Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
T he next couple of weeks were a flurry of daily messages, fun questions and answers, and sharing of photos: Nathan’s gardening progress, his own garden, pictorial responses to the questions; and from Lacie: photos of her salon, her apartment and its tiny fake garden on the windowsill, and her deceased cat Lightning (bless his furry soul). It had helped distract her from everything that was happening, while awaiting the important twelve-week mark.
She popped her second iron tablet of the day as she finished her dinner, having shown to be slightly deficient in her blood results, and after checking her appearance in the gilded mirror above the side table, opened her phone’s camera and cleared her throat, then pressed ‘video’.
‘Hi, everyone,’ she said with a wave and a smile. ‘I wish I could be there tonight for your prize dinner, but sadly I’ll be fast asleep by then, so this’ll have to do, and I expect a video in return, thank you very much!’ She turned the camera to the dining table. ‘As you can see, I’ve just finished my gourmet dinner for one of crispy chicken wings with beetroot salad, and unfortunately no dessert. I hope you get to have more than I did.’ She turned the phone towards the windows and pulled back the curtains. ‘It’s a beautiful warm night here in Chicago, as you can see there are lots of lights everywhere, hence my blackout curtains. But it’s such a pretty sight, like thousands of colourful stars.’ She moved the phone from left to right to take in the view, then turned it back on herself, conscious that Nathan would probably be attending the dinner too. ‘Steve, I hope you enjoy this free meal courtesy of yours truly since I couldn’t be there, and Mum, enjoy a night off from cooking.’ She smiled and looked up at the ceiling, wondering what else to say. ‘Miss you guys already. I’m sure you’re all taking advantage of the new fire pit, and I bet the supermarket is running low on marshmallows.’ She grinned. ‘Anyway, have a great night, video me when your meals arrive so I can have a squiz and pretend I’m there with you.’ She yawned. ‘I think it’s time for me to wind down, so I’ll leave it there, and also long videos take too long to load so better wind things up. Okay, see you, guys, have fun, bye!’ She waved and ended the recording, then sent it to her mum, who responded a few minutes later:
Ohh, we miss you too. That’s great, thanks, my dear, I’ll show everyone at dinner tonight and when you wake you’ll have a video from us to look forward to. Have a good sleep, Mum xx
Lacie smiled. Thank goodness for technology, it made being away from family much easier. Before getting in the shower, she scrolled through her saved videos and clicked on one of her dad. He was opening his presents at the last family reunion she’d attended when he was alive.
‘Yes! I’ve been wanting a new crossword book, thanks, guys. This’ll keep my brain going well into my nineties.’ He smiled and put it to the side then opened another present. ‘Best Dad Ever socks, well I am going to put these on right now.’ He took off his slippers and slid the bright stripy socks onto his feet, pulling them up as high as they would go, almost to his knees, and laughter filled the living room. He stood and surveyed his gift, lifting his feet one at a time. ‘Nice, eh?’
Little did Lacie know then that he wouldn’t live into his nineties, or even his eighties, and not long after, he would be buried in those very socks along with his favourite suit which he wore on special occasions and had always said made him feel like a million bucks. Martha had wanted him to wear the things that made him feel his best when he was alive, novelty socks included.
Lacie wiped the corners of her eyes. ‘Oh, why did I go and click on that?’ She cursed her nostalgia. ‘Oh, Dad,’ she whispered. ‘Life is changing so much, and I don’t know what to do.’ She wondered what message he might write and leave on her pillow if he were able to…
Trust your heart, love.
Or: Wait until morning when your mind is clear to make important decisions.
Or perhaps: Trust your mother’s wisdom now, Lace. She’s here for you.
Yes. She was lucky to have her mum, and her family. Some people, like Nathan, didn’t have anyone. Her dad may be gone but she had years of memories to be grateful for. Her mum had wise words to say too, and like she said, wait for the twelve-week scan then decide. Next week, she’d get to see the baby on the screen, knowing it would be more than a flickering white blob by now, and hoped all would be healthy. And then, she’d have to trust her own wisdom and make her decision – have this baby for her brother and sister-in-law to raise, if they wanted it, or keep the baby and learn how to become a single working mother, without family support nearby. Plenty of women did it, and many without the luxuries she had in life. But seeing Melina so disheartened at the reunion broke her heart. She was such a great mother to her girls, and it was clear she wanted to have a second chance at motherhood with Chris, instead of with her ex who hadn’t been the most supportive husband. What if it never happened for them? Melina was older, and maybe her window had now closed. Maria Elvarez had said she’d waited a long time for her adopted son, and she had no idea how adoption, egg donation, or even surrogacy even worked in Australia, if it came to that. How long would they have to wait to grow their family? Maybe there was a reason why this was happening to her and them at the same time, so she could step up and offer this gift.
The pros and cons of each choice swung in her mind while she showered, and until she succumbed to sleep.
When she woke, she had a brief sense of clarity and a clear mind, until it all came back again. This time next week, she’d make her decision.
She stretched and nibbled on a few crackers she’d left beside her bed, and eagerly grabbed her phone, clicking the WhatsApp icon and then the video her mother had sent during the night.
‘It’s a big howdy and hello from the Haven Heroes!’ Matt’s face and voice burst through the screen and Lacie grinned. ‘We’re all dressed to our best and ready for a night of food, fun, and family.’ He swung the phone along the table until it settled on Gloria, the lady who’d been added to their table the night of the trivia event. ‘And the lovely Gloria, who is now practically family. She insisted we give her share of the prize to another member of the Appleby clan, so we insisted in return that she join us. Besides, Penny said she was looking forward to an evening of… what did she call it, Steve? Oh yes, peace and quiet, after the kids go to bed.’ He turned the camera to Steve who nodded and shrugged. ‘So, Lace.’ The view returned to Matt’s close-up face. ‘We all enjoyed your video and quick tour of the Chicago lights. We all miss you too. I’ll pass you around the group.’
There was a swish of blurriness as the phone was moved around the table, first up she saw Sophia’s heart-shaped face. ‘Bonjour, Lacie!’ She pressed her hands to her lips and blew a kiss, then passed the phone to Chris who gave a wave and a hello, her heart tugging at the subtle weariness on his face. Ellie in comparison looked wide awake, the night owl that she was, and she wore dark eyeliner on both top and bottom eyelids. She pulled a funny face for Lacie, pushing her cheeks and lips together, then chuckling. Martha gave an exuberant wave and blew a kiss also, saying how much she wished she were here with them, and hoping that she was ‘taking good care of herself’, and thankfully not saying ‘hope the pregnancy is going well’.
Poor Gloria, immersed in the loud and silly Appleby family fun, she looked slightly overwhelmed and lost but happy to be there nonetheless. She gave a single wave, a bit like the royal wave, and then Nathan came into view and her stomach somersaulted. He had slightly more stubble than the last time she saw him, as though he was growing it out a little over winter. He was wearing a navy shirt, the top button undone and the collar gently cradling his collarbones. ‘Sorry you can’t be here to join us,’ he said. ‘Loved seeing a bit of Chicago, you’ll have to send more tour videos for this small-town guy.’ He smiled. ‘Hope you have an amazing weekend.’ He waved and handed the phone back to Matt.
‘Ooh, perfect timing, our meals are here!’ Matt turned the camera to face the table and Lacie watched as plates were placed in front of each person. Whatever they were having looked delicious and beautiful. ‘And we’d like to thank Luca, here, who made tonight possible with his generous donation in honour of the local school. Thanks, Luca.’ The face of Home restaurant’s owner, Luca, came into view, as he received a round of applause, his dark hair and eyes commanding the screen as he waved hello to her and held a hand to his chest at the accolades. He had been in the same high school year as Chris, until he’d moved away, only to return twenty years later. He’d been Nathan’s roommate temporarily at one stage, Nathan had mentioned during one of their chats, when she’d asked him more about his home life. She wondered if he ever got lonely, but by the looks of things, her mum had welcomed him into the family like a lost puppy.
‘Well, I think that concludes the show, folks, I mean, Lacie.’ Matt winked at her. ‘Dinner awaits! Take care, Lace. We love you, and we’ll talk again soon. Bye!’ He moved the phone around and everyone waved and chorused, ‘Bye!’ The video cut out just after it landed on Nathan, and she giggled at the entertainment her brother had provided. She may not be there, but she was still part of their lives. Living far away wasn’t so bad. She could see and talk to them any time she wanted, really. It was only hugs and sharing meals and experiences that she missed out on.
Lacie yawned and stretched again, easing herself out of bed. She could have a lazy breakfast, take it slow, and let the day unfold however it wanted to. Then tonight, she’d be enjoying a much-needed night out with her friend Rosie. They were going to watch her client and friend Lulu perform on stage at a local club. Lacie often did Lulu’s make-up for her shows, but tonight she’d be part of the audience at Lulu’s first gig at a new upper-class venue for up-and-coming stars. Rosie didn’t yet know Lacie was pregnant, and would no doubt find out when she ordered a mocktail instead of her usual cocktail, but hopefully she could avoid having a long, deep conversation about it and just enjoy the night. That was the plan anyway.