Fight or Flight

Chapter 6 – Time Bomb

Leah’s POV

I moved into Lis’s place and took her spare room. I unpacked my stuff that night and by the time I was done it was 4am. Yep, I am not getting up anytime soon. When I woke up it was almost midday.

I lazily headed downstairs and made a coffee. There was a note on the side.

*Morning girl, Hope you slept well.  I’ll be popping home for lunch at 1 but can’t stay long. Busy day with check ins and riding school. Lucky for you school is out! But sky is expecting you to work the rest of the week. Talk later, Lis*

I smiled at the note and headed upstairs to get dressed. When I came down, I decided to make Lis a thank you lunch. I looked in the fridge and found what I needed to make a ham salad. She walked through the door as I was adding the warm new potatoes and boiled eggs.

‘Something smells good’ she smiled.

‘Ham salad’ I pushed hers across the breakfast bar.

‘This isn’t like any salad I ever had!’

‘Then you haven’t lived!’

Mixed salad leaves with lightly salted buttered new potatoes, deli ham, boiled eggs, vine tomatoes, cucumber and spring onion in balsamic vinegar, beetroot, picked onions, roasted vegetable cous cous and salad dressing. Yum.

‘I could get used to this’ she barely managed to get out as she inhaled her food and moaned ‘Mmmmm, soooo good!’

I laughed as I finished mine ‘You like it then?’

‘Sky said you could cook’

‘This isn’t cooking. It’s salad!’ I chuckled.

We talked for a little while about nothing much, and it was soon time for her to go back to work. I was glad Sky was making me go back to work.

I would have been bored and going insane after two days of being stuck here with no purpose, never mind two weeks!

Plus, I was going to need the money, whether I got the place at the summer Art camp of not. I had flights to pay for as well as spends and if not, I had to save for a place of my own. I would worry about my living arrangements when I returned from Crete if camp went ahead.

I lazed about for the rest of the day, trying not to over think everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. I decided to make a start on dinner and found what I needed to throw together a stir fry. As I got everything out on the side Lis came in.

‘Oooh is there enough for 3?’ she asked.

‘Sure, I haven’t stated yet, Sky joining us?’

‘No, she’s covering your shift’

‘s**t, sorry, I should go and take over’

‘Don’t be daft, after what happened to you in the last 24 hours you should be here. No, my dad is coming over’

‘Ohhhh. You gonna tell him?’

‘Yeah, I feel better if you were, around. In case he flips. But do you mind if after dinner you make yourself scarce? I think it’s something I need to do on my own’

‘Of course! When is he coming?’

There was a knock on the door.

‘Now’ she looked anxious ‘Come in Dad, it’s open’ she shouted.

‘Lis, it will be fine ok’ she nodded.

‘How’s my favourite girl?’ Henry beamed as he walked into the kitchen. He was a rotund man, with soft rounded feature, kind eyes and big grin always adorned with face.

‘Good thanks Dad. But you better be careful, I may not always be the only girl in your life and saying that will likely get you into trouble’ she teased.

‘Pah! You’ll always be my favourite. Who could replace you?’

‘I dunno, a certain lady who helps around the house?’

‘She’s a friend Lisa! Just a friend. We enjoy each other’s company’.

‘Yeah, ok’.

‘What’s for dinner?’

‘Leah’s cooking’.

‘Hi Henry, yeah, sorry, it’s pork stir fry, if I had known you were coming, I’d have made something a little heartier’.

‘Don’t be silly, if I don’t have to cook, I am happy to eat anything. I like stir fry’

‘It’ll be ready in 10 minutes’ I smiled as I threw everything in and boiled the water for the noodles.

I served up and we ate.

‘Mmm Leah, that was tasty’.

‘Thanks’ I smiled ‘Please excuse me, I’m just going to head upstairs’

Henry looked a little confused, I am guessing Lis hasn’t had a chance to tell him I moved in.

‘Oh yeah, dad, Leah moved in for a few weeks’ I went upstairs and to my room but kept the door slightly ajar in case Lis needed me.

I heard murmuring, but it was distanced. It sounded like they had headed outside. I was glad I couldn’t hear; it was a private conversation.

I messaged Kai to see how his day went, but what I really wanted to know was if my mum had been in touch.

She must know by now I moved out and seen the note I left. I was feeling guilty about it, but even in the cold light of day, I still meant every word.

He asked if he could come over, but with Henry being here, I advised coming around at 8, but I’d message him when it was safe.

I messaged my dad. I had held off until now and I was feeling guilty. It was never my intention to keep him in the dark, but it probably seemed that way.

*Hi Dad, I’m settled, safe and happy in my new accommodation. Hope you are ok. Love you, Leah*

I kept it short. I knew mum would be giving him a hard time, and I felt bad for that, but I also knew she would be checking his phone for messages from me.

*Leah! I’m so glad you messaged. It’s good to hear you are somewhere safe, stay in touch, I miss you, Love Dad*

Dad was never one for texting, so I was surprised he answered so soon, and for him, that was a long message, I smiled as I put my phone down.

It had been half an hour since I left Lis alone with her dad, and I didn’t hear screaming, breaking things, or door slamming. I took this as a good sign.

After another half hour or so I heard them talking and the front door close.

‘Leah’ Lis shouted.

I came bounding down the stairs to greet her at the bottom.

‘So? How did it go? ‘She laughed ‘That good?’

‘Oh Leah, all that stress. He knew! I mean, he knew before I knew! How is that even possible?’

I laughed ‘What? Seriously?’

‘Yeah, he said he was just waiting for me to figure it out. He said he always had an idea, but when I got older and the hot muscular half-dressed Farm hands would hit on me and I took no interest, his suspicions grew. He said it was obvious the older I got with no sign of even trying to date’.

‘well, I guess, but he does realise you spent all your time helping him, right? I didn’t think it was that obvious!’

‘Hmmm, well, yeah I said that. He said he often told me to go out, meet new people, go on dates etc but I didn’t, and the two dates I did go on where his idea, to make me realise I wasn’t into guys, but I didn’t get the hint’.

‘Oh My God Lis, you didn’t mention that before!’

‘I thought it would sound weird he had set me up on dates. And I thought it was his way of getting me to like guys’

‘Ok, yeah I see your point. Anyway, he sounds like he is pretty cool with it! Did you tell him about Sky?’

‘Yeah, he thought I was dating you behind Kai’s back and was a little antsy about morals’ she laughed, and I did too ‘When I told him about Sky, he knew who she was. He is really happy for us. I was going to tell my brothers, but again, they all already know!’

‘Haha, your dad is funny, seriously though Lis, why did none of them think to mention they knew?’

‘They thought I was in denial and didn’t want to piss me off. I guess they were right though, weren’t they?’

‘Yeah, it seems that way!’ I gave her a hug ‘You gonna tell Sky?  She’ll be dying to know’

‘Yeah, I’m gonna head over to Skylar’s now to see her. Wanna come?’

‘Nah, Kai is gonna pop over, he wanted to check I was ok, and I think my mum may have called him’

‘Oh, ok Hun, well I’ll see you later’

‘Have fun, oh, Lis, before you leave, go pack an overnight bag. I’ll sort the horses in the morning. You guys will be celebrating’

‘Thanks Leah, Yeah, I will’

She went upstairs to pack some things and I messaged Kai.

*Hey babe, coast is clear, Henry has gone home. It went well! See you soon xx*

Lis left and ten minutes later Kai walked through the door.

‘Hey babe’ he wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

‘Hey, you ok?’ He seemed unusually needy.

‘Yeah, it’s been an eventful day!’

‘Oh s**t, mum?’

‘Yep. She’s something else alright’

‘Kai, I am so sorry, what happened?’

Kai had gone home and gone straight to bed. But he woke in the morning, he filled Mel and Cal in on what had happened between me and Mum.

They both agreed not to get involved, so the less they knew for now the better. Until the dust had settled.

Today, Kai had seen or spoken too Sky, Maria, and Mel and with his interaction with mum, he had the whole story. Piecing it all together from each point of view, he told me the following.

She hadn’t realised I was gone lunchtime today. She knew I was due at Skylar’s to work at 12 so she came home to snoop through my room while I was out. She didn’t say that, but it was obvious reading between the lines.

She was furious when she saw all my stuff gone and read my note. She rang my dad and demanded he tell her where I was.

Of course, he couldn’t. He rushed home and she took his phone from him and checked if he had any calls to or from me, messages also.

According to Mel, she seemed happy he also had no contact. Mum had driven to Skylar’s to find I wasn’t there causing a scene.

Maria took her in the back, and she sobbed saying I had gone off the rails and she thought I was doing drugs.

Maria, having spent the morning with Sky, already knew the truth. So, she just soothed mum trying to get her out with the least amount of commotion as possible.

Sky was at the Cash and Carry, thank God, or it may have worked out differently. Sky wouldn’t have held back. She is fierce when she wants to be, and her loyalty is second to none!

When she left, she drove to Sky’s thinking I was there. A neighbour called Sky saying a mad woman was knocking down her front door screaming. Sky jumped in her car and headed to her house; she was raging.

When Sky got there, Mum had left, but she had put a note through the door, calling me all the names under the sun, and that Sky was harbouring and enabling bad, disrespectful behaviour, repeating I was on drugs but this time adding in I was pregnant.

When she got no joy at Sky’s she rang Mel sobbing about her poor lost little girl, she just wanted to find me, and get me home safe, blah blah blah. Mel invited her over and soon realised mum was unhinged.

She added to drugs and pregnancy, that I was cheating on Kai with Sky. This woman has no scruples. As Kai was telling me all this, I was speechless.

At this point, Mel decided she was not going to tell mum anything, and to protect me was paramount.

Kai arrived home and mum was just leaving. As a parting gesture, she told Kai I had been to the clinic and had the clap. Nice. My own mother.

‘Kai’ I cried ‘don’t get me wrong, I expected some drama, but this is beyond my wildest nightmares. What the hell was wrong with her?’

‘I’m so sorry Leah. Mum thinks she may have been drinking!’

My phone rang and interrupted us, it was Lis ‘Hey Lis, you ok?’

‘Leah! s**t I am so sorry. You need to leave now. Just for an hour or so, I’ll fill you in later. Please, go!’

She hung up, she sounded frantic, s**t, what the hell.

‘Kai, we have to go. Quick’

He didn’t question me, we grabbed my keys, I picked up my shoulder bag, got to my car and sped away.

We arrived at Kais, hid the car around the back and snuck in through the patio door. Mel and Cal were in the kitchen, and I fell into Mel’s arms sobbing. My phone rang but Kai answered it. When he hung up we all looked at him.

‘That was Lis, your mum turned up at the farm looking for her, well for you. Henry didn’t know Leah. Lis didn’t explain. She feels terrible, but he told your mum where you are. He believed her lies. Your dad has gone to go and get her. But you might be safer staying here tonight’