The Puzzle of You by Leah Mercer

Author:Leah Mercer [Mercer, Leah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-31T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Charlotte closes the flat door quietly behind her and leans against the solid wood. This is home – this is the world she existed in with her daughter, and the space she must now inhabit while frantically praying she’ll remember everything. If the consultant said to live her daily life, she’ll do just that . . . with bells on. Anabelle’s laughter floats from the lounge, and Charlotte pushes off the door.

‘I’m back!’ she calls out, forcing a bright and energetic note into her voice, though her heart drops when she spots Miriam and Anabelle at the table with the watercolours – the very last thing on earth Charlotte wants to contend with.

No, she tells herself firmly through gritted teeth. I love watercolours! I absolutely adore them! It’s my favourite thing to do with Anabelle. Shame repeating the words doesn’t make them feel any truer. Still, she needs to try.

‘Hi, guys. Can I join in?’ She leans over to examine Anabelle’s painting . . . Surprise, surprise, a giant slug, with definitely no antennae.

Anabelle glances up at her with a face like pure sunshine. If Charlotte hadn’t been cursing the coming paintjob, Anabelle’s joy at seeing her might have made her feel a little bit better. ‘Mummy! Yes! Come sit.’

Miriam pushes back her chair and Charlotte can’t resist looking at what her mother-in-law is creating. To her surprise, it’s actually an accomplished painting of the view from their window . . . quite a feat, given the shoddy brushes and paints.

‘Wow! That’s great!’ Charlotte says, unable to keep the disbelief from her voice.

Miriam shrugs. ‘I’ve been doing some watercolour classes for the past few years, you know, just to pass the time and meet a few people. The days can seem very long when you’re on your own.’ Her face softens from its usual brisk expression, and Charlotte catches a rare glimpse of vulnerability. For once, she can relate to how long the hours can be – time has never dragged more than this past week, when she was alone in the flat. Is that what Miriam’s life is like all the time? She lives for her sons, and even though they adore her, they have their own worlds now that she’s not part of, despite her best efforts. She has nothing of her own . . . except watercolours. God, how depressing.

A stab of fear goes through Charlotte. Is that what she has in store, too?

‘I can’t wait to have you lot all with me, all the time,’ Miriam continues. ‘It’ll be so nice to have noise in the house again.’

Charlotte nods, her mind whirling. Does diving back into the life she was living mean having to embrace all her previous decisions, good or bad? She can see that Miriam is lonely, but living with her . . . ? Maybe they could take Anabelle over to visit a bit more; perhaps a sleepover every once in a while. Had Charlotte ever done that, or had she been

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.