A Christmas Wish

CHAPTER 16: CONNECTION.

After an uneventful day of work, I headed down to the ballroom. Earlier, Charlie had popped into the kitchen to let me know that he was back on night duty tonight, so he wouldn’t be joining me. He had taken the key to get some of it done during the day, though, and when I opened the door, I smiled as the smell of pine hit me. So much had already been done. The broken step leading up to the stage was even fixed. Thinking back to how this had looked a few days ago, it didn’t seem real. For the first time since stepping in here, I actually believed that it would be ready in time. Energized by this progress, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work, knowing there was still more to do. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see my mother, holding a takeout box. “I thought you might be hungry,” she said, holding it out to me. I thanked her and gratefully accepted it.

“I wanted to thank you for your gift. The gown is so beautiful, and I can’t wait to wear it,” I told her. My mother smiled at me, not the disinterested, absent-minded smile that I had seen so many times growing up. No, it was a genuine, warm smile. The kind that I had longed for from her. “I’m glad you like it. I am sure that you will look beautiful in it, better than I ever did,” she said, stepping towards me and gently pushing the hair out of my face. I didn’t know what to say, my heart felt as though it wanted to weep tears of happiness. “Dawn, I hate that you are going through all of this. I know that you love Michael, and I’m so sorry that he hurt you. You deserve so much better, my darling,” she said. “Thank you for saying that,” I managed to half-whisper. It felt good to have my pain acknowledged by her.

My mum looked down sadly. “What’s wrong?” I asked, wondering if this tenderness had been leading up to something. Had David sent her here to tell me that I needed to leave? My stomach tied itself in knots as I thought of being kicked out. Would Michael really have done that to me, after everything else? “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” she began. Oh no! This was it. I was about to be homeless. I steeled myself for her next words. If David had sent her to do that, then no doubt that prick would be somewhere nearby watching, getting a kick out of my pain. I had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. I would save that for when I was alone. “I was a terrible mother to you. I made sure you had the things you needed to live, but I never gave you the warmth and love you deserved. I never truly saw you, and I am so very sorry for that. I want you to know that it may be too little too late, but I see you now,” she said tearfully.

I nearly fell over in surprise. I definitely hadn’t expected that!. “It’s not too late, mum,” I said quietly, reaching for her hand. She smiled and thanked me, pulling me into a huge hug. We stood there silently for what seemed like an eternity, just holding each other. By the time she said goodnight and left, I felt drained emotionally and physically. I locked up the ballroom early and headed home. Charlie had done so much that it could wait until tomorrow.

I passed the lake and was almost at the cabins when I heard a door slam. I looked over and saw David leaving Amelia’s cabin. He had a face like thunder, and his body was so tense it looked as though he would explode at any minute. I ducked behind some bushes, not wanting him to see me. I was feeling so happy right now, and I didn’t want him to ruin that by taking out his bad mood on me. I waited there until he had time to get well away before getting up and walking. I considered just going home and locking my door, that terrible nightmare flashing through my mind, but I couldn’t. He had been so angry, and I needed to make sure that Amelia was okay. I approached her door cautiously and knocked. She didn’t answer, but David had slammed it so hard that it hadn’t caught properly and had bounced back open a little. The nightmare popped into my head again; this was just how it had started.

I heard crying from inside and relaxed a little; at least she was alive. “Amelia,” I called through the door. “I just wanted to check that you are okay. I saw David leaving and….. I’ll leave,” I said. “It’s okay, you can come in,” she replied, her voice heavy with tears. I pushed open the door and found her sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. Her one cheek was bright red as though she had been hit in it. “Did he do that?” I asked, gesturing to her cheek. She put up her hand to cover it, looking a little ashamed. “I’m so sorry. My brother is an arsehole,” I said. She looked up at me in shock. “Your brother!” she exclaimed, suddenly looking angry. “Did he put you in that cabin to keep an eye on me? You can just tell him that……..” she trailed off, not really knowing what it was she wanted to say. I shook my head, holding up my hands in protest. “No, no, I’m not his spy. He hates me, that’s why I’m down here. Apparently, my husband replacing me with another woman was an embarrassment to our family, so I was housed in the cabin to keep me out of sight,” I told her. She looked at me, pity in her eyes. “I’m sorry, that sounds terrible,” she said. I smiled weakly. Clearly, she was nothing like her sister.