‘Ash? Yeah it’s me. There’s been a situation. You need to come to the boathouse. It’s urgent. Get an ambulance here. Soon as possible… Yeah I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s not me. It’s Kelly.’
Forty
Seven months later
TIA
I kiss Ed and run from the front door to the car, my head bowed against icy needles of rain. She only lives a few minutes’ walk away, but I don’t want to get drenched and have to sit in damp clothes all evening. I’ll drive there and leave the car overnight so I can have a few drinks. It is a celebration after all.
I slide into the car, my hair already dripping with rain, and start up the engine. I’m looking forward to tonight. We’ve all been so busy over Christmas that we barely had time to get together. We’re due a well-deserved catch up. And now the fallout from the Greg-and-Sophie nightmare is behind us, maybe we can concentrate on having a laugh for a change.
Both Lawsons are fully recovered physically and are serving time in prison. Greg will be lucky to get out in the next decade, and Sophie is serving two years. Fiona’s visited her a couple of times and Kelly tries to visit at least once a month. They’re more generous towards her than I would be. If I never see either of the Lawsons again it’ll be too soon.
Kelly’s stab wound wasn’t life-threatening. But it scared us all. Made us realise how close we’d come to not making it out of that boathouse. Made us realise that we’d all been given a second chance at life.
I drive carefully down the rain-drenched street. The last thing I need is a car accident. Luckily, the roads are empty. Who else would be crazy enough to go out on a Monday evening in February in this weather?
After that terrible night, I had no choice but to tell Ed about everything that had happened in the run up to it, including receiving those photographs. He was furious with Greg and Sophie. Devastated that they’d spiked my drink and put me in such a compromising and distressing position. But after everything had sunk in and he knew that I was safe, he was also a little upset that I hadn’t confided in him in the first place. That I hadn’t shared my fears with him, my own husband.
Ed was hurt that I’d thought he might not believe me. He asked me to think how I would feel if the situation was reversed. I agreed that I’d been wrong not to trust him, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. We gradually found our way back to one another. Stronger than before. But also more considerate. More careful of one another’s feelings.
I realise I’ve already arrived at Kelly’s, and it’s another mad dash through the rain to her house. Luckily, I don’t have to wait too long before the door opens, and Fiona stands before me with a glass of wine in her hand.
‘Tee, come in.’
‘Congratulations!’ I step inside and we kiss one another on the cheek.
‘Thank you.’ She breathes in and smiles at the same time, letting out a happy sigh. I take in her stick-thin figure and gaunt face. Fi’s lost weight these past few months – she needs to pile on a few more pounds, if you ask me. But she says she has no idea why because she’s never eaten so much junk food in her life. I can attest to that; I nearly fell off my chair when I saw her – Miss Calorie-Counting Salad Junkie – eat a cheeseburger last month. Right now she takes a huge slug of wine. ‘Kelly’s in the kitchen getting the casserole out of the oven. Do you want red or white?’
‘Red please.’ I manage to find a space to hang my coat up in the hall and follow Fiona into the kitchen. ‘Hey, Kels, that smells great.’
Kelly’s crouched in front of the oven. She turns around as I walk in, her cheeks pink from the heat. ‘Tia, hi! Sit down, I’ll dish this up in a sec.’
‘Where are the boys?’
‘Upstairs. I told them I’m having a girls’ night. No boys allowed.’
‘No you didn’t.’
‘No, you’re right, I didn’t.’ She laughs.
‘I’ll go up and say hi in a bit.’
‘Great, they’d love to see you.’
Lately, Kelly has been staying home a lot more and volunteering a lot less. She told us that she thought her volunteer work might have been a way to escape her real life, to not have to deal with Michael’s death and with her grief. Now that she’s eased off on the hours at work, she’s been able to spend a lot more quality time with Ryan and Sonny. They all seem to be doing better. Especially Ryan, who’s so much happier both at home and at school, where he’s reconnected with his friends. There’s also another reason why Kelly hasn’t been working quite such long hours these days.
‘How’s that delicious man of yours?’ I ask with a teasing grin.
Using a pair of oven gloves that look like they were made in the seventies, Kelly carries the chipped blue casserole dish over and sets it down in the middle of the table. ‘He’s fine thanks, Tia.’ She pulls a face at me and sticks her tongue out, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of pink.
Kelly’s been seeing Saul Barker, the defence solicitor who was working on her case. He asked her out on a date the week after all the charges were dropped and, after quite a bit of dithering, she finally said yes. Saul is divorced with two teenagers, so he and Kelly have a lot in common. She insists it’s not that serious, but I think it is. I think she’s just saying that to protect herself.
Kelly dishes up the food while Fiona pours me a glass of red and tops up Kelly’s glass.
‘So, Happy D-Day, Fiona,’ Kelly says, holding her glass up.
‘Happy D-Day, Fi,’ I echo.
