He'll Come Through - Chapter 13 - Going back home!

13 - Going Back Home

Lilah skipped across the City, she always felt so much lighter after unloading to Janis. She wasn’t sure the book was what she wanted to do with her life, but in reality she needed money, and frankly beggars couldn’t be choosers.  The money was a bonus, and it meant she had time to decide what she wanted to do with her life.

Right now, that was get to Lady Mary Immaculate School and collect Maria. She loved having her home, it was a breath of fresh air, and Maria she knew looked forward to it equally as much. Lilah was happy, after so much heartache, she finally felt that her life was back on track.

The school was nestled at the end of a quaint mews; you had to know it was there to find it, which was a great benefit when it came to leaving a small child there alone. Maria was peering out of a window high above the streets as she always did and by the time Lilah had waited for the door to open the little minx was running down the stairs to the reception and about to launch herself from five steps up into Lilah’s arms, when a voice bellowed, “Maria Smith! That is not the way that a young lady behaves, STOP now!”

Poor Maria, she did try to behave, but Lilah grabbed her bag and bundled her out into the sunshine away from the restraints of the oppressive school. Holding Lilah’s hand Maria skipped happily along the pavement chatting randomly and furiously about the week she’d had. The main station that took them to the south west was a twenty minute walk, so enjoying the sunshine, they strolled leisurely.

                “So one more week in school!” Lilah announced with excitement, “and then seven whole weeks off! How does that sound?”

Maria giggled, “Great! I can’t wait to spend EVERY day on the beach. And Gramps told me I can ride Hotdog EVEY day too!”

Hotdog was Lilah’s old pony now a thirty plus year old mare who was ridden very occasionally. Tonight she’d be in demand in the village offering trips in her father’s little cart around the village green, the children loved her, and Hotdog loved the numerous apples and carrot shaped treats that she got as a thank you!

“That sounds like fun, and then there’s the trip to see your grandparents! That’ll be SO much fun.” When she saw Maria’s face break into a scowl, she put her arm around her and hugged her to her side. “Look I know it may be a bit boring going to stay with them, but they miss you and they miss you Daddy, so it’s really important. And we agreed if you stayed in London that’d you would go and see them. If you don’t go and see them they might try and make you move out to Boston permanently. I don’t want that, you don’t want that. But we have to do this chicky, you can see that? Sometimes you have to compromise, and when you go out to see them then I guarantee they’ll spoil you! You’ll do nice things, eat nice food, you always have lots of gifts...”

The last comment made her smile and Lilah smiled too, at almost eight years old the thought of untold gifts seemed to be a great plaster for many a sore. The rest of the walk to the station passed in a much less stressed manner, and soon the station was in view.

The train was sat at the platform when they arrived, and as was now a usual Friday afternoon ritual Maria dived on and spent an age searching for their reserved window seats. Also as was usual, ten minutes into the journey Lilah retrieved the picnic that had been loving created and packed into a basket by her mother.

                “Today we’ve got....” she pulled out the first foil wrapped package and unravelled some of the aluminium, “ah...sandwiches, and me thinks these may be your favourite....Guess what they are!”

Maria thought for a moment, “jam?” This was an optimistic guess, but the reality of cheese, ham and homemade chutney wasn’t a disappointment to the little girl. Within moments the sandwiches were joined by boiled eggs, sausage rolls and packets of crisps. The container of strawberries were home grown, and Maria loved them the most, she told Lilah repeatedly that the taste of them instantly reminded her of being home. 

Lilah knew Maria thought of her family and her house in Cornwall as home. She felt sorry for Gavin’s parents, but with their deteriorating health and the sheer age, they weren’t the best people to be looking after her.  She just hoped they’d realise that without too much torment. She planned on the big chat with them this summer. She half hoped that Maria would be too boisterous for them on her summer trip. That might make them realise that they couldn’t care for her full time, then Lilah could adopt her, make things legal. Hopefully then they could relax and start living a normal life.

The green fields of the south west countryside flew past the train and they enjoyed several games of eye-spy before Maria fell asleep. Lilah took that opportunity to drag out her Kindle and read a little more of the book she was currently engrossed in. She’d taken to reading any book she could find about North Africa, conflicts, kidnapping, it was like a drug, like she needed some link to what happened constantly.

This particular book was a harder read; written by an ex SAS man and she could see Quinn in everything that Chris the hero of this book did. It scared her that this could have happened, could still be happening to him, and she had to find out how he got out of the makeshift prison he was held in.

As usual her mind drifted off to Quinn, as it did most of every day. Why was she so angry? Why was she so hurt? They both knew that they came for polar opposite lives, and she’d never wanted him to give things up for her based on 24 hours of awesome sex. She wasn’t that naive of that selfish. But still she resented him, had avoided contacting him, even when there were so many reasons why she should. He’d not followed her. That was what it boiled down to. He’d retreated into her little shell at the thought of Johnny the wonderful dead woman that no living person could live up to. His animosity had been aimed at her, and it was not her guilt, not her pain to deal with. So he’d let her walk away, he didn’t even know if she’d got to her destination safely. She could’ve died, never made it to the embassy....Nah, he’d know she made it, she knew that much.

Sighing and dropping her head back against the seat she fought against the tears that threatened to fall, a year on and the pain was still that raw. He didn’t love her, didn’t feel that bond that she did, and her determination to avoid him was self preservation, so that she didn’t have to experience him walking away from her uncaring about her emotions all over again. She’d just thought that after a year the pain, the hurt, the disappointment might have eased a little. But it hadn’t.

The rest of the journey flew and she was almost annoyed when they announced her station was next and she had to bookmark her page. Never mind she’d finish it later when Maria was in bed. Waking the little girl and gathering their things together took longer than planned, and they were just making their way to the exit as the train rolled to a stop.

The next stop was the end of the line, but it was a large holiday town, so even though there were many people left on the train, they were the only ones disembarking at this stop. Aiding Maria onto the platform, she helped her ease her rucksack onto her little shoulders for the short trip into the village when she sensed rather than saw someone else jump off the train. Looking up she gasped. Pain lanced her body as she stared at the so familiar physique, though it was the first time she’d seen him in anything more formal than dusty old combats. This was surely her mind playing tricks, after thinking about him so much. But then she thought about him every day and he didn’t pop up in her kitchen or garden. Nope this was real. This was him.

There in a suit, Quinn, and he was staring at her with the same level of interest and intrigue as she knew she was bestowing on him.