Stargirl of the Edge

Ch 60 - Sombre Mood

Yesterday, Thursday the seventeenth of August, Olivia has received her exam results. Still there is no news of her father and it is now Friday. She has accepted the invitation from Ben, the boy who likes her, to come out for a day and they are waiting for him to arrive.

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On Friday morning the mood in the house was more sombre than it had ever been during the time since her father had gone missing. The sunlight pierced through cloudy skies and the wind blew gently through the branches of the trees. It was still whispering that horrid poem in her head. She didn’t want to repeat it.
Olivia descended the spiral staircase and sat at the table. There were no words to describe how she felt. She had received her results. And yet it was an anticlimax. There was a mood of crisis, gloom and despair.
“Have some breakfast, Livvy. It’ll make you feel better.”
Liz placed a plate of steaming ham and mixed vegetable fried noodles in front of Olivia, with a glass of orange juice.
“What time is Ben coming to pick you up?”
“Around ten,” Olivia replied, not moving her gaze.
Liz sat down at the table next to Olivia and leaned over, fixing her with a stare that tried to offer consolation but wasn’t able to any more.
“Oh Livvy, we’ve just got to keep going.”
Olivia glanced at her mum, saying nothing.
“Now, you’ve got a nice day ahead of you. Just try to put the situation out of your mind, just for one day. It’ll do you good.”
Olivia took a deep sigh. As ever the breakfast was mostly left untouched.
The silence continued. Liz usually had the radio playing the background but she preferred not to turn it on today.
Outside the wind continued to blow, the trees swaying in the breeze.  Olivia stared distantly with sad eyes that grew redder and redder, and then a tear rolled down her cheek.
“When are we going to see dad again?” she asked. “Why can’t anyone tell us? There were others who were kidnapped. They were released weren’t they? What about that guy, the security guy? They let him go didn’t they?”
Liz moved her eyes down as she recalled the terrible details of that particular case and how it had ended.
“Don’t ask, Livvy, don’t ask…”
“I thought they said he was released?”
“No, that was another security guard.”
“You told me once about a journalist. He was released, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, in the end.”
“How many days was he held for?”
Liz took a deep sigh.
“He was released after five years.”
“That means… I might be 23 before I see dad again. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be 23.”
Liz took a deep breath and tried to gather her strength, to be encouraging yet again, to find more words to console Olivia, but on this occasion she could find nothing to say.
She got up and went to the living room and came back with something in her hand. It was the black scarf that Marianne had given her when they went for the press conference.
“Livvy, I’ve decided the time has come. I’ll have to go out there myself and look for him.”
For the first time, Olivia looked up, her eyes moving around in confusion.
“No, no, why do you need to go there? Well if you’re going, I want to come too.”
“No, darling, you’ll be starting university.”
“I’ve not decided yet. If you’re going, then I’ll definitely take a year off and come with you”
“No, darling, you stay, get on with your studies. That’s what Dad would want you to do. I’ve got to go out to that country. I think if I go there myself, speak to people there, we might be able to find him and get him released. I’m sure I’ll be able to find the money from somewhere.”
Liz looked away for a moment then back at Olivia
“Oh, that reminds me,” she said “there’s a man coming round this afternoon, to look at the house. But it’s okay, you’ll be out.”
Olivia raised her eyes and looked at Liz.
“A man? Which man? Why? Why does he need to look at the house?”
“We just need to find out how much it’s worth darling.”
“Mum, we’re not going to have to sell the house are we? Please, tell me, honestly. I don’t want to move away from here, away from the Edge. And think of Jessie!”
The dog heard her name and walked up to Olivia, placing her head in her lap. She looked up at Olivia and rolled her eyes till the whites were visible.
“She’d be devastated. This house, the garden, it’s all she’s ever known.”
Liz looked down and away momentarily, then took another sip of her tea.
“Ooh, no, Livvy, no! I’ve had a word with, you know, the finance guy, he reckons… we should be able to sort something out… we can come to... what word did he say... an arrangement with the building society. Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.”
Never had those words sounded more unconvincing to Olivia.
“Mum, stop saying that! Just tell me the truth.”
Liz looked into Olivia’s eyes with a fixed gaze.
“There’s no money to pay the mortgage. We can try selling the house. The problem is, we’ve got negative equity, the house is worth less than what we owe.  Even if someone buys it, we’ll still be left with a large debt. If we don’t do anything, the building society will come and repossess the house and we will have to leave.”
A cold shudder went down Olivia’s body at the thought of losing the home they loved.
“How long, Mum?”
“I don’t know, three, maybe six months.”
“But why isn’t there any money? Where’s it all gone?”
“We spent it on the campaign, darling. There should be more, lots more. The trouble is, Dad’s never been good at organising his financial affairs. It’s just run out, I can’t understand it. John has tried to make some sense of it. He’s looked at all Dad’s accounts and records. They are a complete mess. But he reckons there must be some more money in an account somewhere. He’s got no idea how much, though or where it is.”
“But what will we do?” asked Olivia, almost in tears. “Where will we go?”
“Oh, we’ll just have to get a smaller place, a little house somewhere.”
“In Alderley Edge?”
“Oh no, this is an expensive area. Probably back in the city.”
They sat in silence for a few more moments.
Liz took the scarf and pulled it over her thick, black curly hair. The thin black material with its ornate gold edging fell on either side of her face. She pulled it closed under her chin and tied a knot.
“When I fly out there, to try to find Dad, I’ll have to wear this of course. What do you think? Does it suit me?”
Olivia gave her a brief glance and then sighed.
“Does it have to be black?”
“Black?”
“Yes, does it have to be black? Can’t it be any other colour other than black?”
Liz pulled the scarf off her head and folded it again, her thick, shiny black curls bouncing back into place.
“No, I don’t suppose it does actually. Those African ladies, the ones you see near the university, they wear brightly coloured scarves. It’s just a cultural thing, dear, a different background.”
It seemed there could be no consolation, no respite, no comfort, no escape. Every moment awake was was like having the dagger pressed into your side, there was a sharp ache, a point, ready to pierce you inside.
“Oh, Livvy darling,” said Liz, reaching over and holding Olivia’s hand. It was cold and limp but she squeezed gently and let it go.
There was silence again. Mother and daughter sat at the table, both in a daydream.
Gazing through the kitchen window, over Livvy’s shoulder, Liz could see the trees on Alderley Edge moving in the breeze. It was brightening up a bit more now.
And then, just as the sun started to come out from behind the clouds, Liz felt as if a knife had been pushed firmly into her body and then pulled out again quickly. A cold wave descended her back, rippling out to her hands and toes.
And then to her horror, just over Livvy’s shoulders, she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. One of the three roses in the vase appeared to be partially detached at the top of the stem. The flower was bent over, it looked as it if was about to drop down onto the window ledge. It was strange, as she had only bought the flowers earlier in the week. Maybe someone in the flower shop had accidentally cut the top of the stem.  She glanced at Olivia. She did not want her to see it. Liz needed to do something to divert her attention.
“Livvy what time is it?”
She grabbed her phone.
“Ooh, It’s nearly ten. Have you got your things? Ben will be here soon. Have you got your phone darling? Is it fully charged?” Livvy pulled it out from her pocket and saw the battery icon was on 100 per cent. Just a few moments later, there was the sound of a car coming up the drive and a white Mini stopped outside.
Jessie started to bark frantically. She barked louder and louder as the crunching sound came up to the door and the person knocked.
“Oh Jessie! Shush!” said Liz as she opened the door. Jessie continued to bark, jumping up and down on her hind legs. “Come in, Ben, come in, lovely to see you!”
Olivia got up and took a quick final look in her pocket mirror to check her face. Despite all the stress and sadness, her beauty shone through. She placed her palm on her sweatshirt and felt with her fingertips just under her neck. The pendant was there. Then she walked over to Ben.
Jessie jumped up at her, bouncing up and down, and then barked at Ben, and then at her again. She was obviously unsettled by the visitor.
“Oh Jessie! It’s all right! It’s okay darling!” She bent down to stroke her head but she kept jumping up and down.
She walked towards the door with Ben and Jessie trotted after her, tail to the floor, still barking.
“Oh no, Jessie, I’m sorry! I can’t take you! I’ll be back later. I promise.”
The dog whined and then barked at Ben.
“It’s okay, Jessie, he’s just a friend!”
They went outside, Liz held Jessie back by her collar and the two got into the Mini.  Liz stood in the door and waved as Ben turned the car round and headed down the drive.

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This is a key point in the story. It is Friday. Previously, things happened on a Friday, captives were released or if they weren't so lucky... well, it's better not to think too much about that. It seems there is no hope. And they now have serious financial problems, and may lose the house. When Liz puts on the black scarf it reminds Olivia of the widowed Queen Victoria. Liz has a curious feeling, the feeling of a knife, a shiver goes down her spine. And then there is the rose flower, about to fall, an echo of ET. All Olivia can do is try to escape the situation by going on her date with Ben. I have experienced this scene so intensely, it feels like it actually happened. In a way, it did.