Stargirl of the Edge

Ch 34 - Follow Your Star

Life is going well for Olivia and her family. She looks set to achieve good grades in her exams. They are together at home in Cheshire, enjoying the spring weather. Her father has returned permanently and won't be going away again. But then he tells her something she wasn't expecting.

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Now that the pendant had been returned, it was as if a weight had been taken off Olivia’s shoulders.  Now she could just concentrate on preparing for her exams. It felt reassuring that her dad was there, even if he didn’t spend a great deal of time at home. Either he was playing golf or at a meeting somewhere. But there was no feeling of worry. 

On Wednesday the second she went to the Astronomical Society again with her dad. The May Day bank holiday weekend was coming up, it would be her eighteenth birthday on Sunday the twentieth, and soon after, the exams would begin.

It was a long weekend as Monday the 7th was a bank holiday. The mood at the house was relaxed. Liz worked in the garden or did the cooking. Dennis had decided not to play golf that weekend, which was very unusual.  He spent the time at home, reading the newspaper, and taking the trouble to have little chats with Olivia, who was spending a lot of time revising for her exams.

On Sunday evening, after another of her mum’s delicious English-Chinese dinners, she went up to her room to continue her revision. But she was a little concerned when she heard raised voices. Whatever it was they were talking about, she didn’t want to hear it, and so she put on a pair of headphones and listened to music. It put her in a happy, carefree frame of mind.

But downstairs in the kitchen, the mood was the exact opposite of happy and carefree.

“How long have you known about this?” asked Liz, leaning against the worktop, glaring at Dennis, who was sitting at the table.

“Only a couple of days ago,” he said shaking his head.

“Are you being honest with me?” she said, turning round and walking to the end of the table.

“Well, the possibility was first mentioned a couple of weeks ago, but they only confirmed it the day before yesterday.”

“Do you really have to go?”

“Yes, I have to, it’s necessary. There’s a problem. I have go back and be there, on site.”

“You were never any good at delegating, were you Dennis?” said Liz, staring at his face. He looked down at the table. “Don’t you know, Dennis, that’s why you have managers, that’s why you have people to do those jobs for you. So you don’t have to.”

“No,” he replied firmly, “Liz, you don’t understand! I have to be there, they need my expertise.”

“Dennis, why don’t you tell her where you’re really going? Why don’t you tell her what you’re really doing? She can take it now, she’s nearly eighteen.”

“But Liz, you know what she’s like, she has her exams coming up. It may affect her. This is definitely the last trip now. I promise, after I come back, I will never return to that part of the world, never.”

Liz leaned over to him and stared at him even more intensely. He had to look away. “You enjoy it, don’t you?”

“What do you mean?” he replied, staring back at her.

“You enjoy the excitement, the feeling of danger, of being in a dangerous country, operating in a war zone. You like it, don’t you? Don’t try and deny it, you’ve said it before.”

He looked down at the table.

“Huh! Life in Cheshire: golf, coffee mornings, dinner parties, going for walks. Not very exciting is it?”