Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Flora
Maddie looked rough, courtesy of the vodka, wine and cocktails last night.
Friday night we had a glass of wine each and then stuck to tea.
Yesterday was Maddie’s birthday and we had partied until the early hours.
I was slightly more sensible than my sister and had moved onto water as I knew if I ended up hungover, I’d be in no fit state to leave the bathroom never mind drive home later.
“It was a good night though?”
Maddie dropped her head to the table but did throw a hand with a thumb up into the air, making me chuckle.
It had been a brilliant night; food, dancing, drinking, and lots of laughter. The sound of my phone alerting me to a text saw Maddie raise her head slightly.
“My friend, Ash.”
Her nod was soon replaced with a frown. “Ash as in Alison or Ash as in Ashley or Ashton?”
“I dunno.” I had no clue what Ash’s full name was.
“Ooh,” Maddie sat upright quickly and apparently regretted it judging by how she held her head now. “Shit!” She winced but now had the bit between her teeth. “But Ash is a boy?”
I shook my head at her mischievous expression. “Yes, he is, but he is just a friend, a nanny friend.”
“Hmmm. A friend? A nanny friend you said.”
Laughing, I answered. “He is. Bea and Carrie introduced us . . . they introduced him as a manny, male nanny.”
“Friends.”
“Apparently so.”
“Gay?”
“Maddie!” I shrieked. Why did everyone assume that? That any man working with young children must be gay. Although there were others who assumed far worse. “He is many things but none of them are gay.”
“Ooh—”
I cut her off, wanting to shut this down right now before she decided that there might be something between me and Ash.
“Just a friend. He is seeing someone.” I had no clue if he was, in fact, as far as I knew, he wasn’t, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Now, shift your arse, we need to meet Grandma and Grandad in an hour.”
We went to a local pub for lunch where we met our grandparents.
They were quite possibly the nicest people in the world, although, of course, I was biased.
They had raised us and neither Maddie nor I had ever wanted for anything.
I felt sure they hadn’t given a second thought in taking us in, despite the fact that they were at a point in their life where they had gained some financial security and in turn freedom and an opportunity to enjoy their lives independently, and then we had been orphaned.
Sitting with them, eating lunch, chatting and laughing, I realised just how lucky we were to have them, and to have the bond we did and always would have.
Earlier, for much of the weekend, I’d felt some regrets about not staying at home with Maurizio while the children were away, but now, more than anything, I was glad and felt blessed to have spent the weekend with my family.
Maddie was always good fun and time with her was my only real constant in life and I loved my grandparents, so it had been good to see them.
They asked about my new job and home. I’d told them, and about the children, Bea and Carrie, but kept details about my boss to the bare minimum beyond the fact that he was my boss and a barrister, that he was kind and had made me feel very welcome.
With my car repacked and my sister still nursing the remnants of her hangover, I kissed her goodbye and began the journey home with a promise to arrange for her to visit me soon.
It was probably only a couple of hours drive back to Maurizio’s house, but in my car, it was closer to three, maybe three and a half with a couple of stops along the way.
I was drinking a cup of coffee from a machine at my last planned stop of the journey and checked my phone.
Should I have made contact with Maurizio while I’d been away?
There was no real need to as we weren’t generally inclined to casually text throughout the day.
Our contact via calls or text was restricted to changes to our day, my working day, or in relation to the children and none of those things had been present that weekend.
I reasoned that no, I had no need to have made contact.
A small sigh escaped my lips when I realised how disappointed I was that the need to contact him or to be contacted by him wasn’t there.
I’d been back on the road for another half an hour or so when my car began to make a strange noise. The engine laboured, threatening to stall, and then with a loud bang and steam coming from beneath the bonnet, it stopped.
“Shit!” I cursed, already relieved that I was on a relatively quiet road with a parking cut out.
I managed to get it parked safely then walked around the car, unsure what I was looking for or what to do.
I’d cancelled my breakdown cover when money was tight, just after I’d moved.
With hindsight, landing at my new home and job on the back of a breakdown truck might have been an indication that the time wasn’t right to cancel my cover.
Reaching back into the car, I grabbed my phone and dialled the breakdown service who it seemed wanted a ridiculous amount of cash to rescue me. They did give me the number of a local garage. It seemed it was a one man and a one truck operation, and he was already rescuing someone.
I began to pace and then wondered if I would be better calling the garage who had most recently repaired my vehicle, but I didn’t have the number or the name and as it was, I had very little signal for internet access. Maybe if I walked down the road, towards a village, I might have more luck.
About half an hour later, I found myself entering a coffee shop with free internet access.
I searched for the garage as I sipped a cup of tea and ate a chocolate muffin.
The mechanic who had repaired my car answered but told me it would be a couple of hours before he could get to me.
In the grand scheme of things that was a win, so I agreed to wait for him.
I’d drink my tea, finish my cake, use their bathroom facilities and then take a slow stroll back to my car.
It was another hour before I left the coffee shop and felt a chill in the air that was followed by the first drops of rain. Looked like I was going to be cold and wet by the time I got back to my car, but at least I’d be on my way home soon enough.
The decision not to wear a coat was a bad one when I found myself less than halfway back to my car and absolutely drenched courtesy of the rain that had turned into a torrential downpour that showed no signs of abating, neither did the cold wind that was freezing me until I was unable to stop shivering.
I didn’t think I had ever been so wet before.
I made a very bad attempt at running back to the car, but I was many things and none of them a runner.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, a speeding van went through a huge puddle at the very second I stepped alongside it.
My earlier belief that I hadn’t been so wet before was now surpassed by this moment and that is when a bright flash of lightning lit the sky above me, followed shortly afterwards by a loud rumble of thunder rolling overhead, and that is when I began to cry.