‘But why do you want to go there?’
He didn’t seem to notice the tremble in her voice.
‘I want to see the area where you grew up. I want to know everything I can about my soon-to-be wonderful wife. I want to share everything with you. Our present, our future and our past.’
Stella swallowed. She knew she should be honest with the man she was marrying. But she couldn’t bear to share her shame.
‘The past’s been and gone,’ she said as breezily as she could muster. ‘It’s our future together that matters.’
5
‘Hi, Mum!’ Amy dashed up the front steps, almost tripping over the Home Sweet Home doormat. She set down two shopping bags. ‘Sorry I was so long, I thought I’d be back at least an hour ago. The Everglades was mobbed and I couldn’t get a parking place. Then I bumped into Rhianna from school and we went for a coffee. Where’s Grandpa? Is he in his shed? I’ll go and get my laptop when I’ve put this stuff away. I can’t wait to get started.’
‘Amy…’ Mum’s voice was strange as though coming from a faraway place.
‘What is it? What’s happened?’
Tears welled in Mum’s eyes. Dad emerged from the door to the garage and came and stood behind Mum, one hand on her shoulder.
‘I’m so sorry, Amy. Grandpa’s gone.’
‘But he can’t have. You’re wrong, it’s not true!’ Amy almost shouted.
‘Oh, love, I know it’s a shock, but you know how ill he’s been.’ Dad wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his shirt, breathing in that familiar Dad scent of ferny aftershave, fabric conditioner and cigarettes.
Amy untangled herself. ‘But he was fine last night. He was talking about… about us going in the shed and his memoirs and…’
‘The doctors never thought he’d last so long. No one expected him to make it past his hundredth,’ Dad said. ‘Sorry… that came out a bit blunter than I meant it to.’
‘He was determined to hold your cousin Martha’s baby. It was almost as though becoming a great-grandfather was the goal he was holding on for after your grandma had gone. And after that…’ Mum’s voice tailed off.
‘When did it happen? Why didn’t you call me? I would have come back straight away.’
‘I couldn’t tell you over the phone and it made no sense knowing you’d be home soon enough,’ Mum said. ‘Come on in, I’ll make some tea. We can’t just stand around in the hallway.’
Amy trailed after her. She didn’t want tea. She didn’t want anything except to go back in time. She should have been here. She should have taken Grandpa his morning coffee in bed. He might still have been alive. She might have heard his voice one last time, spent precious moments with him. Instead, she’d been sitting in some soulless shopping centre café cooing over Rhianna’s rainbow-coloured bikinis as she swiped through her school friend’s holiday snaps.
Mum switched on the kettle. She took out a carton of milk and gave it a sniff. Dad opened and closed cupboard doors as though he’d forgotten where the mugs lived.
‘Can I see him?’ Amy started for the stairs without waiting for an answer.
‘Are you sure?’ Dad called out but he didn’t go after her.
Amy pushed open the door. Lance was dressed in his usual striped pyjamas, his head back against the pillow. She crept in quietly as though he might be disturbed and stood by the head of the bed instead of perching on the quilt as she normally did. The window was open. Down on the patio, clothes were pegged out on the rotating dryer. The sun was out. It wasn’t a day for dying. Maybe he was just sleeping, maybe it wasn’t true. She reached out to touch him.
‘Grandpa?’ His cheek was cool. She snatched back her hand.
A floorboard creaked. Dad crossed the room.
‘Oh, Amy!’ He smoothed down her hair and kissed her on the forehead the way he’d done when she was little.
‘He was the best grandpa in the world.’ Amy gulped. ‘I was going to write up his memoirs, what he did when he was young, what he did in the war. And now it’s too late. I wish I’d asked him about it before. Why didn’t I?’
‘I suppose it was hard to imagine he wouldn’t be around forever,’ Dad said. ‘Did you see that box sitting on the bedside table? Grandpa made it for you himself.’
She traced her finger over the letters AMY carved into the wooden lid. ‘This must be what he was talking about yesterday.’ She picked it up. It was lighter than she expected.
‘Bring it downstairs and open it.’
