Chapter Five #2
Priya was still speaking, and Deanna refocused with some effort.
“Yes, she thought you’d be a great match.
I must say, I agreed with her. I remember how you two got along as kids.
Cal was always so quiet, but you pulled him out of his shell.
He was always laughing when you were around, and you were giggling too, inventing games to play.
Not to mention, he told me on more than one occasion that you were very pretty. ”
Deanna laughed, as something like joy unfurled in her chest. “I was eleven at the time. I wasn’t exactly a bombshell.”
Priya laughed too, as Cal stroked her back. “Of course not, my dear, but my Cal hardly ever mentions girls to me. Even now. You must have made quite an impression.”
“You certainly did,” Cal whispered in her ear, and her face heated as he kissed the lobe.
“Well, darlings, I’d better run. I have house guests. But I’ll be glad to see you two after they leave. Have a nice Christmas, won’t you? Bye, now!”
Deanna stared at the phone for a second after the line went dead. Priya had hung up.
Cal placed the phone back on the hook, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing.
Then Cal pulled her on top of him and they kissed, and everything was right with the world.
After a while, Deanna pulled away to whisper, “So, this is your bed, huh? It seems comfortable.”
“Mmm. Very comfortable. But it’s a bit big for me on my own.”
Deanna nodded, tapping a finger to her temple as if in deep thought. “I could share it with you. To stop you from getting lonely. We could even share body heat.”
Cal chuckled, pulling her close. “What a brilliant idea.”
After a few luxurious hours in Cal’s bed and a long, lazy brunch of French toast and bacon cooked on the gas stove, Deanna sat back on the sofa, eyeing the parcel from her mother.
Cal was beside her, exactly where he should be. He took her hand, threading their fingers together. “I don’t think your mother would have left you anything upsetting. She obviously loved you very much.”
Deanna’s throat felt tight, as she choked back tears for about the hundredth time. “Okay. I’ll open it.” She let go of Cal’s hand and picked up the package.
She opened the wrapping paper carefully, resisting the urge to tear the paper like she would have as a kid.
Inside the parcel was a box decorated with stickers, mementos of all the places Deanna had travelled over the years.
At some point she’d started buying souvenir stickers from different cities and she’d sent lots to Mum.
When she lifted the lid off the box, the first thing she saw was a plush toy dog named Paris, who wore a little beret.
Deanna got that toy when they first lived in London.
She patted him and looked through a bunch of letters.
Her mother had clearly kept a lot of letters and postcards from her modelling days, as well as some of Deanna’s old school reports and essays. She put them aside to read later.
There was a red glittery yo-yo she remembered playing with in her childhood bedroom when she was talking to her best school friends on the phone. She grinned as she picked it up and tried the ‘walk the dog’ trick.
Last of all, a black box drew her attention. She opened it to find her mum’s old digital SLR camera with a sticky note attached. It read: Use me to take pictures of beautiful things or whatever gives you joy.
“Did you know I studied photography too? I wanted to be a photographer like Mum. I always thought I’d get back to it, one day.”
“You should do it.” Cal smiled at her with a look so full of warmth it made her heart clench like a fist. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
She picked up the camera, checked the settings, pointed it at Cal and took a snapshot.
Beauty and joy. Yes, Cal fit the bill. She winked at him and then set the camera down.
Inside the box, there was also a large, old-fashioned key with a red ribbon tied to the end. It was stuck to another note in an envelope. She opened it up and read the contents, smiling at her mum’s characteristic, looping handwriting.
Deanna, my sweet girl,
I’m so sorry to leave you so soon. I’m writing to remind you of all the things I’ve tried to teach you.
I want you to do everything, and experience everything that you want in this life.
Do not live your life in a small way. Be big, be unapologetic.
Do the thing! I know that sometimes that’s frightening, but you should always go after your dreams.
If you find love, hang onto it with everything you have. Give all of your heart. You will know when you meet the one, just like I did with your father. He would be so proud of you, of the lovely woman you are. And so am I.
Also, I want you to give the key to Cal. It's for a safe deposit box and I found it a few months ago. His father had an account with the local bank and I think he had forgotten he gave it to me for safekeeping. Cal is a smart person and he will know what to do with it.
I wish you beauty and joy all the days of your life.
Love always
Mum.
P.S. if I have sent you in the wrong direction and Cal is not the one, don’t you worry. But he sounds like a sweet boy. I’m sure you two will hit it off again!
Deanna sighed as she finished reading, and handed the letter straight to Cal. “You should read this too.” Tears were streaming down her face now, so she reached for the Kleenex box on the table and wiped her cheeks with a tissue.
Cal took a while to read the letter right to the end, then his snort let her know that he’d taken in the unbelievable levels of sneaky matchmaking her mother had planned.
“What was all that about a key? I don’t know anything about a safe deposit box.” Cal’s forehead was all creased again, so Deanna leaned over and kissed him right there.
“I think we’d better find out.”