CORAL - Fallen (A Romance Trilogy, Book 2) (42 page)

I smile up at him.
“
Nice?
”
I ask as I take
a forkful of salmon and veg.

“
Very nice
,”
he answers leaning in to kiss my cheek.
I don't know why, but I feel shy again.

“
They all like you
,”
I whisper.

“
Shame they
’
re all moving away
,”
he says, his eyebrows knitting together. I wonder if he wants them
to stay too, now that his family is gone, poor Tristan.

I feel my heart sink a little. “
Yeah
…”
I mumble and
carry on eating.

SOMETIME LATER AS
all the
adults sit under the veranda, taking a break from the afternoon sun, and the
kids are playing and splashing about in the paddling pool, the conversation
changes to the news.

I drift off as they talk politics, economics
and such; Tristan seems to know what it’
s all about,
giving an opinion every now and then. I find it all so boring,
so I scoot down in my seat, rest my head against the back of my
chair, and have a little afternoon siesta…

“
Isn
’
t it just awful news about that Jimmy
Savile!
”
Gladys pipes up
loudly, waking me from my snooze. I don't have a clue what they are talking
about, I rarely watch the news and I never p
ick up
newspapers.

“
He always gave me
the creeps
.”
Debs shudders, my
ears prick up in response. In my peripheral vision, I notice Tristan tense up
beside me.

“
I think it
’
s frightening
,”
Erin says
. “
You
just don't know who you
’
re safe
to leave your kids wit
h,”
she
adds.
Shit! This is not good!

Saliva swims in my mouth, I swallow hard
and try to blank it all out, but my heart starts pumping against my chest,
making my breathing accelerate. I try to control it because I don’t want anyone
to see this conversation is affecting me.

Thankfully, Tristan casually places his arm
around my shoulders and gently strokes my right shoulder with his fingertips, comforting
me, then he gives my shoulder a gentle, supportive squeeze, I turn and smile
weakly at him, he leans into me and gently kisses my temple, but unfortunately,
the conversation continues.

“You’re right Erin, it is scary,”
Debs says.
“
I must
admit though, when S
cott and I had Lily, we promised to
tell her from an early age about that kind of thing.”
Scott clutches Debs hand.

“
Yes, we
’
ve all done the same. It just seems as
though it
’
s rife, it
’
s everywhere
,”
Ellie bellows
. “
I
hated taking the boys to nursery when
they were due to
start, you just never know!”

“
It
’
s just awful
,”
Gladys cries
. “
Especially
a man in that position, all those children, they trusted him
.”
I pick up my wine and take a good couple
of gulps. I feel Tristan
’
s
fingers enclose around my free ha
nd
and squeeze gently, but it
’
s no good I don't want to hear any of this.

“
Coral are you
alright?
”
Malcolm asks
. “
You
’
re as white as a ghost
,”
he adds.
Everyone stops talking, they all
turn in unison and stare at me.
Crap!

“
Yeah...
” I breathe. “
I think it
’
s just the heat. Excuse me
,”
I say standing up from my chair,
Tristan clutches my hand to stop me.

“Want me to come with you?”
He whispers.

I look down at Tristan and very subtly
shake my head. “
I'm good, I just need a bathroom brea
k,”
I whisper back. I
throw a fake smile in for good measure, but Tristan’s brows are still knitted
together in concern. As I walk around the table, I turn to see Gladys watching
me with concern, her expression worn, and something else…Grief? No, that’
s not it…
Pain? Yes, that’
s what I can see in her eyes, looking away from her, I head indoors.

BYPASSING THE KITCHEN AND GOING
straight to the utility room, I yank the downstairs bathroom door
open, stepping inside I fill the sink with cold water. Scooping my hair up, I
cup the water with my hand and soak the back of my neck, closing my eyes to the
cooling sensation.

“
Coral?
”
My eyes dart open. I'm
not surprised to see Gladys standing in the doorway.

“
He
y.”
I look down at the sink and
scoop up more water, dabbing each cheek.

“
Coral
,”
Gladys
’
s voice is soft as she carefully steps into the bathroom.
“
You know you can talk to me, about anything
darling
,”
she says, holding my
hair up for me as I cool my neck once more with water.

“
Yes
,”
I
answer staring
blankly ahead.

“
Well why can't you
tell me this?
”
she asks,
holding my chin up so I have to look at her.

“
It
’
s nothing
,”
I say, hoping my eyes don't give me away.

“
Did somebody hurt
you darling?
”
she asks.

I sigh and close my eyes. “
Yes,
my parents. My sister…” I open my eyes
and stare back at her. “
T
he
only one that didn’
t was you
,”
I
whisper.

“
That was my job
darling. To keep you safe, to help you recover, to show you that you deserve so
much love and affection
,”
Gladys takes a deep bre
ath. “
Everyon
e in your life had let you down. It was my responsibility to show
you that it’
s not always true
,
that there are people you can rely on, that you can trust.”
She softly strokes my cheek. “
I remember how long it took you to trust me, to believe
I would be there when I said I would. You were such a withdrawn
little thing, so tiny, so precious…”
she drifts off, tucking my hair behind my ear.

Unwelcome tears start to fill my eyes –
Bollocks!
This is all Tristan’
s fault, he
’
s turned me into a blubberi
ng wreck!

“
I know something
happened to you darling, something much worse t
han your
father abandoning you, or your mother failing you. I could tell, and I always
thought when you were ready to tell me, you would, but you never did. I often
wonder if I did something wrong, or didn’
t do something
right, I wanted you to feel as though no matter what you told me, it wouldn
’
t make any difference to how much I loved
you, cherished you....
”
Gladys
drifts off.

“
Don
’
t
,”
I
warn. “
Gladys
don't you dare doubt y
ourself, you were wonderful to
me. I wake up every day feeling truly blessed that it was you that raised me.”
I add more water to my neck.
“
And I didn
’
t purpo
sely keep things from you...I just …I didn’
t
know how to tell you
,”
I add.

“
Can you tell me
now?
”
she
asks. I turn and gaze at her wondering if I should, I can see from the look in
her eyes she’
s desperate for the answer.

“
I think you
’
ve already worked it out
,”
I whimper.

“
Abuse?
”
she whispers.

I nod silently as I watch her face fall,
her eyes brim with tears. So Gladys always suspected which makes my love for
her bloom within me, she never pushed for an answer, never badgered me or
shoved me off to a shrink.

“
Sexual?
”
she questions, she can barely get the word
out.

I nod again.

“
Oh Coral,
”
she sniffs
. “
Why didn
’
t you tell
me darling?
”

“
Don't feel sad for
me,
”
I say.
This is supposed to be a happy day!

“Coral, how can you say that?”
she croaks.

“
Easily, I don
’
t want you to look at me differently, like
you feel sorry for me…I
’
d hate
that,
”
I whisper.

Gladys nods once. “
I
can understand that,”
she says.
“
And
I always had
my suspicions it might be that,”
she
adds her voice full of remorse, and old painful memories.

“
You
never acted like other children around adults; you would always withdraw
and hide behind me. I think I knew it was something along those lines when I
asked you to put a dress on. Do you remember?”
she questions. I shake my head.

“We were off to see the ballet with Joyce.
I wanted you girls to look pretty for the occasion, but when I asked you to
wear it, you shook your head at me, and hid in the corner all curled up like a
feral child and started whimpering. I was mortified to see you like that, so
broken…I never asked you again,”
Gladys sniffs loudly.

“
Mom, it
’
s in the past. Please
…don't feel guilty about it,”
I whisper.

Gladys sniffs loudly again. “You didn’
t have anything
like that happen here, did
you?”
she
questions.

“
N
o!”
I bellow
. “
Nothing bad ever happened to me here, this house is filled with
warm, loving memories; you were my safety back then Gladys. This house was my
sanctuary, you were my sanctuary. I
know I never showed
you that, or told you, and I’m sorry I didn’t, but I didn’
t know how to communicate it to you.
”
Gladys smiles warmly at me.

“
Oh darling girl
,”
s
he says, tucking
my hair behind each ear, then taking my face in her hands she gently kisses
both my cheeks. “
What an awful start in life you had.
I'm so proud of you
Coral, of all you’
ve achieved
,”
she
says.

I snort with laughter. “
I don't think becoming a secretary is an achievement
,”
I answer dryly.

“
It is for y
ou,”
she argues
. “
I knew as you went through your teenage years I had a fifty-fifty
chance you would go one way or the other. You chose the light not the darkness,
no one else could have made that choice for you. You made sure you kept
yourself on the stra
ight and narrow. So yes, it is an
achievement, a very big one. Keep that head held high young lady, high with
pride, you made it, when so many others haven’
t
.”
I'm
speechless!

Gladys has never talked to me like this,
not truthfully about what it was like for her to live with me, or how she dealt
with raising me. I’m so happy she’s proud of me.

“
Oh Mom
,”
I whimper, my
voice cracking on me. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly. Gladys rubs
her hand up and down my back, comforting me.

“
Ah, there
’
s no need for tears
,”
she tells me.

“
I know
,”
I
sniff, trying
to pull myself together. “
I just...
I just want you to know how much I love you, and how much I
appreciate everything you did for me,”
I sniff
. “
I'm going to miss you so much
,”
I croak, hugging her harder.

Pulling back, she takes my face in her
hands, her expression serious. “
Be honest darling. Do
you want me to stay?
”
she asks scrutinizing me.

I sigh heavily –
Of course I want you to
stay!

“
Yes, I want you
all to stay. But not for me, because you want to
,”
I say. Gladys gives me her stern look. “
Ok, if I hadn
’
t met
Tri
stan I’
d be begging you to
stay, but I have met him and...I don't know it’
s weird, like...
he’
s
helping me grow up in a way, stand on my own two feet.
”
I shake my head, wondering
if I'm making
any sense at all. “
I want you to go
to Spain, I really do. You...you deserve it,”
I
add.

“
You don't feel
like I'm abandoning you?
”
she
questions.
Shit!

“
No, I don't
,”
I answer firmly.
“
Don
’
t stay because
of me, I
’
ll be fine
,”
I add.

Her eyebrows knit together as she tries to
read my face, so I put on my best smile and start chuckling. Gladys smiles,
shakes her head at me and pulls me in for another hug.

We stay like that for a while, although I’
m not sure who
’
s
comforting who, maybe we are comforting each other?

“
Shall we go back?
”
Gladys asks appraising me.
I nod and smile at her. “
Tristan will be
wondering where you are,
”
she
adds
, linking her arm in mine.

We head out the bathroom and into the
kitchen, suddenly Gladys stops and turns to me.

“
Does Tristan know?
”
she
whispers. I
nod unable to say anything. “
That
’
s good
darling,”
she says patting my hand.
I need to get of
this subject!

“
Bob said you
’
re having him over tomorrow
?”
I say. Then I panic, what if he tells her
about someone trying to get in
? Gladys will be beside herself
– I must remember to call him.

“
Yes darli
ng. Would you and Tristan like to join us?”
She asks.

I think about it for a moment and decide no,
I want him to myself, I haven’t seen him all week and I want to devour him for
the rest of the weekend.

I start to smile; a really goofy smile.

“
No, maybe not,
”
she adds reflecting my ear splitting grin.

“
Oh Gladys, he
’
s so good to me,
”
I swoon.

“
I know, I can see
that darl
ing.”She says.

“I think I love him,” I whisper.

Gladys gasps. “Yes darling, I know. Tristan
loves you too. It’
s written all over the two of you,
”
she adds, m
y ear
splitting grin widens, we both giggle in unison.

The moment we are back
outside, I search for Tristan,
I find him
sat next to Malcolm, having what looks like a very serious discussion. He
glances up and sees me, our eyes lock and he frowns at me. I nod slightly
letting him know I’
m ok, he smiles back at me, but I
can tell he’s still worried.
Gladys walks over to them
and sits the other side of Tristan, interrupting his conversation with Malcolm.