Of That Day and Hour: A psychological thriller (23 page)

The morning
smells just like any other, burnt toast and egg permeate the air, but
excitement has no smell. The girls have been showered, fed and cautioned on
what they may or may not say to their father when he arrives. The minutes drag
as they eagerly look through the window. A white limousine draws up outside.

“Mom he’s here.” Jessica
shouts.

“Okay, girls, now remember
what I said.”

“Be good.” Both girls smile
to each other.

“Yes, now quickly put your
jackets on.”
       

Jeff steps onto the
sidewalk. From the corner of his eye he catches movement behind the living room
window. The front door opens and his daughters are ushered out. Chloe stands
behind the door, not wishing to see or be seen by Jeff. The door closes. Jeff
bends down with his arms out stretched, and Jessica runs into her dad’s waiting
arms.

“I’ve missed you, Dad.”
She’s so excited; squeezing tight, she gives him a long hug.

“I’ve missed you too,
honey.” He holds back tears.

 
Louise stands an arm's distance away,
embarrassed after refusing to speak to her dad on the phone.

“Come on, give your dad a
hug.” He tries to coax her.

She hesitates. Seeing her
sister in one arm, she decides to join her in the other. With the girls on either
side, he proudly holds each of their hands, walking to the sidewalk and
climbing into the car.

“Girls, this is Joe, he’s
going to be our driver today.”

“Hi Joe.” The girls are
polite, but dismiss Joe. They're far too excited. “Where’re we going Dad?”

Jeff grins. “That’s a
surprise.” From the shadows of the furthest living room corner, Chloe watches
the limousine drive away.

There’s nothing as alluring
for Jessica and Louise as the approaching rainbow skyline. Rising peaks of
twisting, screaming colorful steel, Ferris wheels and golden arches. They smile
at each other.
 
They’re minutes away from
being immersed in the land of imagination; of cotton candy, flags, balloons and
wild rides. The cab draws to a halt at the drop off point. Joe twists himself
round, peers through glasses placed on the tip of his nose, and for one moment
becomes a playful fairground character.

“Wonderland awaits, but
beware the fairground monsters, and stay close to your dad.”

“There’s no such thing as
fairground monsters.” Jessica’s wise to his silliness.

“Oh yes there is.”

“Oh no there isn’t.” Both
girls can’t resist playing along with the amateur dramatics.

“Thank you, Joe.” Jeff stops
Joe’s foolery. “If you pick us up around six?”

“I’ll be here, enjoy your
day.”

Jessica gives Joe her best
silly smile, whilst Louise simply sticks her tongue out, before stepping out of
the cab and onto the sidewalk. The vibe of the fairground lifts their already
high spirits. Crowds of excited people, moms, dads, grandparents, children and even
teenagers on their best behavior. As with the Pied Piper casting his spell, the
magic here is not only the sights, but the air filled with music; hydraulic
machinery, screams, laughter and excited chatter.

“Dad can we go on the roller
coaster?”

“If you’re tall enough.”

“We are.” They’re proud of
the fact! “Steve brought us here, and we’re tall enough for all the rides now.”

“Did he?” Jeff experiences a
throb of emotional pain. “Well, come on then.”

He pays the price for not
raising his children; would he change his world if he could? The girls run in
front as he contemplates the question. Six years and Jessica will be eighteen:
in due course they will grow up and be looking to have families of their own.
The loss of Eve would be far too great; this is the price that he’s to pay.

Up front a colorful costume
character with a handful of balloons playfully tries in vain to catch the
girl’s attention. Last time Jeff was here with Chloe, it was quite a different
matter. He took photographs as the girls stood there so innocently, believing
it was all real.

Jeff steps into the ride
with a flutter of regret. The girls smile to each other as the bar comes down;
he ensures it’s firmly in place. It’s the ricketiness of it all that he doesn’t
like, the clunking and clanking that makes him feel something’s gone wrong even
before he’s reached the top. The views are magnificent; his fear is the drop.
The screaming starts just before the carriages are whipped round. Jeff holds
his breath and his body rigid as they plummet down, breathing again as they are
whipped through the tunnel and round a twisting bend. The brakes are applied:
finally he can relax. They come to a stop.

“Let’s get back in line.”
Louise giggles to Jessica.

“No.” Jeff hears the panic
in his own voice. “There’s much more to see.”

“Oh, Dad.” They're both
disappointed.

“We’ll come back later.”

“Promise?” They sweetly
smile.

“Yes, I promise.” He quickly
diverts them away. “Look, there’s the funny mirrors.”

“That’s boring, Dad.”

“I don't think so.” He has
to think fast. “Then we’ll go on the big wheel.”

“Okay.” Disappointment, but
both girls are eager to please their dad.

The frontage has funny
mirrors emblazoned in big bright lettering. A gentleman in blue is painted to
the left of the entrance, a lady in green to the right. The ticket booth has
'Boston Fun' written beneath. After the initial sulk, the girls are hopping
around; carnival mirrors twist and distort them.

Jeff’s vision blurs. The
light takes on a whiter hue. The mirror shows him himself, as an old man.
Distorted, twisted, once again decrepit. Standing next to him is Louise. She’s
a woman, a beautiful young woman; she stares and smiles to him. He feels
tender, timeless love. A microsecond, then movement in his brain brings reality
back together again.

“Dad.”

 
“Yeah.” Their voices register. “Sorry?”

“The big wheel.” They both
look worried. Dad’s acting strange.

“Yes.” With resolve he
reasserts himself. “Come on, girls.”

And so, from the Ferris
wheel to the masterpiece of the antique carousel, swinging bridges, the water
park and bumper cars, the afternoon is full of fun. For all the adrenalin
rides, Jeff’s highlight is seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter once
again.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Food first.” He smiles.
“Then you can have cotton candy.”

The diner is only a short
walk away. They find an empty table, and the girls enjoy burgers, fries and
shakes, before Louise gives Jessica a devilish look.

“Dad.”

“Yes, love.”

“Are you and mom going to
get back together?”

“No, love.” Louise had to
ask the one question he didn’t wish to hear.

“Why not?” Her face
expresses concern.

“Well, you know when you
fall out with your friends at school?”

“Yeah.” She’s heard this
before. “It’s the same for me and your mom.” He’s not sure if they are buying
into his weak explanation. “We’re friends, but we choose not to live together.”

“You left us.”

“We’ve been over this
before.” He sighs, feeling like shit. “I love you both just as much as when I
lived with you. This way when we spend time together, it's a treat.”

“But it’s not the same, Dad,
and we don’t like Steve.”

“I’m sure Steve’s a very
nice person.” He quickly changes the subject. “Who’s up for cotton candy?”

“Can we have doughnuts?”

“Go on then.” Relief; he can
still bribe them with cotton candy and doughnuts.

The girls wander round with
a bag of doughnuts each, sticky fingers coated in sugar. Then they take
themselves off to the fun house. Jeff waits outside; with the park being so
busy there’s no vacant seats. People sit on low walls that border flower
gardens. Unable to sit down, Jeff blends into the crowd; one of many standing
next to a wall. The girls have stirred his emotions and his fears.
 

A woman out of the blue
passes and looks directly at him.

“Adulterer.”

This takes him by surprise.
Did that really just happen? Was it directed at him?

“Deadbeat.”

Another. What’s going on?
The crowd and people that pass are eyeballing him like he’s a piece of dirt.
Names are being thrown like rocks. It’s nothing he hasn’t already called
himself; the crowd appears to have become his thoughts, his consciousness, his
mind. This barrage is terrifying, a glimpse of mob rule, the terror souls have
suffered before being lynched, beaten or stoned to death. Then confusion; he’s
on the floor, shoes around him.

“Are you alright?” A softly
spoken, comforting female voice.

Opening his eyes reassures
concerned bystanders that he’s okay. Jeff sits up. Two men offer to help him
back onto his feet. He takes the seat kindly offered to him on the nearby
bench. Shaken by the experience, he sits and catches his breath; his body
shakes. It’s half an hour before the girls appear at the exit of the fun house.
He smiles and waves to them.

“Did you enjoy yourselves?”
He over emphasizes his joy at seeing them, in part to cover his horrific
experience.

“Yes Dad!” They reply with
equal excitement.

“Good. Girls, I’m sorry, but
we have to leave now.”

“Can’t we stay a while
longer?” They plead. “Please, Dad.”

“We can’t. I promised your
mom you would be home no later than seven.”

“It’s not fair.” Feet almost
stamp.

“I’ll bring you again.” He
tries to reassure them. “I promise.”

“Well, if mom was here, we
wouldn’t have to go, would we?”

“Yes, you would.” He’s firm.
“Now come along, girls.”

And that’s Jeff’s final
word. They have no choice but to make their way out of the amusement park.

“See, Joe’s waiting for us.”

They reluctantly climb into
the back of the limousine.

“Hi, Joe.”

“Hi, ladies. Did you have a
good time?”

“Yes, but we wanted to stay
longer.” The look they give their dad states it’s all his fault.

“Everyone wants to stay
longer, but the fun is coming back next time.”

“When are we coming back,
Dad?”

“Soon, I promise.”

Jeff sits in the center of
the seat. The girls snuggle up either side, under his arms; in this way they
travel through the city. Outside the house, the hardest part is walking them to
the front door. He kneels down, gives them both a big hug and a kiss, before
they walk inside.

“Chloe, I would just like to
say thank you.”

The afternoon for Chloe was
spent glamorizing herself, trying to look younger, applying concealer, curling
false lashes, adding lip gloss, and a touch of blusher. Her hair had
conveniently been cut earlier in the week, given extra blonde highlights. All
that was left to do was to fasten her corset and find something sexy to show
off her cleavage. Chloe’s unsure why she’s doing this, she hates Jeff!
Convincing herself it’s just to show him what he’s missing.
  

She feels like a million
dollars. Jeff’s eyes drop for a split second before rigidly maintaining eye
contact; Chloe smiles. Meanwhile both girls run back up the hallway and are now
standing behind the door, trying not to giggle, and listening to the
conversation.

“You’re looking well.”

“Thank you.” A compliment,
she would like his eyes to drop, to see more of what he’s missing.

“I’m sorry if I was a touch
late today. My car’s been stolen.”

“Your car?” She’s surprised.

“Yeah.” Her reaction,
doesn’t seem right?

“I didn’t know you had a
car?”

“Of course you do.” How
could she forget the red Toyota?

“No, you told me you haven’t
had a car for the last couple of years.”

“What?” His hands stretch
out. “No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.” Her head
starts to sway with the words. ”You couldn’t afford one.”

“Rubbish, I’m a bloody
lecturer for crying out loud.”

“A lecturer of what,
bullshit?”

“What?” Now she’s fucking
insane! “I’ve worked for years at the university.”

“See, you haven’t changed a
bit. I worry about you, I really do.” Her finger prods into his chest. “You
need to go and see a shrink. Lecturer my ass, go on. Just go.”

“What fucking planet are you
on, Chloe?”

The front door opens and
Steve steps out.

“Is everything alright,
Chloe?” His words are stern. His eyes bore into Jeff’s.