surface

by Tara Marlow

  “Normally I’d let a mate make his own way into the truck, but I know it’s pretty high. I still need to get the step installed,” Daniel said, then made his way around to the driver’s seat.

  “You asked me to pick the movie, so I hope I’ve picked a good one. My friend Claire suggested it and I trust her. I’ve known her since we were kids.” He started the engine. She’d yet to say a word. When the truck didn’t move, she looked over at him, puzzled.

  “Before we go… Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. His hands rested on the steering wheel. “It’s just, you’re really quiet and if you’re not up for a movie, that’s okay.”

  She knew she had to relax. She looked up at the apartment. Knowing Lowell was inside made her feel more secure. He was her safety net now. But Lowell was right. She needed to get on with her life. This was the first step. Plus, she wouldn’t have to talk to Daniel too much, since they were seeing a movie.

  “Yes, I’m okay,” she whispered, turning back to him. “Sorry.”

  “No need to apologise. Only wanted to make sure before we go.” He put the truck in gear, turned his indicator on, checked the mirrors, and pulled out into the street.

  When they reached the parking lot near the theatre, Grace slid out of the truck before Daniel could come around to help her out. Dates held doors. Not friends.

  “I’m paying, by the way,” Daniel said to her, holding the door open when they reached the theatre. NO! She wanted to scream: This is NOT A DATE!

  “God, I can see you fighting me without you even saying a word. I’ve been a starving student too, so I know what it’s like. I’m just being a friend, that’s all. I swear.” He raised his hands in the air in surrender, like he was being held at gunpoint. She didn’t like it. This was way too much like a date.

  “Plus,” he added, his voice quieting, “I want to celebrate that you’re away from your dad. Lowell seems like a good guy. I’m just happy to know you’re safe.” She didn’t know why, but his comment embarrassed her. She was so grateful to Lowell, but she didn’t like people thinking she was incapable of saving herself.

  “I can pay for myself, Daniel,” she said and started pulling her wallet from her backpack.

  “I know you can Grace, but please. Let me do this. I’m just one friend helping another out.” She hesitated. Her funds may be low, but she was still capable.

  “Please,” he said. Looking into his intense blue eyes, she finally relented.

  * * *

  “Wow! That was a great movie!” gushed Grace. She emerged from the theatre transformed, as if she’d just left a magical garden that made the impossible possible. She’d watched television before, but seeing a movie played out on such a vast screen was incredible. Not to mention the sweeping music that vibrated through her entire body! It was mind blowing. She’d been entranced as soon as the lights went down. She felt giddy with the rush of excitement.

  When they opened the theatre door to the street, the place buzzed with traffic.

  “I’m relieved you liked it. Claire said it was based on an actual story,” he said. They stood to the side, just outside the theatre, trying to avoid the mass of people walking toward them.

  “That scene though, with the toenail? Ugh, that was gross,” she said. “They should warn you not to eat before watching that movie.”

  “Yeah, I've got an iron stomach, but even that was a bit much for me.” Daniel paused a beat. “Okay. Next up, do you like hot chocolate?”

  “Yes?” she responded, hesitantly. She didn’t want to admit they’d been dinner occasionally, filling her up more than coffee ever could.

  “Then let’s go this way,” Daniel said with a smile, and he pointed to the left toward the rail overpass. She felt more relaxed with Daniel after the movie, although she remained uncomfortable with the fact he’d paid. He not only bought the movie tickets but insisted on popcorn and drinks. She’d pay him back, she promised herself. This was not a date.

  “I really liked that movie theatre. It was old and ornate and, I don’t know, had character,” she said, commenting on the Odeon Theatre they’d just left. She knew she was rambling. She was still buzzed from the movie.

  “Yeah, it reminds me a bit of the one at home,” said Daniel. He described the old-time theatre, explaining it was in the Southern Highlands, a few hours south of Sydney.

  “And it's still running?”

  “Yep. Every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It's never packed, unless it's the new release of a blockbuster, but it's never empty either. That’s always a concern in a country town. Luckily, that's not the case with our movie theatre. This one’s the same. I’ve been here a few times. It’s always busy, which is great, given there’s a large movie complex just down the road. Seems other people appreciate the charm of the old-time theatre too.”

  They walked down the ramp of the bridge, and he pointed ahead to the café.

  “I’m glad you liked the movie. Claire has great taste in films. I liked the main character. She was strong. She reminded me of you,” he said.

  “She did?” The main character resonated with her. Although she’d camped before, going on a three-thousand-mile hike was not something she’d ever imagined doing. She didn’t know the conversion of miles to kilometres, but she knew it was an insane distance to walk.

  “I wonder what it would be like. Hiking the PCT, I mean. It’s a long way. I don't know if I could hack it.”

  “Really? I think you could. Have you been camping before?”

  “Yeah,” she said, non-committedly.

  “We should go camping,” he said. “Invite Lowell. Bring my friend Claire too. Maybe a few others.” She tried to hide her snicker but was unsuccessful.

  “What’s funny?” asked Daniel.

  “I don’t see Lowell as one for camping. Camping for him would mean a five-star hotel in the city. But I’d go camping with you and your friends. Or, even with you on our own.” Stunned, he looked at her. She blushed. What the hell was that? Camping? Alone with Daniel? She was fricking losing it.

  “Well, we can talk about that idea later,” he said, and opened the café door for her.

  “Go grab a seat. I'll go and order our drinks,” he said, and she started unzipping her backpack again. “Pay me back later. Go. The place is too busy to haggle right now.” She looked around and didn’t see an empty table in sight. He was right. It was busy.

  A few minutes later, she grabbed a table by the window, just as two other people were leaving. She looked at Daniel standing in line. He’d behaved like a perfect gentleman all night. But she knew in her gut that it was a date. She just wasn't willing to admit that to Daniel yet. Now that she had relaxed around him, she imagined that the date was going well. Not that she had any dating experience to draw from. She looked around. The place was filled with couples huddled together in intimate conversation. Others, girlfriends mostly, held hot drinks or shared sundaes between them. The place was noisy, but not boisterous. The street outside was empty but for people leaving the theatre, or a few walking to the train station. Yeah, this was definitely a ‘date’ kind of destination.

  “Here you go,” Daniel said, a little while later, placing two steaming white mugs on their wooden table. “I’m warning you though, there's no going back to regular hot chocolates after this.”

  “Yum, smells great,” she admitted. The aroma made her mouth water. Two marshmallows sat beside the mug. She popped hers into her mug and watched them melt into the dark liquid.

  “Between you and Lowell, I'm going to have to find a gym soon.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think you need to worry. You only drink coffee from what I’ve seen.”

  “God, not you, too? Lowell’s already on my case about my coffee habit.”

  “Just looking out for you. Probably the first time someone has in a while, I would bet. Besides Lowell I mean.”

  “Don’t ruin this date by reminding me,” she said. Her hand f
lew to her mouth as soon as the words left her lips. Her cheeks flamed crimson. But it was too late.

  “A date, you say?” he asked quickly, picking up on her slip. He picked up one of his marshmallows and popped it into his mouth. His blue eyes flared, never leaving hers.

  “Let's just call it what it is,” she said. She may have had a rough start tonight, but she was enjoying getting to know him. Her anxiety lessened, but she still felt a nervous energy being with him. “But I want to be clear. I have a clear goal. I need to stay focused on my H.S.C. It’s too important,” she said, looking at him intently.

  “Then a date it is,” he said and reached out for her hand. She let him take it. “And yes, I know you’re focused on school. I respect that.”

  “One date won’t kill me. Besides, you’re probably a pro at this. You’ve probably been on a thousand dates by now.”

  “Not as many as you may think.” She doubted that. He was too good looking. She certainly wasn’t about to tell him this was her first. She took her hand back to pick up her mug. Slowly, she took a sip, feeling his eyes watching for her reaction, and she tried to stifle a groan. Wow, it was incredible, like heaven in a cup. Froth from the marshmallow lingered on her upper lip. He leaned over and brushed it off with his thumb before she realised it was there. Her stomach flipped, and she looked to her lap, embarrassed.

  “Sorry,” he said, reaching for her hand again.

  “It’s okay. It’s me. This is so good. Like, amazingly good.” He grinned, pleased with himself, and her stomach back flipped again. Yeah, this most definitely was a date. Shit.

  17

  Grace stopped abruptly in the doorway when she came home from work. Removing her key, she saw Lowell dash into his bedroom. She closed the door, then walking slowly into the apartment, peered into the bedroom. She found Lowell packing a small suitcase with urgency. Clothes covered the bed. Shoes were scattered on the floor below the suitcase. He seemed manic.

  “What’s going on? Are you okay?” she asked, setting her backpack down on the couch. Lowell’s laptop lay open nearby. She noticed an email open on the screen but dared not read it.

  “I have to go home,” he snapped and threw a pair of jeans into the suitcase.

  “What happened?” she asked, moving to the bedroom.

  “Fucking Dad happened. I have to drive up there tonight.” She quickly got out of his way as he dashed into the bathroom. “I’ll be away for a few days. You’ll be okay, yeah?”

  “I’ll be fine. Do… Do you want me to come with you?” she asked, listening to him rifle through drawers. From the look of the room, the drawers had to be empty by now. The place looked like an explosion of clothes.

  “I mean, I can’t drive,” even though she knew she could, just not legally, “but I can be there for you. Help with whatever.” It probably wasn’t the best idea for her to go. There wasn’t much she could do to help. She’d probably just be in the way, but she wanted to help Lowell with this. Whatever this was… He’d always been there for her. She nervously picked at her cuticles as Lowell returned to rummage through his bedroom closet.

  “God Jelly, that would be great, but I don’t want to put you in that scene again.” Yeah, she didn’t want to be in that scene either. She knew his dad was violent, and Lowell hadn’t been home since his father nearly killed him. He had to have good reason to return.

  “It’s not like I don’t know what it’s like. Let me help. I can at least keep you awake while you drive.” It was already nine o’clock on Friday night and she knew his parents lived nearly six hours away on the North Coast.

  “Don’t you have to work?” he asked, pausing on his packing.

  “Nope, not scheduled until Monday afternoon, and if we’re not back by then, I’ll call in. And school is still out for another week, remember? I can study while you see your mum.”

  “Then yes, that would be great if you’re up for it. I’m sure adrenaline will keep me awake for a bit, but a distraction from this shit show would be welcomed.” She nodded, then dashed over to the bed and pulled her duffle from under the bed. Most of her stuff was still in it. She tossed in her jeans from the chair in the corner.

  “Just need to grab my toothbrush and I’m ready to go.”

  “What? How? I’ve been packing for thirty minutes,” he said. She wanted to answer ‘experience’ but didn’t want to explain that now. But it was habit. She never knew when she would have to flee.

  “Wait, don’t you have a date tomorrow?” he said.

  “Yes, but I’ll text Daniel and tell him something came up. He’ll understand.” While she waited for Lowell, she pulled out her phone. Three weeks had passed since her first ‘date’ with Daniel. They were taking it slow and been out only a few times since. He was keeping to his word, respecting her schedule.

  Something came up. Helping Lowell this weekend. Need to cancel tomorrow. Sorry. Talk soon. She hesitated, then added: x.

  “He’s solid. I’d do him,” Lowell said, rushing back to the bathroom, as she finished up the text. Grace laughed. She knew Daniel was a good distraction from Lowell’s situation.

  “Yeah, except he doesn’t play for your team. We’ve gone over this,” she said and waited for him by the front door. She could hear Lowell zipping his toiletry bag, then his suitcase, and when the suitcase finally hit the floor, she picked up her duffel. Lowell walked to his laptop on the couch, hit the send button, closed the lid, and tucked it under his arm.

  “Well, if Daniel ever realises he’s gay, you will let me know, right?” he said, opening the front door. “Do you have everything? I can’t believe you got ready that fast.” She nodded, waited until he locked the door, then lead the way down the stairs to the parking garage.

  * * *

  “So, what happened?” Grace asked once they got on the highway. Lowell, in his own head, looked to her with a confused look. “With your mum. You didn’t say.”

  “Oh, she’s in the hospital. Apparently, she was going to sneak down to see me. Dad was scheduled to be away on business, but the trip got cancelled. He came home to find her packed bag. Anyway, I got the call from the hospital. She had a card tucked into her handbag, listing me as her emergency contact. Not sure where Dad is.”

  “He’s a politician, right?” Lowell nodded.

  “We usually schedule our visits while he’s working in Canberra. But for some reason he’s locked down in his local office. Has been for weeks now. No clue why.” The idea of his dad being around made her flinch. She wiped her sweaty palms along her pants. If the public learned of his violent tendencies, there’d be reporters, or even television. Maybe cops, too. Shit. She didn’t think about that. She ran from cops. Not toward them.

  Blend in. Those words haunted her.

  “Is your mum alright?” she asked.

  “Don’t know. She was going into surgery when we left. Internal bleeding, they said. They told me she wouldn’t say who did it. The neighbour found her lying in the garage, next to her car. The door was wide open.”

  “Oh God.” She knew it had been the right choice to come with Lowell. He’d need the support. She’d deal with the rest. “She’ll be okay, Lowell. I know it. If she’s anything like you, she’ll get through this.”

  They were silent for the next hour, once Lowell put on some upbeat music. Grace thought of her own father. She’d been looking over her shoulder for weeks. But now she had people around her. How she’d managed that after all these years, she didn’t know, but she was relieved to have them. She’d even informed Miss O’Donnell about moving in with Lowell. She almost laughed when she saw the relief on her teacher’s face. Her mind drifted back to Lowell’s mother.

  “Does your Mum have anyone else she can ask for help?” Grace asked. She knew she was asking a question she probably knew the answer to. Asking for help was hard. Sometimes impossible. And if Lowell’s Dad was in the public eye, it would seem impossible to his mother.

  “Don’t know. She’s never mentioned anyone else.”


  * * *

  “Oh fuck,” Lowell said through the dark minutes later.

  “What?” He fumbled in his jacket pocket. “What are you looking for?” She felt a thump when something landed on her lap. His phone.

  “I just realised, we can’t stay at my parent’s house, and I didn’t find a place to stay. Can you look? Go to, like, booking.com or something. Find something near the hospital.” He lifted in his seat, found his wallet, and tossed that to her too. “My credit card is in there.”

  “Sure,” she said. For the next twenty minutes, she looked for a place to stay.

  “How many nights do you want? Two? Three?” she asked once she found three motels that were budget friendly and a short distance to the hospital.

  “Just book two nights. We can always add on if we need to. Make sure they know it’s a late check in tonight. We’ll hit the hospital first, then get sleep.” She doubted sleep was happening tonight, but figured Lowell would need a bed early tomorrow, once he knew what was going on with his mother. Grace hadn’t thought of a hotel. She assumed they’d be sleeping in the car. She’d done that plenty of times before.

  * * *

  The dawn light filtered softly into the hospital room. Grace looked over at Lowell, asleep in the chair beside his mother’s bed. He looked like a rumpled mess, so unlike his perfectly tidy self. But he was exhausted. It had been an insanely long night.

  Grace sat on the floor on the opposite side of the room, her back against the wall. She let her mind wander. She was furious with herself. She could have driven at least part of the way. Lowell would be in better shape to help his mum if she did. She knew how to drive, she’d learned at twelve through necessity. Her Dad would have killed them both long ago otherwise.

  She was also angry for Lowell and for his mother. His mother now lay between them, a tiny, broken woman, lost amongst the bedsheets. Her face looked ashen, and she had all kinds of tubes connected to her. She had been wheeled in from surgery a few hours before. The damage was extensive, they’d said, but she would survive. He was asked if he knew who would do this to his mother and as he stood beside her, holding her hand, tears streaming down his face, he told them he didn’t know. But he knew. Grace could see it on his face.