The Healing Place

by Clare Nonhebel

CHAPTER 44

  ‘It’s over,’ Rachel told Franz. ‘The funeral.’

  ‘Did you go?’ He stood still, the phone held tight against his ear.

  ‘I stood at the back in the church porch for some of the Mass. You wouldn’t have recognized who they were talking about. The people who had the least time for him were praising him to the skies.’

  ‘Hoping he’ll get them a free ticket to heaven,’ said Franz.

  ‘I don’t want to go to any heaven they go to,’ said Rachel. ‘So that’s it, then. He’s gone. Or moved on.’

  ‘Or moved in.’

  ‘What d’you mean?’ she said quickly.

  ‘I got a kind of impression he was around, yesterday.’

  ‘With you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘That’s weird. I’ve felt he was around me too. Do you think that’s weird?’

  ‘Not really. It’s where he always wanted to be, wasn’t it – with his children?’

  ‘I hadn’t thought of it like that. Mick, I got it wrong about him leaving that money of his father’s in trust for me’

  ‘You mean he didn’t?’

  ‘I mean he changed it. A couple of months ago. He changed it from being given to me when I was twenty-five, to being given to me as soon as he died.’

  ‘Because he got to know you, over the past months, and saw you weren’t too young to take responsibility?’

  ‘It must be. Anyway, the solicitor contacted me.’

  ‘That’s good timing, isn’t it? You’ll need money to pay for your course. It will cover that, won’t it?’

  ‘Mick, you already gave me enough money to cover the course! Listen, I’m thinking of buying my own flat. What d’you think?’

  ‘Great idea.’

  ‘You know Maria was more like my mum than my own mum, and I don’t mean this in a way that says anything bad, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever had my own home and I’d really like it.’

  ‘It sounds good. Invite Ella and me to your housewarming, won’t you?’

  ‘I will. Can I come to yours?’

  ‘It’s compulsory. Ella’s found a couple of places to go and have a look at, so it might not be too long. We’ll race you!’

  ‘Give Rachel my love!’ Ella whispered, as Franz was about to ring off.

  When he put the phone down, she said, ‘I’ve just seen the parents of the boys being interviewed on television. They said physically they’re recovering well, eating like horses, and they’re just beginning to talk about their ordeals. A child therapist said they’ll need years of support to get through the emotional damage.'

  'Have the police got any further with arresting other members of the organization?'

  'It's not just that organization: apparently they're uncovering links to a much wider network of ritual abuse involving, they think, some very high profile names.'

  'A whole network of Leroy Watsons? Satanists?'

  '‘Satanism is becoming cool, apparently, in the public perception; people get into it gradually without realizing what it involves. One of the child protection officers on TV said that police, social services and therapists are increasingly having to have specialist training in dealing with ritual abuse.'

  'Is that a recent thing?'

  'No, probably it's just that they're getting more reports of it. People are less afraid of coming forward because they’re more likely to be listened to. In the past, they wouldn’t have been believed.’

  'I suppose you can understand people not wanting to believe it,' Franz said. 'It's unthinkable, so nobody wants to think it could happen - not on their doorstep, in an apparently civilized country.'

  ‘Talking of countries, I had lunch with Sarita and she told me that Sharma had been asking her if she wanted them all to go and live in Pakistan, because he was worried about her being so much on her own and missing being part of a community.

  ‘She said no, she wanted to stay here. Then later Jan and Phil said they wanted to talk to her and Sharma about another idea. They've had unofficial word that they’ll get permission to convert the house, and they’ve come up with the idea of dividing it into not-quite self-contained flats with bathroom and kitchen and then turning two of the smaller downstairs rooms in the house into one big communal sitting room, and having other families living there or staying for a while. Sharma and Sarita could have one of the flats and Sarita could help out with the work. She loves the idea, and Sharma’s very relieved that she’ll have more company and more to do now Raj is starting full-time school.’

  ‘Where will the other families come from?’

  ‘They’re not sure yet; it depends on the need. They’d been thinking of homeless families on the waiting list for housing, but it seems to be a bureaucratic and political minefield and might actually get in the way of families being offered more permanent accommodation. The house needs a lot of repairs and they could possibly qualify for renovation grants, but they'd have to prove the building was being used for community purposes and they're not sure how that's defined.’

  ‘Do you think they’d consider providing accommodation for visiting families whose children or dependents were having treatment or therapy?’ Franz said.

  Ella raised her eyebrows. ‘Possibly. Why?’

  ‘I might go and have a word with them. It might help me make up my mind.’

  ‘About?’

  ‘About how involved to get in Jake’s project.’

  ‘Oh?’ Ella was alert. ‘How involved would you like to be?’

  ‘More than just providing a hydrotherapy pool in the basement, I think. I’ve been reading stuff on the net about help for disabled children and adults. There are a lot of possibilities.’

  ‘Like?’

  ‘Oh, soft play areas for children who can’t walk or stand easily; multi-sensory areas with different textures and colours and lights; lasers; music therapy …. We’d need to get together a committee of professionals and parents, to decide what would be most helpful.’

  ‘I’d like to be involved too,’ Ella said.

  ‘Would you? That would mean a lot to me.’

  ‘I suppose it’d take quite a long time, to get it all up and running, though,’ she said.

  ‘I’ve told Alison and the other receptionists not to book any more flotation appointments after the end of the month, and work starts on adapting the pool in three weeks’ time. Four reps from companies that make play and gym equipment specifically for developing movement in people with disabilities are coming to see Jake and me next week, and Jake and Pat have set up their first talk to a group of businessmen.’

  ‘You don’t hang about, do you?’ Ella said, laughing. ‘But don’t you have to wait for the funding before you start building pools and things?’

  ‘It’s coming out of The Healing Place’s development budget to start with and we’re making arrangements to pay in instalments. The money will come. It’s the kind of cause that will get a lot of support; people have to be made aware that it’s there, that’s all. And it has to be made available to people from all over the country, not just London. That’s why we’d need to offer help with accommodation for the families while they’re attending the centre.’

  ‘You wouldn’t want to deal with the accommodation side of things as well - add on to The Healing Place building?’

  ‘No. There’s that land at the back we could build on: there’s provisional planning permission dating back to when we started building, but I think I’d rather use it as an outdoor play area if we can. Anyway, I thought you wanted me to work fewer hours, nor more!’

  ‘Would it mean fewer hours for you?’

  ‘If the accommodation and family support side of things was shared with Jan and Phil and others, we could drop a lot of the individual therapies and courses at The Healing Place and concentrate on fewer things. It would still mean day and evening activities, but because they’d be less piecemeal it wouldn’t be so labour intensive in administrative terms. D’you think Jan and Phil woul
d be interested?’

  ‘I don’t know but I’d imagine they would, somehow. Shall I come with you to discuss the ideas with them?’

  He put both arms round her and kissed her. ‘Please do. I liked it much better when we worked together.’

  ‘So did I,’ said Ella. ‘But I couldn’t stay at The Healing Place the way it was and I thought there were no alternatives. Are you sure about this, Franz, though? Throwing away everything you’ve built up? And the seekers and clients – their needs are as real as the disabled children’s aren’t they? People still need peace.’

  ‘Sure. I’m not going to throw everyone out, Ella, I promise. But there has to be a change in emphasis – change from the inside.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘My motives. Sharma was right when he said The Healing Place was built on rebellion. Against my dad, church, hypocrisy – all the things I called God and then threw out.’

  ‘If you did it all over again, without that rebellion, how would it look different?’ Ella asked him. ‘Or wouldn’t you do it at all?’

  ‘I’m not sure. That’s why I need to take it one step at a time. And some things won’t change: I still don’t like religion. It’s just that I’ve come to see all the same religious clichés and jargon language and rituals repeated by people who say they’ve broken free of religion. Anti-religion is still a religion, isn’t it?’

  ‘I suppose so. How do you get round it, though? Won’t any system that relies on human beings end up with the same abuses?’

  ‘It depends on the human beings and what their focus is. If it’s something beyond themselves – God, or the common good, or the greatest need – something that doesn’t directly benefit the people doing the work or massage their egos, there’s a better chance of avoiding it, or at least of resolving the problems when they crop up.’

  ‘Where do you start to change the focus?’ Ella asked. ‘In yourself or in other people?’

  ‘It has to start with myself, I think, and then include other people. I’ve been thinking about which individual people I trust – you, Pat, Sharma … Phil and Jan, I guess. Jake, possibly, when I know him better. Alison. Some of our regulars might also like to be involved as volunteers. It’s important to be in the right team. It doesn’t seem to be the right time now for going it alone.’

  Ella let out a long sigh. ‘I’m glad to hear you say that, Franz.’

  ‘I’ll tell you what it is time for, though,’ he said, putting an arm round her and drawing her close.

  ‘What?’ she said, into his shoulder.

  ‘You and I are going on a real holiday, before this baby grows any bigger and you don’t want to travel any farther than the end of the sofa.’

  ‘That sounds good. To Ireland, you mean, seeing Rachel?’

  ‘No. Somewhere with sun and sea and nobody we know. Once the baby comes, we’re going to be immersed in family life, and once the new project gets going we’ll be involved with other families too. Right now, you and I are the only family we’re going to see. All right?’

  ‘I think I can live with that,’ Ella said. ‘As long as you both come with me. Franz Kane and Michael Finnucane. I want both of you. Otherwise it’s no deal.’

  ‘Oh, it’s a deal,’ he said. ‘You get both of us. For better or worse.’

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