Ava Comes Home (41 page)

“Are you, dear?” She sniffled into the phone. “Oh, I'm glad. I can't tell you how glad I am. I always thought you two were meant for each other.”

“We are meant for each other and she'll be home soon.”

“Thank you, dear. You're such a lovely boy.”

“I have to go.”

“Of course. Godspeed. I'll be waiting.”

“Goodbye.”

He looked at the numbers. Should he call Lola tonight? He wrestled with the pros and cons and decided to wait until he got to New York. He was afraid that she'd say something to Libby, and he didn't want Libby to bolt. The less time between the phone call and his actual appearance, the better. It wouldn't give her the chance to get away as easily.

Seamus packed his bag after he called his neighbour about Dexter. Unfortunately he woke her up too. When he went to get his shaving kit, he looked at himself in the mirror. His father's blood was splattered on his face. It gave him a jolt, as if his father had reached out and touched him again. He threw off his clothes, jumped in the shower, and scrubbed himself until he was red, trying to wash away his father's filth. He started to get emotional again but caught himself in time. He wasn't going to feel sorry for himself or lie down and cower in a corner about what had been done to him and the girl he loved.

His mission was to bring Libby home where she belonged, or die trying.

Seamus set his alarm for six, even though he knew he wouldn't sleep. But his body knew better. He was exhausted from no sleep the night before and now that he had a plan of action, he didn't have to fret about what he'd do. He went out like a light.

At six, he jumped into the shower again to wake himself up. He shaved and got dressed, then grabbed a granola bar and a can of Coke. He put food in Dexter's dish, changed his water and patted his head goodbye. Then he picked up his belongings, locked up the house, and jumped in the car.

Seamus was at the airport by seven. Much too early, but that didn't matter. If he was there, that meant he was going. When he received his tickets, he felt better still, because here was evidence in his hand that his plan was working. He sat in the waiting area and shook his foot, watching people come and go, mostly couples, some with kids, all of them saying hello or goodbye. People looked the same when they said goodbye to a loved one—a helpless sort of moment that you knew they'd rather prolong, but didn't dare to in public in case they cried and embarrassed themselves. People greeting each other were the opposite. They were allowed a show of emotion. There were squeals and sounds of delight, hugs that rocked back and forth. Voices were raised and hand gestures accompanied laughter. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of a greeting Libby would give him.

As he trooped onto the plane with the others, it occurred to him that he'd never flown before. He had a passport because of work, but never used it. He was the only one who listened when the flight attendant mimed the safety card instructions, and he marveled at the people who ignored her, but realized that, unlike him, they probably flew often.

As the plane gathered speed down the runway, he gripped the arms of his seat. The older lady sitting next to him gave him a quick look.

“It's a piece of cake,” she whispered.

They flew up in the air and his stomach did a somersault. He was so busy keeping his body stiff against the air currents that buffeted the plane as they ascended that he forgot to look out the window.

“I find if you let yourself go and ride with the bumps, it's not so bad,” the lady said. He loosened his grip and forced himself to take a deep breath and relax as he exhaled.

“We're on a train, or an Acadian bus going over the potholes on the number four highway,” she winked.

He smiled and closed his eyes. That's just what it felt like. He opened them again. “You're right. Thank you.”

They were in Halifax before he knew it. He had a good couple of hours to wait so he grabbed a sandwich and a coffee and took them over to the gate where he'd catch the flight to New York. When he finished eating, he sat back and watched the people gather in the seats around him. His foot shook the entire time.

Finally, they were loaded on board a much larger, very crowded plane. Seamus gave a quick smile to the two businessmen who sat in his row, but they ignored him. This time he was in the aisle seat, and it didn't feel as safe. He was out in the open, somehow. He'd brought nothing to read and realized that was a mistake, as everyone else seemed to have a book or a newspaper in front of them. As if by magic, the attendant walked down the aisle and asked if he'd like to read the
National Post
or the
Globe and Mail
. He asked her if she had the
Cape
Breton Post
. She smiled and apologized. He noticed the businessman beside him smirk.

His nerves were frayed on this larger flight because it seemed to him that the plane was too large and too crowded with people to ever get off the ground. But somehow they did, and his hands gripped the arms of his chair pretty much the entire way. They were cramped by the time the plane landed.

It took forever for everyone to gather their things and get off the plane. By the time Seamus left the aircraft he was ready to scream. He tried to find a place where he could call Lola and actually hear her. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and reached into his jacket for the phone numbers. Just before he dialed he realized he didn't have a plan if she didn't answer the phone. He never thought of it.

When Ava pulled her t-shirt off without so much as turning her body away from everyone, Lola and Maurice looked at each other.

“I don't like this,” Lola said.

“Me either,” Maurice said. “She doesn't seem herself, does she?”

Lola bit her lip. “No. You heard her when I asked what she did this summer. She basically ignored me.”

“No, I don't like this at all.”

They continued to look at her and saw her put on that ridiculous thing they called a shirt.

“She doesn't want to wear that,” Lola fumed. “Why are they making her?”

“They're idiots.”

They watched her go to the window on the set and look out. She stayed there for a long time. Nigel and Hayden approached her and Hayden took her to the bed. He sat beside her and talked to her. Then she got in the middle of the bed and lay face up. Hayden looked at Nigel and Nigel pointed to the end of the bed. Hayden knelt at the end but got up again. They obviously discussed coming at it from another angle, because they walked to the other side and looked at her from a different point of view. By then two more crew members joined the action. They pointed at her and then at the headboard. All of them nodded.

“This is ridiculous.” Lola stormed past the equipment and approached the bed with a sweater in her hand.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Nigel demanded to know.

“She shouldn't have to lay here getting cold while you have a meeting around her. Why isn't her double here?”

“Not that it's any of your business, but she came down with the flu this morning.”

“Well, Ava's going to be next if you keep her here much longer.”

“Fine. Hurry up.”

She got up on the bed with Ava, who was staring at the ceiling.

“Honey, put this on. They're not going to be ready for a while. I don't want you to get a chill.”

Ava pointed at the ceiling. “I see a brown stain. Can you?”

“What?” Lola looked up to the ceiling, but could hardly see it for the lights.

“Oh, nothing. I thought I saw something.”

“Ava, please put this on.” She held the sweater out for her. Ava sat up and let Lola pull it over her head and arms.

“There, that's better. It's freezing in here. Tell them you're not taking it off.”

“Okay.”

“Ava, are you all right? You don't look good. You're shivering. Maybe you should call it a day.”

“I want it over with, Lola. Just leave me alone and let me get this done.”

“Okay. If you're sure.”

Nigel started to complain. “Look, we've got to get a move on.”

Lola got off the bed and went over to him. “I don't think Ava's feeling very well. I think she should go home.”

Hayden rushed over to Ava. “Hey, pumpkin. What's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Lola says you're not feeling well.”

“I'm not? I'm okay.”

He kissed her forehead. “That's what I thought. Okay, honey. I'll be right back.”

Hayden got off the bed and joined the other two. “She says she's fine. What's up, Lola? Don't get territorial on us. I don't want to prolong the agony, either. She doesn't like this stuff, so the sooner she gets this over with, the sooner we can get her out of here.”

Nigel shooed her with his hand. Lola looked back at Ava, who only ignored her. She walked away feeling uneasy. That's when her cell phone went off.

Maurice approached her to ask what happened and she pointed to the phone. He nodded and turned back to the makeup chair. Lola walked to a corner of the room that wasn't crawling with people.

“Hello?”

“Lola? Is that you?”

“Yes. Who's this?”

“It's Seamus.”

Lola stopped breathing for a moment. She whispered, “Seamus?” “Yes. You have to help me. Please.”

“Okay. What's wrong?”

“Something happened to Libby while you were gone. I can't go into it but she basically ran away again.”

“She ran away from you? Then why would I help you?”

“Please Lola, I can't explain it now. Just know that she loves me and I love her and something happened ten years ago that made her run away and now she's done it again, but it doesn't matter. I know what it is now, and I want to help her.”

“I'm confused.”

“Please, for the love of God, don't tell her I'm here or she'll run.”

“Here? What do you mean, here?”

“I'm at the airport. La Guardia.”

“But…”

“Lola, I have Aunt Vi's blessing to do this. She gave me your number. I didn't call Libby myself because I knew she'd hide from me again. Please trust me. I need to find her, to tell her I love her and it doesn't matter what happened all those years ago.” He paused and took a breath. “Is she well? Does she look well?”

That's when Lola straightened up. “No. No, she doesn't. I'm worried about her, as a matter of fact. She's not herself.”

“Where are you?”

“We're on a movie set, and I don't like it one bit. They're making her rehearse a rape scene and I know she doesn't want to do it.”

There was silence.

“Seamus?”

“Get her out of there. Right now.”

“Well, I'll try but—”

“I'm coming. Give me the address. How long will it take me to get there?”

Lola ran down the stairs to make sure she got the house number correct. She gave it to him before she said, “It depends on the traffic, forty-five minutes maybe.”

“Can you keep her safe until then?”

She started to panic. “Safe from what? What do you mean?”

“Please, take my cell number.”

Lola repeated it a couple of times to remember it. “You'll be able to spot the house. There are big trucks and trailers parked outside.”

“Okay. I'm coming. Stay with her, Lola, whatever you do.”

“Okay.”

He hung up and Lola bolted back up the stairs, her heart beating out of her chest. She ran up to Maurice. “We've got to get Ava outta here.”

“What's wrong?”

“That was Seamus.”

“Who?”

Lola flapped her hands around. “You know, the boy…Ava's boy from home.”

“Dear heavens.”

“He's coming to get her and asked me to keep her safe. He says for her not to do this scene. I don't know why, but he sounds desperate and I believe him.”

“Well, let's go.”

They ran towards the set again, yelling, “Stop!”

The director and production crew threw their hands in the air in exasperation. Everyone shouted at them to knock it off. Nigel stormed over and screamed, “What is with you people? This is a movie set. You can't disrupt things. It's costing money.”

Lola pushed passed him and ran to the bed. Hayden pointed at her. “Lola, this repressed need to be the centre of attention is getting tiresome. If you want to be an actress, go to acting school.”

“Shut up, you jerk.” She pushed him out of the way and jumped on the bed. “Come on, Ava. Come with me, honey. We have to go back to the hotel.”

“We do?”

“Yes, we do. Come on.”

Hayden held her back. “Sweetheart, don't listen to her. We need to get this done. You told me yourself, you feel fine.”

“I am fine. Please Lola, just leave it. I want to get this over with.”

Nigel pointed at Ava. “You see, she's fine. Now get the hell off this set. Security!”

“No, you have to come, Ava.” Lola reached out and tried to grab her. Two big guards came towards her and Maurice, who was jumping up and down wringing his hands. “Oh dear. Oh my. Listen to her, Ava.”

Harold came back into the room at that moment. He stood dumbfounded as two men grabbed Lola and Maurice and dragged them off. They didn't go willingly. They struggled and shouted as they were pushed down the stairs.

“Leave them alone!” Harold ran after them.

They were unceremoniously dumped outside on the sidewalk.

“You're barred from this set. Don't come back or we'll call the police.” One of the security guards went back in, the other stood in front of the door.

Harold ran over to them. He stroked Maurice's arm. “Are you all right, pet?”

Maurice adjusted his jacket. “Yes. I'm okay.”

“What was that all about?”

“We need to get Ava out of there,” Lola panted, “but they won't let her.”