Page 7 of Wedding Bells By the Creek

Had her mother suffered as much as Tia herself had? That had never occurred to her before. The wave of guilt that washed over her was as unexpected as it was real. However hard her mother’s life had been, Tia’s actions had no doubt made it even harder.

‘Hello … Tia.’

Her mother spoke so softly she could hardly hear her. Tia was surprised that she hadn’t called her Felicity. She hadn’t become Tia until after she ran away. Maybe this was a sign that her mother was really trying.

‘Hello, Mum.’ The word sounded strange on her lips. She braced herself in case her mother should suddenly want to hug her. She wasn’t ready for that. But neither, it seemed, was Helen.

They were still standing several feet apart. Tia searched for something to say … but what could she say after all this time? Words just were not enough.

‘Well, then, I see you two have found each other.’ Trish appeared in the doorway of the pub. ‘Good. Now, I’ve made your breakfast. I wasn’t sure what you might want to eat, so there’s a bit of everything. Just leave what you don’t want. It’s on one of the tables in the bar. You won’t be disturbed there. I know you must have a lot of catching up to do, so stay as long as you like. It’s hours before we open for business. And just yell if you need more tea or coffee. I’ll be in the kitchen.’

Trish held the front door open and stood waiting. Tia and Helen had no choice but to walk inside together.

Chapter Four

Tia’s stomach rumbled loudly as she sat down. Across the table, her mother smiled. It was a tentative smile, but there was something terribly familiar about it. Tia felt a sudden hunger deep inside that had nothing to do with food.

The table looked as if Trish had emptied her entire pantry. There was a big bowl of canned fruit salad and a pile of toast with butter and vegemite on standby. There were also two plates loaded high with the product of Trish’s grill, enough sausages and bacon and grilled tomatoes to feed a small army. Not to mention eggs and steakettes. Tomato sauce, a large pot of tea and some milk completed the array. Tia would have preferred coffee, but this wasn’t the time to ask.

‘This is some breakfast,’ Helen said. ‘Do you often eat like this?’

Tia almost smiled. ‘No. This is just Trish trying to help. It’s what she does.’

‘She seems very nice. But she does talk rather a lot.’

This time, Tia did smile. ‘Yeah. I know. But she is good people. Everyone in the town loves her.’

What were they doing talking about Trish? Tia picked up her knife and fork and cut a corner off a perfectly browned steakette. She ate it, barely tasting her favourite breakfast treat while she tried to think of what to say. Her mother beat her to it.

‘It’s so good to see you. How are you?’ Helen’s voice broke a little on the last word.

‘I’m all right. I have a job. I like living here in Coorah Creek.’

‘And you have Max …’

Tia smiled. ‘Yes. I have Max.’

‘Tell me about Max. How did you meet him?’

It would be easy to talk about Max. Far easier than talking about themselves and the thing that had driven them apart. Talking about Max would help this first meeting pass. Make it easier on both of them. Tia looked at her mother’s face and saw a terrible need there; the need to know about Tia’s life. And more than that, she saw the desire to make amends and to be forgiven. As if a few minutes talk could ever make up for the past years. Nothing could take back what she had been through.

Tia put down her food, clenching her hands tightly against the sudden anger surging through her.

‘How did we meet?’ Her voice was hard. ‘I’ll tell you how we met, Mother. We met because I had stolen a motorcycle and a gun. We met when Max was thinking he should arrest me. We met when my former lover was holding a gun to my head. A gun he’d already used to kill one cop. You want to know how I am. I’m all right, but no thanks to you.’

Tia couldn’t sit still one moment longer. She got to her feet and ran out of the room. She heard her mother’s voice behind her, but not the words, only the despair. She reached her bike, pulled her helmet on, and a few seconds later she was doing what she always did when she was hurt or angry — she was riding at high speed towards the open highway.

Helen clutched her stomach, feeling as if she was about to be ill. The vehemence of Tia’s hatred ripped through her like a physical thing. Not that she could blame her. Helen struggled to comprehend what Tia had said. A gun? A killer? How had her daughter become involved with that? Had Tia’s life been in danger too?

A strangled sob escaped her. A mother’s first duty was to protect her child. She had failed at that, as she had at so many other things. In this moment, as in so many others that had gone before, she hated herself.

A noise from the rear of the pub sent Helen struggling to her feet. The last thing she wanted to do was face Trish Warren. The woman might mean well, but if Helen had to answer one question, she would lose it. The pub door beckoned and Helen didn’t hesitate. She opened it, stepped through onto the pub’s veranda and took a couple of long deep breaths of fresh air, hoping that might calm her. Even this early in the morning it was warm, and gave every indication of a blisteringly hot day. Not that it mattered to Helen. She had hoped she would spend her day with Tia, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. It might help to walk off the tension that had her body as taught as a guitar string.

And maybe, if her steps led her towards the police station, she could find Max and talk to him. He was the one who had convinced Tia to contact her. Perhaps he could help her find a way to talk to Tia.

She walked down the stairs and stood looking from side to side. Which way should she go? She didn’t want to risk bumping into Tia again until her daughter had cooled down a bit. Then her eyes were caught by the first sign of life on the street.

Opposite the pub, the door of the workshop beside the garage opened, and a man emerged. She knew him. In fact, she probably knew Ed Collins better than she knew anyone else in this town – including her daughter. She had certainly spent more time with him since her arrival yesterday.

---