It was a long time since Mavis had been up early enough to enjoy the sunrise. Looking at the pink glow gradually framing the hills around the campsite she wondered why she didn’t make the effort more often.
‘Because it is an effort,’ she reminded herself, and the snugly comfort of her bed and feather doona were hard to beat on wintry mornings, ‘summer mornings too,’ she sighed, ‘maybe I’m just plain lazy?’
“Gran, come and watch me, come and see me jump over the creek,” her thoughts were interrupted by her nine-year old grandson intent on showing off his prowess on his new bicycle. His mother had been battling leukaemia for the last twelve months and was gradually losing the battle against the invisible monster. Once more she was a patient in St John’s Hospital. Mavis’s son, Rodney, had asked her to come away for the weekend with him and young Billy to get the youngster away from the constant round of doctors and worry. She had been unimpressed by the idea of camping but knew Billy would love it and he was anxious to test the limits of his new bicycle.
So, here she was, and it wasn’t so bad. Rodney had brought her a roll up mattress, and her doona as a last minute thought, she’d given him a hug for that. She waved to Billy and called back, “in a minute, just let me wake up first.”
The pink glow on the horizon was turning a burnt orange and the whispers of grey and black clouds were creating a landscape painted by the greatest artist. Classical music was playing on her phone as she stood transfixed by the spectacle.
Her reverie was broken by Rodney placing his arm on her shoulder and handing her a cup of tea in a tin mug.
“Mum, I need to talk to you. Something important,” his voice cracked and she was upset to see tears welling in his eyes.
“What … is it Judy?”
“Judy is much the same, Mum, but she has made a request that I cannot deny her,” he continued.
“Don’t scare me, Rod. What does she want?” his mum implored. “Tell me now.”
“Judy wants to return to her homeland, spend time with her family, and spend the “last of her days there; the peaceful place in the hills. You know this means she won’t make it back. This is what she wants and I have to make it happen for her,” his voice again cracking under the weight of his words.
“I so worry for her and want her to make it through this,” Mavis stressed.
“Mum, she isn’t going to make it through, you have to resign yourself to that. All we can do is make her last days as peaceful and pain-free as we can.” Rod took his mother in her arms.
They both looked over at Billy, carefree and enjoying his growing expertise with his bike.
“Come and watch me Gran, come on, Dad. I’m getting better all the time.” They both pulled themselves together, responding they would be over in just a minute.
“Pain relief is all that she wants now, Mum. Judy has been through a terrible time already and she has had enough.”
“Go and enjoy your time with Billy, Son. Give me time to pull myself together and I’ll join you. I have to digest what you have just told me and I don’t want Billy to see me like this. I’ll sit in the car for a bit, tell him I’ve gone to get my sunglasses out of the car, then I’ll join you both.”
“Thanks Mum, this is not easy for any of us but we have to protect Billy at all costs.”
Mavis hugged Rodney tightly. “Yes, we do, Son. If you will allow it, I’ll organise flights for you all to the Philippines.”
Tears welled up again in Rod’s eyes. “That’s great, thanks Mum but if it’s all right with you, I would rather leave Billy with you? Best for him to remember his mum as she is now, not when the…” his voice petered out.
Mavis hugged her son again. “Leave it with me. Go on with you, join Billy. When we get back you can book your flights.”
Five days later, armed with the necessary letters from consultants and hospitals confirming Judy’s condition and permission to fly, Mavis and Billy bid a tearful farewell to Rod and Judy.
Rod called his mother to say they had arrived safely and were on their way by road to Puerto Galera. Judy had chosen this spot as she had visited there often as a child. She could relax on beautiful white beaches and Mavis had booked a villa for them at a secluded hillside resort where she and Rod could remain quietly together until her passing.
“I’m so happy to hear from you, Son,’ Mavis said, relief in her voice. “Hey, Billy, come and talk to your mum and dad.”
Each day the family connected by phone, Mavis happy that Judy was enjoying a restful time and Rod sent photos to his mum’s iPad so that she could show Billy where they were staying and places they visited.
Three weeks elapsed, Billy had gone to bed. Mavis settled herself in her armchair and, idly, flicked through a magazine, her eyes resting on an advertisement for a luxury camping holiday. ‘That looks interesting,’ she thought. ‘Perhaps I could take young Billy away for a few days? Could be fun for us both?’
Her mobile pinged. ‘Great,’ she thought, ‘Rod with an update.’’
“Hi son, how’s it going?”
“Disastrous!”
“Why, what’s happened?” Mavis asked anxiously.
“We visited Judy’s brother this morning. Her entire family were there. Instead of being happy and relieved to see her, her brother became extremely angry. There was a terrible row.”
‘Why would he cause trouble at this sad time?”
“It wasn’t just him, her other brothers and two sisters said Judy’s share of the money she inherited from their grandparents should come to them. He cruelly told her she had no need of the money, she was rich because she lived in Australia.”
“Oh, Rod, that is terrible, how has Judy taken it?”
“That’s the trouble Mum, when we returned to our villa, I left her to have a sleep and went for a swim. When I got back she wasn’t here. No one has seen her…” Rod paused, his voice quivering, “…a-a-nd she isn’t answering her mobile. The police have been called. I thought I should let you know just in case she contacts you. Better go, Mum…the police are here.”
Mavis gave a loud gasp as the call ended.
The phone rang a few hours later making her jump. She looked at it with a sense of foreboding. She glanced at the clock … nearly midnight. ‘It’s never good news when someone rings at this time,’ she tried to still the thought and gingerly picked up the phone.
“Mumma, it’s me, Judy,” her daughter-in-law’s strained voice was a relief to hear none-the-less.
“Where are you Judy? Whatever is happening?”
“Mumma, terrible things…”
“Yes, yes, Dear, I know. Rodney just told me a while ago. I can’t believe it, but where are you? He’s in a panic.”
“I’m in a payphone, I left my mobile at the villa, they could use it to track me, I need to get a flight and get away from here. My family… they are trying to force me to sign papers. I feel so sick Mumma, I can’t stand up to them. I saw men arrive from the mental hospital from my villa balcony, they had uniforms, white uniforms, I am sure that’s where they were from. I think my family is going to say I am mad and take Power of Attorney control…”
“Can they do that? Rodney is there.”
“He is a foreigner. He doesn’t understand the language well. He can be tricked. Mumma, I need you to get a message to him. Tell him to meet me at the airport.”
Suddenly Judy’s voice changed. She started to gasp. “No, no, no. What is happening? Who are you?” She screamed and the phone went quiet.
“Judy. Judy. Are you still there?” Mavis heard panic in her own voice.
‘Calm down,’ she thought, ‘I mustn’t wake Billy.’
Shaking, she rang Rodney’s number. There was no answer. She left a message saying she was missing him and needed to hear his voice and could he ring her as soon as possible. She hoped she sounded genuine in case the wrong people heard the message.
Mavis looked helplessly at the phone. Should she phone the police in Puerto Galera? The more she thought about it the more she thought the situation called for emergency tactics. She Googled Puerto Galera police station and was reassured to see a non-threatening single storeyed building in what looked like a quiet suburban street. A lone man was cycling past. ‘A good sign,’ she thought, smiling as she remembered the happiness his new bike was bringing to Billy. Summoning her courage she dialled the number.
‘Call waiting’ beeped on Mavis’s phone. She disconnected her call to the police station and pressed ‘accept.’
“Mumma, Mumma. It’s me again. I can’t talk for long. My teenage niece and her boyfriend were against what my family were trying to do to me, so they followed me and are taking me to the airport. They have contacted Rodney to meet us there. Oh Mumma, I hope we can get away from here without any more interference. I love you Mumma, and hope to see you soon.”
The line cut out again. Mavis stared at her phone, hovering between whether Judy had been fooled by the niece, or whether it was genuine concern for her aunt. For the time being there was nothing she could do except try and get some well-needed sleep. She checked Billy. He was sound asleep and she hopped into bed, hoping to wake to good news. Her thoughts were on the fate of this poor young woman, who had become like a daughter to her, and whose health was declining. ‘She shouldn’t have to endure the terrible abuse at the hands of her so-called family.’ Her lips worded softly. Pure exhaustion pulled Mavis into a deep sleep and she woke to the smiling face of Billy.
“What’s for breakfast, Gran? I’m hungry.” Billy blurted, as he pulled gently on her arm. Mavis pulled on her dressing gown and ushered Billy silently to the kitchen. As she filled a bowl with Coco Pops, Billy’s favourite, she glanced at the clock. 8am. She had managed to get a few hours sleep but it didn’t feel like it.
“I want to talk to Mum and Dad, Gran,” Billy ordered. It was obvious he was missing his parents and she hoped the plans to get a flight back were becoming reality.
“Finish your breakfast, Billy and get dressed and we can get your bike out for spin, what do you think?” She offered, hoping to distract Billy until she heard the latest from the Philippines or, hopefully, somewhere closer to home.
“Oh, yes Gran, I’ll hurry but can we talk to Mum and Dad later?”
“That’s the plan, Mate. I am expecting them to call soon.” She bent over and gave Billy a kiss on his soft, fluffy hair, going off to her bedroom to get dressed, wishing that any moment she would hear from Rodney or Judy.
The day dragged on. Was she ever going to hear anything? She found the pretence protecting Billy and keeping him occupied, was wearing her down.
Midnight, Mavis’s mobile rang. Billy, thankfully, had been asleep since 9pm. She sighed with relief when she read her son’s phone number on the screen. She prayed it was good news.
“Rod, Rod, where are you? Is everything okay? Is Judy with you?”
“Slow down, Mum. Yes, we are together. We are boarding a flight here at 10pm. We’ll be in Sydney around 6.30am in the morning.”
“Oh! Thank God! As long as you are together, you can tell me everything when you get here. Safe flight. I will sleep easier now.”
“Don’t worry, Mum,” replied Rod, his voice sounded calm which re-assured Mavis.
Next morning, she awoke to the ringing of her doorbell. Billy joined her as she opened the door to her very pale-faced daughter-in-law, Judy hanging on to Rod’s arm. Billy was ecstatic. He hugged Rod and, together with Mavis, helped his mum to the bed in the spare room where she promptly fell asleep.
Mavis made breakfast while Rod settled Billy down to watch a film on Netflix.
“So, what’s happened?” She asked in a low voice, as she poured Rod a coffee.
“Judy’s niece, Emma is a good kid and none-too-keen on the uncle at the bottom of all this. She told me he is a bully and the rest of the family are scared of him. Can you believe he actually spoke to his doctor about Judy? God knows what he said, but Judy was right to run when she did. Emma said she will speak to the police. Judy certainly doesn’t need all this aggro and cruelty right now. The money is rightfully hers to pass on to Billy. We’ll see the solicitor and make the necessary changes to her Will. She is absolutely adamant nothing will go to her brothers and sisters. She will leave a little money to Emma as a ‘thank you’ for what she did rescuing her and helping her get out.”
Judy slept until lunchtime, then joined Mavis, Rod and Billy at the kitchen table.
“I never imagined I would return to Australia,” she said, tears trickling down her pale face. “I am mortified that my family showed no concern for me, only wanting my money. They showed me no love and no compassion.”
Rod took her hand. Mavis kissed her tenderly on the cheek. Judy hugged them both. Billy smiled.
“Mumma, Rod, Billy,” Judy said. “Money does help, but it isn’t everything. Looking back on what has happened in the last few weeks you are my ‘only’ family. “The unconditional love you have shown me, Mavis, has been amazing. I was a fool to travel back. I now realise all the love I need is here with you, Rod and Billy,” she paused, taking Rod’s hand, “….and when the time comes for me to leave you, know I will pass away happy in the knowledge you were my ‘true’ family. My heart wants to burst with the love I feel for you all.”
Billy hugged his mum. “But you won’t leave us for a long while yet, will you?”
We’ll certainly make sure your mum is happy until then,” Mavis said, hugging her grandson tightly. “Come on. Show me what you can do on that bike of yours.”
DoubleSpeak 