I should have felt relieved that he didn’t wake up, but instead I was getting an overwhelming sense of having put things in motion myself, absolutely and irrevocably, by injecting him with the vaccine. The end of the world would really happen now!
In Ruby’s room I struggled to even see her body through the tears. She was lying on the bed with her limbs in the shape of a star. Normally I’d find it funny, but now?
I took her thigh without hesitation and injected her with the vaccine. She whined like a kicked puppy and I ran out of her room because I couldn’t bear the sound. Plus there was no way I’d fit under her bed.
I did it, I thought to myself sadly, and after a while I texted Mark the same words.
I got an answer within two minutes: Good. Try to get some sleep now.
For the first time in a long while I wished I didn’t have to lay there alone. To be in the strong arms of someone who’d make me feel safe and protected from the dangers of this world. Last time I felt like this was in the arms of Ruby’s father, but that was long gone. I wonder what became of him? How quickly would the plague get him? Even though Phil left me, I didn’t want him to die.
Try to get some sleep now.
Sleep sleep sleep…
Frank
I couldn’t wait for us to get to New Zealand. Not only because I’d always wanted to explore the country, but also because Connie needed a holiday. She never mentioned having trouble with sleeping, but the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to miss. When we were out of the house, she kept looking over her shoulder and holding onto Ruby as if she was worried someone was going to snatch her out of her arms and take her away. Whenever she wasn’t displaying these nervous tics, she was lost in thought, frowning and standing as if frozen to the ground.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being stalked or threatened. What else could be causing her strange behaviour? Someone could be seeking revenge after she sent them to jail, or for some other crazy nonsensical reason. I hoped that she’d reported it at work and got sufficient level of protection, or at least got the sergeant to put the stalker under some sort of surveillance. And why hadn’t she mentioned any of it? Usually she didn’t hesitate to speak about work, however shocking it might be, with only a few exceptions. Was this one of them then?
My reveries were interrupted by a car parking in our driveway. Connie was back from work. She came inside and put on a serious expression, cleared her throat and I knew that whatever she was about to say, I wasn’t going to like it. However bad she was feeling, she’s always tried to put on a smile when talking to me or Ruby. But not this time, the corners of her mouth stayed turned down.
“I have some bad news…”
“Out with it,” I encouraged her. Will she finally tell me what’s going on with her?
“It looks like I won’t be able to fly to New Zealand with you.”
I paused. I was expecting all kinds of things, but not this. “Why not?”
“I was talking to the sergeant. There’s a huge protest in Perth the day after we leave, he’s putting all personnel on it.”
“But you don’t have to walk the beat, do you…?”
“Well, no, but they’ll need me at the station,” she sighed. “The sergeant said that we all have to turn up, no exceptions.”
I frowned. “What does that mean for our trip? Do you want to cancel it?”
“No!” she blurted out. “The children’s festival in Auckland is happening the day of the protest, it would be such a shame for Ruby to miss it. I was thinking that you could fly without me and I’d join you later?”
“I don’t like the sound of that… Can’t we all just go later?”
“But Ruby was so excited about the festival when we told her about it,” Connie replied and put on a pleading expression. “She couldn’t wait to see all those unicorns and mermaids. Really Dad, I don’t want her to miss out on it. I insist, you two go ahead and I’ll fly over to join you. I’ll only be a few days late, honestly!”
“Alright then,” I agreed slowly. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it, but this new plan still felt odd.
We had an hour before it was time to pick Ruby up from kindy. Connie used that time to spread all the notes and leaflets about New Zealand on the dining room table again, then pulled a piece of paper with our airline’s contact details from a folder. I heard the music from the phone as she was waiting to speak to a rep. There were no issues with rebooking her ticket, although they charged her more than what seemed appropriate. Connie paid the sum without batting an eyelid and hung up.
“Done.” She wrote down the new information. “I’m a bit sad I won’t get to see Ruby at the festival, but I think she’s gonna be so happy there she won’t even miss me.”
I chuckled. My granddaughter tended to forget the rest of the world when she was immersed in an activity, be it something happening around her or in her head. “I wonder who she gets it from.”
“I guess it’s passed down from generation to generation,” she shot back and we both laughed.
“I suppose you’re right,” I admitted.
When was the last time I was so focused on something that I forgot to pay attention to my surroundings? I couldn’t remember, but I knew for sure that the next time it would be in New Zealand. That beautiful nature!
I wish I had kept those travel brochures I used to get in my mailbox when I lived on my own. They
