Second Chances (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Five

THE ELIZABETHANS BELIEVED that the physical world reflected the condition within; hence, in King Lear, for example, the raging storm in which Lear and his Fool wandered was a mirror image of not only the conflict within the king himself, but also the turmoil in the country at large. Jack wondered if maybe it was more a case of checks and balances: a bad thing happens, and then something good occurs. A door shuts, a window opens. Every cloud has a silver lining. Even yin and yang, perhaps. If one half was out of whack, the universe conspired to try to fix it.

In
his case, the bad was obviously the Abi/Allegra situation. He’d dedicated himself to making things better between him and Abi, but that was balanced by his anguish over Allegra. How then to explain what was going on with his mum’s illness, he wondered. Where was the check that would balance that blow? He gave up trying to work it out, decided that maybe it was true that life was a bitch, and then you simply died.

He
lay in bed, Abi having gone to work hours earlier while it was still dark outside. She had thrown herself into her job, and volunteered extra hours to open up, take inventories, oversee balancing the books at the end of the week and so on. She was hoping to get a promotion to store manager, she’d told him, but Jack suspected that maybe all her hours at the boutique were more about not having to spend any more time with him than she had to.

Neither
of them were happy, he knew that. They both knew it. Yet the body-blow which their relationship had taken needed to be tended to, and they were both trying their best. Well, he was. Abi was still hurt and angry with him, and even the most simple conversation they had was strained.

The
fact that he’d lost his job at Central FM didn’t help things between them. He’d taken unprecedented time off, and while the station had been as accommodating and compassionate as possible, the simple fact was that they needed someone who could fill his slot on a regular, reliable basis. Convinced his relationship was more important than his job, Jack had volunteered to leave. Now, Abi was officially the sole wage-earner, responsible for rent and bills and everything else. Jack being Jack, hadn’t a cent in savings, and he hated feeling like he was having pocket-money doled out to him by Abi, as if he was eight years old all over again.

He
rolled onto his stomach, put a pillow over his head and tried to block out his thoughts. If he could just sleep, that would help. He’d tried counting sheep, tried hot cocoa before bed, tried going for long hikes in the late afternoon, hoping that the physical exertion would exhaust him enough that he’d just fall into bed and into sleep.

No
such luck. Jack knew that it was coming down off all the recreational drugs he used to do that was messing up his sleep pattern, of course. While he had been smoking, he floated through the days in a mellow haze of contentment and relaxation. Without the smoke, his body had no idea what to do with itself. But giving all that up was a task he’d set himself, a punishment, if you will, for hurting Abi. He tried not to think about Allegra.

Jack
had just begun to doze off, half awake, half asleep, when his phone rang. Why bother, he thought; then, just in case it might be Abi, he sat up, found his phone on the floor next to a crumpled heap of clothes and answered. It was, of all people, Clive.

‘Hey, Clive! Long time no hear… how’ve you been?’ he asked, glad to be speaking to a friend. It had been a while since they had crossed paths, but then again, it had been a long time since he’d been called by the agency to do any voice work. In fact, it had been a long time since even Liz had called him for any jobs either, but he had put that down to her loyalty to Allegra.

‘Hey, Jack… Sorry it’s been so long since I called, but I’ve been busy. Listen, I think I might have a lead for you. Have you heard of Cristoffe Amman?’

Had
he heard of Cristoffe Amman? Who hadn’t, Jack thought. The man was a multi-billionaire, Asia’s answer to Richard Branson. He probably had more money than God. He’d made a fortune in helping to build China’s communication infrastructure, quietly setting up lucrative joint-venture partnerships with regional broadcasters in both television and radio. The last Jack had heard was that Cristoffe Amman was looking into setting up a chain of luxury resorts throughout the region, to be built on idyllic tropical islands he’d purchased for a song. Yes, he told Clive, he knew of Cristoffe Amman.

‘Well, I was talking to his daughter at a party last night and it turns out she’s a huge fan of your show,’ Clive said. ‘She was really excited when I told her I knew you… Anyway, the short version is that her father is setting up a regional radio network, which will launch within the next eight months or so. They’re looking for a creative director type of person, someone to manage the channels, formulate shows, scout broadcast talent, that sort of thing.’

Jack
held his breath. This was fantastic! Maybe he could get in touch with the Amman team, maybe send them his portfolio, maybe he could get himself a slot on air again.

‘Clive, that’s great news,’ he said. ‘Who can I send my tapes to? Should I call someone? I’d kill to get a show on that network.’

‘No, no, you misunderstand me,’ Clive said. ‘They don’t want you to host a show.’

Jack’s
heart sank. Why then was Clive calling? To gloat?

‘They want to talk to you about the creative director position,’ Clive continued. ‘Lucy — that’s Cristoffe’s daughter — has apparently been raving about you to her dad anyway, and being who she is, managed to get hold of your tapes from Central FM. Cristoffe listened to them, and he’s very interested.’

‘Clive…’ Jack was at a loss for words, so stunned was he by the news.

‘Look, nothing’s set in stone, okay, so don’t get your hopes up. All I did was help to hold the door open. Central FM wouldn’t give out your contact details, not even to Lucy, so I said I’d call you, get you to call them. The rest you have to do yourself.’

Even
if it hadn’t been for his ongoing guilt and regret about having slept with Abi, albeit without realising she was Jack’s girlfriend, Clive would have honoured his promise to put Jack and Cristoffe Amman in touch with each other. He was a man of his word, and if he could do anything to help a friend, he would. It was as simple as that.

‘Clive, this is awesome.’ Jack finally found his voice again. ‘It’s so fucking wicked, I can’t even begin to thank you properly.’

Clive
grinned. ‘Don’t mention it and, like I said, don’t get your hopes up. They might take one look at your dreadful dress sense, not to mention that hair of yours, and decide they’d made a terrible mistake. You could find yourself being turfed out on your ear by security before you can even give your name to the receptionist.’

‘Aww, look, I might put on a suit for the meeting, but no way am I wearing a tie. Or cutting my hair. They either take Jackson Flye as he is, or not at all. Anyway, it’s radio, not TV. How I look doesn’t matter,’ Jack said, with a laugh. Like hell, he thought. If Cristoffe Amman told him to shave his head and come into work wearing white Speedos, a fishnet onesie and cowboy boots, he’d do it without blinking.

Clive
gave him Lucy Amman’s contact details, and Jack set up a meeting for later that week. And like all dreams which come true for those who deserve a break, Jack was offered the position on the spot, along with ridiculous amounts of money and perks. Lucy had sold her father on the idea that this unlikely-looking DJ was the man for the job, and not for the first time, Cristoffe Amman felt proud of his daughter’s sixth sense. Jackson Flye might look like he’d fallen out of bed and into his clothes, but Cristoffe’s gut also told him that he was exactly what Peace Networks needed.

Chapter Thirty-Six

ABI HEARD THE commotion outside the store and looked up from her ledger. She’d heard a child scream, then people began running past toward the scene of the accident. She could hear a woman shouting, begging for someone, anyone, to help. From the sounds of it, no one was coming to her aid.

Typical,
Abi thought as she leapt to her feet, gawkers. They all want to know what’s happened, but no one wants to get involved. She ran down the corridor, pushed her way through the crowd and stopped dead in her tracks.

Allegra
was on her knees, surrounded by shards of glass, clutching a small child to her chest and struggling to take off her blood-stained cardigan to try to wrap it around the little girl’s arm, over a wound that was pouring blood. Abi felt faint, then took a deep breath and stepped forward.

‘Here, let me,’ she said, unwinding her scarf from around her neck, and tying it around the injury. She gently felt the bones in the child’s arm. ‘I think it might be broken. And some of those lacerations looked very deep. You need to get her to a hospital. What happened here?’

‘I don’t know, there were people, a huge crowd of people, and they were all pushing us to get past,’ Allegra said, her voice high and panicky. ‘I lost hold of Daisy’s hand as they shoved us and then she crashed into that window and she started screaming and screaming and oh God, she won’t stop bleeding! Abi, she’s only tiny, she’s lost so much blood, what am I going to do?’

‘Mummy, my arm hurts bad,’ Daisy sobbed. ‘Am I going to die, mummy? I don’t want to die, Bella will miss me too darn much.’

‘Hush now, sweetie, you’re not going to die. Mummy’s going to make everything okay,’ Allegra said, willing herself not to cry. ‘You just have to try to relax and not worry about anything, alright? I won’t let anything happen to you, my little potato. Mummy will make everything better.’

Abi
glanced over at the window and saw where Daisy had put her hand through the glass. God only knew how; weren’t shops legally bound to use safety glass these days? ‘Get her to a hospital, now,’ Abi said, getting to her feet, Daisy wrapped in her scarf and cradled in her arms. ‘Come on.’

‘I’m supposed to be picking up Bella from her painting class in ten minutes, I can’t just leave her there,’ Allegra said, her face white with strain and fear.

Abi
looked at Allegra and made a quick decision. ‘You take Daisy, I’ll go get Bella and we’ll come find you at the hospital,’ she said. ‘No arguing. Quick, give me the address, give me something personal of yours so that Bella will know it’s safe to go with me. We’ll swop mobile phones, I’ll call when I get there so you can talk to the teachers. Now, go. Your baby’s going into shock.’

Allegra
grabbed her purse, shoved her handbag at Abi, and took Daisy from her arms. A security guard from Abi’s store had followed her, and leapt in front of a taxi to take the two of them to hospital. Abi ran back to the boutique, yelling at the other store assistants to close up, ignoring the protests of the wealthy tai-tais, simply shoving them out the door.

She
finally had a chance to do the right thing, and she was going to do it at any cost to herself, even if it meant her job. Arriving slightly late at the art school, she saw a small girl sitting forlornly in the reception area, looking scared.

‘You’re Bella, right? It’s okay, sweetie, I’m a friend of your mummy’s,’ she said. ‘Let me quickly talk to your teacher so that she knows you’re going with me. I have to take you to the hospital now.’

‘But I’m not sick,’ said Bella, her voice trembling. Why hadn’t Mummy come?

‘No, sweetie, I know you’re not sick, but Daisy’s had a bit of an accident, so your mummy’s had to take her to see a doctor to make sure she’s okay,’ Abi said, soothingly. She crossed her fingers, praying that Daisy would be okay; she’d lost so much blood.

Having
cleared things with the teachers, Abi took Bella’s hand, smiling down at her, and they made their way to the hospital, Abi trying to answer Bella’s questions as best she could while babbling non-stop to try to distract and reassure her. As the taxi approached the Adventist, her phone — Allegra’s phone — rang.

‘I’m almost there,’ Abi said. ‘We’re just pulling up outside.’

Allegra
was waiting at the main entrance, and Bella leapt out of the taxi almost before it had come to a full halt. She flung herself into her mother’s arms, bursting into tears, and Allegra hugged her tightly, telling her Daisy was going to be okay, she was being seen by a doctor. The nursing staff had whisked the child away as soon as they arrived, and after seeing the emergency doctor, Allegra was asked to wait while her injuries were treated. Daisy had had to be sedated while they fixed her arm, but the physician was confident that she’d fully recover once they had done all they needed to.

Allegra
got to her feet, holding tightly onto Bella’s hand, and looked at Abi. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what I would have…’ She choked back her tears.

‘It’s okay. I hope Daisy will be okay,’ Abi said. ‘Here, we’d better swop phones. And don’t forget your bag.’

As
the two women exchanged their mobiles, their fingers briefly brushed against each other. Allegra stared at Abi through her tears. ‘About that day… I never wanted to hurt you. I’m so sorry… about everything… I’m just so sorry,’ she whispered.

‘Me too,’ said Abi, emotion making her voice hoarse. Then she turned around and began walking off down the slope.