Everything We Keep by Di Walker (good story books to read txt) 📗

drive back to Sandy Vale was silent. This time, as they went through the tunnel, Agatha closed her eyes, absorbed the darkness.

Lawson turned off the freeway and headed towards the beach. As he drove along the road that skirted the bay, he said, ‘It’s right on thirteen hundred. How about some lunch?’

‘Good idea,’ Katherine said. ‘There’s a lovely little café at The Vale.’

‘Rightio. Lunch and then let’s get that mobile phone we talked about. What do you think Agatha?’

Agatha shrugged.

‘Right. I will take all non-answers as a yes. So, lunch it is.’

The carpark wasn’t too full, and Lawson found a park right near the entrance that Katherine used to get to the doctors’ clinic. They walked quickly to get out of the midday heat.

With lunch ordered, they sat at a small table not far from the counter. Not sure what to say, where to begin, Agatha pushed the ice in her water down with her finger, making it bob up and down. Finally, she decided to speak. ‘Neither of you have said anything, you know about the house, or my parents or anything.’

‘Well,’ Katherine started, ‘I will be honest, I had not imagined your home to be like it was, however, I think your mother is wonderful – she loves you and cares about you, I can tell. And now that you know what happened maybe you can understand them and maybe see yourself a bit differently.’

Agatha gave her a small nod and looked to Lawson. ‘I’m sorry, Agatha, that you’ve blamed yourself for the accident. I’m glad that the truth came out today,’ he said. ‘And your dad, I can’t imagine what a burden that is for him to carry.’

Agatha looked at both of them, not sure if she should be grateful or angry, not at them but at the whole situation. The confusion was giving her a headache. She took a sip from the glass of cold water then, from her pocket pulled out the small ball of wool.

‘This is the first thing my mum has given me since the accident.’ She turned it around and around in her fingers. ‘She made this for me.’

‘Do you have a treasure box, Agatha, you know something to keep special things in?’ Katherine asked.

‘No. Not a treasure box but I have my suitcase.’

Lunch arrived, and Agatha was suddenly glad that Katherine had made her order something. Her appetite had returned. She held onto the wool in one hand and picked up the salad sandwich with the other.

After their plates had been taken away, they left the café and walked past other shops towards the phone store. ‘Let’s get two,’ Lawson said. ‘In a couple of weeks, I won’t be using my Navy one anymore.’

As they passed a brightly lit store with made up beds and a range of colourful towels neatly stacked high along one wall, Katherine stopped. ‘I think we should do something with your room, now that you’re staying. We can’t call it a guest room anymore – it’s your room. We could give it a paint, some new curtains. A new doona!’ She looked at Agatha who stood beside her.

‘There’s so many to choose from,’ Agatha said.

‘You don’t have to decide today. Have a think about it and we can make a plan. Lawson will need a few projects to keep him busy when he gets back. I’m not too sure how he is with a paint brush though.’ She gave Agatha a quick wink and then glanced over her shoulder to her husband who had wandered to another store and was looking at the display of shoes.

It didn’t take long to organise two new phones and to head back to the car. When they arrived home, Lawson had to quickly pack a few remaining things and before the Navy car would arrive to collect him. At the front door he hugged Katherine and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ‘My love,’ he said, something Agatha had noticed he said every time he was leaving Katherine, even if it was to walk Chief.

He looked at Agatha. ‘Honour, Integrity and Loyalty are the remaining three. And you have those too, Agatha Grace. When I saw you today with your parents, I knew then you have them.’ He stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a huge bear hug. She rested her cheek on the smoothness of his uniform.

Katherine and Agatha waved to him until his car was out of sight. ‘Two weeks,’ Katherine said. ‘This is going to be the longest two weeks.’

‘I only have two weeks to train. Do you really think he’ll use the fitness instructor?’

‘Absolutely. My husband is as competitive, Agatha, as are you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has already sent an email requesting a training session tonight when he gets there,’ Katherine laughed as she shut the front door. ‘Now, what about this phone? Can you set it up?’

‘I think so.’

‘Good. I’m going to pop down and see Rita. Will you be okay here on your own for a while?’

‘I’m not alone. Chief is here.’

Katherine smiled, picked up the spare key from the hallway table and headed out into the hot afternoon sun. Agatha watched her walk quickly along the footpath towards Rita’s.

Picking up the new phone, still in its box, Agatha opened it and took it out. Slowly she peeled the thin plastic layer protecting the screen and turned it on. It lit up instantly and Agatha followed the instructions to set it up. She had written down Tully’s number from Katherine’s phone, and now, opened the messages and tapped in her number.

Message sent.

Agatha looked at the clock. ‘Fourteen hundred. She’s still in class,’ she said to Chief. With no chance of Tully responding for at least another hour, Agatha went to her room, took the chair from the desk and stood on it to open the top cupboard. Carefully she lifted out her orange suitcase and stepped down from the chair. She carried it to the