‘I hope you mean the house? You’re not unwell, are you?’
Kate shook her head. ‘I’m as fit as a fiddle. I do mean the house. None of my children will let it drop, and it’s getting to me. For years I managed to avoid thinking about it. But now?’ Kate shrugged.
‘You can’t, because you know they’re right.’
Kate pressed her lips together and nodded. ‘Yes.’ She looked at Augi sadly. ‘I have to face facts, I think.’
‘And you need more facts than I’ve already discovered?’
Kate nodded again.
Augi folded her hands in her lap. ‘That’s fine. You know I’m more than happy to help. Have you found out any more since we spoke last?’
Kate shook her head. ‘No. All I know is what you and Lucy have discovered. That my grandmother, Ngaire, took a photo of a US Marine who appears to have connections to Michigan. We still haven’t heard back from the lawyers in Michigan who Lucy approached.’ She looked ruefully at Augi.
‘Right. So, have they made any progress identifying the man in the photo?’
Kate shrugged, defeated. ‘No. But I need to press on and find out who he is. Maybe his identity will help us move forward with the trust. Now that Jen and Liam are home, it’s made me re-think things, made me see things a little differently. I don’t want to live in doubt any longer. I need to take control and move forward.’ She shrugged, as if she were working things out as she spoke. ‘I guess I’m feeling more secure in my world.’ She looked up into Augi’s face with surprise, as if she’d only just admitted this fact to herself. ‘I guess I’m ready to move on.’
Augi smiled and nodded. ‘Then maybe I can help.’
Kate drew in a deep breath. ‘Let’s do it. Why don’t you come round later and we can talk it through?’
Augi really didn’t want to go to Kate’s house in case she bumped into Dan, but could hardly refuse now she’d committed to help her. ‘Sure.’
Kate rose and smiled. ‘Great. Come to dinner. You know, I feel better now I’ve made that decision. Whoever was behind the trust, and I imagine it’s the man in the photo, wanted to make sure my grandmother Ngaire was OK. And he did that. And more. He also made sure Hope was OK, and my family and me. So, I shouldn’t feel resentful. Clearly something happened in the early 1940s which made us lose the house. And then a few years later, he bought it and let our family live in it, without anyone knowing he’d done it. And, for that, I should be eternally grateful.’
Augi smiled, although she wasn’t so keen to go to dinner but couldn’t think of a convincing excuse. ‘It’s always good to feel grateful rather than resentful.’
‘Yes, but harder,’ Kate said picking up her bag. ‘You know, aside from my own security and the question of the house — which, to be honest, I think I’m reconciled to — what really plays on my mind is what actually happened to our family that made us lose the house in the first place.’
‘It wasn’t that long ago. There may still be people around who remember.’
Kate nodded thoughtfully. ‘That’s what I was thinking. I think it’s about time I talked to my Maori whanau about it.’
‘Haven’t they mentioned anything over the years?’
‘It’s never come up. I think there was some kind of falling out between Ngaire, Tamati and his family. We didn’t attend the usual family events. Weren’t invited, I guess, and I never missed it. Because you don’t miss what you never had, do you?’
‘They could give you valuable information,’ said Augi.
‘Yes. I’ve been reluctant to ask questions. Pride, maybe.’ Kate pressed her lips together and shook her head. ‘Until recently I hadn’t even told the kids. But I think now it’s time to reach out to my Maori relatives, mend bridges, and try to find out what went on all those years ago.’
Augi nodded. ‘Good. Although oral history can be faulty, you might be able to get more of a flavour of the truth than from documents and records.’
Kate paused at the door and turned to her. ‘I’d really like it if you came to dinner tonight. I promise you it won’t be as dramatic as last week.’
‘Er, I said I’d call in on my neighbour this evening.’ It wasn’t a lie exactly, but Augi hadn’t specified a time and it was only ever going to be a brief visit.
Kate smiled. ‘I heard you were helping Annie with some shopping and cooking.’
Augi shrugged. She didn’t broadcast these things. ‘I do what I can. Annie’s finding it hard since she was discharged from hospital.’
‘And she thinks it’s only your help which is keeping her in her own home. Anyway,’ Kate continued, as if sensing Augi’s discomfort. ‘Why don’t you call in after dinner, after you’ve seen Annie, like you did last week?’
Augi found herself agreeing because she couldn’t lie to Kate. She watched her walk away. The day was still full of sunshine, children laughed in the nearby crèche, and a couple of teenagers played tennis. She stepped aside with a smile as a library patron greeted her and went inside to the shadowy library. Augi followed, and life, stubborn and ordinary, continued.
But something had shifted. She felt like she was losing the battle to keep separate from the world and people around her.
