Chapter 15
Dylan sneezed and she jumped back. ‘Excuse me,’ he said and smiled. ‘Harry has this condition where he sneezes when the sun comes out. Believe it or not it’s called ACHOO syndrome. Perhaps I’m sensitive to the moon.’
‘Well, you did wear that Dracula cape. Don’t tell me you avoid sunlight. I mean, I haven’t actually seen you during the day.’
‘You’ll have to find out.’
So he wanted to meet again.
‘As I was saying…’ He pulled a pair of gloves out of his pockets and put them on. ‘I had an ulterior motive in inviting you here today. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since we met.’
Was it possible to beam on the inside?
‘It’s great that we are only mates,’ he said.
Wait. What?
‘Because I’ve got a professional proposition, and you know what they say about not mixing business and pleasure.’
She didn’t blink.
‘When we clear someone’s house, we sort the items into four categories.
Ones valuable enough to be sold, those to throw out, any we need to take to the recycling plant and items we can donate to a charity shop.
A collection of bags of items to donate has built up at our warehouse.
I tend to take them further afield where the house move is down to a local bereavement.
People often worry about walking down the street and, say, seeing a stranger in a loved one’s clothes. ’
Lili forced herself to focus.
‘And it’s occurred to me that you’d be a great outlet to team up with. It would make my life a lot easier too, having a direct contact like that. How about I bring some bags over?’
‘Right… of course… I mean… will Ware maybe life shouldn’t just continue as it always had done.
Lili had come close to getting hurt with Dylan. Em had got hurt by Sean, Mum and Dad had got hurt by each other… Lessons learnt. Lili should have known better. Thank goodness Dylan only saw her as a business associate.
That voice again whispered in her ear, said what a crock of shit, that being with Dylan could have been amazingly different.
Lili pulled up into the drive and entered the cottage, cleaned her teeth and was unable to stop herself going into Em’s bedroom.
Colin and Shirl had stripped it bare, as if the possessions were the only memories they had left, apart from the Caravan Place poster on the wall, an electro swing band that always got Em dancing.
Lili sat on the bed and bounced up and down, like they had when they’d first moved in, unable to believe their new home effectively doubled as a sunny, scenic holiday rental.
This last year Lili had considered using the room as a crafting space.
She and Em had bought secondhand furniture for the cottage and Lili had taken a course to learn how to restore it.
She found it cathartic to strip wood and sand, to paint, stain or varnish, to hunt out interesting textiles.
The shed at the bottom of the garden was big enough to work in and a little oasis during the warmer summer months.
What went into it battered and inconspicuous came out transformed into an item of beauty, as if the shed secretly contained a hidden source of alchemy.
Yes, the shed suited that best. And this room wasn’t empty in any case; memories of Em filled it.
Lili closed the door behind her, crawled into her own bed and, she didn’t know why, sobbed under the duvet in a way she hadn’t since the week her friend died.
Finally she fell into a fitful sleep…
* * *
Lili and Em are in Colonel Mustard, singing loudly to Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby’, eating their favourite chocolate, Rolos.
Lili passes one to Em every time they take a breath from singing.
The sun shines. The traffic isn’t bad for a Sunday morning.
They play ‘cheese on wheels’ and shout every time a yellow car passes by.
On the back seat is a big bag containing their towels.
They’ve also packed a picnic for the beach and are going to brave the water, even though the sea still felt cold in June.
They wave at passersby who suddenly look familiar…
Em’s parents, Glenda from the charity shop, that hot Crystoffees customer Em told Lili about, who had a Mohican and pierced eyebrow.
Em parks up. Lili gets out a tissue and wipes chocolate off Em’s chin, even though her friend protests like a toddler.
‘How do I look after last night?’ asks Em and wipes her chin with the back of her hand.
‘Going to bed after dancing until the dawn chorus has taken no effect,’ replies Lili. ‘You look as bright as those birds sounded.’
Em grins. ‘Liar. Right, beat you into the sea!’
‘But we need to pay for parking and ? —’
Em tosses the car keys to Lili, climbs out, gets their bags from the back and runs off.
She calls over her shoulder that she’ll split the parking cost later and will lay out their towels and test the water.
Smiling, Lili shakes her head, gets the parking ticket and puts on her sunglasses.
She heads onto the sand and finds the spot where Em left their towels.
But where is her friend?
Lili squints through the bright sunlight at the sea, turning her head from left to right.
Nothing … not a single swimmer. Other people are walking, playing beach games or sunbathing.
But then … yes, a head bobs up and down, out in the ocean, someone with green hair.
Em! But … Lili’s eyes narrow. Em’s arms are flailing in the air.
Lili kicks off her sandals and runs as fast as she can towards the waves, over the sand and dried seaweed.
‘Lili, Lili!’ Frantically, Em waves. ‘Help me!’ She disappears under the surface.
In the cold water, as she strides against the tide, Lili shouts at others to find a lifeguard, but it’s as if no one can hear.
No! This isn’t happening.
Em’s head appears once again. Lili is closer but can’t quite reach her. ‘Em! Em! I’m here! I’ll get help!’
Wordlessly, Em gazes at her friend, and then just like that, she’s gone.
* * *
With a start, sweating and shaking, Lili wakes up.