Wonder Women (51 page)

Miranda came in and sat quietly beside him, watching what he was doing. She didn't say anything until he put the crayons down.

‘I've never seen anyone draw like that,' she said. ‘Not in real life. That's beautiful.'

‘Thank you.'

‘Do you miss working?'

‘Well, I didn't get to scribble with wax crayons when I did work,' he smiled. ‘But yes, I miss the discipline of creating every day. I'm supposed to be working on a creative project, a book … but I'm not getting anywhere with it.'

‘A book? What kind of book?'

‘Well … I thought maybe a children's book. I've done some sketches of kids … a little guy I saw in a park, Imi when she was sleeping, the one I did of you two today … and I thought I might be able to do something along those lines.'

‘So what would the story be?'

‘Not sure … I'm a bit stuck there.'

‘I can't believe that. You have such an incredible imagination. I'm always amazed when I hear you playing with your kids. The things you think of! What were you doing when you arrived at nursery this morning?'

Lee laughed. ‘Oh, we were having a chariot race. We narrowly avoided being eaten by lions and getting slain by a gladiator called Maximus.'

‘You see? That's amazing! Couldn't you translate that into drawings? The amazing imaginary adventures of a dad and a little kid?'

‘Amazing imaginary adventures …' Lee stared out into the rain-soaked garden. Ideas flooded his head: a man with his jumper half on, covering his head, the flapping sleeves becoming the tentacles of a giant octopus. A hoover that was also a dragon … household objects made magical and fantastical. ‘Miranda … you're a genius!'

‘Nonsense. It's all you, all your amazing mind and talent. Now I'm going to put on a DVD for the kids in the living room. Why don't you sit here and draw for a while?'

‘I couldn't …'

‘Why not? The kids'll be perfectly happy watching
Finding Nemo
, and we'll call you if we need you. Just draw, okay? Draw something amazing and imaginary.'

Miranda ushered all four kids out of the room, smiling at Lee as she went. He picked up a bright red crayon and began to draw.

If it had been anyone other than Marina and her parents, Mel would have gone around there, guns blazing, to get Serena out and bring her home. But Marina and Serena had been friends since they were tiny, and Mel considered Marina's mum Jane a friend. The night Serena stormed out of the flat, Jane stayed on the phone with Mel for well over an hour, reassuring her that Serena would be okay.

‘She's just terribly upset,' Jane said, ‘and you know how you two can wind each other up. When she's ready to talk, you'll be the first to know, I promise. Just give her a few days to cool off.'

It was one of the hardest things Mel had ever done. The flat was horribly quiet without Serena, and she wandered around aimlessly, unable to settle. She sat at her computer and started an email to Serena over and over, but everything she wrote sounded either accusatory, or as if she was sucking up to get Serena to forgive her and come home. She knew she had overstepped the mark, and that she would struggle to get Serena to trust her again. How could she fix it? And how would she find answers to the questions that continued
to plague her? Who was the older man she had seen with Serena? Was that Hopey, or was Hopey someone or something else?

For three days, she waited. She jumped every time her phone rang, and when she was at work, she watched the door of the shop continually, praying that Serena would walk in. She barely slept at night, and when she did she was plagued by terrible nightmares, in which Patrick, back from the past, pursued Serena down dark alleyways. Jane kept in close contact, and reported that Serena seemed happier and more relaxed, but was still not ready to talk to Mel.

By the fourth day, she began to think it was quite likely that she might go mad if something didn't change. And when Marina came through the door of the shop, she was so wound up that she almost didn't recognise her.

‘Hi,' said Marina warily. Mel glanced at Jo, who was working at the counter. She hadn't told Jo or Holly about the fact that Serena had moved out.

‘Shall we go outside?' Mel said. ‘Jo, I won't be a moment, okay?'

Jo nodded, barely looking up from her laptop screen.

Mel and Marina went out on to the pavement. Mel resisted the urge to grab her by the shoulders and interrogate her. With great effort, she waited, silently.

‘Serena doesn't know I'm here,' Marina began. ‘But I wanted you to know she's doing something – something she hasn't told you about.'

Drugs. Mel felt like she'd been punched. She knew it. She had always known it would happen. Was it heroin? She still hadn't said anything. She just nodded.

Marina continued. ‘Mum and I talked about it, and we decided it's best if you just come and see.'

Mel imagined Serena lying on a filthy mattress in a crack house. Could she bear to see that? Would they be able to get her out?

‘It's this afternoon,' Marina said, which Mel found a bit confusing. What was this afternoon? ‘Anyway,' Marina continued, ‘Mum's parked around the corner. Can you come now? It'll only be an hour or so.'

An hour? For some kind of intervention? What would they do? Where would they take Serena? Mel's mind was racing.

‘Can you get off work?' Marina was asking.

‘Of course, of course,' Mel said.

She went back into the shop and explained to Jo that she had a crisis with Serena.

Jo didn't hesitate. ‘Go. I'm here; we've got the girls …' They'd taken on two college leavers, who were wonderful at playing with the kids and keeping the shop tidy. ‘They can hold the fort, and I'm here to cash up and lock up if you don't make it back.'

‘Thanks,' said Mel. ‘Really, thank you so much.'

‘Nonsense. You've always been a hundred per cent reliable. We employ people with families, and families have emergencies sometimes. Now go, and don't worry about us at all.'

Mel grabbed her bag and dashed out of the shop. Marina was waiting, and together they walked down the road. Jane was sitting in the car around the corner and they got in.

‘We're going to be a few minutes late, but I don't think
it'll matter,' said Jane. ‘It was a bit last-minute, but Marina and I decided you had to see this.'

‘See what?'

‘You'll have to wait and see,' Jane said. ‘I promise you it'll be worth it.'

Mel was now thoroughly confused. Jane pulled off and drove through the busy streets from East Finchley through Hendon and into Colindale. They passed the RAF Museum and the police station and pulled up outside a lumber yard. Was this where Serena was? Had she found another dodgy boyfriend, who worked here? Was it the mysterious Hopey?

They got out of the car and Jane and Marina led Mel past the lumber yard and through some gates. She found herself outside a large prefabricated building. She seemed to remember it was, or had once been, a scout hall. Jane eased the door open, and putting her finger to her lips, she led Mel inside.

There were rows of chairs facing a low stage. Half the seats were taken, by a mixture of teenagers and adults. On stage, Mel saw the middle-aged man she had seen driving Serena away in the car. He was conducting a choir of about eight girls and boys who were singing an energetic gospel number without accompaniment. Mel scanned the faces of the kids in the choir, and the ones she could see in the audience. There was no sign of Serena. The little choir sang enthusiastically and well, and they swayed and did a little basic choreography with their song. As they finished, the crowd burst into loud applause.

The man turned to the audience and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the Swinging Hallelujahs!' There was another
round of applause with some cheering and stamping. ‘Right!' the man said. ‘Give us a few moments to change over, and then we'll be having a duet from Melissa and Heather, followed by a very special solo number.'

Everything seemed rather haphazard and casual, but no one seemed to mind. Two teenage boys pushed an electric piano on to the stage. The man sat down at the piano and nodded, and two girls, both quite plump and shy-looking, climbed onstage and stood beside the microphones, watching him closely. The man nodded and began to play. The girls started to sing ‘I Know Him So Well' from
Chess
, tentatively at first – but the man's sensitive support on the piano and his encouraging expression seemed to give them confidence. They reached the climax of the song, and while the harmony wasn't quite perfect, it was heartfelt and sweet. They got a storming round of applause and edged off the stage, blushing and thrilled.

The man stood up and said, ‘And now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you … Serena Grey.'

Serena stepped up on to the stage. She must have been waiting in a back room, because until that moment, Mel had not known for sure that she was there. She looked small and nervous. Serena sat down on the piano stool. She didn't say anything – she just began to play and sing. She started with the Beatles' ‘Yesterday', simply played and beautifully sung. She had been a talented musician as a little girl, but this … this was different. She was no longer playing the piano like a good exam student – she was playing with feeling and flair. She was playing like herself. And her voice was beautiful – deeper and smokier than you
would expect from such a young girl, but with pure, very true high notes.

When she stopped, the room was silent for a few seconds and then exploded into a roar of noise. Serena smiled, and looked out into the crowd for the first time. She locked eyes with Mel and her face darkened. She half stood up from the piano stool, but then she looked from Mel to Jane, and something she saw in Jane's face made her sit back down. She rested her fingers on the piano keys and looked at them for a few seconds. Then she looked up and stared pleadingly at the man who had introduced her. He nodded, and that seemed to be the cue she needed.

‘I wrote this song for my mum,' Serena said. ‘I didn't think she would be here to hear it, but … she is.'

There was no way for Mel to know what Serena meant by that. All she could do was listen to the song. It was called ‘The Lion's Roar' and it was about the fierceness of protective love. Mel wished she could remember all of it, because it was beautiful. But she was too busy crying with pride and shame and sorrow. She hoped that she would hear the song again and again. When Serena finished and the thunderous applause died down, the man said, ‘That's it for the first half of our programme. We'll take a short break, and then we'll be back with some instrumental numbers.'

Mel made her way over to the stage. Serena was surrounded by a crowd of well-wishers, who were all hugging her and telling her how amazing she was. Mel waited until the last of them had moved away. She waited for Serena to come to her, and she waited for Serena to speak first.

‘I wanted it to be a surprise.'

‘It was a surprise,' Mel said. She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice.

‘Mr Hope came to our school about six months ago and did a workshop, and then said we could come to his classes if we wanted to develop our own style of music.'

‘Why didn't you …?'

‘Because I knew you'd be all pushy about it, and want to know all about it, and want to tell me what to sing, and make me practise. Or you'd say it was a waste of time, and if I was going to do music again I should do the exams. I wanted to do it my own way.'

‘So how did you …?'

‘Dad signed the permission forms and paid.'

Mel breathed in sharply. She should be more upset about that, but to be honest, she wasn't surprised. Bruce was very laid back and wouldn't have thought to ask any questions. Nor would he have thought to mention it to Mel. She knew it wasn't malice … he just didn't always live in the real world.

Serena continued. ‘I wasn't trying to do a bad thing. I just wanted to do something … my own way. To show you I could.'

‘Well, you showed me,' said Mel. ‘You were brilliant. And I loved the song.'

Serena hunched over and chewed on her thumbnail. ‘Not everything I do is bad, Mum. Just some of it is private, okay?'

‘I know, but—'

‘I know what you're going to say. The world is dangerous. I know. I know it is. And I know you think I haven't, but I have listened to all the stuff you've told me over and over.
I made a mistake with Triggah. And I might make more mistakes. But sometimes … you just have to trust me. Please.'

‘I'll try,' said Mel. ‘Will you please come home?'

‘Okay,' said Serena. ‘But, Mum … I know this sounds like I'm being rude, but I'm not. I think you have some issues, and I think, maybe … you need to talk to someone about them.'

Mel nodded, and she could see Serena was incredibly surprised to see that she agreed.

‘When I was young – your age and younger – some bad stuff happened to me. And I think, maybe I've just never dealt with it. You're right. It's time.'

Serena touched her hand briefly, and Mel could have wept with happiness. ‘Will you come and meet Mr Hope now?' Serena said. ‘He really is amazing.'

She led Mel over to the man, who was chatting animatedly to three young guys. He smiled when he saw them approaching. The teenagers shook his hand and moved on, and the man came over to Mel and Serena. ‘This must be your mum!' he said, offering his hand. ‘Ian Hope. It's great to finally meet you. Serena's told me all about you. You work in that fantastic shop in East Finchley, I believe? Great idea. I wish my son was still young enough for us to shop there!'

He had warm, bright blue eyes and a smile that lit up his face.