The Runaway Woman

LUCY’S MIND WAS in chaos.

Having trudged through the darkened streets, she was now just half a mile from her parents’ house. She was tired, her bones ached from the cold, and the repulsion she felt towards Martin and her sister continued to fester inside her.

Increasingly, she was uncertain as to whether she should continue on to her parents’ house, or return home to confront Martin.

But she knew she must put her mother first. Her father had sounded really worried when she’d spoken to him before she went to work that morning.

Her parents’ house was still a good fifteen minutes’ walk away, so when she saw the bus approach, she started running to the nearest stop. The conductor was standing on the platform, having a quiet cigarette. He did not see Lucy approach until she waved her arms and called out ‘Stop!’

‘By, you cut that a bit fine, didn’t you?’ Long-faced and bald as a coot, he looked a peculiar sort. ‘Come on then!’ He stubbed out his cigarette, squeezed the end of it and shoved it into the top pocket of his jacket. Then he stepped forward to help her onto the platform. ‘Where to?’

‘Addison Street, please.’

‘OK, that’ll be one and sixpence.’

Lucy fished the coins out of her purse and handed them to him.

‘That’s it … there y’are, luv!’ He rolled the ticket from his machine, and handed it to her. ‘I’m pleased to say, you’re my last customer, and I’ll not be sorry to call it a night.’ He coughed like he was on his last legs. ‘My back aches, my poor old feet are hot and tired, and I’m starving hungry. But I dare say a pint of the best will do the trick.’ He gave a toothy grin. ‘I’m hoping to catch the Dog and Duck before they close their doors for the night.’

Lucy feigned interest and duly smiled, when inside she was in pieces. Her thoughts kept going back to Paula and Martin … how could they do that to her? She had to face the truth: it was obvious that Martin did not love her. It was equally obvious that Paula cared even less about her. And the more she tried to shut the images from her mind, the more she came to realise that her life as she knew it was over.

But what was she to tell Anne and Samuel, and how would they take it? If all this had come as a mighty shock to her, what would it do to them? The more she thought about it, the more concerned she became.

Thinking of her parents, Lucy faced worry of another kind. According to her dad, it seemed her mother, far from improving in health since suffering that bad fall, was getting worse.

Yet on the occasions when she had gone over to visit her parents, Lucy herself had not noticed any significant deterioration in her mother. But then she was not as familiar with her mother’s recovery as her dad was, although she was on the phone every day to check up on her progress.

The trouble was, with her full-time work, the family to take care of, her normal daily chores and the household finances, she was forever trying to balance everything. Sometimes she wondered if her life was her own. There was never enough time to keep a closer eye on her mother, though she did what she could.

Seated at the back of the bus, and with no other passengers on board, Lucy leaned her head back and heaved a big sigh. It makes a change just to sit and do nothing, she thought.

It was not long before her thoughts returned to the couple at the bus stop, and she had to smile. It had been a real jolt when the man saw her there, all curled up at the back of the shelter.

She thought they were a nice couple. The man had surprised her when he asked if she might like to join them in the pub. No stranger had ever invited her anywhere.

Come to think of it, she could not recall anyone, not even work friends or family, ever asking her to join them for a meal or a drink; except for last Christmas, when Anne cooked the turkey and they all went over to her house for dinner. That had been a rare and enjoyable experience.

Most other times she was at Anne’s baby-sitting her grandchild. Other evenings, she might be up to her neck with baking, or doing the laundry, or working overtime to earn a bit of extra money. Or maybe there was a relative in need of some love and comfort. They always turned to Lucy, because they knew she would not let them down. Whatever it took, she was there for them.

When she thought about it now, she realised that when she felt down and worried, she had no one to turn to. Her husband was hardly ever home. Her children had enough problems of their own, and her parents were too old now for Lucy to burden them with her worries.

Basically, however, Lucy was content enough. Or she had been until today, when her world had been completely and utterly turned upside down.

She cast her mind back to the strangers at the bus shelter. She wondered if they were man and wife, or maybe just sweethearts. She thought the woman was attractive, while the man seemed so gentle, and unusually kind. She wondered who he was, and what had prompted him to ask her to join them.

Now though, her thoughts were interrupted when the conductor shouted out, ‘Addison Street!’

‘Good night, then … stay safe.’ He lit another cigarette as he saw her off the bus. ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!’ he called after her.

Lucy waved him off. ‘Hmm, chance would be a fine thing!’ she murmured under her breath.

She turned into Addison Street. Shocked to see an ambulance parked halfway down, she broke into a run. As she got nearer to her parents’ house, she was horrified to see the front door wide open and all the lights on.

Bursting into the house, her heart skipped a beat when she saw her father slumped on the stairs, looking older and greyer than she had ever seen him.

‘Dad! What’s happened?’

Greatly relieved to see her there, he struggled to get up. ‘Lucy! Oh, Lucy, thank God you’re here!’

When he began sobbing, Lucy ran to hold him. ‘Ssh … it’s all right, Dad.’

‘It’s your mum!’ He clung to her, gabbling so fast she could hardly make out what he was telling her. ‘She fell … hit her head on the fender. I thought she was dead, Lucy. I really thought she was dead.’ He began trembling uncontrollably. ‘Go to her, Lucy. She needs you.’ Burying his head in his hands, he sobbed uncontrollably.

Just then the ambulance crew emerged from the sitting room, with Lucy’s mother secured onto a stretcher. She appeared to be unconscious. Her head was bandaged and there were splashes of blood on the upper part of her clothing.

‘Go with them, Lucy!’ her father urged her. ‘Please! I’ll be all right … go with your mother.’

Lucy was in a quandary. She hated leaving him behind but, like he said, she had to go with her mother to the hospital. ‘You really ought to come with us,’ she said, but he shook his head and pushed her away.

Thinking quickly, Lucy ran to the telephone and dialled her home number; she was thankful that it was Sam, not Martin, who answered.

‘Hello!’

‘It’s me, Sam. Grandma’s had a bad accident … No, there’s no time. Just get here and stay with Granddad … Hurry! Please hurry!’ She slammed the phone down and returned to her father. ‘Sam is on his way,’ she promised, but all he needed to know was that Lucy was going with her mother.

‘Go on!’ He ushered her away. ‘Your mum needs you more than I do … go on! I’ll be fine. I’ll wait for Sam. He’ll get me to the hospital. You go.’

When she hesitated, he yelled, ‘Please, Lucy, just go!’ He gave her a shove. ‘Your mother needs you!’

‘All right, Dad, but be sure to watch out for Sam.’ She ran down the hallway and onto the street. The ambulance men had already secured her mother and made her as comfortable as was possible.

Quickly, Lucy climbed in. She was concerned when asked to sit a short distance from her mother, as the crewman was tending to her. She understood the urgency and complied with the instruction.

Seated on the tiny bench, Lucy stretched out her arm and took hold of her mother’s hand. When her mother grew restless, Lucy squeezed her hand. ‘It’s Lucy, Mum. I love you so much. I’m here, Mum, and we’ll soon be at the hospital. Dad’s following on.’ Unsure as to whether her mother could hear her, Lucy felt absolutely helpless.

Throughout the seemingly endless journey, however, she continued talking to her mother, reassuring her.

The shock was beginning to take a grip on Lucy, who, like her dad, could not stop trembling, while her anxious gaze was fixed constantly on her mum’s bloodied face.

It looked bad to Lucy. The deep gashes and bruises ran from beneath the bandages to her jaw and chin. The wider bandages and dressing over the upper part of her face and head were soaked with blood.

Lucy was relieved when her mother began to breathe more easily, although there was still the occasional shuddering breath that she seemed to hold for ever.

As they rushed through the night with sirens screaming, Lucy’s mother grew increasingly agitated. Sliding back the cabin window, the ambulance man yelled to the driver to call ahead with further medical information.

Able to comfort her mother with words of love and a gentle squeeze of the hand, Lucy constantly reassured her.

When the ambulance turned onto the highway, she caught a passing glimpse of what looked like Martin’s van. It was going at speed in the opposite direction, towards her parents’ house. ‘Thank God!’ she murmured. ‘They’ll take care of Dad now.’