The Choice by Penny Hancock

Author:Penny Hancock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

17

RENEE

The next morning, I leave Irena early to be at home in time for Mia so she can get Xavier straight back into his normal routine. It’s one of my Xavier days and I don’t ever want to let Mia down again. Before I leave her, I turn to Irena.

‘Promise me you’ll stay a bit longer, so we can talk more?’

She nods, and lets me kiss her goodbye. I have the feeling things are improving between us. Yet I’m still acutely aware she could disappear again at any point.

Jonah’s on his deck, trimming off the dried-up stems of plants as I go past.

‘Renee, I don’t usually see you at this time of the morning.’ He puts down the secateurs, claps his hands together in their gloves.

‘I’ve just spent the night with Irena.’

I approach him, ask if he has a minute. He nods and we sit and I tell him Irena’s story.

‘Is she doing OK?’ is all he asks when I’ve finished.

‘I think so. I wonder if you’d mind keeping an eye out for her, just this morning if you’re around? I’ll be back later but I need to check up on Mia.’

He comes down with me onto the path, pulling off his gloves. He squeezes my hand and tells me of course. He’s got the morning free and he’ll watch out for her.

I leave him, my hand still warm from his firm touch, reassured at the thought of Jonah there, tending his plants, chopping wood for the wood burner. Sitting on his deck, drinking his instant coffee with water boiled on his tiny gas ring. A sentinel for my wayward daughter.

I’ve only just got in, and am changing into a fresh outfit, a loose navy cotton poplin dress with wide sleeves that only touch me on the top of my shoulders, when I see Mia arriving already, like any other ordinary school morning. It’s such a relief. I’d taken for granted those humdrum days you barely notice. I should have cherished the regularity of days in which nothing out of the ordinary happens. Days in which I take Xavier to school, go to work, pick him up, cook, have those easy chats with Mia about nothing very much.

The only thing that makes this morning different is that Eddie is with Mia. They come across the garden, Xavier between them, laughing as they swing him up and let him down again. He’s chatting away to them, bright-eyed, full of joie de vivre, happy to have his dad back. There is no evidence that he’s traumatized by the time spent with his aunt.

Things can return to normal with Xavier today, then. And later, when I’ve finished seeing my clients, I’ll go back to Irena and continue to work on regaining her trust in me, and eventually, I hope – I believe – she’ll come back to the fold. If Mia and Eddie are also getting back together again, we’ll once again be the Gulliver family, the wholesome clan of the magazine feature. There’ll be nothing left to hide, to feel ashamed of.

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