Page 50 of After the Accident
Emma:I can’t remember whether Julius and Simone were divorced or just separated at that point. When I was young, hardly anyone at school had parents who were divorced. For the generation before me, it would have been basically nobody. I suppose it’s different now. I don’t know if it’s better or worse that people stay together for their kids – but I do know that kids notice and want to ask questions.
I told the girls that sometimes mums and dads don’t get on any longer and that, even though they both still love their children, they think it’s better to live apart.
What else are you supposed to say?
They knew it, anyway. Chloe gave me a sideways look as if to say: ‘Well, duh.’
She then said that Mum and Dad – Julius and Simone – had been arguing a lot and that neither she nor Amy liked it.
Chloe:I didn’t say that – and neither did Amy.
Emma:Amy started to say something. I think her exact words were: ‘The other night…’ but then a look passed between the twins and she went silent. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single glance that said so much. There was something there and so I told them they can confide in me if they wanted. I wouldn’t tell their dad or mum, if that’s what they wanted.
Amy looked to Chloe and Chloe looked to Amy – and it was like they were having an entire conversation entirely through telepathy. I’ve never seen anything like it.
That’s when Amy told me that she’d overheard her mum saying that Julius had lost his job months ago.
Amy:I never said anything to her. I want to stop doing this now.
Emma:I didn’t get the significance at that moment. I didn’t know he was unemployed and I was certain he’d not told Mum or Dad. It might not have been a big deal – except, at the first dinner, Daniel had changed subjects by asking Julius how everything was going at the bank. Julius had said something about a big three months and building up lots of time owing for the holiday. I wish I’d have listened properly, but, at the time, I thought it was Julius being Julius – and bragging about a load of meaningless nonsense. I didn’t realise he was lying through his teeth.
Julius:I’ve already said this once. I don’t think anyone asked about the bank at that first dinner.
Daniel:I didn’t say a word to Julius about his bank on that first night.
Claire:I don’t remember. I think Daniel might have shouted down something, but I wasn’t paying attention.
Emma:I took the girls back to the hotel after that, figuring that I’d promised them they could confide in me. If Julius was lying about his job, then I wasn’t going to bring it up with him because I didn’t want to break the girls’ trust.
Julius was coming out of the manager’s office just as we walked into the lobby. He ran across and ended up on his knees, with his arms around both the girls. They seemed somewhat embarrassed, while he was an understandable mix of angry and relieved. He said something like: ‘Didn’t I tell you to stay put?’ before looking up to me and asking where they’d been.
I half thought about lying, mainly to protect them, but I couldn’t think of anything better to say than the truth. I said they were on the cliffs, but nowhere close to the edge. They wanted to see where Dad fell – and that I’d have been curious if I was their age. I thought I was helping.
Julius:She basically called me a bad dad in front of everyone. She was saying that I should have dangled them off the cliff, or something like that, because it’s the only way they’d have lost their curiosity.
She had some cheek.
Liz:A right nerve on her. Imagine doing what she did to her own son – and then trying to give parenting lessons in front of everyone. Absolute liberty.
Emma:Julius told the girls they were grounded to the room for the rest of the day and then he took them off towards the stairs. They probably got away lightly compared to one of Mum or Dad’s punishments when we were young. We’d have had a slipper across the legs, no dinner, and then been made to stay in the room for the rest of the holiday.
Liz was watching me very closely, although she didn’t say anything right away. It was as if she was trying to figure out if I’d somehow kidnapped the girls and manufactured everything.
Liz:I genuinely would not put it past her.
Emma:I almost told her to do one – but then she turned around and walked off anyway.
I was about to follow her out towards the pool and cottages when someone called my name. I’d been in such a rush to get into the lobby and find Julius that I’d not noticed the man sitting on the chair right next to the door.
It’s fair to say I hadn’t expected to talk to him again – but that is when I found out who’d stolen my phone.
Chapter Thirty
THE SMELL OF SOMETHING ROTTEN
Emma:Lander was sitting with his knees crossed, like an old man at a bus stop. It almost made me laugh, except for the way he nodded towards the front door. When he wants to be serious, his eyebrows sink and join in the middle. It was the same that afternoon as it was when I used to spend all my days with him.
I don’t think I ever liked that expression. It always meant something bad was about to happen, or that it just had.
