The Patterson Girls (58 page)

Have you talked to Mitch today? Do you really think Mum had an affair? How could she have done that to Dad? What else might she have kept from us?

And then there was the big one:
Should we tell him?

Charlie understood their need to talk, to analyse, but she couldn't cope with their emotions on top of her own. As if the question inside her own head wasn't enough to deal with right now.

Am I a Patterson or—heaven forbid—a McDonald?

This one thought kept going through her mind like a broken record. She would just about convince herself that she was who she'd always known herself to be—a Patterson—and then one of her sisters would say or do something that was so far from anything she'd ever say or do herself that she decided she must be a McDonald.

The uncertainly was driving her insane, as was her enforced separation from Mitch. He called her every night to check how she was coping but their conversations were brief and strained. It was breaking her heart but she couldn't allow herself to feel connected to him. In the same way she couldn't allow herself to think about the baby—it would hurt too much if she had to say goodbye. Occasionally she'd slip into a daydream, imagining the first time she felt it kick or what it might be like to hold it in her arms, but whenever she caught herself doing this she found something else to occupy her time.

Many hands were supposed to make light work but there were almost too many hands at the motel with all the sisters and Joe and Nigel chipping in. When they weren't working, they were taking turns sticking close to her and mollycoddling. Charlie understood her sisters were worried, but she was beginning to feel as if she were a patient on suicide watch and they were all on roster to look out for her.

Even Nigel had been schooled in the ways of Charlie-sitting, but unlike the others she found his company soothing. He was the only one who didn't ask her prying questions—perhaps because he didn't know her well enough—and she could see why Abigail was smitten.

Still, sometimes Charlie wished she could run away in a caravan like Dad and Mrs Sampson.

‘I'm going into Port Augusta to visit Aunt Mags,' she announced one morning when she could no longer cope with sitting around and waiting. She needed a break but she also wondered if maybe their aunt would have a better idea of how they should all handle this situation. Although Mags was Dad's older sister, she could be trusted to keep this secret if that's what they decided to do.

‘Oh, I'll come too.' Madeleine jumped at the opportunity for a few hours away from Meadow Brook and Charlie reluctantly accepted her company. At least she'd only have one sister—or half-sister; who knew?—in tow.

After finishing their motel duties—Charlie still in the kitchen and Madeleine once again battling with the room cleaning—they drove to the ‘entertainment centre'.

Charlie didn't feel like talking and for part of the way Madeleine remained quiet too. She'd taken the wheel and looked to be intently staring at the road ahead even though she'd driven this trip a hundred times before. Then, out of the blue, she said, ‘I talked to Lorraine a couple of days ago.'

‘Who?' Charlie racked her brain for a face to put to the name but came up blank.

‘You know … Wacky Wanda. Turns out her real name is Lorraine.'

Charlie sat up straighter and twisted to look properly at Madeleine. ‘Really? What was she like? Why haven't you said anything?'

Madeleine half-chuckled. ‘It kind of slipped my mind after you came back from visiting Mitch's dad, but I met her that morning when I went for my run.'

‘What did you say to her? Did she mention the curse?' Now who was asking endless questions?

‘It was strange. Actually, no … You'd just told us about Mitch and the baby, and I was feeling ashamed of the way we'd latched onto the old tales about her. So I said hello and she surprised me by saying hello right back. We had quite a little chat. She's a very strong, independent old woman. Not scary at all. Someone to be admired, not feared.'

‘I never bought into those stupid stories,' Charlie said, but a cold flooded her body. Wanda—
Lorraine
—might be a harmless old dear, but that didn't mean her mother hadn't been a bitter harridan seeking to avenge her sister's suicide. ‘Did you ask her about the curse?'

Madeleine shook her head. ‘I thought about it. But I felt sorry for her and I didn't want to make a connection and then ruin it. I still feel stupid even thinking that it might be real. I'm a doctor for fuck's sake, but—'

‘It might be,' Charlie interrupted. ‘If I'm not a Patterson then this pregnancy doesn't disprove anything.'

‘Let's worry about that later.' Madeleine reached over and patted Charlie's knee. ‘Are you going to tell Aunt Mags about … You know?'

‘I want to,' Charlie confessed. ‘You don't mind, do you?'

‘No. I think it's a good idea. I'd love to know if she ever suspected Mum's affair and ask if she thinks we should tell Dad.'

Charlie didn't say anything on that matter. The sisters were divided on this.

Madeleine believed that the truth always came out in the end—she'd used the Charlie–Mitch–Rick situation as an example—and that it would be better if Dad found out from them now. ‘Think about how he'll feel if he finds out down the track and knows we all kept it from him?'

For once Lucinda agreed with her, but Charlie and Abigail were of the opposite opinion.

Charlie couldn't help thinking about the baby. What if—
please God
—she and Mitch could keep it? She didn't want her child's two grandfathers to have disharmony between them. And quite frankly, she couldn't see how tainting his memory of Mum would help Dad in any way; it was in the past, and Mum was unable to explain or defend herself—or to apologise.

When the girls arrived at the retirement village, they found Mags lording over a game of Uno in the communal hall. Her friends voiced their objections but she happily left the game to go and visit with her nieces.

‘To what do I owe this pleasure, my darlings?' she asked as she linked arms with them and led them outside into the garden. ‘I thought you'd be run off your feet with my brother and Sal off gallivanting around the outback.'

Despite her mood, Charlie couldn't help but smile. Aunt Mags had that effect. Dad had phoned her about his impromptu road trip but of course she didn't know the real reason the girls had suggested it.

But then the sisters exchanged a look and Mags's expression darkened. ‘Oh no!' She slapped a hand against her chest. ‘Is it Brian? Has something happened to him on the road?'

‘No, no, nothing like that.' Madeleine reached out a hand to steady their aunt as she rushed to reassure her. ‘Shall we go to your place so we can talk?'

‘You're scaring me, girls, and you know I don't scare easily,' Mags said as they walked the short distance to her villa. She unlocked the door and they followed her inside. ‘Can I get you a cup of coffee, or will we need something stronger?'

‘Coffee will be fine,' Madeleine said as Aunt Mags shuffled over to the kettle.

‘I'll just have some water, please.' Charlie absentmindedly placed a hand against her stomach in the way pregnant women often did. Realising what she'd done, she quickly wrenched her hand away, but not before Aunt Mags noticed.

‘Charlie!' she exclaimed, the kettle hanging in midair. ‘Are you having a baby?'

Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, Charlie nodded.

‘Mitch's!' Aunt Mags dumped the kettle back on the bench, clapped her hands together in glee and rushed over to hug her.

Not one to normally succumb to hysterics, Charlie burst into tears. What should have been a time of utter joy was anything but.

Her aunt pulled back and frowned. ‘Surely the pregnancy hormones haven't got hold of you already?'

No one answered the question. Instead Charlie felt Madeleine ushering her over to the couch and then gently pushing her down to sit.

‘What the devil is going on?' Aunt Mags asked, abandoning all efforts to make drinks as she sat herself down next to Charlie. Madeleine sat guard on the other side. ‘Don't tell me that boy doesn't want it? Or is it you having butterflies? Because let me tell you, girl; Mitch McDonald is a good man and you'd be stupid to let him slip through your fingers. Anyone can see you two are made for each other.'

This only made her sob more.

‘Please, Aunt Mags,' Madeleine pleaded, squeezing Charlie's hand. ‘Let us explain. We came to visit because Charlie needed to clear her head and we hoped you'd have some wisdom to offer.'

Aunt Mags snorted, but sounded secretly pleased. ‘Just because I'm as old as God, doesn't mean I'm wise.'

‘We'll give you a try,' Madeleine replied dryly.

Finally Mags went quiet and Charlie looked to her sister, telling her she had permission to spill all. As she listened to Madeleine speak, she couldn't believe this was really happening to her. To them. Madeleine explained how Mitch and Charlie had surprised them all with the baby announcement and that they'd only been getting used to the idea themselves when Rick had dropped his bombshell.

Even though she'd known what was coming, Charlie appeared more shocked by Madeleine's announcement than Aunt Mags, who merely pursed her lips and said. ‘That Rick McDonald always was a strapping young bloke.'

Charlie nearly choked, and Madeleine looked aghast. ‘You're not surprised?' she exclaimed. ‘About Mum and Rick?'

Mags shook her head. ‘Of course I'm surprised, but if it's true, at least your mother had the good sense to choose someone like him.'

‘Aunty Mags!' Charlie couldn't believe her ears. It almost sounded like Mags condoned such behaviour.

‘I'm sorry, my darlings.' Mags patted Charlie's knee. ‘I can imagine this has come as quite a shock.'

‘You reckon?' Charlie asked, her tone sarcastic.

‘They wouldn't be the first people to make a mistake and they won't be the last,' Mags said matter-of-factly.

‘That's what Abigail keeps saying.' Madeleine stood and started pacing. ‘But it doesn't make anything right. We don't know what to tell Dad and we're all going out of our heads waiting for the paternity results.'

‘Paternity results?'

‘Yes.' Madeleine nodded. ‘Charlie and Rick McDonald were tested a few days ago. To find out if—'

‘Ah of course … Now I'm catching up.
Sheesh
.' She gave Charlie a look of sympathy. ‘Of course an affair with anyone else wouldn't have been quite so worrying.'

This was only slightly soothing to hear. It would still have made them think differently about Mum, but that on its own would have been easier to work through. Charlie's voice shook as she asked, ‘Do you think I might not be a Patterson?'

Aunt Mags took her time replying. ‘No matter what your genes are, you'll always be a Patterson to me. You're a Patterson in your heart and that's what counts.'

Charlie tried to smile. The sentiment was sweet, but … ‘It might matter for me and Mitch.' A lump sprung up in her throat at the thought she'd been trying but failing to ignore since Rick's revelation.

‘Ah, Charlie.' Mags sighed. For the first time in Charlie's life she thought her wise old aunt might not have all the answers. Instead she pulled Charlie into her arms and held her tightly while she cried. It was the first time Charlie had sobbed in front of anyone since her happy tears with Mitch over the pregnancy test. It felt cathartic to let it all out.

The three of them sat there a while—the only sounds in the room that of tissues being ripped from their box to mop up tears.

Eventually, Madeleine broke the silence. ‘Do you think we should tell Dad?'

Charlie knew the question was directed to their aunt and was grateful for the change of focus in conversation.

Mags pondered the question for a while, and finally looked up. ‘That's between the four of you, but I want you all to think long and hard about why you'd want to tell him, and what you would hope to achieve. I wouldn't rush into anything just yet because you're all still in shock. Remember, once things like this are out in the open, they can never be buried ever again.'

Charlie bit back a sigh. It was a response but it wasn't the black-and-white answer she'd been hoping for. Still, maybe there was wisdom in waiting … at least until they knew exactly what they were dealing with.

‘Thanks, Aunty Mags.'

Three days later, Charlie looked up at the ceiling after reading the page in front of her for about the tenth time in as many minutes. It was no use. Try as she might to focus on anything besides her real-life soap-opera drama, she couldn't. Today was day eight since testing and the results were due any day now.

‘What are you doing?' Abigail asked, coming in from the motel and heading straight for the fridge.

‘Studying,' she replied without thought.

‘Huh?' Abigail grabbed a bottle of orange juice and crossed the kitchen to peer over Charlie's shoulder at the article about holistic principles. ‘What's all that about?'

Too tired to keep secrets, Charlie sighed and handed over the article. ‘I'm doing an online course in naturopathy.'

‘Wow.' Abigail's face lit up. ‘That's awesome.'

‘Is it?' Charlie shrugged. Once upon a time her little sister's approval would have made her day, but right now she struggled to recall why she'd ever felt that way. ‘I've got my first ever exams next week and this may as well be in Dutch for all I can understand.'

‘I'll help.' Abigail handed back the paper and then pulled out a seat and sat down. ‘You're probably just finding it hard to concentrate with—'

‘It's all right,' Charlie interrupted before she could finish. ‘You're absolutely right.' She glanced at the time on the kitchen wall clock. ‘Thanks for your offer, but I might go check the post.'