Epilogue
CALLA
FOUR YEARS LATER
I take in every feature of every face. Not one person has changed in the past ten years since most of these people left school. My eyes insist on tricking my brain into thinking everyone looks the same as they did when we were sixteen.
The parquet flooring has been re-polished once or twice, and the windows are now double glazed.
Still, I’m convinced the blue velvet curtain—which doesn’t exactly glide across the stage—is original.
Our school hasn’t changed too much in all this time.
The only real difference being the echo of emptiness inside the gymnasium as it now fills with warmth and humour.
Some of us may have had our differences in the past, but how quickly water flows under the bridge. Well, for most of us.
One of my committee colleagues, Gemma, is passing by, carrying a tray of sausage rolls and knocking me out of my daydream. “Everything okay, Cals?”
“Great,” I reply, taking in the room. “It looks pretty bloody good, even if I say so myself.”
Spinning on my silver diamanté encrusted flats, I glance around me, taking in every beautifully decorated dining table.
The turquoise blue and silver streamers, with matching balloons, wait in a net above the makeshift dance floor.
I put together the matching centrepieces myself, and along with the committee’s handy work, it’s looking pretty spectacular in here.
“Hey, here you are. Where have you been hiding?” I hear Scott behind me.
“You’ve done an amazing job,” I tell him, sliding my hand into the crook of his arm. “You should be proud of yourself.”
“I put the balloons up in a net, and a few decorations, that’s all. It’s hardly rocket science.” Scott laughs. “You’re the one who’s done all the hard work, sorting out the tables, flowers—in fact, what haven’t you done?”
“A lot,” I tell him, a grin on my face. “There’s a committee for everything.”
“On this occasion, I happen to know you did more than your fair share and you shouldn’t take so much on, especially now.”
“Typical you. You’re always giving out praise and never accept any yourself,” I say, giving his arm a squeeze.
Who would have thought Scott and I would ever be friends, never mind brother and sister?
The thing is, we laugh about it now, but no one regrets their actions more than Scott himself.
It’s a part of our school days he’d rather forget, but he’s more than made up for it.
He’s been there for me when I needed him most. I don’t know what I’d have done without him.
Finding myself pregnant at twenty-two wasn’t exactly something I planned, but I thank God every day for him.
He supported every decision I made while I was there for him as he tried to win over my best friend.
Angie practically glides towards us in the long black Valentino evening dress she borrowed from me in a panic earlier today. I kiss her on the cheek, before Scott scoops her up and nuzzles his nose into her neck, then lands a kiss against her skin there.
“Ugh, save it for later you two, please.”
“Sorry, Cal. But you’ve got to admit, my wife looks hot tonight. I don’t recognise the dress, though.”
While looking to me, Angie giggles. “I borrowed it from the queen of the auction sites here.”
“Looks expensive, but I’m guessing it’s not?”
Scott knows me so well by now, and Angie fills him in before I have a chance to. “I happen to know she got this particular item for less than two hundred quid and knowing you Cal, you’ll flog it next week then catch yourself another bargain.”
“Rotating your wardrobe is key, and I rely on people doing exactly that for my business.”
“And handy for us that my sister has an online store, otherwise, my wife would cost me a fortune.”
Angie slaps Scott on the chest. “Watch it, Knoxie.”
I giggle. “Scott might have a point there, Ange.” I bite my lip, raising my brows.
“Ugh, who’s side are you on?” she asks, almost immediately following with, “Don’t answer that. You two always gang up on me.” She pouts her lip then smiles at her inner thoughts. “Thank God I have little Zoe on my side. Talking of which, what have you done with my gorgeous goddaughter tonight?”
“She’s with her great Nanna and Gramps. They fly back to Greece next week, so they’re spending as much time together as possible.” I tell her, feeling a little sad.
My baby is growing up all too quickly. It only seems like yesterday I found out I was pregnant.
Zoe arrived quicker than I could get my head around.
I only just got to take my finals before she arrived a week before her due date in May.
Thank God Ash was there to sing Elvis songs in the labour room, and we’ve had Angie, Scott and Liz with us every step of the way for support.
That’s when we’re not travelling the globe with the band, of course.
I’m only here tonight because I promised to help with the organisation, and of course, I wanted to catch up with old friends.
It meant I had to miss the last leg of the band’s tour and I’m missing Ash like mad. We’re rarely apart these days.
Angie smiles. “What a wise child you have, choosing to stay at home instead of hanging out at this bloody reunion. I don’t blame her.”
“It’s a little late for a three-year-old Angie, but she was here earlier to supervise Uncle Scott with the balloons.”
Scott smiles. “She was a great help even if she popped more than I could blow up.”
“So, you’re telling me you didn’t do all the decorating yourself yet you’re happy to take the credit. I see how this goes.” Angie winks my way.
I raise my brow again at her. “Um, excuse me? You’re a fine one to wink. I noticed you dodged a bullet. How did you get out of the decorating committee?” I tease.
“I told you to join the catering team. It’s a breeze.
All I had to do was chips, dips and nibbles.
After a trip to Costco first thing, I knocked up a bucket of guacamole and sour cream selections, then Bobs your uncle.
I had the afternoon free. I told you not to take too much on,” she says, scowling ever so slightly.
Angie has a shortcut for everything. When we first met, we were just twelve and both late for PE.
She showed me a shortcut to the gym through the window of the girl's toilets. I nearly fell down the bloody bowl on the way in, causing us to laugh so hard, we couldn’t get ourselves together and were late anyway.
The DJ warms up playing a selection of 90s classics as the room fills with chatter.
I’m looking forward to this evening, but probably for all the wrong reasons.
We still keep in touch with a few of our former school friends, but there were some snobbier kids we just never gelled with.
A lot of them will be here tonight. Part of me will take great delight in telling them about my incredible family, especially as my mum had the worst reputation amongst the other parents.
I’m not sad to say I don’t hear a thing from my mother anymore; it’s her choice.
After I told her I was pregnant, she gave me a lecture and said I should get rid of the baby.
“It will only ruin your life,” she said when I called to let her know the joyful news.
“Is that how you see me? Did I ruin your life too?”
“Let’s put it this way, Greg might still be around if you weren’t.”
It was the last nail in the coffin for me. Clearly, I was the one that had ruined her life. I’m over it now. Nanna and Gramps have shown me what real parenting is all about, although having Vivienne Bryson as my mum has also taught me so much. My daughter has parents who love her for a start.
I watch my gorgeous brother and sister-in-law burn up the dance floor, making me a little sad. I look to my silver bracelet and gently hold the small clam charm between my fingers. God, I miss my man so much it hurts. I wish with everything I have; he was here.
I wish I could have brought Zoe with me tonight, just to keep me company.
She loves to dance and has music in her bones.
I’d be lying if I said I don’t know where she gets it from.
Right at this very moment, my daughter’s daddy is strutting his incredibly sexy stuff, together with his equally sex-alicious bandmates, on a giant stage across the pond in the Staples Centre.
No doubt, he’ll be surrounded by adoring, bra-less rock chicks, convinced he only has eyes for them, while their equally smitten other halves rock out as if there’s no tomorrow.
I made peace with these facts when I was pregnant with Zoe.
I had to be sure I could handle everything that came with being Ash Chambers’ wife before I agreed to marry him.
We haven’t actually had time to tie the knot yet, but we’ve finally bought a home together, right here in Braebeach, together with an apartment in New York.