Page 50 of Skipping Stones

Damascus was getting more dangerous, Linney could tell, but that just made the job more thrilling. As time went on, the wait times at checkpoints grew longer and mortars became more frequent. She’d stopped jumping at the sound of shelling in the distance. It was still safe in the so-called green zone, where she lived, with cafés and restaurants doing good business. But Syrians were fleeing the country and she could see the signs of tension on their faces of those who remained every day.

From time to time, Linney travelled to other cities in the Middle East to cover other stories. She and Ernst were both in Beirut when demonstrators and police became violent in Lebanon’s capital city. Water cannons were pointed at citizens who were peacefully protesting the government’s actions. Reaching a line of police, Linney waved her press credentials. Grant and Ernst did the same, and they were allowed into the area where citizens held placards and shouted slogans. She plunged in further. It was going to make great TV.

Suddenly a canister was thrown into the crowd right in front of her and Linney’s eyes and lungs burned from the white fog of tear gas. Further behind her, Ernst had been quick to put on goggles, pull a scarf over his nose and mouth, and run into the crowd. Grant had done the same. Coughing and wheezing, Linney stumbled away, and when she reached safety with several others in the doorway of an apartment building, she tore off her glasses as tears streamed down her cheeks from the gas. Residents brought down bottles of water to rinse their eyes and Linney gratefully accepted.

After some time, she was able to put her glasses back on, and despite continued irritation, Linney plunged back out into the street to talk to as many people as she could. Grant arrived back first and rushed back to their hotel to upload footage. Linney waited for Ernst for as long as she could before she had to join Grant to record a standup so their story could be filed. When she didn’t see him by dinner time, she was concerned, but he turned up in the hotel bar later that evening, his shirt ripped and a bruise forming on his cheekbone.

“Ernst!”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine. Next time you wear goggles, ja?”

Linney laughed, and then coughed from her irritated throat. Her eyes were still red, and she’d learned a valuable lesson that day.

Ernst asked the bartender for schnapps and tossed it back. “It was a long day. I will go to bed now.”

“I’ll walk up with you,” Linney said. Their rooms were on the same floor. As they got off the elevator, she looked up at his face, wiping away the dirt still on his cheekbone with her thumb. “I was so worried about you.” Before she knew what was happening, they were hungrily kissing each other. They made it back to her room, where the adrenaline-fuelled kissing continued at a feverish pace. Two consenting adults, who had experienced something terrifying, came together to create something pure and primal.

“This should not have happened, Liebling,” Ernst said as he sat up in bed later that evening.

“I’m on the pill.”

“No, not that. But that is good too.” Ernst pulled his shirt over his head. “This—what happened—is just a reaction to danger. We are not … Linney please don’t let yourself think this means anything.”

Linney nodded. “Don’t worry, I understand. I know what this was. And what it wasn’t.”

* * *

Derek was doing his best, but six months after Olivia had left them, he was still struggling. Leo hit his terrible twos right on time and was a holy terror throwing tantrums and toys constantly. Ivy was teething, and the pain in her gums had her drooling and fussing. Derek loved his work, but his days were long and whenever he was in the office, he felt he should be home. If he left early, he knew he was letting his clients down. Between the demands of two young children and his job, he was bone tired. He never made it back to basketball.

The final straw was when Zuzanna reluctantly handed in her notice. Her family needed her back in Poland after her mother had suffered a stroke, she told him. It was another shock for Derek, and it made him worry for his own mother’s health, just one more thing adding to the growing list of concerns that kept him up at night.

A nanny agency helped to fill the gap, but Derek couldn’t find someone who was the right fit for him and his children and that he could afford. He was far too proud to pursue child support from Olivia—she’d made her feelings about motherhood more than clear. So with only one income , he knew he had to make a change—a big one, if he wasn’t going to lose his sanity. Some days, the only thing that kept him going was the early morning and late night texting with Linney. She was far enough away to give him perspective, but close enough to him to tell him what he needed to hear. He pulled out his phone. He needed to work something through with her. An idea that just might work.

Where are you today? What time is it? Can you talk?

Cairo, for their elections. 7 hrs difference. Can text though.

I need advice.

Lay it on me.

Mum called me today. Mr. Graham is retiring and selling his law practice back home. She thinks it would be a good idea for me to move up there. Slower pace, money at least as good as I’m making now, and she could help with the kids until they’re ready for preschool. What do you think?

There’s a lot to like about being at Silver Lake, my friend. But what do YOU think?

I love the city. I’ve spent my whole adult life here. There’s so much to offer Leo and Ivy. But…

But?

But if I’m honest, I’m dying here. I still see Olivia around every corner. I can’t find a nanny to replace Zuzanna.

I used to love my job, but these days it’s hard to get up the enthusiasm to go to the office. There’s not enough time for the kids. Life would be simpler at the lake…

Maybe that’s telling you something.

But give up my work? A small-town law office was never my dream.

No, but maybe it’s what you *need* now. You could always go back to the city later when the kids are older. I’m sure your mum would be thrilled to have you home.

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