rose and gathered her bag and jacket, desperate to be out of the blank impersonal room and away from the smell of antiseptic and illness. She briefly considered kissing Vivian’s cheek, but only because she knew the nurse would expect a show of daughterly affection.
Mia was past pretending that all was sweetness and light in the Thorpe family. It was time to stop caring so much about the judgements of strangers. She thanked the nurse for making Vivian comfortable and took her leave. It was time to face the second unpleasant visit on her schedule.
Mia dropped her head wearily onto the kitchen table and knocked it against the wood a few times in frustration. It had been a horrendous day and she knew it wasn’t over yet. Bill placed his hand on the top of her head for a moment before he carried on past and flicked the switch on the kettle. He was of the old-school opinion that there wasn’t much that couldn’t be improved with a nice cup of tea.
Pat was upstairs trying to settle Matty and Charlie into the same spare room they had stayed in whenever they had been at Bill and Pat’s before. Matty was very quiet and Mia knew that she would need to try and have a talk with him sooner rather than later. The poor boy had barely spoken since Mia had arrived to find Kiki in floods of tears because she had managed to burn the meal she was cooking and because she’d had almost no sleep for forty-eight hours because the kids had been so sick. They were still under her feet having only just recovered from the stomach bug they’d been suffering from.
Charlie had latched on to Mia like a limpet, only releasing her grip long enough to be put into the back of Mia’s hire car. Matty had not protested when Mia told him to go and put a few clothes together and find his and Charlie’s toothbrushes.
Mia had managed to get Kiki to stop crying long enough to comprehend that she was taking the kids for a couple of days. She’d told Kiki to find the menu so that Mia could order a takeaway for supper in the hopes that Neil would be partially assuaged by the fact that there was something to eat when he got home from work.
Kiki had mumbled a few protests about the children needing to be back at school the next day but Mia put her foot down. It was Thursday already so missing Friday wouldn’t be that big a deal and she would keep them at Bill and Pat’s until Sunday evening so that Kiki could get some sleep and get the house sorted out.
At the reminder that it was Friday the next day, Kiki had paled in horror over the impending dinner party. Mia had agreed to go back to Kiki’s the next morning and help her with the planning. She hated Neil and couldn’t give a damn about him or the bloody party, but Kiki looked ready to break so she had grit her teeth and promised to be there.
Mia knocked her head against the table again and knew that she didn’t have any choice in the matter. She would have to speak to her dad and take over the running of the party for him. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, causing Mia to startle and bump her head more firmly on the table. She sat up, rubbing her forehead as she fumbled her phone from her pocket.
It was a text from Daniel and Mia suddenly longed to hear his voice. ‘I’m just going to make a quick call, Bill, and then I’m going to need you and Pat to help me with a council of war.’
‘Who’s the enemy?’ Bill grinned viciously at her, seeming pleased with the prospect of going into battle with anyone who had hurt his girl.
‘My brother-in-law and his fellow arselickers from the university’s history department,’ Mia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
‘No-one who matters then, lovey. No-one who matters a jot.’
Mia laughed out loud, her burdens suddenly lighter and more manageable. Bill was right, Neil and his cronies didn’t matter. Only Kiki and the children did and she would do whatever was necessary to help them.
‘Mia, love, what a lovely surprise to hear from you. Are you all right?’ The reassuring rumble of Daniel’s voice was another balm to her weary heart as she made herself comfortable on the back step. It was cold out, but the late afternoon sun was warm on her face as she closed her eyes and raised her head like a flower seeking nourishment.
‘A difficult day, Daniel, but I don’t want to talk about it just yet. Tell me what you’ve been up to. I just want to listen to your voice for a few minutes.’
There was a brief pause and she knew that Daniel was wrestling with himself, wanting to push her for more detail but trying to respect her request. A soft sigh of acquiescence ghosted through the phone and he proceeded to tell her about the latest events at home. His deep voice lulled her as she pictured the scenes he described.
Her beautiful kitchen came into her mind’s eye. It was her favourite room in the house, the hub around which everything else revolved. When she was lost in her cooking, Mia felt complete. It had been down to her to take care of Kiki and Nee, to make sure that all three of them had a decent meal at least. Their father ate mostly at work and provided there was a light supper waiting for him, he didn’t care who had prepared it.
Mia often wondered whether her dad understood how disengaged his wife had been, and for how long. Perhaps if Mia hadn’t tried to cover things up then he might have done something about it earlier. Perhaps not. It was just unfortunate circumstances that her parents had been so wholly unsuitable a match and the children were just innocent victims caught in the fallout of their unhappy marriage.
Mia could be mostly philosophical about it when she had some physical distance from everything, but just now the ghosts of past disappointments were crowding close. It was also becoming clear to Mia that Kiki was far from okay and that her marriage was becoming increasingly difficult to bear.
A tiny part of Mia just wanted to get away from it all and hide away back at Butterfly Cove. Surely it was past time she was responsible for everything and everybody? Surely she had suffered enough of her own pain and it was time for Kiki to stand on her own two feet? Almost as soon as the thoughts formed, Mia felt sick and treacherous. She sounded like her parents: selfish, childish and self-centred.
Mia had been fortunate in her choice of husband and both Jamie and his parents had shown her what proper family life was meant to be like. Kiki had thought she would be safe and sheltered with Neil. He had seemed strong and in control. It was only once it was too late that Kiki had come to realise that Neil was weak and spoiled. A small-minded bully who needed to push others down to boost himself up. Kiki was a ready-made gift for him to exploit. Desperate for love with no real sense of self, she’d been wide open and vulnerable to his flattering attentions.
With a sigh, Mia pressed the phone closer to her ear and let Daniel bring her what comfort he could from so far away.
‘So, what are you wearing?’ he rasped and Mia burst into gales of laughter.
‘Have a heart, pet. A man has needs, you know?’ Daniel tried to sound hurt, but there was no disguising the laughter in his voice. His silly ploy had the desired effect and dragged Mia at least partially out of her sour mood.
‘I’m going to be here for a few more days, at least the weekend, maybe longer. I’m back at Bill and Pat’s and I’ve got the kids with me. Kiki is…’ Mia felt her throat catch and she swallowed hard and tried again. ‘Kiki’s in a bad place and I need to do what I can to help her. I’ve got to sort this dinner out for Dad, much as it pains me to do anything to help Neil and his stupid friends.’ She paused and then decided to share the selfish thought she’d had earlier.
‘I don’t want to be here; I don’t want to deal with all this shit. I just want to come home and lie in bed with you and weave our future plans. Oh hell, Daniel, I’m such an awful
