Rhiwbina Living Issue 48

message. Paul didn't bother
replying. He was more worried
about his missing daughter. He
quickly put his phone back in his
pocket and as he looked up, much
to his relief, Eve came leaping back
through the forest with a big smile
on her face.
"I shouldn't have let you go like
that," Paul said.
"I was ok. I'm a big girl now and
I followed the path. The dog was
happy to have her ball back."
"We need to get you home now.
Your mother will be waiting for you."
And just like that, their day was
over. Their summer was over.
As the couple made their way
across the field to the car, Paul
cast his mind back over the last six
weeks. Together they recounted all
the things they had done together -
the visit to the castle on that boiling
hot day; the sleepover where they’d
stayed up late watching cartoons;
the time they flew a kite and it hit a
man on the head; that time they'd
taken shelter from a summer storm
in a shop doorway. This would be
Paul's final summer in Wales for a
long time.
Eve reached up and placed her
hand in his as they strode across
the field together. In the sky,
towards the west, a large grey cloud
lumbered overhead.
"Looks like rain. Autumn's on its
way," said Paul.
Eve ignored him. “Do you have to
go away?” she said.
Paul took a big breath. Every time
she asked, it wrenched his heart.
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ve got
nothing here. Apart from you of
course.”
“Am I not enough?”
Paul stopped in his tracks. He
realised the enormity of what he
had just said. He felt like he’d just
crushed her. He crouched down,
took both of Eve’s hands in his
and looked into her eyes. In that
moment, he envisioned saying
goodbye at the airport. And it was
too much to bear.
“I’m so sorry. Yes of course you are
enough.”
“Then you'll stay?”
Paul smiled and paused. “Yes. Yes
I will stay.”
Eve threw her arms around him.
It was one of those hugs that only
daughters can give. Paul stood
up, lifting her up and carried her
towards the car, her arms still
around his neck.
The journey back to Eve’s house
was a quiet one. Paul wasn't sure
that Eve believed him when he told
her he'd stay. He'd promised many
things in the past but never fulfilled
them. He considered turning the
radio on but decided that he’d
only be doing that because he was
uncomfortable with the silence.
He glanced at Eve in the rear view
mirror. She was looking out of the
window. And she was still clutching
the battered old football; still
clinging on to the day.
By the time they arrived at Beth’s,
the night was closing in. Paul put
his arm around Eve as they headed
down the side of the house to the
side door that led straight into
the kitchen. From the look at the
steamed up windows, it looked like
tea was on the hob.
A shape appeared in the glass at
the door, before it opened and Beth
stood there, apron wrapped around
her.
“Oh hi,” she said. “Come on in.” Eve
stepped inside with her mother and
then turned to Paul.
“Can you wait just two minutes?”
asked Eve. “I just need to get
something for you.”
“Yes, of course.”
Paul was tempted to pull the door
closed but thought that it would
appear rude. So he stood there
awkwardly and waited as the rain
finally started to fall from the sky.
He felt the warmth of the kitchen
seeping out, wrapping itself around
him. A gust of wind blew a few dead
leaves around his feet. In the dark,
he could only feel them as they
rattled around his shoes.
He peered into the kitchen. A waft
of warm casserole drifted out and
although Paul no longer ate meat, it
still smelt homely.
Beth's new man busied himself
around the kitchen, folding a tea
towel and bending down to open
the oven. A great plume of steam
escaped and whooshed up to the
ceiling. He placed the casserole pot
down and laid the tea towel next to
it.
Paul’s eyes lingered on the tea
towel. He cast his mind back to
the day both he and Beth bought
it. They’d made a casserole that
day too. In fact, it was the first meal
they’d cooked together in their new
home. That was when they had a
lifetime of dreams ahead of them.
Things didn't turn out quite as
they'd hoped.
Beth appeared back at the door.
“You ok?”
she asked,
drying
a plate
with a
piece
of
short story
kitchen towel.
“Yes thanks,” replied Paul.
"Good," said Beth, disappearing
back into the kitchen.
Eve reappeared.
"This is for you," she said, handing
Paul a small envelope. He looked at
it and smiled. Then he put it in his
pocket.
"Thank you." He crouched down
and the pair embraced one last
time.
"Thank you for a lovely day," said
Eve. "You're the best."
He didn't feel it but even at 8 years
of age, Eve always knew how to
make Paul feel better about things.
As he made his way to the car, he
pulled his collar up to the wind and
the rain. He opened his car door,
flopped in and put his hands on the
wheel.
As the rain gently pit-pattered on
his windscreen, he thought about
the summer. He thought about Eve,
his wonderful daughter. And he
wondered whether he really could
leave her to start a new life in New
Zealand on his own. He thought he
could escape the past but in reality,
he would be escaping his present.
He reached into his pocket for his
car key but instead found the small
envelope that Eve had given him.
He took it out.
It was a small white envelope with
a big lump in the middle, stuck
down with twisted bits of Sellotape.
Paul carefully opened it and
peered inside.
He took out the first item - an
acorn. It was the big shiny one that
Eve had found in the forest.
Then he reached in and carefully
pulled out the other item - a small
scrap of paper. It had been carefully
folded over so Paul unfolded it.
In Eve's own handwriting, it read:
“Her name is Mary and this is her
number.” Underneath was a mobile
telephone number.
“She says she’s free tomorrow
night and she'll leave her doggie
at home with his ball if you fancy a
drink together.”
Paul smiled for a moment. He read
it a second time.
"Thank you Eve," he said.
“Thank you.”
Then he started his car
and drove off into the
night.
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