Thirty-nine
It wasn’t the way Erica had expected their meeting to end, though she couldn’t really blame Jamie. But she’d hoped they could at least remain friends. Now, it seemed even that was to be denied her. She picked up the blanket, folded it and hugged it to her, a reminder of what could have been. Then she returned home, slipping in as quietly as she’d slipped out, knowing she’d have another sleepless night.
Next morning, Erica tried to put on a cheerful expression to face Briony at breakfast. She’d promised to take her and Ava to the river for a picnic in the expectation of seeing more of the pelicans which Briony was so fond of.
Unaware of Erica’s mood, Briony made cheerful conversation over breakfast before going outside to call Kieren. ‘I promised to call him every morning,’ she said with a slight grimace which contributed to Erica’s suspicion all was not well in her son’s marriage. The cloud in Briony’s eyes when she returned did nothing to dispel that impression.
‘Everything okay?’ Erica asked, when Briony came back into the kitchen where Ava was happily playing with a soft toy.
‘I guess,’ Briony said with a frown. ‘Kieren misses us. He’s worried about the yard, and he thinks you’re planning to turn me against him. As if…’
Erica felt a stab of anger. Maybe now was the time… ‘Take a seat, Briony. I want to talk to you,’ she said.
‘Why do you think Kieren said that?’ she asked, when Briony had taken a seat.
‘I don’t know, Mum. Maybe because you didn’t agree to come to live with us. He was angry about that and…’
‘Did he try to blame you?’
Briony shifted uncomfortably in her chair. ‘No, not really. Things are difficult for him at the moment. Dad left a bit of a mess which he’s trying to sort out. Sometimes he… he doesn’t always mean what he says.’ She looked down to where she was twisting her hands in her lap.
Erica took a deep breath. ‘That can be how it starts, Briony. I think Kieren is more like his father than you realise. I wish I’d known sooner, left sooner, but…’
‘Kieren’s Ava’s dad!’ Briony said, her voice echoing in the small room. ‘He doesn’t mean anything by it. He loves us.’
‘I’m sure he does… in his own way. But is this how you want your life to be?’ she asked, making one more attempt to get through to her daughter-in-law. ‘Have you heard of coercive control?’
‘That’s not Kieren. You should know. He’s your son.’
‘Yes,’ Erica said sadly. She realised she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Briony, not today anyway. ‘Why don’t you take Ava outside while I make up some sandwiches? It won’t take me long, then we can set off.’
‘Okay, Mum,’ Briony said seemingly satisfied. She picked up Ava and telling her, ‘We’re going for a picnic to see pelicans,’ carried her outside.
Left alone, Erica shook her head. She’d tried, and she’d try again before Briony left. But she felt she was beating her head against a brick wall. Briony couldn’t see Kieren’s behaviour for what it was – and Erica was now convinced he was following in his father’s footsteps. But, she wondered, would she have been any different from Briony when Kieren was a baby. She’d been just as blind to Geoff’s faults, believing his behaviour was normal, that she needed to try harder. Then it had been too late. She didn’t want Briony to endure the same future as she had.
*
They had been sitting by the river for some time and had enjoyed their picnic lunch, Briony delighted at the arrival of a group of pelicans who seemed unafraid to come close, when a dog ran up to them, followed by its owner.
Erica recognised the woman… and the dog. It was old Agnes, and Erica remembered, the last time they’d met, how she had the strange impression Agnes could read her mind. The dog ran up to the stroller and sniffed at Ava who gurgled with pleasure.
Briony jumped up to ward the dog off, but Agnes called out, ‘Lady’s an old dog. She won’t harm the baby.’
When the old woman reached them, she stood looking at Erica. ‘Your granddaughter, I suppose. It’s always lovely to see a new generation. She doesn’t live here?’
‘No, my daughter-in-law and she are visiting from Perth.’
‘Hmm.’ Agnes turned to Briony. ‘Pelican Crossing is a good place to live… a safe place. You would do well to listen to your mother-in-law. Come, Lady,’ she said to the dog, and the pair sauntered off.
‘What was that about?’ Briony said. ‘Who is she and what did she mean?’
‘That was old Agnes. She’s lived in Pelican Crossing for what seems like for ever, and she’s always seemed old.’ Erica chuckled. ‘She lives close to here and takes care of sick and injured pelicans. She often seems to talk in riddles, but she’s known for her wisdom. It pays to listen to her.’
Briony stared at Erica for a few moments then shrugged and said dismissively, ‘She’s just an old woman.’
But Erica was remembering some of the stories she’d heard about old Agnes, about how people had benefitted from following her advice, and wished she could acquire some for herself.
*
Jamie cursed, as the spanner he was wielding fell to the ground. Nothing had gone right today. First, his fishing charter had been cancelled. The whole group had come down with a stomach upset, suspected food poisoning, so there was nothing he could do about it, but it threw out his plans.
He’d decided to spend the day on repairs instead, but that wasn’t going well either. Then Gary had called to leave a message about them getting together with Erica and Briony so the two young women could talk babies. He ought not to have been annoyed as it had been his idea in the first place, but that had been before Erica dropped her bombshell.
Everything had been going so well. He and Erica had almost been back on their old footing. He’d had such plans. Now, thanks to Briony, they had been thrown into the bin. He shook his head, not for the first time. How could Erica allow a throw-away comment from her daughter-in-law to destroy what they had together? Had she already been having second thoughts?
Picking up the spanner, Jamie made another half-hearted attempt to finish the task he’d started, but his heart wasn’t in it. He needed to reply to Gary, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He tidied away his tools and headed over to The Grand in the hope a cold beer might help.
When he walked in, blinking at the change from the bright sunlight to the dimness inside the hotel, Jamie was surprised to see Joe standing at the bar with a beer. ‘Don’t normally see you here at this time on a weekday,’ he said, before ordering a glass of the craft beer he’d lately developed a taste for.
‘A meeting finished early, and Gill’s tied up,’ he explained.
‘Coco?’
‘With Erica. She’s found a fan in her granddaughter. I thought you’d have known that.’ He gave Jamie a puzzled glance.
Jamie winced.
‘Something the matter? Let’s get a seat.’
The pair moved over to a small booth at one end of the bar.
Joe was the last person Jamie wanted to talk to about Erica, but it seemed there was no way of avoiding it. ‘We’re not seeing each other anymore.’ He took a long draught of beer, hoping Joe wouldn’t pursue it.
‘What happened? I thought you two…’ He looked pensive for a moment. ‘I know she’ll be pretty tied up with Briony and Ava, but…’ He peered at Jamie, who flinched.
‘It’s Briony,’ he said after a pause. ‘She has suggested to Erica that it’s too soon after her husband’s death for her to be getting involved with me.’ He sighed.
‘And Erica agrees with her? I can’t believe it, after the way that bastard treated her.’
‘Yeah.’ Jamie stared down into his beer, then looked up to meet Joe’s eyes. ‘I found it hard to believe too, but there it is. Your sister is a strange one, blows hot and cold. I thought… well, it seems I was wrong. I take it that she doesn’t want to upset her daughter-in-law, but…’ He sighed again.
‘Hell! I’m sorry, mate. If there was anything I could do… But Erica’s always been her own person, apart from when her bastard of a husband had her under his thumb. I guess in a way I can understand her going along with Briony. She’s been through a lot and apart from me, Kieren and Briony are the only family she has left, but…’ he shook his head, ‘… this is going too far, even for Erica. I wonder…’
Jamie raised an eyebrow.
‘I wonder if it’s all down to Kieren,’ Joe said. ‘I know Erica’s been worried that he was turning into his dad, exercising control over Briony just as Geoff did over her. Has she mentioned her son to you?’
‘She’s told me a bit about him, about her worries, but surely…? He’s in Perth.’
‘I don’t think that matters. If she thinks Briony is under Kieren’s thumb, Erica would probably agree to anything Briony suggested if she thought it would keep her daughter-in-law safe.’
Jamie stared at him in amazement. Would Erica really stop seeing him because of some cockeyed idea that her son might somehow punish his wife? It seemed ridiculous but what did he know about what went on in some men’s minds. He’d seen a lot of the news recently about domestic violence and knew the perpetrators thought differently from guys like him.
‘Briony’s only here for a week,’ Joe said. ‘Maybe, when she goes…’ He picked up his beer and took a drink. ‘Anyway, it’s worth a try. Gill and I both think the pair of you are well suited.’
‘Thanks.’ Joe’s opinion meant a lot to him. He hoped he was right.