Page 40 of Now and Again

Seventeen

Juliet was walking down the hall in her pyjamas, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She was headed to the kitchen to collect a cup of tea and take it back to bed for a lazy start to her Saturday.

That plan ground to a halt as she passed Amanda’s bedroom. The door was wide open. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Amanda was crying out as she ran from cupboard to drawer to wardrobe, throwing things into a suitcase on the bed with no system whatsoever. Juliet paused at the door. ‘Everything OK?’

Amanda didn’t seem to hear her as she threw a swimming costume into her case and then looked at it. ‘Why am I packingthat?’

‘Amanda, what’s going on?’ Juliet repeated.

Amanda turned to her, surprised. ‘Oh. Hi. My dad had a heart attack.’

‘Oh my god!’ Juliet said, clutching her hand to her mouth.

Amanda turned back to her frantic packing. ‘They think it’s… I mean, it’s probably OK. It’s mild, I think. My mum said… Anyway, I just need to get there. He lives a few towns over and I... Shit, I just need to get there.’

‘Where’s Mike? Is he waiting in the car or…’

‘He left for Strasbourg this morning, work thing.’

‘Oh no,’ Juliet moaned. ‘That’s awful timing.’

‘No, it’s probably better,’ Amanda said, chewing her lip. ‘He’s not great with sickness.’

Juliet decided to swerve around the fact that Amanda didn’t feel she could ask her husband for support when her dad was gravely ill. ‘You’renot driving, are you?’ she asked.

‘I was going to. Do you think it’s a bad idea?’ she asked, frazzled, running to her underwear drawer. ‘I thought I had more bras than this.’

Juliet shook her head straight away. ‘You’re upset. You shouldn’t drive. You’d be better getting the train. OrIcould…’

‘Oh, no. You can’t drive. I’m not imposing on you.’

‘Youwouldn’tbe.’

‘No, no, you’re right. I should just get a train. It’s quicker, anyway. But… You couldn’t do me a favour and pack some clothes for Mia, could you?’

‘Of course,’ Juliet said, turning around. She took two steps down the hall before she turned back around. ‘Amanda, you should leave Mia here with me.’

Amanda was horrified. ‘It’s the weekend! You’re off!’

‘Yeah, but we talked about me doing a bit extra in exchange for the room, and so far, you haven’t let me.’

‘I just said that so you’d feel OK about moving in. I didn’t mean it,’ Amanda told her, throwing knickers in the case.

Juliet couldn’t accept that. ‘That was sweet of you. But if I don’t help, I’ll be drenched in guilt. You’d be doing me a favour by letting me do this.’

Amanda sighed. ‘I’ve got to admit, it might be easier at the hospital without a toddler.’

‘It’s agreed, then. Just take care of yourself and your dad. I’ve got Mia.’

‘What’s going on?’ Riley said, walking past and seeing the conversation taking place half in, half out of the room.

Amanda took a deep breath and garbled, ‘My dad had a heart attack,yourdad’s in Strasbourg, Juliet’s taking Mia, I’m taking the train.’

It took Riley a second to cut through the mess. ‘My… Your… Fuck, is he alright?’

‘Hopefully.’ Amanda slapped her case shut. ‘Riley, I need a favour; can you help Juliet out with Mia while I’m gone?’

‘What?’ they both said in unison.

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