The January Wish (3 page)

Having had only ten minutes to scoff down lunch, and a couple of coffees in between patients, Sylvia was yawning by the time she finished off the paperwork and phone calls at the end of the day. Joyce and the other practitioners had already left, so she turned off the lights and air conditioning, switched on the alarm, and locked the door behind her as she left the refurbished weatherboard cottage that was as historic as the Wishing Fountain in Miracle Park.

Although just after six-thirty, the sun shone as brightly as it did at midday. Not that she’d been able to enjoy it. She’d been indoors all day and only managed a quick glance out the window at lunchtime. Its golden glow sat low on the horizon, preparing to surrender to the night in another hour or so. Sylvia closed her eyes, savouring the refreshing breeze that whooshed past her.

She opened her eyes and caught sight of a young woman nearby, her pink and purple floral dress billowing in the breeze.

It was her.

The woman from the airport with the russet-coloured curls…
just like hers.

Their green eyes locked, and a faint smile touched the woman’s face, just before her skin paled and she collapsed onto the grass next to the footpath.

Sylvia rushed to her side and patted her cheeks. ‘Can you hear me, are you okay?’

‘What happened?’ the woman asked as her eyes opened.

‘It’s okay, I think you’ve just fainted. Here, have a sip of this.’ Sylvia threaded her arm under the woman’s shoulder and around her back, helping her sit up as she pulled a water bottle from her bag with the other hand and held it to the woman’s mouth. ‘How about I take you inside and check you out? I’m a doctor.’

‘Oh, no, it’s okay, I’m okay…really.’ Shakily, the woman stood, holding onto Sylvia’s arm for support. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘You sure? Maybe you need something to eat. Hang on, I think I’ve got something in my bag.’ Sylvia rummaged through it.

‘Seriously, I’ll be fine. I was just a bit…overwhelmed, that’s all.’

Sylvia looked up from her bag and into the young woman’s eyes and knew she’d seen them before. Not just at the airport, but long ago.

The woman straightened and drew a deep breath, holding her own hands together as if for support. ‘My name is Grace. I’m your daughter.’

Although Sylvia guessed the truth before she heard it, Grace’s revelation sparked a sharp gasp in Sylvia’s throat. The ground appeared to soften beneath her and she wished she had something to hold onto for fear of fainting herself.

‘How…how did you find me?’ Her voice shaking, she clutched at her bag awkwardly.

‘I’ve been looking for you for a few months. The internet is a wonderful thing. Once I found out you were a doctor, it was easy,’ Grace explained, while Sylvia’s eyes wandered over her features, noticing how her nose twitched as she spoke, and how her chin had a slight dimple—like her father’s.

‘So, you’re eighteen now?’ The question escaped Sylvia’s mouth just as she realised how stupid it sounded. Was that all she could do? Ask how Grace found her and state the obvious? Heat rose up the back of her neck and she rubbed her sweaty palm against it.

Grace nodded. ‘Just.’

At only sixteen years of age Sylvia had given birth to a baby girl on the first of January. New Year’s Day. Had she been a
normal
mother she may have made the evening news or the local newspaper, but Sylvia didn’t want to broadcast the hardest day of her life to the world.

‘I’m sorry to turn up out of the blue. I wasn’t even planning to introduce myself today. I just wanted to…see you.’ Grace’s soft eyes glistened.

‘But then I recognised you,’ Sylvia said softly.

‘And what do I do? I go and faint, how pathetic!’ A high-pitched giggle bubbled up from Grace’s lips.

‘That’s one sure way to get my attention!’ Sylvia smiled.

Grace paused for a moment and pursed her lips to one side. ‘How could you recognise me? I mean, I guess our hair is the same.’ She pulled at a curl, extending it to twice its length in front of her face. ‘Was it my hair that gave me away?’

‘Partly. But, well, I actually saw you at the airport last week.’

Grace’s curl bounced up like a spring as she let it go. ‘The airport? You were there?’

Sylvia nodded. ‘But I didn’t know it was you, I mean, there was something about you that made me take a second look, and I did wonder, but I had to catch my flight.’ She didn’t want to mention how she’d followed her halfway across the airport and saw her buy the dress she was now wearing.

‘Wow.’ Grace looked up at the sky. ‘What a coincidence.’

It sure was.

Or was it?

Maybe there
was
something to that Wishing Fountain legend.

Nah, there couldn’t be
. Sylvia shook the thought from her mind. It was scientifically impossible.

‘So, have you been here in Tarrin’s Bay since then, or did you spend some time in Sydney first?’

‘I’ve been here since the day I flew in. I’m staying over there at the caravan park.’ Grace pointed up the hill. ‘I rang your clinic to ask which days you worked, and the lady said you were away but due back on Thursday. So, here I am.’

Grace lifted her palms in the air as if to show she’d suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Sylvia’s heart lurched forward as she noticed Grace’s long slender fingers and was reminded of how soft her baby’s hands had been.

Like a feather.

If she focused hard she could still feel the gentle warmth of Grace’s little hand wrapped around her finger. So fragile, so tiny. She’d only had a brief moment with her daughter before they took her away. They said it was better not to hold her for too long, so Sylvia drank in the moment as best as she could, trying to imprint the memory in her mind.

And later, trying her best to forget it.

Sylvia swallowed the lump in her throat in effort to regain her composure. ‘So, how long are you here for?’

‘Don’t know yet. I just finished high school last year, and I’m taking a break this year till I figure out what I want to do. I have some money saved, so I’ll see how things go here for a bit—that’s if you’re okay with me being here? I mean, I can go if you want, I just wanted to meet you, I don’t expect—‘

‘Stay as long as you want,’ Sylvia found herself saying. ‘I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and well…I’d like to spend some time getting to know you.’

Was this really happening? Sylvia’s stomach flitted this way and that, her nerves tingled, and she felt…awake. Here she was, standing on the footpath talking to her own daughter after all these years! She’d never even imagined her baby as a grown woman, just kind of expected she’d stay as small as when she left her at the hospital. She’d kept that image of her baby girl in her mind for years, even after two years had passed, then three, then four. Sylvia knew her daughter would be growing bigger and heading off to school. But, she’d tried not to think about those things. Somehow, the baby she’d given up was now a woman, standing right in front of her.

Grace’s face glowed, in stark contrast to the paleness that had struck her down a few minutes ago. She was obviously pleased by Sylvia’s agreement to see her again. ‘Well, I’d better leave you to it, you’re probably tired after work.’ Grace twirled and extended a curl again. ‘Would it be okay if we met up again sometime?’

‘Of course.’ This both scared and delighted Sylvia. ‘I could meet you after work tomorrow evening. We could grab a bite to eat in town, if you like?’

‘I’d love that.’ Grace grinned from ear to ear. ‘So I’ll see you here, same time?’

Sylvia nodded. ‘Sure.’

‘Oh, and I’ll try not to faint this time!’ Grace turned around and floated up the hill towards the caravan park, snapping photos with her phone as she went. Sylvia’s heart beat at twice its normal speed as she stood there watching Grace’s figure become smaller and smaller in the distance until she could see her no more.

Soft pink hues coloured the sky as Sylvia walked to the lookout just up from Miracle Park. Some locals walked their dogs, while others sat on the rocky ledge eating fish and chips, and a few leaned over the railing of the lookout, staring out at the endless ocean. When she reached the top, Sylvia took hold of the railing and her shoulders softened, relieved to have something to steady her. She gazed trance-like at the deep blue water for a long time, until the sudden reality of her past crashed up against her heart like the waves against the rocky cliff below.

Warm salty air filled her lungs as she inhaled deeply. Her life would be different now. She couldn’t keep the memory of her daughter locked away any longer. Sylvia’s baby was all grown up, and she was right here in Tarrin’s Bay, where it all began.

A brief melodic sound startled her. It was a reminder message on her phone.

Damn! She’d forgotten about dinner with Richard! It was seven-thirty already, and he’d be arriving any minute. She let go of the railing and ran down the hill, trying to send a text message at the same time. What should have been ‘running late, almost there’ turned into ‘summing kate, bumost tgere’. Hopefully he’d know what she meant.

The last thing Sylvia felt like doing now was cooking, and she didn’t want to waste any time with Richard so she picked up a couple of ready-to-go containers of food from the Thai restaurant opposite the park. That and a bottle of wine should be sufficient. She hoped Richard wouldn’t mind the last-minute dinner change.

Her house came into view, and Richard sat on the doorstep, his thumbs tapping away at his phone. A subtle swish of the curtain in the house next door proved that Nancy Dillinger was spying as usual, probably wondering why Sylvia was late and a man was sitting on her doorstep.

‘I’m so sorry, it’s been a hectic day,’ Sylvia apologised, panting when she reached Richard. Her face was flushed with warmth and sweat dampened her armpits. ‘Someone needed my assistance after work, and I lost track of time.’

‘I thought as much.’ Richard slipped his phone into his pocket. ‘Doesn’t matter, after being on my feet all day yesterday it’s good to sit for a while.’

Sylvia breathed relief into her lungs as they headed inside where she served up the Thai food onto her best plates and poured a glass of wine each. After placing the plates on the table, she ducked into the bathroom and gave her armpits a quick spray of deodorant. She couldn’t be rude and have a shower, so hopefully the deodorant would do the trick for a couple of hours. She wondered if she should tell Richard about Grace, but decided the best thing to do was simply enjoy their dinner, and if it felt right later, she would bring it up then.

‘So, how was your day?’ she asked as she sat opposite him at the dining table.

An hour and a half and two wines later, Sylvia motioned for Richard to join her on the couch where she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her thighs, one arm on the back of the lounge behind Richard. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and caressing her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, but she stiffened. Suddenly, the fuzzy but unforgettable memory of the night Grace was conceived came rushing to the front of her mind.

‘What’s wrong?’ Richard asked.

‘Nothing, nothing’s wrong,’ she blurted.

‘Yes there is, you’ve been distracted all night, and something happened just now. What is it?’

‘It’s been a long day, that’s all, and I haven’t had much time to wind down after the conference.’

Richard drew her closer for another kiss, then slowly backed away. He studied her face for a moment as though probing a patient for the cause of her problem. ‘Talk to me.’

Sylvia sighed and looked down at her hands, and Richard lifted her chin with his finger.

She placed her feet back on the floor and looked him in the eye. ‘Richard, there’s something I should tell you.’

‘You’re a mother?’ The leather cushions made an awkward squelchy sound as Richard stood up from the couch. ‘But when we met you said you didn’t have any kids!’

‘I know, but this is different.’ Sylvia stood too. ‘It’s not like I
have
Grace, and I hadn’t even met her until today.’

‘Yes but you
had
Grace. You should have told me. This is big Sylvia, you can’t pretend it never happened.’ He ran a hand through his hair, his chest rising sharply as he took a breath. ‘Geez, I told you straight out I’d left a bad relationship where kids were involved, and I didn’t want to get into another relationship with someone else who had kids. I was honest, and you should have been too.’ He walked over to the dining table and leaned his hands onto it.

‘I’m sorry Richard, I didn’t think telling you about the adoption was relevant at the time. I never thought I’d ever meet her.’ Sylvia’s voice weakened and the lump in her throat resurfaced. She wanted him to walk back to her, gather her in his arms and say it was okay, that he didn’t mind she had a daughter. That he would even be happy to meet her, and they could continue with their relationship. But he didn’t. He picked up his keys and phone and walked towards the door.

‘Wait! Where are you going?’ Sylvia rushed after him.

‘Home,’ he replied, frowning.

‘But we should talk about this,’ Sylvia pleaded.

‘We should have talked about this six weeks ago, Sylvia.’ He slipped the phone into his pocket. ‘Look, you know I care about you, and I’ve enjoyed the past few weeks, but you have a child. I didn’t sign up for this. I just can’t take on anything complicated right now.’

Sign up for this?
What was she, a difficult patient with a rare disease or something?

He stepped closer to her, his hand hesitating near her shoulder for a moment, then dropping back to his side. ‘I’m sorry.’ He turned and walked out, the bang of the closing door sending a painful jolt through Sylvia’s body.

She went to turn the doorknob, but stopped. Tears of disbelief stung her eyes. So that was it? Had he really just broken it off with her? Their relationship was—
had been
—in the ‘getting to know each other’ stage, but she’d already developed strong feelings for him, and the possibility of something special had been yanked from her grasp before she’d had a chance to hold on. She slumped her shoulders in disappointment and pushed an irritating tear away with the heel of her hand.