Page 4 of A Spell of Midlife Mayhem

That stumped me. I’d always been useless at charades. I preferred written words to mimed actions. But I could make a wild guess.

‘You’re going away somewhere?’

She shook her head.

‘You’re moving on to a better place?’ But aren’t you already there? Wherever there is.

She took a deep breath and huffed it out like she had done when she was frustrated in life. She planted her feet and pointed at me with both index fingers.

‘You mean I’m going to a better place?’

She clapped her hands soundlessly. I grinned at my unexpected success. I was clever at this ghost charade stuff after all. ‘Don’t worry, Mum,’ I whispered, glancing at the doorway to the living room. ‘I know what you mean. When I’m recovered, I’ll move on. My marriage is dead.’ I winced. Bad choice of words. ‘Sorry. I meant it’s over.’

She shrugged, then shook her head.

A frown creased my forehead. Maybe I didn’t have the right answer after all.

‘What’s going on?’ Terry leaned around the doorway. ‘I thought you were getting the tomato sauce.’

Ghost Mother vanished and I almost jumped at my husband’s sudden intrusion, which would have been quite a gymnastic feat considering I was sitting spread-legged against the wall.

‘You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.’ He flipped the light switch on.

‘You gave me a scare, that’s all.’

‘Why are you sitting on the floor, anyway?’ he said, while opening the fridge and retrieving the sauce bottle.

‘I was tired, Terry, that’s all. Forget about it.’

‘Sure.’ He closed the fridge and ambled away, tomato sauce in hand, leaving me alone.

The ghost of my mother didn’t return. Why had she indicated I would go to a better place? She must have come for one of two purposes: either to warn me or to wish me well.

But which was it?

Chapter 3

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