Runaway by Claire MacLeary

Author:Claire MacLeary [Claire MacLeary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912235445
Publisher: Saraband
Published: 2019-08-01T16:00:00+00:00

Catch You Later

‘I’m not sure about this,’ Maggie said from the big chair in the bay window. ‘What if Dad takes another turn?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ he responded from his seat on the sofa.

‘Yes, but if I’m out at work and you’re in the garden, Mum might not hear you if anything were to happen.’

‘Nothing’s going to happen,’ he rushed to reassure her. ‘The consultant said, just as long as I take my medication, the risks are low.’

‘Yes, but any strenuous activity…’

‘He said I’ve to keep physically active.’

‘But…’ Her parents were trying to be positive, she knew, but she wouldn’t forgive herself if her dad were to take ill on account of her. Shrank, too, from further responsibility. If anything were to happen to him, how would her mother cope? How would she, Maggie, manage if either – or both – of them were to be incapacitated?

‘…even something did happen,’ he joked. ‘I’m a lot nearer Foresterhill here than I’d be at Oldmeldrum.’

She frowned. ‘That’s not funny.’

‘It’s true.’ He turned to his wife. ‘You tell her, pet.’

‘He’s right,’ her mum backed him up. ‘And, anyhow, you can’t plan for things like that. If God decides he wants to take you…’ She broke off. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…’

Maggie closed her eyes. She’d nothing left to say to the god who’d reduced solid, decent, loving George to a shadow, then snatched him from the security of his family.

‘That’s okay.’ She opened them again. ‘I take your point. But, to get back to what I was saying, I’m not at all sure how the arrangement would work.’

‘Why on earth not?’ her mum puzzled.

‘Well, it’s one thing you coming to visit, quite another parachuting in to do odd jobs – unpaid at that – and bailing out again.’ Well-intentioned or not, she balked at the idea of them rolling up, unannounced. Had assumed, in the light of her dad’s health scare, that their offer of help had gone out the window. ‘Dad’s supposed to be taking things easy for now. And there’s the distance involved. Who’s going to drive in and out? That road can be busy, and driving is stressful…’

Her dad butted in. ‘We won’t be travelling at peak times. And we’re both still perfectly able to drive.’ He looked to Maggie’s mum for back-up. ‘We can take it in turns.’

‘Then there’s Colin,’ Maggie added. Something else she hadn’t factored in. ‘And Kirsty during the holidays. If you were here for the whole afternoon…’

‘We wouldn’t get in anybody’s way,’ her mother interrupted. ‘We’d be in and out.’

‘Yes, but what would you be doing, exactly?’

‘Cleaning, gardening, bit of shopping. Whatever’s needed.’

‘That’s way too much. Sounds more like a full-time job rather than a helping hand. And Dad shouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting. Nor should you, come to that.’

Her mum laughed. ‘We wouldn’t be doing anything like that. Or doing it all at once. You could leave us a list.’

‘Mmm.’ Maggie had to admit the idea had some merit.

‘There’s things need doing I can see from here,’ her mother continued.

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