Saving Grace

by Fiona McCallum

  ‘You’d better tell us how to get back to Barbara’s before you go – since that’s why you’re here,’ Emily said with a laugh.

  ‘Oh, right, of course. The back way is probably the easiest. Just go back through the trees and turn right instead of left. You should only have three gates to open – they used to be easy iron ones – and you’ll end up at the intersection with all the mailboxes. Then you turn left on to the road that takes you past Barbara’s driveway.’

  ‘You’re sure the farmer won’t mind us driving through his property?’

  ‘Not if you leave the gates how you find them,’ he said, and turned the key. The ute roared to life.

  Barbara appeared next to Emily. ‘Do we have sound directions?’ she asked.

  ‘I think so,’ Emily said.

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ Des said. ‘And please, Em, think about tomorrow night – let us know what you decide.’

  ‘Okay, I will.’

  ‘Bye then.’

  ‘See ya Dad. Thanks.’

  ‘No worries. Bye Barbara. Thanks for taking care of my Emily for me.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ Barbara said, putting a protective arm around her friend.

  They waved Des Oliphant off before calling the dogs and getting back into the car. Emily turned the vehicle around and headed back towards the stand of magnificent gums.

  ‘Are you sure we’re allowed to drive through here?’ Barbara asked when Emily stopped at the first closed gate.

  Emily shrugged. ‘Dad said it should be fine as long as we leave the gates how we find them.’

  Finally, they shut the last gate behind them and were facing the five-way intersection dotted with seven mailboxes of varying styles. ‘Fancy being so close to our place all along,’ Barbara said. ‘Whose property were we on?’

  ‘Dad didn’t say.’

  ‘Oh well, at least we know where we are now.’

  Back at Barbara’s, Emily couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant had occurred that afternoon between her and her father.

  Barbara pulled a lasagne from the freezer and heated it for their dinner.

  Then, over a dessert of stewed peaches and ice-cream, Emily broached the subject of dinner with her parents the following evening. Barbara agreed to accompany her and shoulder some of the burden.

  At five minutes to nine, Emily felt sufficiently fortified with sherry to make the necessary phone call to her mother. Enid didn’t take calls after nine on the grounds that it was ‘sheer rudeness’.

  Emily held her breath while the phone connected and began ringing at the other end, and almost choked on her relief when Des answered.

  ‘Hi Dad. Could you please tell Mum that Barbara and I will be there for dinner tomorrow night?’

  ‘Oh, Em, that’s great.’

  ‘Is there anything we should bring?’

  ‘No, just yourselves.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll let you go. Thanks again for rescuing us today.’

  ‘My pleasure. It was good to see the old place again after so long.’

  ‘Oh, is it six-thirty, as usual?’

  ‘That’s what your mother said.’

  ‘Okay, we’ll see you then.’

  Emily hung up and suddenly felt exhausted. ‘I think I’ll go to bed, if that’s okay,’ she said.

  ‘I was just thinking the same thing. These dishes can wait until tomorrow.’

  ‘I’ll do them,’ Emily said, making a move for the sink.

  ‘No you won’t,’ Barbara said, shooing her out of the kitchen. ‘Anyway, there’s hardly enough worth running the water for. We do need to conserve water, you know,’ she added with mock seriousness.

  It was so nice spending time with someone so sensible yet so laid-back. John would have a fit if she left dirty dishes in the sink – as would her mother.

  Grace was already curled up in her basket at the foot of the bed when Emily entered the room. The dog flapped her tail a couple of times to acknowledge her mistress’s arrival, but made no move to get up.

  Emily crawled into bed, wallowing in the comforting cocoon of two large sherries and general exhaustion. She lay with the bedside lamp on for a moment, wondering how she was going to make her life better.

  First, she needed a job and somewhere to live. And she was no closer, thanks to the house for rent being an absolute disaster. But that old house with the barley-twist columns would make a great B&B …

  Her heartbeat quickened as she began to worry – she was a million miles off even thinking about making any of her dreams come true.

  But there was nothing she could do about that now – there was no point wasting good sleep on something that could not be changed.

  ‘Deal with it in the morning,’ was the silent mantra her grandmother had taught her to help her get to sleep. It didn’t always work, but it helped keep her calm while she waited to drift off.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Emily was relieved Barbara insisted on driving them to dinner with her parents, because she was a bundle of nerves. She couldn’t keep her mind on anything, let alone the road and keeping them safe.

  ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ Barbara said, smiling brightly. ‘You get into a shouting match with your mother and I diplomatically say we must be off.’

  Emily offered a grim smile. There was no point in speculating about what could go wrong – she’d just come off sounding negative and paranoid. Barbara didn’t know Enid Oliphant well enough.

  ‘Oh well,’ Barbara continued. ‘Look on the bright side. By getting dinner over with now you won’t have to front up again for, what, another six weeks or so?’

  ‘Hopefully.’

  Emily mentally kicked herself – something she’d been doing a lot lately. Why hadn’t she just damn well said no and stopped this ridiculous happy-families-at-dinner charade?

  Then she thought about the difference she’d seen in her father and how they’d begun to reconnect. Finally the real Des Oliphant was starting to shine out from behind his dominant wife. When he’d asked them to dinner she’d detected a slightly hopeful, pleading, expression. No, it wasn’t fair to punish him by not turning up; he deserved better.

  ‘Well, if nothing else, do it for your father,’ Barbara added with a resigned sigh. ‘He seems a really nice man. Kind and gentle.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Emily said as she glanced at her friend. Had she spoken her thoughts aloud without realising? No, just great minds thinking alike – another of her grandmother’s favourite sayings.

  She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to focus on keeping her breathing slow, deep and even, and not giving in to the rising panic.

  Just why had her mother summoned her to dinner, anyway? A peace offering for being so harsh the other day? An olive branch held out with the words, ‘It’s your life, your decision; whatever you do, you have our support – we just want you to be happy’? Emily snorted and quickly covered it up with a cough.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Yes, fine thanks.’ Just choking on my wishful thinking.

  Emily did a double take as they pulled up in front of her parents’ garage. Just off the street, parked on the sidewalk, was a trailer loaded with household effects – some boxes, a wardrobe, a desk, a chest of drawers and a small cupboard. Their neighbours must be moving some furniture, she thought.

  But then something near the bottom of the pile caught her attention: a hint of burgundy and gold plush brocade fabric almost identical to that on an armchair she owned. And that bentwood chair looked familiar too … Her temples began to throb. She put a hand to her chest and another to her mouth.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she gasped.

  ‘What? What’s wrong?’ Barbara asked, staring in the direction Emily was looking.

  ‘That’s my stuff from the farm,’ she said, pointing.

  As Barbara turned the ignition off, Des Oliphant emerged from the house and rushed over to them. Emily almost fell out of the car.

  ‘Em, I’m so sorry. I ha
d no idea he …’ Des’s face was crimson beneath a mixed expression of embarrassment and rage.

  From where she now stood, Emily saw the corner of John’s ute, which was parked a little way away from the laden trailer.

  ‘He’s here as well?! Oh God, this just gets better and better,’ she whispered.

  ‘Stay. Please don’t go. Honestly, I had no idea – this is all your mother’s doing.’

  Emily looked up at her father and was shocked by what she saw. He was genuinely distressed. Were there actually tears welling in his eyes?

  Barbara draped an arm around Emily’s shoulder and whispered, ‘We are not going to give your mother the satisfaction of leaving, nor hand more power to John. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are going in there with your head held high, and you’ll put on a performance worthy of an Oscar.’

  Emily nodded. Barbara was right: she had to start standing up for herself if she was going to make it alone in the big, wide, scary world. She swallowed deeply a couple of times. She was here for a pleasant dinner with her parents and her friend.

  ‘Ready to go in, then?’

  Emily set her jaw and raised her head a couple of degrees. ‘Yep.’

  ‘Right, take one, ready, aaaand … Action,’ Barbara said quietly as she walked forward and propelled Emily ahead of her.

  Enid Oliphant was waiting on the front porch with a smug, satisfied look on her face.

  ‘God, Emily, what on earth have you done to your hair?!’ Ordinarily Enid would have offered an air kiss about six inches from her cheek. Instead she looked Emily up and down without bothering to hide her distaste.

  Emily was about to answer when Barbara cut in.

  ‘Doesn’t it look great! Hello Enid, lovely to see you,’ she added, grasping Enid and air-kissing.

  Enid’s demeanour snapped back to that of impeccably-mannered host. ‘Lovely to see you both. Do come in,’ she said, clearly a little startled.

  John Stratten looked up from his beer. When he saw Emily he nodded, and then did a double take and frowned slightly. But he didn’t say ‘Hello’ or comment on her new appearance, and he remained seated in the leather armchair. Emily thought it very rude of him – her father always leapt to greet anyone who entered – and wondered why she’d never noticed this failing of John’s before.

  ‘Hello John,’ she said, looking down her nose at him, unable to hide the distaste she felt.

  Enid broke the uncomfortable silence. ‘Now, we’re going to have a pre-dinner drink. Emily, you sit beside John, there’s something he wants to discuss. And Barbara, you sit there beside Des. Des, get the wine, would you?’

  ‘Why are my things in a trailer outside?’ Emily asked calmly.

  ‘Thought I’d save you the trouble of coming back out to the farm.’

  ‘Very thoughtful of you, John. Here, have a nibble,’ Enid said, offering him a bowl of assorted nuts before sitting down.

  ‘Especially as it means I don’t have to meet the slag he’s shacked up with.’

  ‘Emily! We don’t use such language in this house.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Mother. I meant the delightful young lady he’s now enjoying sexual relations with. He didn’t waste much time, did he?’

  By the look of her mother’s expression and the hand trying to hide it, Enid did not know of her soon-to-be-ex-son-in-law’s new acquisition.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you knew,’ Emily said, reaching for a handful of nuts. ‘Or perhaps I am mistaken, and it’s been going on for a while.’

  John, blushing furiously, was staring into his beer. Emily found she rather liked seeing him in such discomfort.

  ‘John, I’m sure Mother would have offered an invitation if she’d known about … what’s her name again?’

  John spluttered slightly before mumbling, ‘Stacy, her name’s Stacy.’

  ‘But she’s only there helping out with the housework while Emily’s away, isn’t she?’ Enid said.

  Emily stared at her mother in disbelief, before shaking her head slowly and exchanging questioning looks with Barbara.

  John cleared his throat and gave a mumbled reply no one could decipher.

  ‘Mum, she’s not the bloody hired help! He’s shagging her and probably was well before the door closed behind me.’

  ‘Emily! Language! Oh, I’d better rescue the meat before it’s ruined.’ Enid leapt up and fled the two metres into the kitchen.

  Des turned to Barbara and asked her about the farm she’d grown up on in the south of the state.

  While Des and Barbara were distracted, Emily gritted her teeth at John and said, ‘Mum said there was something you wished to discuss.’

  ‘Yeah, this,’ he said, reaching into his back pocket and handing her a crumpled wad of papers. ‘I need you to sign them.’

  ‘You didn’t waste any time, did you?’ Emily said.

  ‘This is for the financial settlement – thought we might as well get the complicated stuff over with. I’ve had the family accountant go over it. All I need is your signature,’ he added, handing her a pen from his top shirt pocket.

  Emily began to unfold the paper on her lap with one shaking hand while she accepted the pen with the other. She was about to sign when Barbara, turning away from her conversation with Des, put both her hands on Emily’s.

  Locking her gaze on John, she said, ‘Emily will read this in her own time and get back to you in due course. I’ve got room in my handbag if you like, Em,’ she added, now looking at her friend.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Well, I need them signed and back to me by the twenty-second.’

  ‘Why, what’s the hurry?’ Barbara asked.

  ‘Just be good to get it over with,’ he answered. Emily noticed he was avoiding meeting Barbara’s gaze.

  ‘Good for whom, exactly?’ Barbara continued.

  ‘Sorry?’ But the bright blush making its way up his face and into his receding hairline told them he knew exactly what she was implying.

  ‘Dad, do you have any room in the shed for my things?’ Emily asked, keen to ease the tension. ‘I think they’re forecasting some rain.’

  ‘Of course. I’ll just have to do a bit of shuffling around.’

  ‘You can keep the trailer for a couple of weeks, if you need to,’ John offered, addressing Des.

  ‘Very generous of you, John,’ Emily said, and flashed him her most condescending smile.

  John returned his attention to his beer and they lapsed into tense silence until Enid announced that dinner was served.

  The meal was punctuated by clinking cutlery and stilted sentences here and there, mainly from Barbara and Des. Emily barely tasted the food, but complimented her mother anyway, and Enid thanked her daughter for the praise. They were on autopilot, as always.

  Halfway through her dessert of bread and butter pudding, Emily allowed herself to relax a little. The evening was nearly over and her distress had been minimal – thanks to Barbara. But her mother’s next words caused her to stiffen.

  ‘Now, Emily, tell me it’s not true that you threw away your marriage over a silly old tumbledown cottage. I really hope you won’t live to regret it.’

  Emily opened her mouth to speak but shut it again when no words came to her. She turned bright red under her mother’s gaze. No one said a word. She glared at John, who returned a nasty crooked smile. From the corner of her eye she noticed Barbara check her watch. The room was beginning to close in on her and she could feel beads of sweat prickling under her arms.

  Barbara leapt up. ‘Mr and Mrs Oliphant, I’m really sorry to have to do this, but I promised I’d ring my mum – she hasn’t been well. I don’t like to ring her after eight-thirty in case she has an early night, and by the time we get back …’

  ‘You’re welcome to phone from here,’ Enid said.

  ‘That’s very kind but …’

  ‘I’m sure Barbara’s got dogs to attend to before it gets too late as well,’ Des said. ‘Lovely that you could make it,’ he ad
ded, pushing his chair back from the table. ‘Enid, you stay there, I’ll see the girls out.’

  Closing the door behind him, Des looked at Emily. ‘I’m so sorry about that,’ he said, embracing her. ‘I really had no idea Enid had invited John, or that he would bring your furniture.’

  ‘It’s okay, Dad, it’s not your fault.’ Emily clung to her father.

  ‘Well, Enid has a lot to answer for. As does John.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘And I’m sorry you’ve both come all this way only to be treated like that. I do appreciate you staying to eat. I wouldn’t have blamed you if …’

  ‘Let it go, Dad, it’s done now,’ Emily said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek before breaking away.

  ‘It was lovely to see you again, Mr Oliphant,’ Barbara said, opening her arms to give Des a hug.

  ‘Yes, likewise. And please, it’s Des,’ he said, kissing Barbara on the cheek. ‘Drive safely. And thanks again for looking after Em. I’m so glad she’s got a friend like you.’

  ‘We’re lucky to have each other,’ Barbara said, getting into the car and turning it on.

  ‘You’d better get back inside before Mum sends out a search party,’ Emily said, keen to be gone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They had left the streetlights of Hope Springs far behind before either of them spoke. The trees on the edge of the road loomed large and menacing in their headlights as they passed, adding to Emily’s feeling of despair.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Barbara asked, turning her head slightly and addressing her friend’s reflection in the side window.

  ‘Honestly, I don’t know,’ Emily replied. ‘I know I should be pleased the chapter of our marriage is about to be closed so quickly …’

  ‘But?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ She shrugged and lifted her hand from her lap before dropping it again. She twisted the strap of her handbag. ‘I know it sounds really pathetic and self-centred, but …’

  ‘You wanted him to fight for you, your marriage. Or at least be a bit upset?’

  ‘Yes. Well, at least pretend he cared,’ Emily said with a deep sigh. ‘Can you believe he brought my stuff? The bastard!’