His Silence - Chapter 47

Callum and I don’t get another chance to speak to each other for the rest of the afternoon. Every time I think we might be able to snatch a few moments, Mary appears. It seems she’s finally willing to give me plenty of stuff to do, at the expense of spending time with Callum.

Eve’s kneeling on the floor in front of me, shovelling laundry into the washing machine in the utility room. Eve wouldn’t have been my first choice of person to help out, but Mary insisted.

‘Oliver said you came here a couple of years ago,’ I say to Eve, picking up a cream towel that missed the washing machine as Eve was loading it, in an effort to make conversation.

‘That’s right,’ she says, smiling back at me, taking the towel from me and flinging it into the washing machine. ‘I was so lost before I came here, so lonely, I’d never experienced what it was like to be part of a big family before and everyone here they . . . they made me feel so welcome, particularly, Oliver. Believe it or not I’m jealous you’re getting to spend so much time with him, I’m sure everyone is. You’re so lucky.’ She smiles at me.

I shudder as I think back to earlier, to him finding me in his room and warning me not to go in there uninvited again.

‘How often d’you get to see your parents though?’ I ask.

Eve chucks a laundry capsule into the washing machine and flings the door shut. She flicks the dial round and makes sure it’s running. ‘I don’t see my parents,’ she replies. The tone in her voice has darkened. She gets up from her crouched position.

‘What d’you mean?’ I ask, stepping out of the way as she brushes past me, carrying the empty basket, balancing it against her hip.

She spins around. ‘My parents held me back for years, Grace. They . . .’ she wipes her eye. I wasn’t expecting this.

I step forward. ‘Eve, you don’t have to tell me anything, if you don’t want to.’

‘My parents forced me out,’ she says, emotion trickling into her voice. ‘I was . . . I was . . . I begged them for help, I tried to make them see what they were doing was wrong, but they. I ended up . . . I ended up on the streets. For days I slept in doorways. People would say nasty things to me when they passed; they’d call me low life, scum; there were only a couple of people who actually gave me any money. There was one night though, when I was lying in a doorway of a shop, after closing time, and these boy’s came up to me. They were drunk, high on drugs, or whatever, but they . . . I thought they were going to.’ She holds her hand over mouth and takes in a deep breath. ‘That’s when Oliver found me. If he hadn’t been there at that moment, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. He saved me and brought me here. He told me I could stay for as long as I liked and eventually, after a couple of weeks, I realised I didn’t want to leave. Well, where was there for me to go back to, I can’t go back to my parents. This is my home now. I don’t need anyone else.’

I process everything she’s said to me. I suddenly hate myself for feeling the way I’ve felt about her in the past couple of days.

‘I’m so sorry, Eve,’ I say.

She shakes her head. ‘There’s no need to be sorry. Everything worked out for the best in the end,’ she says.

I think of Oliver. What would he have been doing hanging around in town at that time of day anyway? Was he on his own, or were Jeremiah or Mary with him? I want to ask Eve, but I don’t want to make things even more awkward for her. Perhaps the reason she likes Callum is because I told everyone what a good friend he’s been to me.  

‘I’m sorry for putting you on the spot, Eve, but does anyone here have any family visiting them at all?’

It seems to take an age for her to respond. ‘Grace, we’re your family now. You don’t need anyone else.’

She takes hold of my hand. The emotion in her voice has been replaced by something fierce.

‘But, surely there are some people who would like to still remain in touch with their parents. I know your situation is different, but . . .’

‘Grace, you’ll learn from Oliver, in due course, that we don’t need anyone else. Right, that’s the laundry done. C’mon, I’m sure Mary will be able to find us something out to do.’

She breezes out of the utility and into the kitchen, now buzzing with people preparing lunch. I shake my head and follow her.