With the third generation of the Slades in Sunset Valley, the legacy left by their forebears has been put in jeopardy. Their family's history in Twinbrook and an ill-judged affair have split the family. Adam Slade's grand-daughter Cleo lives alone with her daughter, Danielle, now that her partner, Pascal, and brother, Carl, have left the Valley.
In this chapter Cleo and Danielle are coming to terms with living alone when someone unexpected turns up ...
Weeks had passed since Cleo's confrontation with Garett and she was trying to get her life back together.
She had lost her partner, Pascal; her brother, Carl and although her father could still be alive, somewhere ... and some when ... the only person she now had in her life was her beautiful daughter, Danielle.
Danielle had just started primary school so Cleo was able to return, albeit in a reduced capacity, to her job with the Sunset Valley Fire Department.
But in her reflective moments, when she was alone Cleo could not help but contemplate what might have been; what she could, should, have done differently.
She hadn't spoken to Pascal, on the odd occasion when she had tried to contact him it was always his parents who answered to tell her that he was busy and would call when he felt able.
She hoped they could come to terms with what had happened; his simple strength and clarity had become so important to her and without him she felt not so much alone as cut adrift. In this big house, even the smallest of rooms seemed to take on an almost overpowering scale.
About the only thing that kept Cleo focused was the need to take care of Danielle; to attempt to provide her with some sort of stability and make sure she was protected from the consequences of the mistakes her mother had made.
By all accounts Danielle was enjoying and doing well at school, and Cleo cherished those shared moments when the two of them worked on her school projects.
In fact, whatever Danielle did, she always tried to involve her mother and if she was at a loose end she would be at her mother’s side to help her out; cooking, cleaning, gardening ... anything . Danielle had even started painting. It was as if she sensed the sadness in her mother and was striving to keep her smiling, happy, and looking forward.
There was, however, one significant secret, that Cleo had been keeping from Danielle. One that she could no longer avoid telling, indeed Danielle had already started asking questions that weren't as innocent as she tried to make out. So, a few months after the graveyard meeting with Garett, Cleo decided it was time to be honest and let her daughter know ...
"Danielle, sweetie, I've got some exciting news for you ... in a little while we're going to have a new addition to our family ... you're soon going to have a baby sister or brother."
Danielle let out a squeal of delight and hugged her mummy tight. "Ohh, a baby sister please mummy, that would be so ... amazing!"
As her daughter pressed an ear against her stomach Cleo ran her fingers gently through Danielle's hair, "I don't know sweetie, it's going to be a surprise ..."
Danielle looked up at her mother, "Oh, OK, I suppose ... I suppose a little brother would be cool too ..."
"That’s right Dani, and they'll love having you as their big sister."
A frown slowly worked its way across Danielle's face as she sat back into the sofa ... "But, mummy, can we look after baby? You work so hard and I have to go to school ...?"
"Oh sweetie, don't worry about that, it'll be fine. The Fire Station will give me extra time off to look after baby and, anyway, we have plenty of friends to help out if we need it. It'll be fine honey."
Although she wasn't convinced by her mother's assurances, Danielle didn't want to upset her by making a fuss now. "OK, mummy, I know it will too."
Throwing her arms around her mother one more time, Danielle whispered into Cleo's belly, "Hey baby sister ... or brother ... we're going to have the best time – you, me, and mummy."
Looking up, smiling broadly, Danielle announced, "I'm going to do a painting ... I'm going to do a painting of the new baby!" Cleo barely had time to comment before her daughter had rushed out and up to her room to start work on her new painting.
But en route to her room, Danielle slipped into the bathroom to make a phone call. "Hey Daddy! It's mummy, she just told me she's having a baby – I'm going to have a baby sister ... or brother."
-- * --
Weeks and months passed by much as they had before but, as much as she protested it wasn't necessary, Cleo noticed that her daughter was even more attentive than she had been previously. At any sign that she might be exerting herself Cleo would find Danielle at her side insisting that she help.
Grateful that her school performance hadn't suffered since learning of her pregnancy Cleo was concerned that Danielle had almost no life outside of home and school. The few friends that she had previously invited over were not even talked about any more. She could only hope that when the baby was born her daughter might relax and start enjoying her childhood again.
And then, the day arrived. Just as she was going to bed, Cleo felt a sudden tightening of her stomach. The pain coursed around her abdomen and through the nerves of her legs and back - Cleo knew what it meant ... baby was coming!
Quickly punching the emergency code into her phone Cleo alerted the Community Parent Care team who swiftly organised an ambulance for Cleo and a babysitter for Danielle.
Whether it was the stress of now being a single mother of a newborn or the awkward positioning of the baby, this labour went on through the night and it wasn't until the following morning that Danielle’s sibling was finally delivered.
As long as the labour had been, Cleo turned out to be surprisingly resilient and was eager to get up, out, and back home as soon as she could.
The difficulties of the birth, though, were quickly forgotten when, as she stepped out of the hospital into the cool evening air of Sunset Valley, Cleo noticed someone waiting for her.
"Bonsoir ma chère let me take you home."
Chapter 32: Pascal's Conditions
No comments:
Post a Comment