For You, Forever

by Sophie Love

  Daniel laughed heartily. “Sour-faced shrew? That’s original.” Then he stroked her shoulders tenderly. “I’m sure she’ll be understanding. Just take a deep breath and speak from the heart.”

  Emily felt bolstered by Daniel’s support. She really hadn’t been expecting it. At the very least she thought he’d try to defer the trip. But he seemed completely on board.

  With a sudden tingle of determination, she got out of bed and wrapped her dressing gown about her. She took her cell phone downstairs and went out onto the porch—her favorite place to make difficult telephone calls—then dialed the school’s number. When the receptionist answered the call, she remembered her earlier resolve to be kinder to the girl who had gone out of her way to remember Emily by name.

  “Hey, Tilly, it’s Chantelle Morey’s mom.”

  “Emily, hey,” Tilly replied brightly. “Is everything okay? Chantelle hasn’t picked up the norovirus, has she? I’ve already taken five calls for sick kids this morning!”

  Emily recalled Patricia’s scheme, briefly considering taking the easy way out, then quickly changed her mind. She didn’t want to take the coward’s approach. She wanted to face this like an adult. It was ludicrous for her to be nervous of Mrs. Doyle.

  “Actually, I was hoping to speak with Mrs. Doyle,” she said confidently. “It’s about some family circumstances.”

  “Can I pass on a message to her?” Tilly asked. “She’s very busy, as you know, and doesn’t usually take parent calls before school unless they’re urgent. I could probably get her to call you once the school day is over if it can wait.”

  Emily chewed her lip as she deliberated. It would be so easy to hang up now and use Patricia’s deceitful—yet, ultimately, easy—approach, and avoid the whole unpleasantness of sharing her life experiences with a stranger. But she’d geared herself up for this moment. It was now or never. Chantelle and Papa Roy deserved to see each other. She, too, deserved to see her father. It was time to bite the bullet.

  “Tilly, if I explain to you what the situation is, will you be very careful to keep it confidential? Because Chantelle doesn’t even know this yet.”

  “Of course,” Tilly replied whole-heartedly. “I’ll write the memo and take it straight to Mrs. Doyle’s in-tray. I can seal it in an envelope if you’d like.”

  Emily felt relieved to know Tilly would take the issue seriously. She took a deep breath, steadying her heart rate.

  “My father…” she began, and immediately her voice cracked from the strain she felt. She tried again, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. “Chantelle’s grandfather has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Cancer.”

  There was a pause on the other end of the line, then a small gasp.

  “Gosh, I’m so sorry,” Tilly said. Her voice sounded small.

  “Thank you,” Emily replied, her own voice quivering from the effort of holding back her emotions. “The thing is he lives abroad so we see him very rarely. There’s no vacation until Christmas and …” Her voice cracked again. “I’m worried that it will be too late if we leave it until then.”

  Emily wasn’t sure but she thought she heard Tilly sniffle on the end of the line. Was she crying?

  “I know we don’t know each other that well, Emily, but can I tell you something?” Tilly asked.

  Emily frowned, confused. This wasn’t how she’d expected this telephone call to go at all.

  “Um...okay,” she said, uncertain.

  “I just found out my mother has cancer,” Tilly said.

  “Oh,” Emily said with a shocked hiccup. Immediately she felt her throat thicken with unhappiness. She felt terrible for Tilly, and a deep empathy that seemed to stretch across the distance between them from her heart to Tilly’s. They didn’t know each other and yet they were suddenly bonded by one of the cruelest blows fate could give. “I’m so sorry, I truly am.”

  “Thank you,” Tilly said with an intake of breath. “That’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. Sorry for offloading.”

  “Not at all,” Emily said genuinely. “It’s important to share, to get things out.”

  “I only found out last night.”

  “Have you told Mrs. Doyle yet?”

  “I was going to ask for some leave once the day was over,” Tilly replied. “I know she hates to be disturbed in the morning with anything that’s not urgent.”

  Emily could hear the strain in her voice. But, suddenly, it grew bolder.

  “You know what?” Tilly said. “I am going to do it right now. I’m going to tell her about my mom and your dad.”

  “Oh,” Emily said, taken aback. “I don’t want you to get in any trouble on my account.”

  “I’m not going to sit here all day stewing on it,” Tilly replied. “I’m doing it right now.”

  Hold music began to play, a piercing tune that made Emily wince and move the phone inches away from her ear. She felt a surge of shame for how long she herself had stewed on this without taking action. She should have spoken to Mrs. Doyle right away. She should have introduced herself to Miss Butler on that very first morning and told her everything about their current circumstances. Instead, she’d missed her chance and then made a dreadful first impression, and her own anxiety about facing that embarrassment head on had caused uncertainty for everyone in her family.

  As she was berating herself in her mind, the hold music suddenly cut out.

  “Tilly?” Emily asked. “How did it go?”

  “This is Mrs. Doyle speaking,” the stern voice replied.

  Emily instinctively straightened her back. “Mrs. Doyle, good morning. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Did Tilly pass on my message?”

  “She did,” Mrs. Doyle replied. “Of course you can take Chantelle on leave. Family always comes first. I lost my own father to cancer many years ago so I fully understand what you’re going through.”

  Emily was stunned. Though Mrs. Doyle was being supportive, and giving her exactly what she wanted, she said it with the sort of forcefulness of a drill sergeant. Emily realized then that her barky mannerisms were just how she spoke. She wasn’t a sour shrew after all. She was just, well, a school principal!

  “We can really take her out of school?” Emily asked, a little too shocked to believe it. “Right away?”

  “Yes, if that’s what you need. I’ll put it in writing and send a copy of the letter home for your own records if you want. The other will be filed here.”

  “That’s…” Emily faltered, not knowing what to say. “Very kind of you. Chantelle will be thrilled when I tell her.”

  In her ever-efficient manner, Mrs. Doyle replied, “I’m sure she will. Good day to you, Emily.”

  The line didn’t cut out but instead went back to the same shrill hold music as before. But this time it didn’t make Emily wince. This time she hardly heard it at all. She was too busy floating on cloud nine to care.

  “Emily?” came Tilly’s breathless voice. “What did she say?”

  “She said yes,” Emily told her. “What about you?”

  “I’m being given compassionate leave for a week,” Tilly replied.

  It felt like a victory, but Emily reminded herself it was a hollow one. Nothing would save their parents’ lives. But at least they’d been gifted some more precious time to spend with them.

  “Tilly, you and your mom should come to the spa here,” Emily said. “Have a pamper session on me. As a thanks for your help today.”

  Tilly let out a cough of emotion. “You’d do that for us? That would be lovely. I can never usually afford those kinds of treats!”

  Emily grinned to herself, feeling very satisfied. “I think you deserve it.”

  “Thank you!” Tilly cried.

  They ended the call and Emily felt more confident than ever. She’d faced her fear and got what she’d wanted. She’d even made a new friend in the process. It couldn’t have gone better really.

  Excited to break the news to the family, she hurried inside, following the sound
of their voices to the kitchen. They were seated at the kitchen table, absorbed in breakfast eating (Daniel) and clock making (Chantelle).

  “I have an announcement,” she said from the threshold of the door, clasping her hands together with excitement.

  Daniel looked up from his plate. “You’re pregnant!” he quipped.

  Chantelle dissolved into giggles.

  “Ha. Ha,” Emily said, deadpan. “Nope. We’re going to Greece!”

  Chantelle clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise. “All of us? You, me, and Daddy?”

  Emily nodded, grinning from ear to ear, glad to be the bearer of good news for once.

  “All of us?” Daniel repeated, his eyebrows immediately drawing together.

  Emily was confused to see his expression. He looked panic-stricken. But hadn’t they discussed it just this morning? She couldn’t understand his reaction. Maybe he’d only supported her in calling the school because he’d never expected her to succeed in getting time off for Chantelle.

  “Can we call Papa Roy and tell him?” Chantelle asked, bouncing up and down.

  “Of course,” Emily said. “Why don’t you go and fetch the laptop?”

  Chantelle didn’t need telling twice. She leapt up from the table, scattering cogs and springs in her haste, then thundered out the room.

  The second she was gone, Emily turned to Daniel.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Daniel muttered something Emily couldn’t hear, as though he were struggling to find the right words. Finally he overcame his tied tongue. “I thought it would be you and Chantelle going. I didn’t realize you meant me as well.”

  Now it was Emily’s turn to frown. “What do you mean? We literally just spoke about this. Why would I just mean me and Chantelle?”

  Daniel rubbed a hand through his hair. “I just assumed because of my work and everything…”

  Emily couldn’t help but react with frustration. She’d known that something wasn’t right by how readily Daniel had agreed to the vacation in the first place. Now she understood why. Once again, he’d failed to realize that his husbandly duties meant putting his family before his work. He’d probably been looking forward to a week alone, for beer with the boys, maybe even some flirting with Astrid.

  “Well then don’t come,” Emily said, folding her arms. “If your job matters more.”

  Daniel opened his mouth to protest, but there was no chance to continue the conversation because Chantelle bounded back into the room, the laptop tucked under her arm. She set it up on the table.

  “Let me do it,” Daniel murmured, busying himself in the task, typically seeking any distraction he could find.

  The call connected and began ringing. Emily felt a bitter taste in the back of her mouth. Daniel had ruined her moment. The high she’d been on after her victory call had been replaced with weariness.

  When Papa Roy answered, his sallow-cheeked face filling the screen, Chantelle couldn’t contain herself.

  “We’re coming to Greece!” she yelled.

  Papa Roy’s expression transformed into one of utter surprise. “You are? When?” he asked.

  Chantelle frowned. “I don’t know.” She looked over at her parents. “When?”

  Daniel’s face was turned down to his cell phone. Emily saw he was searching for flights. For two seats or three? she wondered.

  “There’s some for tomorrow,” he said, looking up.

  Chantelle’s eyes bulged. Papa Roy couldn’t stop from grinning.

  “That sounds perfect,” he said.

  Emily raised an eyebrow at Daniel; a not-so-subtle gesture.

  “So?” she said, directing her words at him like an arrow. “What’s the plan? Are we all flying out tomorrow?”

  She left no doubt in her tone what she wanted him to do. No, what she expected him to do, for her, for Chantelle, for the family.

  “Yeah,” he said, sounding less than thrilled. “Tomorrow.”

  Emily turned to her father on the screen and nodded with satisfied determination.

  “Tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The flight to Greece was going to take over eight hours. Emily wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, especially since their last flight abroad—to Cornwall, in England—had made her extremely sick. Chantelle, too, had been something of a handful last time around. Occupying an eight-year-old, especially an extremely energetic one like Chantelle, was no easy task. And then there was the issue of Daniel.

  She hadn’t spoken to him about the misunderstanding yesterday. Partially because she’d been too busy arranging everything at the inn for their week-long absence, and he, in turn, was arranging the same with his work. But it was always because she just didn’t want to have that same fight with him over again. They’d been through this before, with Daniel failing to see where his priorities lay, forgetting that his presence in their family’s life was worth more to them than whatever money he earned. It didn’t seem fair that it would always fall to her to tell him, either. He needed to realize on his own accord to put them first. Otherwise she’d become a nagging fish wife, like her mom had been. That was the last thing she wanted to be.

  The family waited at the boarding gate, each one of their carry-on bags filled with activities for Chantelle. Coloring books, electronic games, stories, reams of paper for drawing and writing, puzzle books filled with sudoku and word searches, a magnetic mini-chess set, snacks, drinks, earplugs (in the rare event she decided to nap), paper dolls, fuzzy felt, the list was endless. Emily and Daniel only had space in their carry-on luggage for one book each, but of course one book each was all they needed to distract themselves from each other.

  The gate opened then and the family had their boarding passes checked. Then they headed onto the aircraft. It was an Airbus, and Emily had never flown on anything so large. It was quite exciting, and looked very modern which set her slight nerves at ease.

  Luckily they had window seats and they slid into them, putting Chantelle in the middle, partly so they could take it in turns to entertain her, Emily reasoned in her mind, but also so the little girl could act as a buffer between them.

  Once seated, Emily realized that soon their little family would no longer fit in the usual three-seat row of an airplane. Once Baby Charlotte arrived, they’d need to split into a new configuration, with one adult beside each child. She smiled to herself at the million tiny ways their new child would change their lives, at all the things she’d not yet considered.

  Emily took the window seat in the hope that seeing the outside world would help with her motion sickness.

  The plane soon filled up, and it was extremely noisy and busy. There seemed to be a larger than usual number of children on board, and Emily realized with a little burst of despair that they were on a flight with a school class.

  “I never got to go to Greece when I was at school!” Emily said to Daniel, breaking the silence that had been following them for hours. “We thought a trip to Central Park was a luxury. Besides, I would have been terrified to go abroad without my parents. Those kids look too young to be going on vacation without mom and dad to supervise.”

  Daniel looked a little confused, probably because Emily had decided to break her silent spell with inane chatter, but he took it nonetheless.

  “Just think of the poor teachers,” Daniel replied. “We need two adults and three bags of games just to entertain one child!”

  The sound of the airplane engines increased, whirring in that way that made Emily feel equal parts exhilarated and nervous. The flight attendants took to the aisles and began their safety demonstration. Emily always watched it intently; it usually calmed her and made her feel at least a semblance of control over the situation.

  As the demonstration continued, they began to taxi to the runway. The group of school kids yelled and made a ruckus. Emily wished the teachers could quiet them down. It always made her more nervous to hear others’ nerv
es!

  The flight attendants finished their announcements and walked down the aisles, checking that everyone’s belts were buckled. Chantelle grinned at the young man who checked hers.

  “I did it myself,” she told him proudly. “I remembered how from the last time I went to see Papa Roy. But that was in England and this time it’s Greece.”

  Emily caught the flight attendant’s eye and smiled. Chantelle seemed compelled to make friends with everyone she ever came into contact with, to speak proudly about her grandfather. But he was clearly used to it. He gave her a thumbs-up and then moved on to the next row.

  The plane bumped along and then slowed. Emily realized that meant they’d reached the runway. She instinctively held onto the armrests.

  The flight attendants sat down and buckled themselves in. Quiet descended over the aircraft in anticipation of the terrifying yet miraculous experience of flight.

  She felt Chantelle’s hand on top of hers.

  “Don’t worry, Mommy,” she said, confidently. “It might feel a bit strange but it’s perfectly safe.”

  Emily couldn’t help but smile. She saw Daniel looking over with pride. She allowed her iciness to thaw somewhat. Being angry with Daniel was exhausting, especially when she knew deep down that she’d hit gold with him. She just wished he didn’t keep testing her patience.

  The engines roared and they accelerated forward, juddering along the runway, picking up speed. Then Emily felt the almost impossible sensation of the plane lifting, of the friction beneath its wheels disappearing as they took to the sky.

  She looked out the window, at the airport as it shrunk before her very eyes, disorientingly, almost unfathomably. It was true that it felt very strange to fly, but the fact was these miraculous vehicles had given her another chance to see her father again, and that was worth all the discomfort in the world.

  *

  They touched down at Kalamata International Airport eight hours later, tired but excited for the vacation ahead.

  Just like their last meeting, Roy was to collect them from the airport. As they staggered from the plane, stiff after hours being cooped up onboard, Chantelle immediately began scanning the vicinity.