Authors: Tammy Robinson
So she’d given notice on her flat and moved back home with her parents; tail between her legs and licking her wounds, and she’d promised herself that Willow would never know that her father had chosen a life of freedom over a life with her.
She’d sat her cherubic, chubby perfect little daughter down one day and told her that daddy had gone to live in the hills so that he could hunt lots of animals and bring them lots of meat so that they would never go hungry again. And every Sunday she got up in the very early hours of the morning and fetched whichever cut of meat she’d purchased earlier in the week and hidden in the shed freezer, and she put it in a chilly bin on the front porch with some ice packs to keep it cold overnight and she let her daughter believe that her father had left it there for them.
And
Willow had never questioned it.
A loud horn behind her bought her back to the present day and to the realisation that the light in front of her had turned green.
“Sorry,” she mouthed into her rear view mirror at the car behind. The lady waved back with a smile.
Maggie turned into a park and turned the car off.
“Damn you Jon Tanner,” she said softly, “wherever you are. I hope it was worth it.”
Chapter twelve
After purchasing
some Christmas wrapping paper, colourful sparkly ribbons and a roll of sticky tape, Maggie threw them all into the backseat of her car, slammed the door shut and leant against it. She was twitchy and restless. Thinking about the past always did that to her. She checked her watch, 4.15pm. She didn’t feel like heading home yet.
There was something about this time of year, the expectation that
tickled the back of your neck, the feeling like at any moment a random passersby might burst into carol singing and snow might fall from the sky.
Damn holiday movies.
Even she, who found this time of year the hardest time of all, couldn’t ignore the flickering you got deep down in your belly when you thought about Christmas.
She got in the car and without a conscious thought she headed to The Corner Pub. Harper was
busy once again behind the bar. She smiled broadly when she saw her friend walk in.
“Twice in one week?
” Harper said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Maggie climbed onto a bar stool and sighed at her friend.
“Coke please. No wait, make it a cider.”
“Which one?”
“The one with the highest percentage of alcohol.”
Harpers
pulled a face. “Day drinking? Again? Why do I get the feeling that something, or someone perhaps, is troubling you.”
“
It’s nearly five. And don’t you start,” Maggie said. “I’ve already had Mum trying to get me to admit to something that hasn’t and never will happen.”
“Like what?”
“Nice try.”
Harper decided to go easy on her friend. She knew this time of year was difficult for Maggie. She, Maggie and Jon had all gone to school together. In fact both girls had developed crushes on the ruggedly handsome first fifteen rugby player
in their final year of high school, but it was Maggie who had caught Jon’s eye. He’d been unreliable even back then but still Harper would never have picked he would desert Maggie and Willow like he had. If she knew where to find him she would kick his ass from here to Timbuktu, but it was like he had dropped off the face of the earth.
From time to time there had been unconfirmed sightings. Old school friends would say they
had seen him in another town, from a distance, never close enough to speak too. Harper had even thought at one point about hiring a private detective to try and trace him, just so Maggie could get some closure. But Wade had talked her out of it.
“
Don’t interfere,” he’d warned. “Let sleeping dogs lie. No good can come from raking up the past.”
And a
s much as he and his idioms annoyed her, she knew he was right. But seeing her friend morose like this every Christmas was hard. She knew it wasn’t because Maggie still loved Jon, those feelings had long since dissipated into the night, but it broke Maggie’s heart that Jon never contacted Willow. Sweet, feisty little Willow.
“Here,”
Harper said, plonking a larger than normal glass down in front of her friend. “It’s on the house.”
After calling home and making sure that Willow was ok, Maggie insisted on paying for the next one, and the one after that.
“Maggie, you know you can’t handle too much alcohol before you go all maudlin and silly” Harper gently reminded her friend.
“You’re probably right,” Maggie agreed. “But I don’t care.
It’s Christmas. Aren’t I supposed to drink and be merry at Christmas? Isn’t that what you all want from me?”
“No sweet pea, we just want you to be happy.”
“I
am
happy. I’m perfectly happy with my life thank you very much. It’s you lot that seem to think I need something more.”
“If you’re talking about a man, I know you don’t
need
one. I just think it would be nice for you to remember how much fun they can be.”
“It all comes back to sex with you doesn’t it
.”
“
Well how long has it been exactly?”
“None of your business.”
Harper whistled. “That long huh?”
“Shut up.”
“You know what? I’m due a break. How about I join you.”
“
Oh that would be lovely,” Maggie said gratefully.
While Harper finished up and told Wade and the other barman that she was finishing,
Maggie nursed her drink and stewed. It
had
been a long time, longer than she would care to admit. Since Jon there had been only one other man and she preferred to forget all about him. It was a one off drunken fumble in the hay bales at a Guy Fawkes party a few years back with a farm hand from a few farms over. He was almost ten years younger than her for Christ’s sakes, and she’d been deeply embarrassed when she woke the next morning and realised what they’d done. He on the other hand thought what they’d done was pretty damn awesome, and he’d been super keen on a repeat, something she’d made clear was never going to happen. Thankfully no one else had found out, and she planned on keeping it that way.
Here she was
, in her prime, and as celibate as a nun. But it honestly hadn’t bothered her until now. Why all of a sudden was she even thinking about this? She knew why, it was that damn Jack. He was pompous and rude, but hell, when he’d touched her she felt like someone had just jumpstarted her with an electric current. It had shot through her body, turning on switches, firing up cylinders and cranking handles. Now it was all she could think about.
“
I need another drink,” she drained the last of the pale liquid from her glass.
“
Me too,” agreed Harper, who upended her glass of wine and skulled the whole lot in one go. “Barkeep,” she called, licking her lips, “two more drinks if you will. And make it quick.”
“Only if you
two eat something to line your stomachs,” Wade said. “I don’t need you vomiting on my damn floors. I’ll get the chef to rustle you up a burger and fries each.”
“Fine,”
they agreed to appease him, but when the food arrived they barely touched it. They were having too much fun drinking and reminiscing.
“Oh let’s sing,” said Harper, her eyes bright. “Baby
chuck me the key to turn on the Karaoke machine,” she called to Wade.
“Now now
my darling,” he said in a low voice, “you remember what you promised the last time?”
The Karaoke machine sat in the corner with a cloth draped over it, and was only used occasionally when the pub was hired out as a party venue. A
year previously though Harper and a couple of other girlfriends had got plastered and decided to hold their own party, and some city guys passing through videoed them singing on their phone and uploaded it to You Tube. The clip had gone viral and gained over a hundred thousand views in one month. But not because it was any good. The women, who could barely stand they were so drunk, sounded like castrated cats scratching at metal bin lids. Harper had been mortified when she’d sobered up.
“Oh nah it’s all good,” she slurred, looking around the pub. “
There’s only locals here. None of them would dare video us, would you,” she yelled.
“Baby I really think –”
“Pass me the bloody key or I’ll get it myself,” she growled.
He sighed and threw it over.
Soon she and Maggie were happily singing away to ABBA and a collection of songs from the movie Grease.
“Aw bugger it you two, you’re scaring all my customers away,”
Wade complained as yet another couple paid hurriedly for their meal and left.
An hour later and
Wade knew that neither woman would be capable of seeing themselves home. He went out the back to the kitchen and placed a call to Dot.
“I haven’t seen her like this since Jon left,” he told her quietly, one hand pushing the
swinging door slightly open so he could keep an eye on the two.
Dot sighed. “I know. She was like that earlier today. Something is bothering her, more than normal I mean, for this time of year.”
“You want me to bring her home?”
“No it’s ok, I’ll sort something. Just keep her there and keep her happy.”
“Oh she’s happy alright,” he said wincing as the two of them murdered Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart.
“What on earth is that racket?”
“Let’s just say I think you better get here quick, before I have no business left.”
It wasn’t Dot or Ray though that walked through the door half an hour later, it was Jack. He scanned the room and
spotted Maggie in the corner near the Karaoke machine. She had her head thrown back and microphone pressed against her lips as she gave a powerfully loud, if not tuneful, rendition of Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Jack walked up to the bar and ordered a whiskey on the rocks.
The drink was placed in front of him and he took a large gulp. “Thanks,” he smiled at
Wade, “I have a feeling I’m going to need this.” He watched the two women, amused, as they started singing Waterloo.
“Yeah sorry about them,” Wade apologised, eyeing the two ladies who were oblivious to anything
or anyone around them. “I was just about to shut the bar up. No point staying open when they’re scaring all my customers away. I’m surprised you were brave enough to come through the door, could you not hear them from outside?”
“Oh yes I heard them alright. I heard them the moment I turned the corner onto the street.
” Jack shuddered as a particularly high note was attempted, and failed. “Can’t you flick an off switch at the wall or something?”
Wade shrugged his shoulders. “Not much I can do about it sorry. The tall one
is my girlfriend. She’d kill me if I pulled the plug.”
“Ah I see,” Jack smiled
in understanding.
“Exactly.
But while I may not have a choice in being here, you can still get out. Go; make a run for it while you still have your hearing.”
“
I would but I’m here on a mission.”
Wade gave him a questioning look.
“I’ve been sent by Dot to collect the short one,” Jack told him, gesturing towards the women.
“Maggie?”
“That’s the one.” He drained the rest of his whiskey, put his glass back on the counter then held out a hand, “Jack.”
“Ah, understanding dawns,” Wade
shook Jack’s hand. “I’ve heard about you.”
“Christ, nothing too bad I hope.”
“Well,” Wade pulled a diplomatic face, “Let’s just say that it can take Maggie a little time to warm up to new people.”
“So I’m learning.”
“Once she’s your friend though she’s as loyal as anything.”
The song finished and Harper turned to holler at Wade.
“More drinks,” she called.
“No,” he said firmly.
“You’ve had enough. It’s time to go home now baby and get some water and aspirins into you.”
“Boo spoilsport,” she pouted. “I feel fine.”
“Maybe you do right now,” he said, “but I guarantee tomorrow morning you won’t be feeling so crash hot.” In an aside to Jack he added, “or looking it, if past experience is anything to go by.”
Jack smirked and for the first time Maggie noticed him.
“
You,
” she said.
“Yep, me,” he answered cheerfully.
She turned to Harper. “It’s him,” she whispered loudly. “That Jack guy I told you about. I think he’s stalking me.”
“You should call the police,” Harper whispered
loudly back.
“
That’s a good idea.”
Maggie turned to Wade and Jack.
“Excuse me, but do either of you have a phone I could borrow? It’s a local call.”
“Now Maggie you’re
not going to go calling the police,” Wade sighed.
“And why not?”
“Because you’re talking all crazy. Honestly, who in their right mind would stalk you with all
your
baggage?”
“Hey, I resent that,” Maggie protested.
“Well it’s true. Get over yourself and give the guy a chance. I’m sure he has things he’d rather be doing than giving up his time to make sure you get home safely.”
“
I don’t need a ride home.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Ok maybe I do. But not from him.”
“Fine
by me,” Jack got up and headed towards the door.
“Good one Maggie,” Wade said, “now what are you going to do, walk?”
“You can give me a ride home.”
“No I can’t. I have my hands full looking after this one,” Wade said, trying to prop up Harper.
“Then I’ll sleep here.”
Wade sighed. “Just accept his offer of a ride and get out of my bar Maggie. And you know I say
that with love.”
F
eeling more sober, Maggie turned towards the door that had just shut behind Jack. She kissed both Harper and Wade on the cheek then ran outside. Jack was in the driver’s seat of his truck and just closing the door.