Page 114 of The Missing Sister
‘Are you all right, Mrs McDougal?’
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine. I... did you get a name from this person?’
‘I did, yes. He only arrived fifteen minutes or so ago. Now, let me see...’
A hand descended onto my shoulder from behind and I let out a small scream.
‘Mum! It’s me!’
‘Oh, I...’ I clutched the desk tighter as the world spun.
‘Why don’t you take your mammy to sit down in the lounge and we’ll bring some water through for her?’ the receptionist suggested.
‘No, I’m all right, really.’ I turned towards the great, tall man I had brought into this world, and rested my head against his chest as he hugged me.
‘I’m so sorry I startled you, Mum. Why don’t we go to the lounge like the man said, and maybe order some tea?’
‘Okay,’ I agreed, and Jack manoeuvred his arm around my waist to support me as we walked.
Once we were sitting on a sofa in the quiet lounge and tea had been ordered, I felt Jack’s gaze upon me.
‘Seriously, I’m fine now. So, tell me, what on earth are you doing here?’ I asked him.
‘It’s simple, Mum: I was worried about you.’
‘Why?’
‘You just sounded... odd on the phone the other day. I tried calling you again early this morning, but you didn’t pick up.’
‘I’m perfectly fine, Jack. I’m sorry you felt you had to chase halfway across the world to see me.’
‘It wasn’t across the world, remember, Mum? It only took me a couple of hours to get here from Provence. The flight wasn’t much longer than going from Christchurch to Auckland. Anyway, I’m here now, and after your reaction to my arrival at reception, I’m glad I am. What’s going on, Mum?’ he asked as the tea arrived.
‘Let’s drink the tea, shall we? You pour,’ I said, not trusting my own hands to hold the pot steadily. ‘Add an extra spoonful of sugar to mine.’
Eventually, a hot sweet, tea and Jack’s comforting presence slowed my heart rate and cleared my head.
‘I’m feeling much better now,’ I said, to ease my son’s concerned stare. ‘I’m sorry about jumping the way I did.’
‘That’s okay,’ Jack shrugged. ‘You obviously thought I was someone you didn’t want to see.’
My son glanced at me through eyes that were a bright blue, very like mine. ‘Yes, I thought that maybe you were,’ I sighed. I’d always found it extremely difficult to lie to Jack face-to-face; his intrinsic openness and honesty – along with an acute perceptiveness, especially when it came to me – made it almost impossible.
‘So, who was it you were expecting?’
‘Oh Jack, it’s such a long story. In a nutshell, I think... well, I think that someone who used to live here in Dublin – a dangerous man – may be on my trail again.’
Jack sipped his tea calmly as he took this in. ‘Okay. And how do you know this?’
‘I justdo.’
‘Right. So, what has happened in the last week to make you think this?’
I glanced around nervously. ‘I’d prefer not to talk about it in public. You never know who is listening.’
‘Blimey, Mum, you sound completely paranoid! And a little crazy, to be honest, which worries me because you’ve always been the calmest and sanest person I know. For now, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and not drag you off to the nearest shrink to find out if you’ve suddenly developed delusional tendencies, but you’d better explain who this man is.’
‘I’m perfectly sane.’ I lowered my voice just in case the waitress standing in the corner of the otherwise deserted lounge could hear us. ‘It all started when those girls came to visit your sister at The Vinery, with some story about how she was the long-lost missing sister that their dead father had been looking for.’
