The writing on the wall

Just when she missed him most, Thea’s dad found a way to tell her how loved she was

Thea, I’m ba-ack!’ Thea heard the front door close and footsteps in the hall. With the carpets taken up, the whole house was echoey. ‘So, scraper or soaker?’ James asked. She turned from watching the dogs charging around the garden to see him holding a DIY bag with the four rolls of gorgeous rocking-horse wallpaper they’d ordered online poking from the top.

‘Scraper this time, please. I’ll go and get the bowl.’

‘I’ll take the radio up, too, so we can dance while we work.’

She unplugged it from the wall. ‘You can dance, James. I’ll sort of sway gently.’

‘Probably safest,’ he chuckled, bending to kiss her bump and, taking the radio, he bounded up the stairs, leaving Thea to pour the still-warm dregs from the kettle into the bowl.

‘It’s a shame we didn’t think to do this while your mum was in hospital,’ James said as she entered the bedroom a few minutes later. ‘Freshen the place up a bit, I mean.’

‘It’s a nice thought,’ she said, watching him pull a length of faded floral paper off in one long strip, ‘but I think after the op all she really wanted was the comfort of home, not a place she didn’t recognise. It’s different now we’re here. She’s happy to leave us decorating while she’s off convalescing with her Knitting Knot pal. She’s going to love her new bedroom. That peach paper’s so pretty.’

‘And sleeping downstairs will make things so much easier for her,’ James agreed. ‘Her hip might be new, but the rest of her is still 72.’

She grinned and patted his chest. ‘True, but don’t you dare let her hear you say so. Anyway, it’s this room we have to concentrate on now. Baby’s been very active lately and I’m the size of a whale, if you hadn’t noticed.’

He feigned surprise. ‘Oh, is that what that is? I thought you’d just overdone the doughnuts.’

She narrowed her eyes at him and he clamped his lips together and handed her the scraper.

For two hours they worked in tandem, James pulling off the old paper and soaking the liner underneath, Thea following behind. They were about to start the fourth wall when his pager sounded. He unhooked it and read the on-screen message.

‘Sorry, love, got to go.’

Five words she’d come to know well over the past 14 months. She kissed him and turned him towards the door. ‘Let’s hope it’s just a conked-out motor, eh?’ ‘Let’s hope.’

In seconds, he was off, heading for the quay. An added advantage of them letting out the flat and moving in with her mother was that James could be at the lifeboat station in a matter of minutes, saving precious launch time.

From the window, Thea watched his cherry-red Mini skim down the hill, like a ladybird scuttling down a stem. She was proud of what he did, knowing that the presence of a nurse on the boat could make all the difference, but that didn’t stop her worrying. At least the sea looked calm today. Going out in storms added layers of risk.

On the radio, 60s singer Fontella Bass was singing Rescue Me, and Thea smiled, thinking it could be James’ theme tune. He’d pretty much been rescuing her since the day they met.

Walking on the beach with her father Sam last summer, watching clouds of swifts swooping past the cliff face to their nests, she’d suddenly realised her dad’s Border terrier Brandy wasn’t there.

‘Dad, where’s Brandy?’ she’d asked, looking around.

Sam was instantly anxious. ‘Brandy, where are you, boy?’ he called, shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare as he squinted at the foaming waves.

Unable to spot him, he’d turned and started clumsily up the sand, where rocks rose like dragons’ teeth from the base of the cliffs.

‘Dad!’ Thea had exclaimed. ‘Be careful, those rocks are like razors. You could…’

‘Wouldn’t be looking for this little chap by any chance, would you?’ an amused voice had asked. The man was smiling broadly and had a squirming Brandy in his arms.

‘He came to meet my Sophie,’ he said, pointing at a Great Dane trotting in his wake. ‘She’s friendly enough, but still just a pup, doesn’t know her own strength around the smaller ones.’

‘You mean she’s still growing?’ Thea had goggled.

He grinned. ‘Yes, and I swear my flat is getting smaller by the day!’

‘So what made you choose such a whopper?’ Sam asked, setting Brandy down before the little terrier made another beeline for his new pal.

‘My sister runs an animal rescue centre where I help out. This one was

proving hard to rehome. Can’t think why,’ he grinned, fussing the dog’s ears.

‘She’s gorgeous,’ Thea said, stroking the smooth, blue-grey coat. ‘I’ve always loved Danes, they look so…regal.’

‘Well, she certainly rules the roost.’ He offered her his hand. ‘James Trent, pleased to meet you.’ Thea shook it.

‘I was just heading to the caff for a coffee,’ James said. ‘Perhaps you’d like to join me. They’re animal friendly, as long as we sit outside.’

Thea nodded. ‘We’d love to. Thanks.’ ‘Actually,’ her father had said, ‘I think I’ll head home. Feeling a bit bushed. But you go, Thea, enjoy yourself.’ He’d kissed her goodbye and headed off, Brandy trotting at his side.

Thea and James had strolled to the seafront café and spent a relaxing half hour chatting and swapping life stories. She’d just returned from the washroom when the trilling of his phone alerted him to a text message.

‘Sorry, Thea, got to go. I promise you it’s not a get-out,’ he’d laughed when her expression had betrayed her doubts. ‘I’m a volunteer for the RNLI and there’s a boat in trouble off Heron Point. I’ll phone you, OK?’

They’d quickly exchanged numbers and he’d grabbed his coat and left. Watching him run up the steps to his car, his giant dog lolloping after him, she’d thought he was unlike anyone she’d ever met – someone very special that she’d really love to see again. It seemed he’d felt the same because he’d called her that evening to invite her to dinner. It was the start of a whirlwind romance that had culminated in their wedding five months later, the date chosen to coincide with her parents’ own anniversary.

‘Forty-four years, Dad,’ she’d said wonderingly, as they stood in the church doorway, waiting for the Wedding March to start. ‘Do you think James and I will last as long as you two have?’

He’d patted her hand and glanced at the groom, standing with his back turned at the altar. ‘No doubt about it, Thea, you’ve got a good one there. I’ve never been prouder than I am today.’ She’d entered the church on her father’s arm, thinking she’d burst with happiness. They’d been back from their Maltese honeymoon for less than a week when Thea got the call – her dad had suffered a heart attack. She hadn’t intended to share her news so soon, but his radiant smile as she’d stood at his bedside and told him he was going to be a granddad would stay with her forever.

Sitting with James and her mother Anne two months later, waiting to be called for her ultrasound, Thea had been unable to hold back the tears. They’d tried to console her. ‘He had the chance to walk his darling daughter up the aisle, to see you married to a man he liked and admired,’ Anne had said. ‘And then to learn that you were going to have a baby,’ James had added. ’That must have meant so much.’ Thea was an only child, who’d arrived long after Anne and Sam had given up hope of parenthood. They both knew how happy her own pregnancy must have made him.

Thea heaved a sigh and turned to face the room. She was just picturing where the cot might go when a memory flashed into her mind of running in here years ago one Christmas morning, clutching a doll almost as big as herself, and shouting, ‘Look what Santa brought me – the dolly I asked for!’

‘Wow!’ her father had cried, swinging her up to snuggle in the hollow between him and her mother. ‘She’s almost as beautiful as you, poppet.’

‘And look what Daddy’s given me, Thea,’ Anne had said, opening a small blue box. ‘A new charm for my bracelet.’

Thea knew the stories behind every charm – the Scottie that looked so like their first dog Ben; the Eiffel Tower, a memento of their honeymoon. This one, though, was just a simple flower.

‘It’s a carnation,’ Sam had told her. ‘All flowers have meanings. Red carnations symbolise pride and admiration, and pink ones represent the love of a mother. What better present for Mummy could there be?’

A dozen years later, Anne had gifted her the charm, now mounted on a silver chain, to mark the opening of Thea’s florist’s shop. She blew out her cheeks.

‘Oh, I wish you could’ve been here to meet this little one, Dad,’ she said, stroking a hand over her stomach. She felt a tiny foot push against her palm and chuckled. ‘You too, hmm? Ah, well! Where’s that scraper?’

The remaining paper came away easily. Lifting off the last strip, Thea saw something written underneath. She recognised her father’s handwriting…

‘My darling child, you are our unexpected gift and we cannot wait to meet you. As older parents, we know we might not be around for some of those milestone moments, but already you have filled our hearts with joy. With love now and for always, Dad and Mum.’

‘Oh, Dad,’ she murmured, ‘what a sweet thing to do.’ Instantly, she knew where the cot would go – right here, beside the message.

Her phone rang and she dug it from her pocket.

‘Thea?’ James’ voice was cheerful. ‘You were right

– it was a conked-out motor. We towed them in.’ ‘Good, I’m glad,’ she said, adding, ‘Hurry home, James, there’s something I want to show you.’

‘Be there in 10. Love you.’

‘Love you, too.’

Tracing the message with her finger, Thea could almost sense her father’s hand shadowing her own. Raising her phone, she took a photo to send to her mother. And, before papering it over, she and James would add one of their own – a few loving words to a baby they couldn’t wait to meet.

THE END

‘I WISH YOU COULD’VE BEEN HERE TO MEET THIS LITTLE ONE’