Vanessa arrived back home about an hour after her meeting with Rod Williams. If her mother had known she was out on the country road on her own, she’d have freaked, but Vanessa had no intention of telling her mother anything of what she had been up to over the two hours.
‘Vanessa, where have you been?’
‘At Maggie’s.’
‘I thought you might have been at Rex’s.’
‘No. I can’t face him at the moment.’
Even Rex wouldn’t have been ok with her being out there on her own. He would have insisted on coming along with her, but it hurt too much to even look at him right now, especially after he had sided with her mother the night before. She had avoided him all day, even though she, deep down, wanted him to hold her and tell her he didn’t really mean what he had said.
‘See, what did I tell you, honey? You can’t continue to believe you’re living in some little utopia when it comes to Rex. He has hurt you, hasn’t he and on this occasion he certainly didn’t mean to. He knows that you are better off without him.’
‘Nuh uh, he doesn’t, Mum. It’s just that you’ve made him belief that. My little utopia would be quite fine right now, if it wasn’t for you.’
‘You can’t mean that, Nessie.’
‘I do and quit calling me Nessie. That’s a name for those people to call me who actually love me.’
‘Nessa, you know how much I love you. You know I’m only doing what’s best for you.’
‘No, you’re not, Mum. You’re not doing what’s best for me. In fact, what you are doing is going to kill me inside.’
‘Please, don’t talk like that!’
‘I think it’s you living in the little utopia, Mum. You’re the one that thinks if we move to Palmerston North, everything will be hunky dory. Well Nuh uh. You are kidding yourself. What you are doing to me, I can’t take. And I hate you for it.’
Her mother stared at her, with watery eyes. ‘Please, Vanessa, don’t say those things.’
Vanessa didn’t want to listen to any more. She walked quickly to her room, closed the door behind her and locked it. She then lay down on her bed and buried her head in her pillow. She ignored the knocks on her door and her mother calling out to her to please come back out and talk.
Her mother gave up after a few minutes. Next thing Vanessa’s cell phone rang and she figured it was just her mother trying to reach her. But she noticed the name “Dad” on the screen.
She didn’t feel like talking to him either, but then they did have some unresolved issues and it would be better than just lying there crying. She answered it. ‘Hi.’
‘I was worried you wouldn’t answer.’
‘I nearly didn’t.’
‘I know my apologies are going to sound hollow, darling, but I really am sorry.’
‘You’re right, your apologies do sound hollow.’
‘I spoke to your mother today.’
Vanessa sat up suddenly. ‘You spoke to Mum?’
‘Yes, and she said she had a new job lined up in Palmerston North.’
‘Yes.’
‘So, you’re leaving Te Arawa?’
‘Not if I can help it.’
‘Sounds like you may have no choice.’
‘Yeah huh. I can move in with Rex.’
‘I somehow don’t think his parents would go along with that.’
‘You don’t know his parents.’
‘Your mother certainly won’t.’
‘I’m seventeen. I can to what I like.’
‘You need a job.’
‘Rex will help me.’ But although she tried to sound confident, she felt far from it. Especially with Rex being on her mother’s side, it would be very hard to convince him to let her move in with him and his family.
‘Why don’t you move in with me?’ her father asked.
‘Dad, I am not moving to Auckland. Forget it!’
‘No, I don’t mean Auckland. I mean here. I’m going to get a transfer to New Plymouth. I’ll get a place here in Te Arawa if you like.’
‘What?’ Vanessa jerked up and widened her eyes. ‘Are you serious?’
‘I’m very serious. I want to prove to you just how serious I am about wanting you back in my life. If this is what it takes, I’ll gladly do it.’
Vanessa leaned back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, her heart lifting. ‘So, I will be able to stay here in Te Arawa!’
‘Yes!’
She hesitated. ‘Wait, you’re not going to try to change me, are you? I am who I am and it’s got nothing to do with anything Mum has taught me.’
‘No, I won’t, I promise. I won’t try to run your life and I won’t try to change anything about you.’
‘And if I bring Rex over and if I bring other girlfriends over, you won’t make a fuss?’
‘No. I promise.’
Vanessa smiled a real smile for the first time in over 24 hours.
‘So how about it?’
‘Yes!’ she said, ‘My God, yes!’
Shortly after her conversation with her dad, Vanessa exited from her bedroom, feeling empowered. She marched into the lounge. ‘Mum, I want to talk to…’ her words trailed off when she found Rex in the lounge, sitting on the couch facing her mother who sat in an easy chair opposite.
‘Rex! How long have you been here?’
‘I called him over,’ her mother said. ‘I’m hoping he will be able to talk some sense into you.’
Rex delivered her one of his gorgeous smiles, the type that always melted her heart and made her weak at the knees. How could she ever be upset with him? She sat down on the couch next to him and gazed into his entrancing deep blue eyes. ‘I’m not leaving Te Arawa, Rex. I’m staying.’
Rex’s eyebrows rose. ‘You are?’
‘Vanessa, what are you talking about?’ her mother asked. ‘You know you can’t stay.’
‘Yeah huh, I am. Dad’s coming to live here and I’m going to move in with him.’
‘What?’
‘I just got off the phone with him.’
‘Vanessa, no, you can’t. You don’t realise the lies he’s been telling you.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Vanessa cast her mother a glare.
‘Rex, you tell her.’
Vanessa turned her eyes back to Rex and saw a sadness there. ‘What?’
Rex sighed. ‘I did some digging. Something your Dad said a few days ago just didn’t make sense to me. And I was right to be suspicious…’
Vanessa remained silent, waiting for him to speak.
‘He’s lying about his cancer, Ness.’
‘No!’
‘Yes, he is. I phoned around. He just told you that to gain your sympathies.’
Vanessa could feel her heart sink. ‘No. Please tell me that’s not true.’
‘It is, Ness,’ Rex said, resting his hand on her arm. ‘When he said that he was beyond chemotherapy… that was a lie too. Even in the late stages, it’s still used to treat victims and there’s still a chance it will work.’
She could tell by the tone in his voice that he was telling the truth. She shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m moving in with him anyway.’
‘Vanessa!’ her mother said. ‘Did you not just hear what he said? Your father lied to you. He manipulated you.’
‘Did you not just hear what I said? I don’t care. I’m not leaving Te Arawa.’ She turned and stared deep into Rex’s eyes. ‘I’m not leaving you.’ She leant forward and began to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him. She felt his arms reach around her and his lips sucking on hers. She knew right then and there that he didn’t want her to go. When she finally withdrew she noticed tears in her mother’s eyes. ‘I’m sorry, Mum. You may think you know what’s best for me, but I think right now I know what’s worse for me and that’s leaving Te Arawa. Do you understand how important it is for me that I stay?’
Her mother stood. She paced up and down the room, running her fingers through her head. Finally,
she turned and there were tears in her eyes now. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should never have tried to keep you two apart. I can see how much you love each other, it’s just that I was so scared. I don’t want to lose you darling.’ She extended her arms to Vanessa. Rising to her feet, Vanessa moved towards her and embraced her. ‘It’s ok,’ her mother said, amongst tears. ‘We’ll stay. We’ll both stay, ok? I’ll withdraw my resignation.’
Vanessa’s eyes lit up. ‘You will?’
‘Yes. I will. I guess I always thought that I would.’
Vanessa’s smile broadened. She spun around to face Rex who had a huge smile on his face too. ‘I’m staying Rex. I really am staying.’
Rex rose to his feet too and his eyes sparkled. ‘I’m glad you are.’
The three had a group hug and there were smiles all around now. Vanessa felt uplifted, free again, as if everything was back just the way it should be. ‘I’ll ring my father. I’ll tell him I’m declining his offer and that I no longer wish to speak to him ever again.’
‘Give him an ear blasting for me,’ her mother said.
‘I will.’