Absent Shadows: Destiny Part 20

* CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE *.

'Would you like a coffee?' Debs asked when I walked into the kitchen the next morning.

'Hmmm, no thanks. I think I'll go for a run first. But I won't be long. Will you still be here when I get back?'

'That depends on how long you're gone. I have a hair appointment at eleven. Ian and I have a charity dinner tonight-at the Town Hall. I hope you'll be okay for dinner on your own?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine. Actually, Crystal's invited us for dinner tonight-me and Sam,' I replied, trying to keep the grin off my face.

'Oh that's lovely,' she said, smiling. 'I'm glad to hear you're eating. You look like you've lost a bit of weight since you've been here, and I don't want your mother to think I've been starving you. Now, speaking of your mother, she rang about an hour ago. She didn't want me to wake you, but asked if I'd have you ring her back-I think she misses hearing your voice. But if you want to run, I'd do that first ... the weather looks like it's about to change.'

She was right. The sky was clouding up, but I figured I'd have time to get to the gardens, do a quick run, sit for five minutes with Henry or Elizabeth if they were around, and still make it back before the rain started.

I dashed out and headed up toward the gardens at a fast walk, then as I crossed King Street I started jogging and by the time I made it to Sam's tree I was running full speed. I didn't even remember to look over at the spot where I'd dug up the gun until I was well past it. There was no sign of the young ghost, and I had no sense of being watched.

I did two fast laps, and then slowed down to a jog. As I approached the bench on my last lap, I spotted Henry.

'Henry, how nice to see you,' I said, plonking down beside him on the bench.

'I heard running, and hoped it was you.'

'So, how is everyone this morning ... you know, after last night? Is everything back to normal?'

'Yes, I believe so. In fact, a few are even considering trying to leave now. Having been out in the open ... and seeing how happy you and the others looked ... has made a few reconsider their need to stay here.'

'Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?' I asked, looking at him hopefully. Elizabeth had said Henry might start to feel less attached to his gold now that he was getting out. Seeing others go might also encourage him.

'Yes, yes indeed, it is a very good thing. Not that I don't enjoy the company, but it's always good for spirits to find a way to let go-to move on. And of course, it gives me hope that I will be able to do the same, someday,' he said.

'Oh, Henry, that's wonderful. I mean, of course I'll miss you, but I'll be happy for you.'

There was silence for a moment. I hoped he wasn't upset by our conversation.

'I can see you're shivering Lili ... you should keep running. I'll look for you again soon,' he said, smiling at me with warmth in his eyes.

'Okay ... it's been nice seeing you Henry. Say h.e.l.lo to Elizabeth for me, won't you?'

'Of course,' he replied, and I was relieved to hear the carefree tone of his voice.

'Well, bye for now,' I said, as I started walking quickly toward home.

I hadn't gone far when my phone rang. It was Claire.

'Hey Lili-what're you up to?'

'I'm just on my way back from a run. You at work?'

'Yes, of course ... and I'm bored. My boss is away, and I don't have all that much to do. I was just about to book my flight to San Francisco. Do you know what flight you're on?'

'Oh, I take it that means you've resigned yourself to going?'

'Yeah ... I spoke to my father, and he won't take my side. He thinks it's a great idea, and insists that I give it at least one semester. Besides, he thinks it will help me to grow up, living in the apartment pretty much on my own. He's going to make me pay all the bills for food and everything so that I can, as he says, "gain an appreciation of how much things in life actually cost".'

I laughed, but I knew Claire didn't see the funny side of it, so I cut the laughter short.

'Look on the bright side. You'll have an apartment all to yourself. You'll meet new people. You can go to parties and stay out late and no-one will worry about you.'

'You're kidding, right? I bet my Dad will come down every weekend, just to keep an eye on me. He won't let me have that much fun.'

'Ah, come on. What's one semester? It won't kill you,' I said, looking both ways as I crossed King Street to head back to the apartment.

'Yeah, well, maybe not. Besides, it occurred to me that you could come down every now and again. The flights are cheap. Then we can go to Disneyland and Universal Studios ... and Venice Beach. I suppose I can get through one semester. So, do you know the flight you're on? Dad wants me to go to San Francisco first, before I go to LA.'

'Not off the top of my head. I'll look at it later and send you an email. Hey, you never got back to me about the weekend. Sam hasn't said anything about going away. Did you speak to Tom?'

'Yeah, he rang me this morning, but he didn't mention anything about going away-maybe he forgot. He did ask about us going to a movie on Sat.u.r.day night though. Do you and Sam have plans?'

'No, nothing's planned. A movie sounds good. Work out the details, then let me know. No doubt Tom will speak to Sam.'

'Okay, I'll text you later. I guess I better get back to work. Ciao.'

'See you tomorrow, bye,' I said, picking up my pace. I was nearly home now, and just in time as the rain was starting-if I was lucky I'd make it back without getting drenched.

When I made my way toward the door at five, I could see Sam standing there, looking more perfect than ever. The deep frown that was such a regular feature on his face was gone, and there was a twinkle in his eyes. I wondered how long he'd been standing there.

I walked over to him and he took my hand and lifted it to his lips for a gentle kiss. Then he turned my hand over and placed something small into my palm, softly closing my fingers around it. For just a moment I dared to hope ... could it be ... a ring?

'This belongs to you,' he said. 'I forgot to give it back to you last night.'

It was my locket. I'd forgotten about it too.

'Oh, thank you,' I said trying to hide the disappointment in my voice. I reached up to secure the clip at the back of my neck, and pulled it down into place under my shirt. It felt right hanging there, and maybe even a bit more special for having been in his possession for a time.

'Ready?' he asked.

We walked outside, then down the street to Michael's house where Crystal was standing with the door open, expecting us.

As we walked in an absolutely mouth-watering aroma hit me. I smiled at Crystal, telling her how wonderful the meal smelled as I asked what she was cooking.

'Lamb shanks,' she said, 'an Aussie specialty. Have you ever had them?' She looked at Sam as she said this, and I was pretty sure she winked. I wondered if Sam actually got any pleasure out of eating human food or whether it really was just to be polite.

'No, I haven't. We never had much lamb at home. Mom never cooked it anyway. But it smells delicious.'

'I hope you'll enjoy it. It's one of Michael's favourites. Now, can I get you a gla.s.s of wine?'

The evening was awesome, and we were all so relaxed that I even decided to drink some of the wine, to be polite. I still wasn't sure I liked it, but it didn't seem to be doing me any harm.

After dinner, we sat and played the same card game that Sam and I had played with Debs and Ian. It was girls against boys, and within just a few minutes I could tell that Michael and Sam didn't stand a chance against Crystal.

We'd just finished our game when there was a knock on the door. It was Tom, wondering how long Sam would be. He wanted Sam to join him, saying he was a bit concerned about some activity down around one of the backpacker hotels. Sam smiled sheepishly, and asked if I'd mind if he took me home now. We said our goodbyes to Crystal and Michael, thanking them for their hospitality, and then Sam ran home and grabbed the car and was back out front within just a few minutes.

'There's nothing to worry about,' he said, probably noting the concerned look on my face. 'Tom just wants a bit of company. He'd grab Crystal and Michael if there was a real problem. I think he wants to talk to me about Claire. He needs my advice,' he was almost laughing, but trying to stifle it.

'Well, that's a relief,' I said, letting out a big sigh.

'I'll fill you in tomorrow. Oh, we're going to a movie with them tomorrow, but you knew that didn't you?' he asked.

'Yes, Claire rang and mentioned it. That's okay with you, isn't it?'

'Sure-sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow then. I'd say we'll pick you up, probably around six-thirty.'

We'd arrived at the apartment, but I didn't want to make him get out so I leaned over to give him a goodnight kiss.

'Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Tell Tom that she really likes him ... a lot. Oh, and don't say anything about what happened on Tuesday-she's still afraid you might, but I told her you'd never say anything to Tom about it. You won't, will you?'

'My lips are sealed,' he said, laughing as I got out of the car. I shut the door and he drove off.

As soon as I walked into the apartment I had a terrible feeling that I'd forgotten something. Sure enough, there was a big note from Debs taped to my door.

You forgot to ring your mother. She rang here in the afternoon and I had to pretend that I'd forgotten to tell you. Please ring her as soon as you get up in the morning.

Man, how could I have forgotten? I sent an email straight away, saying I was sorry but that I'd been running late for work and forgot to call. I said I'd call as soon as I got up.

The moment I opened my eyes, I grabbed my phone and rang Mom at work.

'Hi, Mom. Sorry about yesterday.'

'That's okay, dear. I'm glad you're keeping busy. There's nothing important, I just wanted to hear your voice-it's been almost five weeks now.'

'Yeah, I know. Can you believe it? I've been sorta busy, you know ... and the time has been flying by.'

'Yes, well, we've been busy too, what with all the plans for Raye's big birthday party. You remember how excited you were when you turned sixteen, and how it meant you could get a real job. She's no different.'

I'd forgotten about Raye's birthday-it was two weeks after I'd get home-that is, if I went home. She'd started making plans for this party before I'd even left.

'Yeah, I'm sure she's itching to get a job. So, speaking about jobs, how's your work been?'

'Fine, dear, of course. Everything here is just the same as always. You're the one having the adventure, remember? We can't wait to hear all about it. Debs tells me this new friend of yours, Claire, will be going to school at UCLA this year. That's really nice. You'll be able to continue your friendship more easily.'

'Yeah, Claire's really nice, Mom, you'd like her.'

'Well, I dare say I will like her, when I get to meet her. And this boy ... Sam. Have you been seeing much of him?'

'Yeah, well, sort of,' I answered, keeping my voice as casual as possible.

'Only sort of? Well, I suppose there's no point getting too attached. And how is that job of yours going?'

'Oh, the job's okay. I'm having fun dressing up like a witch, and making the kids laugh.'

'And have you heard from David?' she asked, really slowly, like she was fishing for a lot more than just whether I'd heard from him.

'No, not really. I mean, he's sent me a couple of emails.' I didn't add that I hadn't replied to them.

'Well, if you want to talk about this at all, you know you can tell me anything.'

'Yeah, I know ... thanks.'

There was silence on the phone for several seconds, then she finally spoke.

'Okay then ... I just wanted to hear your voice, and make sure you're still having a good time. So, I guess we'll see you in a few weeks.'

'Thanks Mom. Love you.'

'Bye dear, love you too.'

That wasn't too bad. She didn't pick up anything about Sam ... and she didn't press too much for information about David. That was good.

Now ... Raye's sixteenth birthday-I'd have to think of something special for her. Maybe Claire would go shopping with me ... help me find something. And of course, I could always mail the present to Raye if I decided not to go home. She'd understand, right?

I showered and got dressed and went into the kitchen where Debs was sitting reading the paper. Ian sat across from her, head down in the sports section.

'There's fresh coffee. Oh, and did you ring your mother?'

'Yes, I rang her just before.'

'Good. Now, I have a surprise for you. I've talked Ian into taking some time off work, and we're going to the Gold Coast to thaw out in the sun. I'm tired of this freezing cold weather, and you've hardly been anywhere so I decided we'd just do it. We've booked a three bedroom penthouse apartment, so you'll have your own bedroom and bathroom. And, if you like, you can invite Claire to come with us.'

My heart dropped. 'Oh, wow, that's ... wonderful,' I said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than I felt.

'You'll love it up there. The beach is beautiful, and the sun comes up early. You can go for your run on the beach instead of the boring old gardens. And there are lots of things we can do; we can hire a car one day, and go for a drive up into the hinterland, and we can do some sailing. Ian loves to sail. We might even get up to the reef. I want you to see a bit more of Australia than just Melbourne and Sydney.'

'Wow,' I said again, 'that's ... great. When are we going? I mean, I'll have to tell them at work, you know, so they can cover for me.'

'We'll go up on Monday evening, and come back the following Friday. Ten days of glorious weather. You'll love it!'

I poured a coffee and sat at the table. I'd barely spent any time with them since I'd arrived, and I knew I should be elated with the trip. I mean, it really was nice of them and all. But even though I knew I should be excited, all I could think about was Sam. How I could I go without seeing Sam for ten days?