An Ocean Apart (53 page)

Her voice petered out, as she noticed that David's face had drained of all colour.

“David, what's wrong?”

“Could you change the record, please?” he said quietly.

“Why?”

“Could you just please change the—”

It was too late. The song faded out, and the needle crackled unerringly on the spacer towards the next track. Jennifer watched as David shut his eyes, his whole face tightening as if he expected someone to deal him a final, mortal blow.

The quiet guitar introduction of “The Tracks of My Tears” sounded out around the room. David turned away and lowered his head, the bottle held limply at his side as he leaned his free hand on the back of the armchair. Jennifer looked up at the speakers, realizing now that it was the song. She walked over to him and took the bottle from his grasp and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Is it the song?”

David slowly nodded.

“Was it yours? Yours and Rachel's?”

He nodded again.

Taking a grip on his arm, she slowly turned him towards her and looked into his lowered face, seeing the tears in his eyes.

“Oh, David!” she said quietly, “I didn't know! Come here!”

She pulled him against her, and as he rested his head on her shoulder, she suddenly felt a shudder run through his body and into her own as he broke down, the tears beginning to flow uncontrollably as she held him close to her.

“So take a good look at my face, can't you see the smi-ile, it's out of place.”

She pushed him away, and, placing her hand gently on the side of his cheek, she tilted his face up so that he looked at her directly.

“You know, you must be the bravest man I know. You've come out here and you've managed to exorcize all these ghosts by yourself. And on top of that, you've fixed it for Benji, Jasmine
and
myself over and over again. It's my turn now. It's my turn to fix it for you. This is the last ghost, David, and I'm going to be with you every step of the way.”

As the track came to an end, Jennifer left him and reached up and placed the needle haphazardly somewhere near the beginning. She turned round and took him again in her arms, and gradually, as the song continued, she felt him begin to move against her in rhythm with the music.

“Since you left me, you see me with another girl, seemin' like I'm havin' fun.”

David held himself tight against her, feeling the warmth of her body, pulled close against him, loving the smell emanating from the softness of her neck. He closed his eyes as he felt her lips reach up and caress him below the ear. They moved in sequence across his cheek, eventually kissing at the side of his mouth. Then he felt it, the gentle pressure against his own lips, and he let them part, allowing himself to taste for the first time in what seemed an eternity the essence of all that he had longed for, and all that he had missed since losing Rachel.

Her name. Rachel. It was Rachel he missed.

He pushed himself away from Jennifer and stood, his gaze lowered to the ground.

“I—I'm sorry, Jennifer, I can't! I can't do this so soon after…”

Jennifer moved quickly over to the record player, using the opportunity to replace the needle on the record, this time hitting the introduction perfectly. She turned back to him, and gently took hold of both his hands.

“People say I'm the life of a party, 'cos I have a drink or two.”

“David, nothing is going to happen, I promise you. I won't let it. We do nothing more than dance. That's all—but there is this one very beautiful and special ghost that we have to exorcize.”

She pulled him back towards her, and this time her lips had no need to work their way to his mouth. He was there, waiting for her, ready for her, and together they began moving gently, as one, around the tiny confines of the living-room.

And still Smokey sang …

Chapter
  
THIRTY-ONE

Jasmine really didn't know what had hit her over the next couple of days. The house had suddenly lost its usual airy tranquillity and been turned into a place of vociferous mayhem. The route leading from the hall through the passageway and into the kitchen had come to resemble more the Indianapolis Speedway, and she would often find herself having to jump clear of a gaggle of screaming children as they burst through the kitchen like a litter of unruly puppies. And even though they spent most of their time outside in the swimming pool or on the tennis court, there always seemed to be a child at her side, either asking advice as to where something had been left, or where somebody was, or what time the next meal was going to be.

But she didn't mind. In fact, she revelled in it. Not only because she loved having so many children about her, but also because of the sheer relief she felt in not having to be party to any further clandestine fibs or secrecies. Jennifer was now part of it, wholly integrated into this new uproarious way of life that Jasmine herself had been enjoying, though somewhat guiltily, over the past week.

Furthermore, Jennifer seemed to be a changed person, having almost an aura of serenity about her that Jasmine had never before witnessed. Gone was the rushed and, at times, offhand formality of the business woman, replaced by a more gentle, relaxed character who appeared totally content in giving her complete and undivided attention to the new household. Yet despite being happy about this inexplicable change, Jasmine found herself becoming increasingly concerned about what effect Alex's wrongdoings might have on this new, more vulnerable, Jennifer if she were ever to find out about them.

A further change was that, without any hint of favour or encouragement, she had acquired a constant shadow in the form of Harriet. The child was always there at her side, either asking if she could help her cook or bake a cake, usually at a time when she was attempting to prepare yet another gargantuan meal for the troops. Jasmine eventually concluded that one of her main assets in attracting so much attention from the little girl was the colour of her skin, in that whatever they did together, Harriet would just stare up at her, her eyes wide with fascination, as she moved her head from side to side, quite unashamedly studying every pore on Jasmine's face.

David, meanwhile, had found it impossible to do any further work in the garden, not because he didn't want to, but because, on making his first appearance with a hoe and fork in hand, he was met with such a derisive cry of
“Boooriiiing!”
—for the most part orchestrated by Jennifer herself—that he was left with no option but to return his tools unused to the garden shed. Feeling almost heavy-hearted about it, he shut the doors and locked them up, knowing that he was probably doing so for the last time.

Nevertheless, there was now no excuse or covert reason for not devoting himself entirely both to his children and to Jennifer, Benji, and Jasmine. Moreover, as the week unfolded, it became apparent to him that, right here and now, he was in the company of those with whom he most wanted to spend his time. There were trips to Fire Island, excursions into Leesport in the Volkswagen, disruptive visits to the huge multiplex cinema in Sayville, always returning at the end of the day to Barker Lane, where tennis matches and swimming competitions continued well on into the evening.

After their first night in Jennifer's house, the children quickly came to the conclusion that it had far more to offer in terms of comfort and amenities than the saltbox in Shore Street, and it was therefore agreed, to a man, that they would prefer to stay there. Sophie at first felt a little guilty in letting her father return to the saltbox by himself, and subsequently cajoled Jennifer into asking him if he too wanted to stay. However, Jennifer secretly understood David's wish to return to the haven of his own house every night, knowing that he was still in need of a private space. She therefore immediately accepted his somewhat lame excuses that it would be less disruptive for Dodie, and that he was also half-expecting a fax to come in from his office in Scotland.

This distancing allowed David the perspective of standing back and observing his children as they blended, as smoothly as synchromesh, into the way of life of this household—a way of life that had been so much a part of his own over the past six weeks. Charlie and Benji had become an inseparable and independent unit, spending most of their time on the tennis court or out on the bay with the Windsurfer, taking it in turns to man the rowing-boat and yell encouragement to the other as he wobbled his way across the shallows. Harriet, meanwhile, appeared content to be anywhere in the vicinity of Jasmine, always being the first to run back into the house to seek her out if she had been away with the others for any length of time.

But what gave David the most satisfaction was the bond that was forming between Sophie and Jennifer. At first, he'd had fears that there would be a cool reserve on Sophie's part, especially as she might see Jennifer only as the person who had disrupted her birthday party. But he had not counted on Jennifer's intuition in understanding this for herself, and on that very same night when she had returned from David's house, she had gone up to Sophie's bedroom and had sat on her bed until well after midnight, simply talking to her and making plans for their forthcoming weekend in the city.

What was more, in seeing for the first time this woman, who happened to be no part of his family, so closely involved with one of his own children, he became almost imperceptibly aware of his mind creating a direct link between her and Rachel, and instead of banishing it as an invasive and unwelcome thought, he found himself quite at ease not only in accepting it, but also in being able to admit to himself just how important a role Jennifer had begun to play in his life.

Seeing that the promised continuation of Sophie's birthday party had not taken place on the Tuesday, David decided that, on the eve of Jennifer's and Sophie's departure to the city, he would take everyone, including the original guests, out to dinner in the Leesport Restaurant. As they were to number thirteen at the table, and not wishing to tempt providence, he also invited In-Deli-ble Billy (as the children had now christened him), having noticed that, during their countless visits to the deli, Billy had come to direct his wicked and teasing remarks to Sophie, and she in turn had reacted to them with a sparkle in her eyes and a flush to her cheeks.

As it turned out, the party was a wild affair, with all protocol regarding age and status being summarily discarded from the moment it began. Gerry had brought along with him two guitars, one of which he handed over to David at the end of the meal, much to the embarrassment of the children, and thereafter those who were willing stood up to do a party piece.

Of course, Benji was first to take up the challenge. He launched into his own song, then interjected it throughout with excuses about how it sounded much better when Dublin Up were playing with him. Then, amidst shrill protests from Sophie, Billy dragged her up from the table to perform a duet with “You're the One That I Want,” and although it appeared at the outset to be a strong contender for The Best Entertainment Award, Billy became somewhat over-suggestive in his Travolta dance routine, and the act came to an abrupt end with Sophie running from the room with an embarrassed scream of “That's absolutely
revooolting!
”

David and Gerry were next to perform, singing a merry little tune which turned out to be slightly bawdy in content, earning them some stern looks of disapproval from Jasmine.

The finale, of course, was the best, coming as the direct result of a request from David. With loud yelps of encouragement from the assembled throng, Clive and Peter were pushed self-consciously to their feet, and after a few furtive whispers to each other in deciding which way they should initially face, they set about performing, in perfect sychronization of both voice and foot, their well-polished rendition of “Wouldn't It Be Lovely.”

The next morning, David was up at Barker Lane at half past eight, eager to make sure that Sophie had everything she needed for her trip. However, he found himself more of a hindrance than a help, the two city-bounders already seeming to have everything in hand, so much so that Jennifer had told Sophie only to pack her night-things, seeing that the main reason they were going to the city was to shop! Feeling slightly embarrassed by this, David managed to catch Jennifer for a fleeting moment by herself, and stuttered his way around the subject of money. Jennifer, however, stopped him mid-sentence by simply reaching up and placing the tip of her forefinger on his mouth. Then, walking away from him, she began to reel off a string of expenditures, relating to the garden and to Benji, which he himself had incurred without reimbursement. Thereafter, David felt it best not to make another approach, but eased his conscience instead by slipping one hundred dollars into Sophie's purse.

At nine on the dot, the two girls (as Jasmine had begun to call them) were sitting champing at the bit in the BMW. Sophie gave an excited wave first to David and Jasmine and then to the three very tired-looking faces who peered out of an upstairs window, before turning round and pointing her finger a la “Wagons Roll!” up the drive. With a flick of her hand in a final gesture of farewell, Jennifer powered the car away from the house.

Exactly two hours later, they arrived in the West Village, and having parked the car in a space in Barrymore Street and deposited overnight bags in the apartment, they walked the short distance to Spring Street. There, Sophie spent the rest of her morning in a bemused trance, as Jennifer led her up from one shop to another. All the names that she had heard of, and had talked about with her friends at school, were there. Agnes B, Replay, Guess, and they went into every one and bought something for her, and for her alone.

They then took a taxi uptown and ate a late lunch in a restaurant on Madison Avenue. At the end of the meal, Jennifer ordered coffee for two, and being for the first time in the relaxed privacy of their own company, she broached the subject of Rachel. With almost a frightened reticence to begin with, Sophie suddenly found herself being able to open up to this woman whom she had come both to like and trust over the past week.