moments from this period: a tray of food untouched outside her door; a dawn walk to the rocks, from which she returns soaked and shivering; a bunch of lilies that drop orange pollen onto her mother’s glass table, which Eva smears with a fingertip.
Now, a month later, she stands in her dressing gown in front of the full-length mirror. In half an hour a car is arriving to take her to her husband’s memorial service. She is 29 and a widow.
‘Widow,’ she says to the mirror, trying out the word. ‘I’m a widow.’
Leaning close to her reflection, she sees how drawn she’s become. The skin around her nose and the corners of her mouth is pink and cracked. She notices the new crease between her eyebrows and presses her fingertips against it, trying to smooth away the frown that seems to have settled there.
Footsteps sound up the wooden stairway, accompanied by the jangle of a bracelet sliding along the banister. Then there is a bright knock at the door and Callie, her best friend, sweeps in, filling the room with her smile.
She lays a dress on the bed, and then she crosses the room to Eva and wraps her arms around her from behind. A head taller, Callie lowers her chin to rest on Eva’s shoulder, so both their faces are visible in the mirror.
In a low voice she says, ‘This is going to be a hard day. But you will get through it. And you will get through the other hard days that follow. And then there will be some days when it’s not so hard. Okay?’
Eva nods.
Callie fetches the dress and holds it up for Eva. ‘I got it from that shop you like near Spitalfields. What do you think? If it’s not right, I’ve got two backups in the car.’
Eva undoes her dressing gown and steps into the heavy black material, which tapers in at her waist. She pulls the zip up her side and then faces herself in the mirror. The dress fits as if it’s been made for her.
Callie smiles. ‘You know what Jackson would’ve said, don’t you?’
Eva nods. Look at you, darl. Just look at you! She closes her eyes, briefly losing herself to the memory of his voice and the image of him taking her hand and turning her once on the spot, making a low whistle as she spun.
Callie glances at her silver wristwatch and says, ‘The car will be arriving in twenty minutes. When we get to the church, you’re just going to walk straight in with your mother. I spoke to the priest about the music. That was fine to change tracks.’
‘Thank you.’
Callie squeezes her hand. ‘You okay?’
Eva tries for a smile but it doesn’t come. Her head throbs at the temples and she feels raw inside. ‘It feels … too soon.’
‘What do you mean?’ Callie asks softly.
Eva bites down on her bottom lip. ‘Four weeks. Is it long enough to wait?’
‘Wait for what?’
She swallows. On the morning of your husband’s memorial service you do not say, I am still waiting for him to come back. So instead she says, ‘It’s just … I can’t picture it, Cal. I can’t imagine my life without Jackson in it.’
*
In Tasmania, Saul unclips his seat belt and leans forward, his thick hands locked together on the steering wheel of his truck. He gazes through the windscreen at the view from the top of Mount Wellington. On a clear day it feels as if you can see the whole of Tasmania from up here, but this afternoon the vista is obscured by the gathering clouds.
Beside him, his father shifts in the passenger seat as he slips a silver flask from his suit pocket. His hands tremble as he unscrews the lid. Whisky fumes seep into the truck.
‘One for courage,’ Dirk says.
Saul looks away, watching instead as the mourners arrive in their dark suits. Some of them are friends of Jackson’s that Saul hasn’t seen in years – from school, or the boatyard – but most are people Saul’s never even met.
Dirk tucks the flask back in his pocket. He sniffs hard, then says, ‘Ready?’
Saul slips the key from the ignition and climbs out of the truck. Sharp mountain air fills his lungs, and his borrowed suit jacket flaps in the breeze. He does up his top button, then bends to look in the dust-covered wing mirror as he straightens his tie.
When he’s done, they walk reluctantly towards the group of mourners. Beside him, Dirk says, ‘No father should have to outlive his son.’ He gives a terse shake of his head, adding, ‘England! He should never’ve bloody gone there!’
‘Will there be a service or anything over there?’
‘Yeah. They’re having a memorial, too.’
‘Who’s arranged it?’
‘His wife—’
Saul stops. He turns to look at his father, who has frozen on the spot, his mouth hanging open. ‘What did you just say?’
Dirk screws up his eyes, then rubs a thick hand across his face.
‘Dad?’
Dirk exhales hard. When he opens his eyes, he looks directly at Saul. ‘You and me, son, we’re gonna need to have a talk.’
Eva slots the key into the door lock, then hesitates. She hasn’t been back to their flat since Jackson’s death. She’s been staying with her mother, as she wanted to get through Christmas and then the memorial service before she could even think of returning. Perhaps it was a mistake to refuse her mother’s offer of coming to the flat with her. She’d insisted on doing it alone, but now the idea of going inside fills her with dread.
She takes a deep breath, then pushes open the door, putting the weight of her shoulder behind it to force it over the mound of post on top of the doormat. With her foot, she moves aside junk mail, Christmas cards and bills, and squeezes into the hallway. The air smells musty and stale, and there’s an undertone of leather from Jackson’s coat that hangs on a hook behind the door.
She puts down her bag and moves silently along the hall, peering into each room. She has the strangest sensation that if she moves slowly enough, she may catch Jackson lounging on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table, or see his long back in the shower as water streams down his body.
But, of course, the flat is empty. A deep wave of loneliness storms her. It is so intense and so absolute that it steals the breath from her lungs and the floor seems to lurch beneath her. She leans against the wall for balance, breathing deeply till the sensation passes. She must hold it together. Jackson has gone and she is alone. These are the facts and she needs to get used to them.
After a moment or two, she swallows, lifts her chin, then propels herself towards the kitchen. In a rush of movement, she throws the windows wide open, hearing traffic, voices, the scuffling of a pigeon on the roof. Then she flicks on the central heating and hurries through the flat switching on lamps, radios and the TV. Noise
