‘But you’re not. I’ve seen what you can do and how you shine doing it. Angela sees it too. I know you think I’m biased but you should be using your talent and showing it to the world.’
Not if it meant revealing the truth about the Larrikin designs.
‘I want you to promise me you’ll try,’ she said.
‘I’m happy the way I am.’
‘You don’t have to start big. You could stay in Brachen. You could take over from me. I’d like that.’
‘There’s no point. The theatre will close.’ And everyone would know about his involvement even if he managed to avoid a photo announcing it in the newspaper.
‘There’ll always be a theatre in Brachen. You could just do it for a different one. You and Bruce worked so well together, and I’m sure Angela would support you.’
‘Mamá, I’m not doing it. And Bruce would rather cut off an arm than work with me again.’
‘Why?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Please, tell me. Did you have another fight over the sets?’
‘No, it was …’
Could he tell her? Maybe he could explain the designs for the theatre redevelopment so she’d understand it hadn’t been intentional. It wasn’t like he was the one who’d signed off on the plan. He hadn’t sent the letter announcing an end to the lease. But she looked too weak to handle it and he didn’t want to be the one to cause her to further decline.
‘Just some problems from the past,’ he said.
‘Talk to him. You can work it out. I’d die happy knowing you two were together.’
‘You’re not going to die!’
Sofia smiled a small smile.
‘Helloooo!’ Angela’s sing-song voice called over the side fence, and Gabriel got up to let her in. He held the side gate open for her.
‘Hi, Angela, how are you?’
‘Gabriel, lovely to see you. I’m well, thank you. How about you?’ Any sign of awkwardness over their previous encounter was well hidden behind her large personality and the gowns she carried in on coathangers.
He relieved her of the garments, noting the red dress and the tuxedo. ‘I’ve been better but I wanted to say I’m sorry about how I behaved the other day. It was rude and uncalled for.’
‘Forget all about it, darling. I have.’
‘Thank you.’
She kissed him on the cheek and they walked towards the gazebo. ‘Dasha said she saw you and Bruce have a bit of a lover’s tiff earlier today.’
He hung the dresses on the clothes line.
Can’t anyone in this town mind their own business?
Angela greeted his mother, but her prying only piqued Sofia’s interest.
‘Thank God, you’re here, Angela. He won’t tell me what this fight with Bruce was about.’
‘They had a bit of a blue in the cafe, or so I’m told.’
Gabriel sat in his chair while Angela took the other. ‘We just had a disagreement so if you two—’
‘Sounded like a big disagreement,’ Angela said. ‘Something involving a man you were meeting at the cafe?’
‘Mijo!’
‘I’m not cheating on him. ¡Joder!’
Angela tittered. ‘No, nothing like that, Sofia, but Dasha said he had some plans for the theatre.’
Was she trying to trap him? He had to run.
‘Look, now that Angela’s here, I might head out for a bit.’ He jumped out of his chair.
‘¡Quieto!’ Her tone was a leash choking his neck. ‘What’s going on?’
He looked down on his ailing mother and the expectant Angela. He reached for a convincing lie but the truth kept getting in the way. Two hours it had taken for the news of his fight with Bruce to reach Sofia; it wouldn’t take much longer for the truth about Andrew and Y Studio to be exposed. It was probably already snaking its way through Brachen. His chest constricted, repelling reason but he had to let it out. He gripped the back of the chair.
‘The man I met was my boss from Sydney. He …’ He closed his eyes and breathed out a little of the tension. Speaking hadn’t made it easier. At least he wasn’t in any danger of being hit. ‘The firm I work for has been contracted to do the designs for the proposed theatre redevelopment. Before I left I sketched some possible ideas for it … and they’re the ones the council liked.’ Sofia exchanged puzzled glances with Angela before turning her eyes up to him. ‘I don’t understand. You knew about this the whole time?’
‘No, well, yes. I just did some sketches but I didn’t think they’d use them. The day I drew them I got the phone call that you were in hospital and I left. I’d meant to destroy them but, in my rush to get here, I forgot about them until Andrew showed up today. I was going to quit, but I didn’t get the chance.’
I was needed here.
Sofia twisted the rings on her fingers, retreating with each turn. He wanted to crouch beside her and stop her worries. If she was worrying, she wasn’t getting better. This is what he’d been afraid of. But he froze. One move and she might push him away and that was worse than his father’s abuse.
‘I don’t believe it.’ Angela stabbed the table with her finger. ‘We’ve been trying to save this theatre from demolition and you’ve been working against us from the inside?’
‘No, I haven’t! I hadn’t spoken to my boss since I left and I didn’t want to have anything to do with it but I was stuck. It was a mistake. Mamá, please, I’m sorry.’
‘Is that why Bruce is upset with you?’ Sofia said. ‘Because of the theatre?’
She still wasn’t looking at him but he nodded anyway. ‘I didn’t want to tell anyone. I was ashamed. I should have quit the moment I was given the job.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘I was scared. I was worried there wouldn’t be anywhere else for me to go.’ And that he wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, which meant he couldn’t take care of
