Close to Heaven

Chapter Three

‘Where’s Helena?’

‘Out.’

‘I gathered that. Where out?’ She is never out at this time. A Monday especially.

‘Don’t get cocky with me, you little -’ I cut the game, switching the flat screen off with the remote. He removes his socked feet off the coffee table and throws the controller onto the floor. He looks at me expectantly, only for a second before looking down to my feet, just to make sure. He’s got a stern look on his face, getting redder by the second. ‘Well, what the fuck is so important, Dailia?’

Dailia is what my father used to call me when I did something wrong – more often than not bringing up in a conversation one of the many ‘girlies’ he had home, when sat around the dinner table. Adam knows I hate being called it, but I have tried over the last years to stop it, and now he just says it to piss me off.

‘Where is Helena?’ I try to say it as calmly as possible; I think it’s almost there.

‘She had a doctor’s thing.’ He says, waving his hand in the direction of the door before moving to pick up the controller but I kick it away.

‘About the baby?’

‘I guess so, yeah.’ He says as if I'm the idiot.

‘You guess? That’s your baby she’s carrying you know.’ Typical, stay at home all day and not even bother to go to one appointment. ‘Why are you not with her? When did she go?’

‘What’s with all the fucking questions?’

‘You are meant to be there with her!’

‘Oh go upstairs and do some homework, Dailia. Stop fretting.’

He turns back to the screen then, snatching the remote from the floor, and resuming the game.

I want to leave him to it, but I’m not going to leave her on her own.

‘When did she leave, Adam?’ I say through gritted teeth.

‘Dunno.’

‘Is it the usual hospital?’

‘How the fuck am I supposed to know?’

She’s your wife! I leave him, I’ll see if I can get hold of her, and if not head over to the usual hospital.

I pick up the phone from the cradle and dial her cell.

‘Hey, Ada’

‘Oh, hey.’ I wasn’t expecting her to pick up so quickly. ‘Where are you?’ She spoke loudly, so can’t be in the hospital, she gets nervous and self -conscious in those situations – even more reason for Adam to have been there with her.

‘On my way back from the hospital. I’ll be there soon. I have news!’ She seems very excited, which is a good sign, but I’m still pissed at Adam for staying here.

‘Okay, see you soon then.’

‘Yeah. Bye!’ I can almost see the smile on her face.

‘She’s on her way home.’

‘Ya see, told you.’

No you didn’t. ‘You should be with her.’

‘Yeah, well you shouldn’t.’

I’m not with her, but I know what he means, he has made it clear many a time that he dislikes having me here. But what an awful comeback, he really is a child.

‘Hey, Ada, can you get me a beer?’

What the hell?

‘It’s like four in the afternoon.’ I shout back to him, going back into the hall. I fetch my bag and head up the stairs to my room. The floors up here are all carpeted, including the many steps of the wide, wooden staircase, recognisable of some ostentatious house seen mainly on film. My room is the smallest room in the house. Mostly because Adam wouldn’t allow me any other when I was younger, but to be honest I’d prefer a smaller room, all the open expanses within in this house make you crave that bit of snugness.