Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
Dutch Post-Impressionist. Hugely talented and influential artist, wracked with self-doubt. Discussion point: how does a lack of confidence affect our potential?
(Taken from Calliope Thorne’s teaching notes.)
‘You saved our lives.’ Callie reached for Johnny’s hand. Against the hospital bedding he looked alarmingly white-faced but she’d never been more grateful to see anyone in her life.
It was early in the morning. The other men in the four-bed ward were asleep. After what seemed like an eternity waiting in A there was some explaining to do, but that would have to wait.
She couldn’t imagine what had been going through her daughter’s mind.
When she’d found her bloodied and soaked through in the beach hut it hadn’t been the time for a heart-to-heart.
Frida had a nasty leg wound made worse by the nail embedded in her thigh.
She’d been lucky, the doctors had said. When the plank Frida had stepped on flipped up and hit her, the nail had missed the major artery. The wound would heal quickly.
Sunil had taken her to the hospital café to get hot coffee and some breakfast. They would drive home soon but Callie had insisted she check on Johnny first. It was no wonder he was so pale.
An angry gash on the bridge of his nose was dressed in Steri-Strips, and two black eyes were beginning to bloom.
‘Are you okay?’ He grasped her hand and hung on. ‘And Frida?’
‘I’m absolutely fine,’ she reassured him. ‘Nothing but a few cuts and bruises. Frida’s leg has been bandaged, she’s been given an anti-tetanus and we have to attend a walk-in clinic to have the wound checked in two days.’
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
‘Nothing that a hot coffee won’t cure.’
He sank back onto the pillows, still gripping her hand. ‘Thank God.’
‘Never mind me. And Frida’s got youth on her side, she’ll be fine in a couple of days. It’s you I’m worried about. How are you, Johnny? Why are they keeping you in?’
‘Got bashed on the head but I’ll be okay.
They wanted to keep me in for observation for an hour or so.
Think it was a lump of tree branch that walloped me.
’ He tapped gently at his forehead. ‘Not sure what has more wood in it. My parents will be along at some point. I’m being allowed home later today, once the doc has given me the all-clear. ’
‘Home? Sea Haven House?’
‘No. According to the nurse, Mum phoned up and insisted she take me to the family house in Exeter. She can’t quite contain her excitement at the thought of having me as a victim… I mean, invalid for a few days. Not to mention The Aunts.’
‘You have my sympathy.’
‘I’m going to need it.’ He attempted a grin and then winced at the pain from the injury on his nose. ‘You’ll have Frida to look after so I don’t want to add to your nursing burden.’
Callie wanted to say she’d be happy to look after him but stayed silent. There was so much to say and she couldn’t utter a word.
‘Think Jamie deserves an apology,’ Johnny added, breaking the awkwardness.
‘Poor Jamie.’ Callie bit her lip in shame. ‘We all ignored him, and he was only trying to do his job. All I could think about was finding Frida.’
‘And the only thing I wanted to do was find you.’
‘We should have left it to the emergency services,’ Callie said, not quite meeting his eyes. She rubbed the beginning of a tear away. ‘But then it might have been too late for Frida.’
‘It might have been too late for both of you.’ Johnny’s grip tightened.
Callie screwed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath. ‘Let’s not dwell on it. We’re all okay, more or less. And probably owe Jamie an unfeasibly huge donation to the lifeboat fund.’
A commotion sounded in the corridor.
‘Young lady, I don’t care if it’s not visiting hours.’ Dorrie’s unmistakeable voice carried ringingly. ‘You have my son in there and I insist on seeing him. He’s been badly injured.’
‘And he’s a hero, you know,’ a deeper voice put in, which must be Sidney. ‘He saved two lives last night.’
‘He saved lives,’ someone boomed. It could only be Sybil.
‘Yes, he saved lives,’ echoed another.
‘Two lives!’ said yet another.
‘Do let us pop in and see him,’ Jessica beseeched. ‘We promise to only stay for a teeny mo and then we’ll all leave you in peace.’
‘Sounds like everyone’s here.’ Callie smiled wistfully.
‘I might disappear. Shouldn’t be here anyway.
It’s not visiting hours. Besides, I look awful, I’m in last night’s clothes, they’re sodden and I’m in desperate need of coffee and a bacon roll.
’ She bent and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you,’ she breathed. It seemed all too inadequate.
‘For what? Shoving you both a foot down onto hard sand?’ Johnny still hadn’t relinquished her hand, despite her standing up.
‘You saved our lives, Johnny. If you hadn’t insisted on getting us all out of that beach hut, we would have been covered by the wall collapsing. We got out in the nick of time. I’ll never be able to thank you enough. It’s not just Jamie I owe a huge debt to.’
‘Calliope?’
‘Yes?’
The voice from the corridor got louder. ‘Nurse, if you won’t allow us all in, then kindly show me, as his mother, which bed my son is in.’
‘Nothing.’ He grimaced in frustration.
Callie stared longingly into his eyes, wondering if she’d ever see him again. ‘Thank you, Johnny. For everything.’ She slipped out, sneaking past the Starling clan who were so busy haranguing at the nurses’ station that they did not see her.
Turning into the main corridor, she went in search of Frida and Sunil.
Sunil drove them all back to Sea Haven House, with Frida stretching her injured leg out along the back seat.
He helped Callie get her up the cottage’s steep stairs to bed and then Callie undressed her daughter and cleaned her up as best she could with a flannel.
Stripping off her own, still damp clothes, she pulled on a warm, comforting tracksuit.
The beautiful red dress with the sequinned embroidery and her silk vest and jeans would never be the same.
That they’d been the only casualties, Callie was immensely grateful.
Tucking Frida in tenderly and leaving her to sleep, she returned downstairs.
She took a deep breath and addressed Sunil. He was standing at the French windows staring at the garden. Apart from a few branches down and raindrops jewelling the leaves in the sunshine, it was as if last night’s storm had never happened. ‘Sunil, I’m sorry.’
He turned and came to her reaching out for her hands. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for. We were children, Callie. You were trying to escape a difficult upbringing. I wanted to please my parents more than be there for you and my…’ he paused and swallowed painfully, ‘…baby.’
‘I’m so sorry that you think I lied to you.
I didn’t. At that time. I was certain I’d go through with the termination.
It was only later, when you’d disappeared, I don’t know, something inside me felt as if my baby was all I had left in the world.
I suspected Mum and Dad wouldn’t go as far as throw me out and they didn’t – but as I began to get bigger and they couldn’t ignore it any longer I think the reality of the situation dawned on them.
How could they ever face the neighbours with an illegitimate grandchild?
’ Callie said sarcastically. ‘And even worse in their eyes, a mixed heritage child.’
Sunil led her to the sofa and they sat down. ‘What did they do?’
Callie pulled a face and then went on, matter-of-factly.
‘They gave me a sum of money. Made it clear it was my share of the inheritance and I should expect nothing more. I put a deposit down on a house. In St John’s.
You probably remember it? Nice part of Worcester.
Bit studenty but okay. Donna’s dad guaranteed the mortgage, for which I’ll be forever grateful. ’
He nodded.
‘My parents said if I took the money and kept the baby instead of letting her go for adoption, it was the end of any relationship we had. It was too late by then for any other choice; I couldn’t go through with it anyway, and I knew I could never give Frida up for adoption so I chose to go it alone. ’
‘It must have been hard.’
Callie nodded. ‘It was at first. But I had good friends. I kept in touch with Donna and she’s been amazing.’
Sunil smiled. ‘Vivek always said she was too bossy. And he was too bossy too.’ He chuckled. ‘It would never have worked out between them.’
‘Possibly.’ Callie gave him a searching look. ‘What about you and me? If life had taken us another path, do you think we could have made a go of it?’
‘I think part of me will always love you, Callie. As, indeed, I love Frida.’
‘I think that too.’ She paused, too overcome by emotion to speak. ‘Thank you for loving her.’ Clearing her throat, she continued. ‘And I’m so sorry about being such a mardy cow to you last night. I was,’ she screwed up her face, ‘a bit stressed.’
He shook his head, dismissing her apology.
‘It’s nothing. Don’t worry. I fully deserved everything you said to me.
Vivek always says I’m like a headless chicken in a crisis.
You should have seen me when my children were born.
Didn’t know what to do. There was Lina lying on the couch doing her breathing exercises and I went into complete panic mode. All three times!’
‘Your family!’ Callie exclaimed, putting a hand to her mouth. ‘You’d better get back to them. They’ll be wondering where you are.’
‘I rang Lina. She understands. She’s a good woman. I’ve been lucky. I hope, when you feel the time is right, that you’ll meet her. She wants to get to know Frida, as do the children. But we’ll take it slowly. Feel our way. It’s uncharted territory for all of us.’
‘It is. But I’d like that.’
‘Then we’ll do it. When the time is right.’ He paused, and then went on, choosing his words carefully. ‘And, Callie, I’d like to help Frida out. With university fees. She mentioned a course she’s interested in.’
‘Sunil, I–’
‘Please let me. Vivek is the one who’s made the millions, but I’ve not done too badly myself.
I can afford it and Lina agrees. It’s right that I help my daughter.
Our daughter. I plan to put the other children through university.
And if they don’t want to go, I’ll have strict words with them as to why not.
’ He laughed. ‘So, what I do for them, I do for all of them.’
Guilt warred with gratitude. It was hard, when you’d been the only one who had had responsibility for so long, to relinquish that role.
But the freedom that beckoned was dizzying.
Selfishly the thought occurred that, if Frida’s fees were paid, maybe she could drop some teaching hours, or even do something else? ‘Sunil, are you sure?’
He leaned back. ‘I’m absolutely sure. I wouldn’t offer otherwise.’
‘And it’s all agreed with your wife? With Lina?’
‘It is.’
Callie blew out a tiny breath. ‘Then I accept. Thank you, Sunil. If Frida agrees, then I’m happy too. As long as it really is okay with your wife?’
Sunil laughed. ‘I can assure you it is.’ He stood up.
‘And now, I really must go.’ Yawning, he stretched.
‘A shower is calling, if I can get near the bathroom, that is. Who’d have two daughters, eh?
’ He caught her look. ‘Three daughters. And a fine son. I am blessed.’ Reaching for her hands again he pulled her up.
‘I hope you will be blessed in the same way.’
‘I don’t want another three children,’ she replied, horrified.
He smiled. ‘Then I hope you’ll be as lucky as I am in your life partner.’
‘Well, maybe. I’m actually quite happy being on my own.’ As she said the words, she wondered if they were still the truth.
‘No one should be on their own. Find a good man, Callie.’
She laughed, seeing him to the door. ‘Goodbye, Sunil. And thank you. For everything.’
Kissing her cheek softly, he said, ‘And thank you, Callie. For everything, but most of all for Frida.’