“He’ll come around, Violet. He just shut down after Mum went. Elias is a reminder that she’s out there somewhere. He doesn’t want to face it.”
“Yeah, well, it’s unearthed trust issues between us because I found out he’d paid for things in this house and not told me.”
Juliet’s face showed me that she’d either known or had worked it out. “And then I’d kept this from him. So we’re encountering what I hope is our first hiccup, rather than Milo deciding he doesn’t want this after all.”
“After all the fuss he’s made? He gets until Elias is here tomorrow night to sort his arse out and get over himself. He threw himself on you like silly string. He’s not allowed to sulk for longer than that. I’ll drag him out of his room by the ear if I have to.”
I laughed.
“Have you spoken to this Angela?”
“No, not yet. I’m going to call Elias in a moment and ask to speak to her.”
“If you do it while I’m here, I can tell Dad what the arrangements are for tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I dialled Elias’ number and explained that I wanted him to make Angela aware that he’d got in touch with me and that I wanted her to come with him to the house tomorrow. He sulked a bit, but not at the levels of his as yet discovered older sibling, but then agreed. Fifteen minutes later my phone rang from an unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Hi there. Is that Violet?”
“It is.”
“It’s Angela, Eli’s Mum.”
“Thanks for calling me, Angela.” I took a deep breath. “Only I need to update you on a few things before Eli comes tomorrow because what I have to reveal to him is going to give him a shock and I wondered how best to tell him…”
Angela told me that she’d known that somewhere he had family and that should Elias have asked her she would have tried to find out. She seemed pleasant but there was a no nonsense attitude to her tone.
“I shall tell him now and I’ll ask him if he wants to meet them while he’s at your house, given he may not.”
“Thank you, Angela. I appreciate none of this is easy. He’s part of two chaotic families.”
“Yes, I lived with your uncle for a long time. It was far from easy.”
“Eli told me about him. I didn’t know him. He can tell you about my mum. I do believe I’m normal. Divorced but quite normal. So far anyway. That’s all I can tell you. I’d love to be part of his life and I promise I won’t mess him around.”
“I’ll look forward to meeting you tomorrow, Violet. Seven is it?”
“Yes. I’ll see you then.”
“I’ll call you back actually later and let you know if he wants to meet his half siblings.”
An hour later Angela called to say he did and that Elias was currently dumbstruck by the prospect of having six older siblings.
“Tell him I’m sorry I didn’t tell him straightaway, but I wanted him to get used to me first. I was worried it was all too much.”
“He’s fourteen. He’s over it and chattering on about whether or not he looks like any of them.”
“He does. But I’ll let him find that out for himself tomorrow.”
After ending the call, I felt mentally exhausted. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Juliet stood up. “Right, you get to bed and get ready for tomorrow evening. I’ll sort Milo don’t you worry. You concentrate on my baby brother. I’ll see you tomorrow night at ours when you bring him over.”
“Okay.” I followed her to the door and watched as she put her tumbler in the sink.
“Night, Violet.”
“Night, hun.”
I took myself off to bed and let Rocky follow me upstairs. He slept pressed next to my back, and I tried to pretend it was Milo so that I didn’t miss him too much.
When I got up the next morning, I had a text from Josh Waite telling me he’d like to come over to mine to speak with Angela and to meet Elias before they visited the Waite house.
I couldn’t help but wonder if it was to warn them of my estranged boyfriend’s current potential to throw a strop about the whole thing.
He’d not contacted me again.
I went to work and he didn’t appear all day. I started to get wound up and agitated because I’d not festered on and on about the Milo lino incident. The more I thought about it, the more I thought that actually, maybe what Milo needed was a taste of his own medicine.
Milo
I couldn’t get out of that office fast enough as my world imploded. That fucking woman. There I was, in love with Violet Blake, dreaming of our happy ever after and my mother managed to throw another incendiary device into my life as it was revealed that she’d left us and had another child.
When Dad got home he thundered into my room to bawl me out for how I’d spoken to Violet.
“I was in fucking shock. I am in fucking shock. The words Alice Waite are dead to me. What if this kid wants to track her down and then he brings her back to Willowfield? Have you thought about that?”
“Your mother can come back to Willowfield and see us anytime she so feels like it because we haven’t moved, Milo. We’re still in the same place we always were. If she wanted to come back, she would have. Neither has she spoken to Elias in his whole life, so I think we can safely assume she’s not going to. That’s if she’s alive. Dan’s dead, maybe she overdosed too.”
“You’ll want to know, Dad. It’s going to start festering in you like an ulcer.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about me, son? Or actually is it the fact that you’re the one who is trying their best to avoid a subject you actually need to face? Maybe we all need to face it? Perhaps we should attempt to find your mother. Not to contact her but to know where she is.”
“Never.” I spat.
“Elias will be visiting tomorrow night. Calm yourself down and come to meet him. He’s just as much a victim as you are.”
Dad closed the door behind me and left me to sulk. I’d bought a four-pack of beer on my way home and I slowly worked my way through them. I’d ignored all of Violet’s texts. I knew at some point I’d need to sort things out and apologise, but right now I didn’t want to say anything else I might regret, so I was better off here, in my bedroom, on my own. Thinking about the fact there was another one of us. Elias Dawson. In some ways, he had it better. He’d never known the bitch who birthed us at all. Didn’t have happy memories of family life that surfaced every so often and then left you feeling confused that the same person then left without looking back.
I heard footsteps coming down the hall and then they stopped outside my door. There was a loud knock and a “Miley, let me in.”
Sighing, I got off the bed and let my sister into my room. “Smelly boys. How long have you been holed up in here drinking? All day?” She wandered over and opened a window. “Good job your bedroom’s on the front. Stop you from either mooning over or giving the evil eye to your ex.”
“Ex?” My eyes widened. “Is that what she said?”
Juliet perched on the end of my bed and smirked. “Nope, but I thought you ought to try it on for size because at the rate you’re going that’s exactly what you’re going to be.”
“I just need some space to process.”
“Fucking what? You started doing self-help? You going to start chanting in a minute?”
“How come you’re not bothered about all this?”
“I am bothered. It’s a shock. I had two glasses of wine at Vi’s house and I talked to her about it. That’s the difference. I found out what I could about him. He could be an okay kid and he thought he was an only child and now he’s found out he has six siblings. Who is going to be the most affected by all this, huh? Us lot who are all grown up or the pubescent boy who suddenly gained a shitload of Waites? He’s not going to know what hit him tomorrow.”
“Yes, well tomorrow is another day. Today I’m drinking, trying to forget anything about our mother, being pissed off at Violet for lying, and generally feeling sor
ry for myself.”
“Violet didn’t lie. She omitted the truth. You lied though.”
“It was just fucking lino.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, Milo. How do you think Violet’s going to react when she finds out you visited her ex-husband and didn’t tell her?”
“Well you didn’t tell her either so she can be pissed off at the lot of us if she does find out, which hopefully she never will as her ex will be too shit-scared to go anywhere near her.”
“You need to confess all and make sure this relationship continues without any secrets that can cause problems down the line.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I already had a headache and now you’ve made it worse. I think my brain’s going to explode. Did you just roll your eyes at me? That’s very unsympathetic. I feel hurt.”
“You’ll hurt in a minute, bro, cos I’m gonna kick you in the nuts. Make sure you get this sorted tomorrow. Do not fuck this up, Miley.”
With that Jules got off the bed and went out, slamming the door behind her. I pulled the ring pull off the top of my last can of beer and went back to sulking and thoughts of how much I hated my mother.
Tuesday’s job was cathartic. I was making a kitchen and dining room into one open plan space so I totally knocked the shit out of the walls that needed to come down. It was dirty and sweaty work but boy, did I feel better for it. I also didn’t need supplies which meant I could avoid the office and Violet. By the time it got to late afternoon I was wondering if I’d totally fucked things up with her and if she’d actually forgive me for not communicating with her for over twenty-four hours.
I went home and showered. Though I was still undecided about what I was going to do this evening about the whole Elias situation, I knew I needed to look clean and presentable, so I dressed in clean jeans and a navy blue t-shirt that hugged my physique. If I made Violet drool, it might make her struggle to stay cross with me. I’d also make sure to buy Rocky a new toy and get him on side.
By isolating myself away, I’d not known how my other siblings felt about the Elias situation. Downstairs I found Cal sat on the sofa staring into space.
“You okay, bro?”
“Fucking dandy, mate.”
I chucked myself down on the sofa next to him. “This more Tali shit?”
“No. It’s the fact that people who don’t deserve to be able to have children can have them, and then people who do deserve them…”
Oh fuck.
“Sorry, Cal. I never even thought.”
He shrugged.
“I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I’ll be fine. Just life seems to like slapping me upside the head of late.”
“I feel even worse now for holing myself up in my room like a spoiled brat.”
He turned to me.
“Violet’s amazing. If you don’t put a ring on that finger. If you ruin it. I will personally smack you in the bollocks with your own hammer.”
“Message received and understood.”
My dad walked in at that point. “Ah, there you are. If you can stay around the living room then I can bring Elias to meet you all.”
“I’m going to come over. Sort things with Violet.”
He shook his head. “No, Milo. If you wanted to do that you should have done it last night. Everything is arranged. Elias and Angela are arriving at seven. I’m going over for then. Then we’ll come back here. The priority tonight is not scaring a fourteen-year-old, not Milo Waite’s love life. Understood?”
I sighed. “Yes, Dad.” I got my phone out of my pocket and opened up our message thread.
Milo: I know I’ve been a dickhead. I’m going to be here to meet Elias. Forgive me?
I received a reply within a minute.
Princess: We’ll see.
I figured that meant I had a spot of grovelling to do but I could manage that. In fact, what I needed to do became crystal clear.
“I’ve just got to pop to the corner shop. I won’t be a minute.” I told Cal and then grabbing my coat I hoped they had what I needed.
Violet
I texted Jules and asked if she could help me with something. She laughed and said it would be her pleasure. Milo had popped out and so she’d had the perfect opportunity to speak with her brothers.
Now I sat on my sofa, getting up what felt like every five seconds to look out of the window for a strange car parking up every time I heard an engine.
Finally they arrived and I watched as Eli jumped out of the car, fidgeting while he waited for Angela to come around. She had long, dyed black hair and wore black jeans and a Rolling Stones tour T-shirt.
God, I hoped it all went okay.
I opened the door and invited them in. Eli was met by an overexcited Rocky. Angela had said she was fine with dogs when I’d had an afterthought to check, but Rocky was all Eli at the moment and lying upside down having his tummy tickled.
“Eli said you just bought the place. It looks nice.” She said to me.
I smiled. “You wouldn’t have said that when I bought it. The Waites helped me renovate. It was a mess.” I pointed up to the ceiling. “There was a hole there. Could see into the bedroom.”
“Well, you wouldn’t know it now.”
“Tea. Coffee?” I asked.
“Tea please, milky, two sugars.”
The back door opened and Josh Waite stepped through. “Hi. Is it okay for me to come in?”
“Sure. I’m making a brew. Do you want one?”
“No. I’m okay thanks, Vi.” He stepped forward into the living room and I followed him in. He offered out a hand to Angela who looked him up and down as if she was running a ‘Terminator’ style computer assessment on him. “Josh Waite.”
Eli was staring at him like he’d just said he was God or something. He jumped up and held out his own hand. “Hello, Mr Waite. I’m Eli Dawson. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And I didn’t even train him to say that.” Angela quipped, holding out a hand of her own. “Angela Williams. I’m Eli’s M—”
She paused, but both Josh and Eli filled in the blanks. “Mum.”
“Yes.” She said. “Mum.”
“It’s nice to meet you both too.” Josh said.
Josh and Angela sat on the sofa and began chatting while I asked Eli to help me finish the drinks and to carry them into the room.
“I know this is so they can have a chat without me in the room.” He stated.
“Well not just that. I also wanted to ask you how you were about everything. It’s a big night for you.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Just hope they like me.”
“What’s not to like?”
He grinned. “Josh seems nice. It must be weird, you know, if I look like my mum at all.”
I was stunned.
“Did you not see any pictures of your mum?”
He shook his head. “No. My dad didn’t have a single picture.”
I hoped to God that the Waite family hadn’t burned every single photo of Alice on her departure.
While the two other adults drank their drinks, I showed Eli the house and told him stories about what it had been like when it had been my nan’s and I’d visited. He’d drunk the information in. He was so unlike what I’d expected of a boy his age. I thought he would have been constantly on his phone and grunting, but instead he was attentive and articulate.
Finally, we walked into the garden and I told him the story of the gate.
“So then your family and the Waites fell out because my mum and dad got together? They must hate me.” He said.
Josh stepped up behind him. We’d not heard him and Angela come out, lost in thoughts of the past. “No. They don’t hate you. Now when I take you to meet them, I don’t know how they’ll all be, because they don’t blame you at all. But they do have issues about their mother walking out, as I’m sure you do.”
Eli shrugged. “I never knew her and I have Angela.”
Josh patted his shoulder. “That’s a g
reat attitude to have, young man. Now, would you like to meet your siblings?”
“Yes please.”
“Just give me a minute to lock up.” I said.
Angela gave Eli’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he stepped over the doorstep behind Josh and we all followed him through to the Waites’ living room.
“This place is huge.” Angela said looking around.
“Yeah, kind of has to be when you have six children.”
“I guess it does.”
The Waite’s were all out staring at Eli and he was doing the same back.
“Hey, I’m Eli.” He gave a small wave.
Juliet flew up to him and held him by the shoulders staring at him. “Effing hell. You’re the spitting image of Silas at that age. We’ll have to dig all the photo albums out.” Then she hugged him. “I’m your sister, Juliet. You can call me Jules.”
Eli smiled. “Hey, Jules. I’d love to see some photos. Thank you.”
Silas stood up next and stepped forward. “I’m the oldest Waite brother, Silas. God, you do look like me. There’s no mistaking you’re one of us, bro.” He held up a fist and Eli bumped it. “I already got the photo albums out. For when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
“So your half-brother, Ezra, isn’t here. He’s twenty-eight and an actor who lives in New York. Have you heard of him. Ezra Waite?”
Eli shook his head.
“Bahahaha. That’ll kill his ego.” Milo piped up. I heard him but I didn’t look at him. I hadn’t since I walked in. Call me cruel, because I knew, could tell, his eyes were constantly on me, but he’d got to wait. I was concentrating on Eli.
Finn went next. Shaking Eli’s hand, I was surprised when he said, “It’s nice to meet you, but I’m sorry you had to be another victim of Alice Waite’s parenting skills.”
“Angela’s my mum. I’ve had a mum as long as I can remember, so I’m good.”
Everyone looked at Angela, who smiled proudly though she went a bit red in the face.
“Sorry to hear about your dad. It’s a bit weird for us because him and our mum, well, you know… but still, it had to be tough.” Finn questioned.
Waiting For Milo: THE WAITE FAMILY - BOOK ONE Page 18
