Wish You Were Here

‘You are so beautiful, Alice. You have a pure and giving heart—’

‘And the sort of face nobody looks at twice.’

‘But nobody wants to look at a beautiful face if it hides a cruel heart,’ he said and Alice couldn’t help wondering if he was talking about somebody in particular. ‘Listen,’ he continued, ‘Stella might get all the attention when it comes to the opposite sex and she might get her own way when it comes to you and me but just be careful.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You mustn’t trust her so wholeheartedly. She takes advantage of you.’

‘Well, I’m used to that.’

‘But you mustn’t let her—’ he paused.

‘What?’

Her father shook his head and something inside him seemed to close down. The conversation was over; he wasn’t going to elaborate.

They finished their ice creams and then drove home in virtual silence. The winter sky had darkened dramatically and Alice turned the car headlights on. Her father’s eyes kept closing and she didn’t prod him into wakefulness with conversation although she was desperate to know what he’d meant about Stella.

You mustn’t trust her so wholeheartedly.

Of course, Alice knew that her sister wasn’t completely honest all the time but she was used to all the white lies and Stella wouldn’t be Stella without them. But was there something more sinister than that?

Alice turned into the tree-lined driveway and the south front of Bellwood House rose up out of the immaculate lawn to greet them. It was an imposing Georgian house which had been extended and modernised to provide more ground-floor facilities for its residents. Her father, though, despite his wheelchair, had insisted on having a first-floor room because he wanted a good view.

Alice pulled up outside the front door and one of the carers, Sam, was immediately there to help. He always had the uncanny ability to spring up out of nowhere when he was most needed and Alice watched as he helped her father into his chair, wheeling him up the ramp into the home.

‘No need to come with me,’ her father told her.

‘Are you sure?’

‘You’ve done quite enough for today, my dear.’

Alice bent down and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Give me a call soon, won’t you?’

‘Of course,’ he said, grabbing hold of one of her hands. ‘Thank you.’

Alice smiled at him. ‘Happy birthday, Dad.’

She watched as Sam wheeled her father’s chair into the lift up to his room on the first floor and waited for him to return, peeping into the main sitting room which overlooked the front lawn and wondering if she’d catch a glimpse of Rosa. Would it be too intrusive to ask for her? she wondered. Yes, it would and what would she say, anyway? Excuse me – are your intentions towards my father honourable? No, she was quite sure that he was old enough to know what he was doing when it came to the opposite sex.

At last, after settling her father into his room, Sam returned.

‘Did he have a good day?’ he asked Alice, his young face beaming at her.

‘He did,’ Alice said, knowing that Sam was referring to the mental and physical state of her father rather than whether he’d enjoyed himself. ‘He was absolutely fine. No problems at all. Just got a little tired at the end of the day.’

‘Don’t we all?’ Sam said with a smile.

‘You’ll let me know if he has another turn, won’t you?’

‘Don’t worry, we’ve got your number,’ Sam assured her.

‘My mobile and my home number?’

‘Yes.’

‘And the office one?’

‘We checked them all last time, remember?’ Sam said.

‘Oh, yes,’ Alice said.

‘He’s well looked after, Miss Archer,’ Sam assured her. ‘We’ve got him on the new dosage of medication for the MS and he’s eating well, sleeping like a log and – well, everything is absolutely normal.’

‘I know. It’s just that I want to make sure,’ Alice said.

‘And the dementia – well, he has good days and bad days.’

Alice nodded. ‘It’s so unfair,’ she said. ‘Isn’t MS enough? Why dementia too?’

‘Old age can be very cruel sometimes,’ Sam said. ‘I’ve seen so many of our clients battling no end of ills.’

Alice nodded, blinking fast so that her tears wouldn’t spill. ‘But he isn’t old,’ she said hopelessly.

‘Well—’

‘He isn’t! Not by today’s standards.’

Sam nodded. ‘You just have to take things one day at a time with ageing. That’s all you can do.’

Alice nodded and said goodbye, leaving Bellwood House for her sister’s. It was dark now but there were no lights on in the house. Alice wondered if her sister really was tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle and a box of tissues but she quickly dismissed the thought as she popped the car keys through the letterbox.

Walking to the end of the road, Alice turned left and headed towards the bus stop. Fishing her mobile out of her pocket, she texted Stella.

Had a great day with Dad. Car returned. Hope you’re feeling better. Xx

The reply took only half a minute to arrive.

Hope you topped up the petrol. S x

Chapter 4 (#u781a25e4-d418-5948-8b5c-602cd1ef986a)

‘We can’t possibly go on using that room for interviews – it’s far too noisy with them digging up half the street outside,’ Larry Baxter told Alice without actually looking at her.

‘How about the old filing room?’ Alice suggested.

‘What?’ Larry snapped.