The 20 Dates Challenge

Twenty-Two - Did I Ever Tell You

Did I Ever Tell You

I’ve honestly never been more uncomfortable in my life. The chairs in the waiting room are hard and they squeak when we move, and Alex may be really cute when he sleeps but, I can tell you now, my shoulder in numb from the weight of his head. I can’t move either because he is asleep.

Mum sits on my other side with Connie fast asleep on her lap. I smile at her over Connie’s head.

‘How’s it going, kiddo?’ she whispers.

‘Can’t sleep,’ I reply, ‘you?’

‘Much the same.’

We both look up at the clock ticking away on the wall.

‘Two-thirty in the freaking morning,’ I sigh.

‘I should’ve taken you kids home when you started yawning,’ she says.

‘There’s no way Alex would’ve left on his own. We would’ve needed to sedate him and drag him to the car. Then tie him down so he couldn’t jump out when he came too.’

She smiles sadly.

‘Did I ever tell you how your father died?’ she asks.

I shake my head.

‘I never asked,’ I say.

‘Well, I think you’re old enough to know,’ she takes a deep breath, ‘Charlene and I have known each other since we were little girls. You know I grew up in Canberra? Well, when you were just a baby, we were all at dinner at Charlene’s old house. She didn’t move to Brisbane until you were about four or five. At the time of this dinner, you were only eight months and Alex would’ve been almost two. The snow had just started to fall when both your fathers walked in. Rick walked in first. The second I saw him, I knew something had happened. When I saw your dad, he had a big cut down the side off his face and was staring daggers at the back of Rick’s head. There was blood on the both of them. Then Rick turned around and punched your dad. You and Alex had been playing in a corner but you both started screaming and crying. Both Charlene and I jumped up and picked you both up. When we turned back, neither of the boys were in the room. We heard two cars start up and then drive away. Charlene and I, we thought they were just going to a pub to sort out whatever had happened. We put you and Alex to bed and then went to bed ourselves.’

Mum stops talking. She’s started to cry.

‘You don’t have to finish,’ I whisper.

‘Yes,’ she says, ‘yes I do. You need to hear this.’

She takes another deep breath and continues.

‘Around three in the morning, the doorbell went off. It sent both of you off crying. I went to settle you down while Charlene answered the door. The second the door was opened, she called out for me to come to the door too. I left the both of you crying in the spare room. In the living room, two police officers were standing in the doorway. One asked me if I was the wife of Harry Fay and that I had to go to the hospital to identify a body. The other one was talking to a hysterical Charlene. We both packed bags for ourselves and our babies. Then we dropped the both of you at the neighbours while we followed the police to the hospital. The body I identified was your fathers. Rick was in the emergency room. It was then that he explained to us what had happened. Instead of going to the pub like we thought they’d done, the two went to an empty car park, one with seven levels, and they raced. They started in the basement and drove to the top. On the way back down, your dad had hit a speed bump and done something to the bottom of the car. He lost control and hit Rick’s car, which went straight through the wall of the shopping centre beside the car park. But your dad’s car,’ she stops, choking on the words.

‘Your dad’s car broke through the barrier of the car park and fell off the sixth level,’ Charlene says.

She comes to stand in front of me and takes my hands.

‘Two meters to the left and it would’ve been Rick too, not just Harry. Your mum decided she didn’t want to face Rick when he awoke. Less than five hours later, both you and her were on a plane to Brisbane. Harry’s mum, your grandma, was left to make plans for the funeral and I was left with the living husband. When your mother and I next met, it was the first day of school in two-thousand-and-three. I was dropping Alex at his new school and she was talking to the teacher about your reading problems. When I saw her, I didn’t know what to do. But when your mum smiled, I knew I was forgiven. When you and Alex clicked immediately, it wasn’t a shock to either of us. We encouraged the friendship, because we both believed we owed it to you, to both of you.’

That’s when I notice the weight has been lifted from my shoulder and that Alex is awake. He stares down at his hands in his lap.

‘I’ve never heard that story,’ he whispers.

‘Me neither,’ I say to him.

Charlene looks up at my mum.

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispers.

‘Don’t be,’ Mum replies, ‘don’t you ever be sorry that it was just Harry and not the both of them.’

‘No, I’m sorry that it was Harry. And I’m sorry we never got to figure out what happened that night between them.’

‘Why didn’t you just ask dad?’ Alex asks.

‘Your dad doesn’t remember anything from that night, not the fight, not the race, not the crash,’ Mum says.

On her lap, Connie stirs.

‘Take them home, please,’ Charlene says to my mum.

All three of us look at Alex.

‘I’ll carry Connie to the car,’ he says, ‘call me if you find out anything,’ he looks at his mum.

‘I promise,’ she says, kissing his forehead.

Then he stands, takes Connie from Mum’s arms and we go down to the car, leaving Charlene standing in the waiting room on her own.