Chapter 17 #2
Both a little despondent with the thought of Howard’s beloved bookshop nearing the end of its days, they said goodbye.
Margot headed further up the hill and on to her accommodation, ready to get back to the online job search, house hunting and now, looking for a solicitor, and Faye went back down in the direction of Lulworth Cove to get her bike from where she’d locked it up.
She’d only just popped the lock into her bag when her phone rang, and she answered it automatically before she registered the WhatsApp call was from her sister.
‘Faye… please don’t hang up,’ came Steph’s voice.
Faye had woken up in the night, ruminating about her life as it was now.
She’d put thousands of miles between herself and her home to get a sense of normality and she’d realised that lately she felt more herself than she had in a very long time.
Even before the scandal, she’d had her sister in the background and perhaps she’d always expected something to happen.
And now here was Steph again, making contact and eclipsing the piece of happiness she’d managed to find with her dad close by, a few hours work each day, and now a new friendship with Margot.
‘How are you?’ Steph asked when Faye didn’t say anything.
Standing next to her bike, Faye gave up trying to wrestle the helmet on one-handed as she held her phone. She set it back on the saddle. ‘I’m fine.’
‘How’s Dad?’
‘Have you called him?’
‘Of course I have,’ Steph snapped. But then her tone lightened again. She knew Faye could hang up at any time. ‘It’s just that you’ve seen him in person; it’s different.’
‘Dad is good, Uncle Frank is okay and glad that Dad’s here.’ She paused after her summary. ‘How’s Mum?’
‘The same.’
Faye let a smile escape. She knew what that meant. Wearing the floaty clothes, living her life freely the way she needed to, which meant in a chaotic house-share with people equally devoted to ‘taking it easy’.
‘I’m sorry, you know,’ said Steph.
‘Yeah, well.’
‘I’m trying, Faye. That’s why I called.’
‘What are you sorry for?’ She tried to zip up her hoodie and managed it by hugging the phone between her shoulder and her ear.
‘Sorry for having an affair with a married man? Sorry that what you did caused trouble for me and Brad? Sorry that I’ve been hounded in the street and gossiped about and had Dad been in Queensland it would’ve been the same for him? ’
‘I’m sorry for all of it! Okay!’ Steph’s voice rose in her determination to get her point across.
‘Well, I hope that man was worth it.’
Steph didn’t say anything at first. Then: ‘I thought it was real. I thought he was worth it. He told me he was going to leave his wife.’
‘That’s what they all say. And how did it even happen anyway?’ But then she quickly added, ‘Actually, I don’t want to know.’
The silence lasted so long, Faye had to look at the phone display to see whether her sister was still there.
‘Have you talked to Brad lately?’ Steph asked.
‘No. I haven’t.’
‘Dad told me the engagement was off. He thought I should know. As if I could feel any worse.’
Faye had told her dad that she wouldn’t be telling Steph about Brad but that when he spoke to her he could fill her in. At least it was done now and her calling showed perhaps she did have a conscience after all.
‘Faye, I’m so sorry about Brad.’
‘Yeah, well, he ran off to Tasmania at the first sign of trouble, so perhaps you did me a favour.’
‘Dad says he’s applying for jobs in Tassie.’
‘That’s right. And he did that before he told me things were over.’
A gasp. ‘The absolute bastard!’ Now this Steph she could get on board with – the Steph who was in her corner and supporting her rather than the other way round, the twin sister who had once gone to detention after school for a whole week in her place so that she could still make swim club and prepare for an upcoming competition.
Somewhat more willing to talk since she answered the call, Faye asked, ‘Did you really think that man would leave his wife, Steph?’
Her voice sounded so small across the miles when she said that’s exactly what she’d thought.
‘He told me they were talking divorce; he said he loved me. And now he’s bloody well come out on the news to say that he and his wife are working through this and requested that the public please allow them to do so for the sake of their family. ’
That had to have hurt. No matter whether Steph did the wrong thing, thinking someone loved you, planning a future with them, and to have it all thrown back in your face was hurtful. She should know.
‘So… am I forgiven, Faye?’ And there it was, the lighter tone, the slight smile in her voice and the presumption that a little apology would fix everything and make it all go away. ‘Come on, I’ve said sorry.’
She was never going to change.
‘We’ll talk,’ said Faye.
Steph whined, ‘I miss you, sis.’
‘Yeah, you too.’
She ended the call before dropping the phone into her backpack and shrugging it on again.
There was no point trying to argue about anything, trying to point out how what Steph missed the most was having someone to turn to when she made a mess of things.
They were twin sisters, always would be, but Steph was just like their mother and fighting it was only going to bring pain and heartbreak to Faye when trying to change her didn’t work.
She put a foot over the crossbar of her bike and picked up the helmet but jumped as a figure stepped out of nowhere. The man who’d been staring at her earlier at the bookshop was suddenly right beside her.
‘You’re her, aren’t you?’ he said with no preamble.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Her. The one who shagged a politician and destroyed a family.’
‘I…’ The helmet fell from her hands. ‘No, I’m not.’
‘Liar!’
‘Please, just leave me alone.’ Claiming to be an identical twin seemed futile at this point; she just wanted to get out of there.
He sneered. ‘I’d recognise you anywhere.’ It was then she noticed his Australian accent. ‘I keep up with the news back home.’
‘Leave me alone, please!’ She didn’t want to get off the bike and reach for the helmet; she didn’t want to bend down in case she lost her balance or he pushed her.
‘Like you left that man alone? I don’t know him, but my own family was ruined by a slag like you shagging my dad. So, I know what it’s like.’ He jabbed a finger in her face.
She pushed her foot onto the pedal. But starting off uphill was hard let alone when someone was walking beside you determined to badger you. She tried to get some purchase on the pedals and get away from him.
Luckily for Faye, she had fitness on her side and was soon going faster than the man, although she could hear him running after her. Her heart was pounding. She was going as hard as she could.
She got some way up the hill and turned to look over her shoulder to see where he was and that was when she swerved. She lost her balance and fell onto the hard tarmac.
She heard more footsteps. She felt a warm trickle and put a hand to her head. There was blood.
And then she heard a woman’s voice yell, ‘Bugger off! Go on, get away! I’ve called the police!’
And when she looked up it was into the eyes of someone much nicer than the horrible stranger.