Ava Comes Home

by Lesley Crewe

  Ava touched the picture. Three beautiful young ladies with three boys—one too tall, one too short and one with a mouth full of braces smiled back at her. “They’ll love it. I know they’ll have this framed and treasure it. Thank you, darling.” Ava’s voice cracked. Everyone looked at her. Rose put her hand up. “Don’t you dare cry or I’ll be bawlin’ like a baby.”

  “Me too,” Bev said.

  “Ditto,” said Maryette.

  “Ah geez, are we goin’ to have boohooing in here,” Johnnie complained. “I’m leavin’ the table if that’s going to start.”

  “I’ll get dessert,” Aunt Vi said. “There’s banana cream pie, strawberry pie, blueberry pie, and a lemon meringue that Libby made.”

  “Oh well, I’ll stay for that then,” Johnnie said.

  It was just as well most of them left together. It was obvious that Ava was having a very hard time with the idea of going, so they tried not to make it too difficult for her, which she appreciated. Rose said she’d drive her to the airport.

  “I have to take the rental back anyway, so I might as well go myself.”

  Rose wouldn’t hear of it. “Look, I know we can’t all go to the airport tomorrow, it would be too hard. But I’ll be damned if you’re going to drive yourself there alone. I’ll pick you up and Stan will drive the car in behind us. How’s that?”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  They lined up as they hugged and kissed her goodbye. In the end, nothing was said. No one could talk, so they waved and smiled and hurried out the door.

  When she was ready for bed, Ava stood in front of Aunt Vi’s bedroom door and gave a little knock before she entered. “Only me.”

  They only just crawled into bed themselves. Uncle Angus flipped through the flyers as Aunt Vi put Jergen’s Hand Lotion on her hands. “I love that smell,” Ava smiled. “Mom used that all the time, didn’t she?”

  “She did indeed. Want some?”

  “Okay. A little squirt.” She held out her hand. “It smells like cherries.”

  “And you remember this one.” Aunt Vi pointed to her Avon Moisture Cream in the small green container on her bureau.

  “I forgot about this.” She reached over and took the lid off. The yellow cream was just as she remembered. “Mom used to let me put a little of this on sometimes, if I bugged her long enough.” She took a whiff. “This smells like her.” Suddenly her face went blank. “I forgot to go to the cemetery today.”

  “Never mind, child. You’ll be back. Your mother never was one for a lot of sentimentality. She’d rather you’d spent your last day with your brothers and sisters.”

  “I’m so stupid.” She felt sick.

  “Nonsense.”

  “You’re not stupid,” Uncle Angus said, “This here store is stupid. Look at this. Chargin’ an arm and a leg for toilet paper. Paper to wipe me arse costs more than a case of beer. I’ll use their flamin’ flyer for toilet paper before I pay that ransom.”

  “Well, the package is as big as the washing machine downstairs,” Aunt Vi observed.

  “Exactly. How the hell is a person supposed to get it through the bloody door?”

  “Don’t get your blood pressure up, Angus. You’ll be tootin’ all night.” If only they knew how much she’d miss them. She had to leave the room or she’d give herself away.

  “Would you mind if I took this nightgown home, Aunt Vi?”

  “Of course not, honey, and take Lola’s. I washed it and put it in the drawer.”

  “Thank you. Thank you for everything. I—”

  “Don’t get yourself all worked up love. We’ll have a nice bowl of porridge in the morning before you go. How’s that sound?”

  She nodded and kissed them both good night, then went down the hall and got into the little twin bed for the last time. Teddy Bear jumped up and cuddled next to her. “I’m going to miss you, Teddy.” With her arms around him, she listened to the night sounds through the open window. The leaves on the big maple tree beside the house rustled every so often in the wind, and soon she heard the pitter-pat of raindrops falling from the eave against the sill. It was a lonely sound. She whispered in pet’s ear, “I won’t see you again, Teddy. I don’t want you to live in California with dogs who wear designer clothes and booties and have their nails painted. You belong with Dog and Aunt Vi and Uncle Angus. I know you’ll be happier here.”

  Teddy tossed his head and hit her cheek with his rubbery wet nose. He slept. She didn’t.

  Ava was able to get up the next morning because she couldn’t feel anything. It was better this way. She showered and got dressed, stripped the sheets off the bed and folded the blankets at the end of the mattress. She trooped downstairs with the luggage, managed to keep down her breakfast, and, last but not least, put Maurice and Harold’s goodies in her bag before putting on her coat.

  At nine on the dot, Rose arrived and honked the horn. Ava kissed her kin one last time, gave Teddy a final embrace, and walked outside, handing Stan the keys to the rental. He took her luggage and put it in the back of their car. Aunt Vi and Uncle Angus stood on the porch and waved, Teddy whining in Aunt Vi’s arms. As Ava opened the car door she noticed Geranium in the window, so she blew her a kiss.

  She didn’t say much in the car with Rose and Rose made a valiant attempt to keep the conversation going. Ava would smile at her now and again and even laughed once, but it was unbearable to do more.

  At the airport, Stan kissed her goodbye and went to deal with the rental. Rose stood off to the side as Ava went to the ticket counter and got her boarding pass. When all was done, there was nothing to do but sit side by side until it was closer to the flight time.

  Ava looked at her hands and rubbed her thumbs. Rose finally put her own hand on top of them to keep them warm. They didn’t speak. They didn’t look at each other. But Rose must have looked at a few people, because once or twice someone approached her and suddenly backed off.

  Finally, her flight was called. It was time to go. She got up and so did Rose. Ava couldn’t look at her sister’s face. She saw her hair, her neck, her white blouse, but not her face. Rose pulled her into her arms and held her tight. She tried not to shake but it was hard.

  Rose kissed her hair. “If you need any of us, anytime, anywhere, you call and we’ll be there so fast you won’t know what hit ya.”

  Ava nodded and pulled away, picked up the bags and walked through security. When boarding was announced, she stood in line with the other passengers, showed her boarding pass and I.D. to the ticket agent, then walked outside to the plane. Behind her were Rose and Stan, waiting by the window to wave her goodbye.

  As Ava climbed the stairs to the plane, she turned to them. Rose had her hand on the glass, as if trying to touch her. Ava held her hand up too.

  Fortunately no one sat beside her. She put her head on the cold glass of the window and stared at the pavement and then the runway and then the trees as they lifted off the ground. She saw the Mayflower Mall and other familiar landmarks. Because of the prevailing wind, they circled before heading out, following the Sydney-Louisbourg Highway and the Mira River as it snaked its way towards the ocean. And finally she saw Mira Bay and his small house. It looked insignificant from up there in the sky, but it was her safe haven and it suddenly vanished into the clouds in a blink of an eye.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Rose was silent all the way home in the car with Stan. When they got out of the car she said, “Nuts to this. Give me the keys.”

  “Where ya goin’?”

  “To Aunt Vi’s.”

  “You’ll only upset her.”

  “We’re all upset, Stan, so what the hell’s the difference?”

  “Okay, okay.” He threw her the keys. “Women.”

  She drove over to Water Street and parked in the driveway. Walking to the back door who did she see but that goddamn woman with her goddamn binoculars, so up went Rose’s middle finger. Geranium jumped back. If Rose thought she could pull it off without being arrested, she’d
moon her too.

  She walked into the kitchen and Aunt Vi was at the table with a cup of tea. She held a handful of tissue and her face was mottled. She pointed at the stove. “I thought you’d be back. I put on the tea.”

  “Thanks.” Rose poured herself a cup, adding evaporated milk to it, took a big swig and put it down.

  “Was it awful?”

  “It was worse than awful. That girl was paralyzed. She didn’t talk, she didn’t cry. It’s like she was afraid to open her mouth in case something spilled out. I’m worried about her.”

  “Well, she seemed okay when she got back from your place yesterday and last night at dinner.”

  Rose’s mug stopped halfway to her mouth. “Come again?”

  “When she walked in yesterday morning, she seemed cheerful enough, although she did have dark circles under her eyes, now that I think of it.”

  “My place? She hasn’t been to my place in a week.”

  Aunt Vi’s mouth dropped open. “Why that little monkey. She called me on…what night was it…Saturday night and said she was staying at your house for a girls gab night.”

  “Well, she was gabbin’ with someone all right, but it sure wasn’t me.”

  “Why would she lie?”

  Rose slammed her mug on the table. “I bet it was that goddamn Seamus.”

  “Oh lord.” Aunt Vi heaved a great sigh. “What is it with those two? They’re tearing each other to shreds and it’s ridiculous.”

  “Yes, it is ridiculous and he deserves to have his ass whooped.”

  Aunt Vi put her hand up. “Now whoa there, Missy. He’s only one side of the story. She’s as involved as he is, so don’t go blamin’ him. She’s the one who phoned and lied as bold as brass.”

  “Why can’t they just leave it? Why?”

  “Why can’t they be together is what I want to know.”

  “You don’t honestly want the two of them to get back together again, do you?”

  “Why not? It’s clear they’re miserable without each other.”

  “I was here the day his mother came shootin’ her mouth off about her precious son and how Libby was a right little madam. She had no business coming in here and upsetting Ma.”

  “Maybe when you get a little older you’ll see things in a different light. Evelyn O’Reilly was as upset about her boy as your Ma was about Libby. Mothers protect their young. Just because he was a lad, doesn’t mean his heart wasn’t broken.”

  “Well, if they wanted each other so bad, why did she leave? She couldn’t have loved him that much.”

  “She didn’t so much leave as run.”

  Rose sat and thought about that for a moment. “You’re right.”

  Aunt Vi blew her nose. “You know, maybe because I wasn’t lucky enough to have any kids of my own I became over-involved with you lot, but I saw things that your mother didn’t see, or didn’t want to see.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you fellas were all gone, married or as good as. Libby was alone here. She was so often alone.”

  “No, she wasn’t. We had a whole house full.”

  Aunt Vi gave her an exasperated look. “Child, when she was six, you were thirteen. When she was thirteen, you were twenty. You might’ve thought you were around, but you weren’t. You girls were in and out all day with your friends and your fellas. You’d pat her on the head and play with her for ten minutes and then off you’d go. She wasn’t going anywhere. She was here with your ma.”

  “You make it sound as if we neglected her.”

  Aunt Vi took a sip of tea.

  Rose felt her hackles rise. “Is that what you’re saying?”

  Her aunt put the cup down. “What I’m saying is that Libby was a difficult child. She didn’t have a lot of friends because she was so often in her own little world. And it didn’t help matters that she was the only one in school who didn’t have a Da. That set her apart right off the bat, and you know damn well things like that matter.”

  Rose tried to put holes in her argument. “She had girlfriends. She was always popular.”

  “No. She had girls who wanted to hang around with her because that’s where the boys were, like bees to honey. She never had a girlfriend who came and spent the night and giggled with her.”

  “Sure she did.”

  Aunt Vi got her dander up. “You listen to me Rose, because I know what I’m talking about. No one wanted to come here because it wasn’t a fun house, with a young mother icing cupcakes with her daughter and her friends. Most of the time your ma told them to pipe down and go outside.”

  “Well, she was old.”

  “I’m not suggesting it was your mother’s fault. She was a sad and lonely woman. She had her reasons for being moody, Lord knows. Left with so many kids and always worried about money. It ages a woman, not to have a man. It’s not like it is today. Women have careers and such—they don’t need a man. But in our day, you couldn’t get a bank loan unless your husband put his signature on it too. You young ones seem to forget that our world wasn’t like today’s world.”

  “Wonderful.” Rose sighed. “Now I feel miserable and guilty.”

  “Don’t be dramatic. No one’s blaming you or your brothers and sisters. You had a right to have a life too. But what I’m saying is, stop being in such a hurry to tell your baby sister what she should and shouldn’t feel. Her upbringing was vastly different from yours. If she decides in the end she wants Seamus O’Reilly and he’s the one man in the world who makes her happy, why should she be deprived of him, simply because you don’t like him?”

  Rose didn’t say anything, so her aunt gave her another jab.

  “Did anyone open their big mouth and give you an earful about marrying Stan?”

  There. She’d been told. “You’re right. Libby always did say my mouth was too big.”

  “Not only Libby.”

  Rose crossed her arms. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She sat with her own thoughts while Aunt Vi sipped her tea and looked lonely.

  “I think I should call him.”

  Aunt Vi’s head went back. “After I just finished tellin’ ya…”

  “…to mind my own business, I know. But I don’t plan on screaming at him. I want to know if Libby’s all right. Did they quarrel? Did they agree to part? Or has she run off on him again?”

  Aunt Vi nodded her head. “Maybe she did run off. I mean, suddenly she has to go? Does that sound logical? No one calls here all summer and suddenly there’s a huge rush to get her back to New York for just one day. I didn’t think it made sense, but then again that Hollywood business is beyond me anyway.”

  “And if she is on the run…”

  “What on earth is she running from?” Aunt Vi planted her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. “That poor boy. If she’s done this to him again, I’m afraid it’s going to kill him.”

  “Now who’s being dramatic.”

  “Listen to yourself. He lost Libby once. He lost his mother. He lost his young wife and now he may have lost Libby again. What on earth has he done to deserve all that?”

  “That’s true,” Rose nodded. “No one deserves that much heartache.”

  They looked at each other.

  “Should I call?”

  “Well honey, you’re the one who said she seemed terribly upset when she left. Maybe we should find out if we need to be worried. I don’t want her disappearing for another ten years, do you?”

  “Of course not. But I don’t think I can talk to him yet. I’m too emotional. I don’t want to go off half-cocked and make it worse for her.”

  “You’ve got a point.”

  “I think I’ll go home and call him tonight. I’ve got a headache anyway.”

  Aunt Vi patted her hand. “Okay, love. I think we should keep our heads down today. It’s been a pretty emotional twenty-four hours.”

  Rose gave her aunt a quick kiss and hurried out to the car. She didn’t even look
at Geranium but gave her the finger again anyway. Once home, she tackled a mountain of housework to take her mind off things. Thank goodness it was her day off. She’d be useless anyway. Who knows what horrors unsuspecting hospital patients would’ve endured? She called her sisters and they had a chat about missing Libby, though Rose didn’t mention the conversation she’d had with her aunt. That was something she needed to sort out in her head first.

  She never saw it from Libby’s point of view. Rose felt terrible about telling her off the first night she was here, actually cringed when she though of it. Damn her and her big mouth. She wondered if she had a problem serious enough to warrant getting professional help.

  Once supper was out of the way and homework dealt with, she planned on calling Seamus, but her Aunt Vi phoned first.

  “I think we were right about Libby running off.”

  “Why? Did something happen?”

  “Someone just called here—I think it was Seamus. He asked for Libby and I said she was gone, that she’d flown to New York today. There was this terrible silence on the other end for the longest time and when I said, ‘Seamus, is that you?’ he hung up.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it doesn’t. What should we do? Do you still want to call him?”

  “I’m not sure. What do you think?”

  “If it’s true, he’ll be so upset. Maybe we should let him be.”

  “But what if he knows something about Libby that we should know? Something that could help her? Obviously she’s not confiding in us.”

  “That’s true. Oh, Rose, I don’t know what’s best.”

  “I suppose the worst he could do is hang up on me.”

  “Okay. Call him and call me back. I’ll wait by the phone.”

  “God. This is nerve-wracking.”

  “Good luck, dear.”

  Rose put down the phone and looked up his number, but it seemed to be unlisted. She forgot he was a cop. Most of them had unlisted numbers—and no wonder. That’s all they’d need, people calling to tell them to shove their speeding tickets.

  Rose didn’t want to call his sister but she didn’t want to talk to his dad either. She couldn’t think of anyone else, so she looked up Colleen’s number and punched it in.