Sleepwalk (37 page)

‘Come on then fatty. Let’s get you home.’

‘Daddy, Vic’s not fat. It’s the baby isn’t it Mummy?’

‘Yes Ollie, it is…… Naughty Daddy!’ laughed Felicity.

‘Yes. Daddy’s naughty isn’t he Vic?’

Margaret smiled at the happy trio that was her daughter and her new family. The child was still confused; not knowing whether to call Felicity ‘Mummy’ or ‘Vic’. She had talked to Felicity about it and she’d said that she didn’t want to pressure him into calling her Mummy so she left it entirely up to him to address her as he wished. He had not seen his real Mother since she had walked free from the court two years before and had decided to leave Oliver in David’s capable hands leaving to join her sister in
America
and start a new life. Ellie wrote letters occasionally and Felicity helped Oliver to write back sending photo’s and pictures he had drawn for her. David knew they were keeping in touch through Felicity but had learned to distance himself from it all. He busied himself with work and whenever she broached the subject he told her that it was very good of her to help Oliver; that it must be something close to Martyrdom to even consider it after everything Ellie had put her through and that he knew it was the right thing to do but he couldn’t bring himself to get involved. At first, Oliver had looked forward to the letters from his Mother, but in time the letters from
America
became less frequent and it had now been almost three months since the last one. Oliver had written four times in the last three months and had heard nothing back, so when the familiar air mail envelope had dropped through the letterbox that morning, David had snapped it up and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He had an inkling all was not well and wanted to check the contents before giving it to his son.

Back at
Rose Lane
after taking Margaret and Joseph home, David settled Felicity down in the sitting room with Oliver.

‘There you go mate, that’s you all ready for bed. Now, how about you sit there with Flick quietly and read her a story while Daddy washes up the dishes?’

‘Let me help you David.’ Felicity started to get up.

‘Don’t even think about it Flick.’ David ordered. ‘You stay there with Ollie and I’ll bring you a nice cup of tea…… and let’s get your feet up, they’re a bit puffy again.’

He pulled the little foot stool and cushion over and hoisted her legs onto it very gently. Felicity watched him leave the room. He was so good to her. He was working such long hours lately and still did everything when he came home; bathing Ollie, washing the dishes, ironing and still had to make time to study his work books. David had turned the little spare bedroom into a study and often worked there late into the evening. She tried to do as much as she could during the day to save him work in the evenings but lately it was becoming harder for her.

‘I’ll read this one!’ Oliver announced and he deposited Charlie and the chocolate factory in her lap. In the kitchen David put the kettle on, filled the sink with hot soapy water and then took the letter from his jacket pocket and tore it open.

Dearest Oliver
………. He read ……..

I’m so sorry I haven’t written for the last few weeks. Mummy has a new job! It’s a very good job but I have to work lots of the time which is why I haven’t found the time to write as often. But I have good news!
I have
saved
up
some money
in my piggy bank
and will come and see you very soon!
In two more weeks I will be on an aeroplane and will be flying over the clouds to
England
to come and see my Oliver!

I’m so excited Darling. I can’t wait to see you. You must be all grown up now.

I hope you haven’t forgotten your Mummy! I am enclosing a picture of me so you can remember how I look. I love you Ollie and I miss you so much Darling. See you very soon.

All my love for ever and ever,

Your Darling Mummy. X

David threw the letter on the kitchen table and poured F
elicity a cup of tea
. He took it through to the lounge where his wife and his son were still sitting happily reading book number two.

‘Here you are Darling.’
Darling
…..
Your Darling Mummy
.
Did she think she could leave him and then just walk back into his life just like that?
…………

‘Come on soldier. It’s time you were in bed. Say goodnight to Mummy Flick’.

‘Mummy Flick? Ha ha ha……..’ Ollie cackled, ‘
Mummy Fl
ic
k
. Daddy called you Mummy Flick.’ He laughed to Felicity.

‘Well; it’s not
so
funny. Flick is your step Mother now. You’re allowed to call her Mummy. And anyway it’s better than
Vic
. ‘Vic’ is a
boy’s name and she’s not a boy……o
therwise we’ll have to call you Mary.’ David winked at her from the corner of his eye.

‘No!’ Oliver wailed.

‘Don’t upset him David. Daddy’s only joking. We won’t really call you that.’

‘Drink your tea Mummy Flick and up to bed you, young man.’

‘Night Mummy Flick.’ laughed Oliver and threw his arms around her neck.

‘Night night you gorgeous boy.’ She held him tight for a minute and kissed his forehead. ‘I love you’.

‘Love you Vic. Night night…… oops…… Mummy Flick!’

They all laughed as David took the child up to bed but over the next few days ‘Vic’ gradually disappeared from Oliver’s vocabulary and never showed his face again.

Felicity and David had a ‘late pregnancy weekday routine’. Every weekday morning now Felicity stayed in bed. David got up; got showered and dressed, went downstairs
to the kitchen and made three lots of breakfast. He carried Felicity’s breakfast up to her and woke her with breakfast in bed, then he woke Oliver and took him downstairs to breakfast, then back upstairs to wash and dress him for school. When Oliver was ready they went into the bedroom to collect Felicity’s breakfast tray and said their goodbye’s and off they went to their respective school and workplace leaving her to relax in
bed
and should she get a twinge or be worried about any slight thing she was to phone David straight away. If Felicity hadn’t felt so fat and uncomfortable and wasn’t suffering with chronic backache she would have wallowed in the lap of luxury. But she did……. and she was. No matter how she wriggled about and tossed and turned she just could not get comfortable. It was
half past nine
on Thursday morning and she had just finished her daily ritual of showering and dressing which was quite an accomplishment these days because she could no longer see her feet, let alone reach them without difficulty. The doorbell sounded and she made her way down the stairs to find
Sandy
on the doorstep clutching a little white paper bag.

‘Oh my God it’s only been two weeks since I saw you and you’re the size of a house already!’

‘Oh
Sandy
. You always say the nicest things. What have you got there?’

‘Er……. fresh chocolate muffins of course.’

‘You’d better come in then.’ laughed her friend.

They chatted for a while and
Sandy
asked her how life was treating her. Felicity told her how happy she was with David and little Ollie and how well he was looking after her, then
the phone rang
.

‘He’s checking up on me. If I don’t answer right away he phones me to make sure I’m ok.’ Felicity explained their daily routine to
Sandy
.

‘Oh my God Flick. You should rent him out when this bump comes out. You’d make a fortune!’

‘No way. I’m keeping him all to myself.’

Sandy
helped her with some washing and while Felicity made coffee in the kitchen, she ran the hoover over the downstairs carpets then they both sat down to coffee and chocolate muffins.

‘Have you heard from Ollie’s Mum lately?’

‘Ah…… you could say that. She’s coming over to see him in a week or so; just about the time the baby’s due to be precise. She hadn’t written for three months and then this.’

‘Three months? Poor Oliver! He must be excited about her visiting though?’

‘Ah………’

‘Haven’t you told him?’

‘David doesn’t want him to get too excited too soon. I think he may be right. If we tell him now and then she cancels…… I dread to think how he would take it. She’s been a tad unpredictable and quite unreliable recently. Apparently she’s got a new job and I imagine she’s been working a lot of hours otherwise…… well, Sand, he’s written to her four times in the past three months and heard nothing back from her. I can’t imagine what’s going through his poor little mind.’

‘Selfish cow. I still can’t believe she walked free from that court Flick. I’ve lost all faith in the British Justice system now. Oh I saw that lad last week in East Barton. D’you remember?; the one that did the stary eyes thing in the court room? He’s working in the council offices there…… something to do with the rivers and conservation department I think. He was so funny. Nice lad; different now. Seems really quite intelligent and a bit of a computer whiz. Someone was having problems with their computer and he sorted it out for them.’

‘Williams, he was called; Stephen Williams.’

‘That’s the one. Can’t believe he used to live under that bridge though; must have been freezing in the winter.’

Sandy
stayed until after lunch and told her friend she would be back on Tuesday the following week. She worked part time three days a week at the school, but would spend as much time as she could with her on Tuesday and Thursday next week as she believed Felicity shouldn’t be left on her own now. David had already arranged for his Mother to call in daily and check on Flick during the last week of her pregnancy so she was thankful to
Sandy
for her offer. She had two days grace from the Mother in law from hell…………

Vanessa Gordon was out on patrol in her Land rover with her partner beside her on the passenger seat, wagging his tail furiously and sniffing the fresh country air through the open window. Ever since Slim had moved in with her and secured his position at the river authority’s office some two years ago, Bits had become her closest friend and companion. Everywhere Vanessa went in fact, Bits was always close behind. At first he had been confused wanting to go with his master, and every morning when Slim left for work Bits would bound up the garden path behind him and run excitedly around the VW Golf Slim had bought when he’d first passed his driving test, but after a week or so of his master shouting at him, ‘Go back Bits! Bed! Into your bed, go on!’ He realised his days of following Slim were well and truly over and would return to his kennel in Vanessa’s garden where she would find him shortly afterward, his head resting on his paws, whimpering solemnly, pining for his master. Of course the kennel hadn’t lasted long. The first signs of rain dripping through holes in the old corrugated tin roof and Vanessa had taken pity on him and brought him into the cottage where he had been ever since. The old log basket that had once been his bed had been made redundant when through sheer determination and constant scalding Bits had progressed to the cottage sofa beside the Rayburn in the kitchen.
As Vanessa’s broken leg and hip had healed she became more and more active; more so than before the accident. Her leg grew so strong in fact, that she no longer required the walking stick that had been her strength and support for so many years; although she still carried it around with her through force of habit.

They had spent most of the day checking the river and its boundaries on the northern side of East Barton and as the afternoon sun began to fade Vanessa turned the old Land rover onto the wasteland behind Sainsbury’s. It was the first time she had stepped foot on that land since the day of her encounter with Slim and Bits when she’d had her fall. The land seemed more overgrown now and yet the familiar pathways were still there and she was pleased to see that the river path had been recently trimmed and cleaned up. Bits tore around his old patch like a crazed demon checking all his old familiar spots and sniffing every square inch of space to ensure no one had taken over his territory. She walked down toward the river bank and called to him then turned left along the path. Just as she turned the corner a shadow appeared in front of her, startling her, and Bits who was suddenly by her side began to bark at him. She only caught a glimpse of his face; a side profile and one staring eye, because he dipped his head as he passed her by muttering, ‘Afternoon.’ then he was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, up toward the road. Vanessa was expecting a dog to come bounding out of the bushes after him. The river paths were mainly used by people walking their dogs. No one else really had cause to come here. The paths were muddy at this time of year and were certainly no short cut leading to anywhere in particular, so the sight of a man with no dog at
four o’clock
in the afternoon was a rare one indeed. And there had been something familiar about his face; although she couldn’t be sure………..

‘Hey Vanessa! Thought you were having that mongrel put down?’