Penny

Chapter 14

Over the next three years, Milene and Wendy saw little of Sarah. They would sometimes see her sitting alone in the fields, or walking alone along the seashore. Whenever either Wendy or Milene approached her, she would be polite, engaging them in brief everyday chat, but would soon cut the conversation short and go on her way.

Sarah liked to join James on his walks, or sit nearby as he carried out a plumbing contract somewhere or other. However, with increasing frequency these days, Sarah would be kneeling in the street praying for James while he got drunk in one of the various pubs in the area of Liverpool where he lived.

If Sarah knew that James was going to visit the church to pray for Wendy, she would seek out Wendy to let her know. Then, Wendy could choose whether or not to travel to the church to be near him. On the occasions Sarah and Wendy travelled to Earth together, they barely spoke despite Wendy's attempts at sparking up a conversation. Wendy simply gave up trying with Sarah after a while.

When Wendy visited her father, she would sit in a pew about ten pews or so from the front of the church. She'd watch as her father walked solemnly down the central passageway of the empty, or nearly empty, church. He would then take his seat at the front pew. The same seat every time. The seat he'd sat at on the day of her funeral. Often Sarah sat alongside him. Sometimes Sarah left early, leaving Wendy alone with her father.

Over those three years, whilst Wendy remained ever-youthful, she watched her father age beyond his years, becoming frail. When pressed by Wendy one time, Sarah had admitted that James was drinking increasingly heavily and had lost all interest in life. Sarah had also told Wendy that James was finding it difficult to continue with his plumbing business as contracts were drying up, a consequence of his drinking and diminishing physical capability.

It was a Wednesday evening. Sarah was sitting at the front pew of the church, holding her half-brother's hand, worried by how thin he had become. She turned around to see if Wendy was still there. She was, sobbing quietly. Sarah felt heart-broken. This has gone on long enough, she thought.

Wendy had her head bowed, trying not to let Sarah hear or see her weeping. It'd been a month since Wendy had last seen her father, and in that short time he seemed to have become thinner and frailer. This was unbearable to her. Just then, a gentle arm went around Wendy's shoulders. She looked up and to her left, and was stunned to see the love in Sarah's face. Wendy collapsed into Sarah's embrace and sobbed loudly. Sarah cradled her in her arms.

"Oh Sarah, I'm so worried about him!" said Wendy tearfully.

"I know," said Sarah softly. "Listen, you should go. This is only hurting you. I'll stay with your father a while longer. I'll meet you back at home."

The women shared a warm hug, and Sarah kissed Wendy on the cheek. Wendy then disappeared within Sarah's arms.

James and Sarah stepped out into the street. The sun had recently set, but there remained a glow on the horizon casting the surrounding clouds into a deep red. James stopped at the street corner, near the church steps, and waited for the traffic to clear so as to walk across the road and continue on his journey home.

Sarah stood by James's side. She was deeply moved by how upset Wendy had been, and by the recent renewal of their close friendship out of their shared love for James.

James watched idly at the reddened clouds before him as he stood at the kerbside waiting for traffic to pass. He suddenly realised that the clouds formed a very distinct shape. It was the shape of a pair of feathered wings, like angel's wings.

A large bus turned the corner into the street, and began passing in front of Sarah and James. Neither Sarah nor James noticed the danger at first. The bus had cut the corner of the pavement and its rear wheel had mounted the pavement kerb. As the bus passed James, its side moved towards him, pushing him backwards. Sarah screamed as James fell back. He struggled to avoid the rear wheel of the bus which was travelling towards him. James was just able to retract his feet in time to avoid them being crushed.

"Fu...Fucking arsehole!" spluttered James, shaking his fist at the departing bus.

The bus continued on its way without stopping. James watched the bus round a distant corner out of sight then, to Sarah's relief, he pulled himself back onto his feet. James dusted himself down, and looked back in the direction the bus had gone. He thought for a moment, then turned in that direction and began to walk along the pavement.

"James, no, come back!" pleaded Sarah. "Home is this way!"

Sarah shook her head despondently. She knew where James was going. There was a pub some way down that street, which James had frequented a few times after visiting the church. James, clearly disheartened by the incident with the bus, had decided to abandon his work plans for the next day and get drunk tonight. Milene had once suggested to Sarah that the only thing which stopped James descending into persistent drunkenness was his obligations to his plumbing business. But sometimes, like this night, not even that could pull him back.

Sarah watched James shuffle along the pavement away from her. James was only 56 years old but walked as if he was much older. Sarah then looked across the road, that is, in the direction James had been heading home before the bus incident. If only that bus hadn't- Sarah's thoughts were interrupted. There, across the road at the opposite street corner, directly under the cloud formation James had been so mesmerised by, stood a beautiful woman with long brown hair and wearing a long white gown. She transfixed Sarah with her beautiful eyes and her warm smile.

Sarah walked slowly down the street after James, all the while looking back, captivated by the mysterious woman watching her.