Take One: Story Two
Coming Home
It was a cold midwinter's dawn, but Lily took no notice of the chill as she padded into the dimly lit lounge room and sat in the worn old armchair by the slightly open window. It was her father's chair, and she was waiting for him to come home. A chill breeze, carrying the damp of the early morning mist and a promise of rain during the day, drifted through the tall eucalyptus trees and waratahs, and in through the fly screen covering the window. Goosebumps rose on Lily's arms, the chill rolling across her in waves, and she shivered.
She diverted her attention from the empty street for a second to pull the patched quilt from the back of the armchair, and wrapped it tightly around herself. Her soft brown eyes refocused on the empty street illuminated by a single lamppost and the slowly rising sun. Her mother appeared in the empty doorway behind her and sighed. It was a common thing lately for Lily to wake with the sun and wait for her father.
"He's not coming back. I told you this before. He's gone to be with Grandma and Grandpa now," she whispered sadly in Lily's ear. But Lily didn't believe her.
"He'll come back. He promised he'd be back for my birthday," she stated forcefully, her gaze not once flickering from the street. Her mother was silent for a moment before laying a warm hand on Lily's shoulder.
"Come on. Get ready for school now." Quietly, Lily slid off the chai and followed her mother back into her room.
During school, Lily was quiet. Her mind wandered and she couldn't focus on her work. Her teacher grew worried, but Lily ignored her, instead focusing her gaze o the world map beside the board. When the break came, the teacher kept Lily behind, and the other children giggled between themselves at her misfortune as they raced out of the classroom.
"Lily? Are you okay?" Her teacher queried. Lily looked into the sharp blue eyes hidden behind a round pair of glasses that belonged to her teacher.
"I'm fine, Miss," She stated shortly, and stood up. Her teacher watched Lily as she walked over to the world map. Lily searched for the small country her father had once pointed out to her, and stroked the area labelled 'Vietnam' with a slender finger. "My dad is there."
"Where? Vietnam?" The teacher asked, and Lily nodded. "He's a good man, fighting the Commies so they don't come here and destroy our lives."
Lily scowled at the small country. "I don't care."
The older woman was silent, stunned by the vehemence in Lily's voice. Lily whirled around, pointing at her teacher, righteous fury filling her every pore.
"It's people like you who allowed consrit - conscipt - the government to take him away! I don't care that 'he's doing a good thing'! I want him back! I want him to come home!" She turned sharply on her heel and raced out of the classroom and into the muggy afternoon, leaving her shocked teacher staring after her in silence.
Lily was still angry when she arrived home that afternoon, dripping wet from the pouring rain that had started earlier. Her anger quickly drained out of her though, leaving her exhausted and upset. She flung herself onto her bed, ignoring the protesting meow of the ginger housecat that had been dozing there. Tears came then, great big tears that made lumps in her throat, and she gulped down lumps of air as she cried herself out. She clutched her pillow to her chest, burying her face in its softness. She was dimly aware that her mother had come into her room, and was gently rubbing her back comfortingly.
After what felt like hours, when the tears had subsided, Lily looked out her bedroom window, and gazed at the empty street once more. As she watched it, a strange white car pulled up in front of her house. A stir of anticipation in her gut awoke, coiling like a snake waiting to spring. She could feel her excitement rising as a man, tall and strong in a uniform with coal black hair like her father, stepped out and slung a duffle bag over his shoulder.
"Look mum!" She pointed out the window excitedly, and her mother smiled softly.
"I see him." Her mother sounded sad, and Lily was puzzled why she didn't seem happy that her father was back. She glanced at her mother out the side of her eye in puzzlement, before focusing her gaze back on the man.
Then he turned to face the house, and her excitement burst like a bubble. Understanding dawned on her. It wasn't her father. It was the neighbour's son. He had left a week after her father had. For a split second, a sliver of some dark emotion nestled in her chest, a small shard of hatred for her neighbours. Their son had returned while she was still waiting for her father. She squashed the emotion quickly though. She should be happy for them. But she was jealous.
"Darren's home," she whispered softly, watching as he strode up the pathway to his house proudly, the scudding clouds overhead unable to dim the radiant smile on his face. She looked back at her mother, who sat on the edge of her unmade bed. Her mother looked older, and had wrinkles that Lily hadn't noticed before. Her greying hair was twisted up into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, which made her look tired. "He's not coming back, is he, Mummy?"
"He's in a good place now, Lily. He's watching over us," her mother whispered.
"Why'd he go?"
"He had to. The government called him away to fight," her mother explained. Lily pouted.
"The government is stupid then," she slumped slightly and looked at her mother despondently, idly patting the cat. "Did he want to go?"
"No, oh God, no. He wanted to stay, and be with you and me. But he couldn't, and now he's watching over us from Heaven."
Lily sat up and hugged her mother, tightly clinging to her. "We'll be okay then, right?"
"Yeah, we'll be okay."
Outside, the rain subsided.
