The Blame (8 page)

“Come on, V. Just five more,” Laura encouraged her daughter as she held the heavy bag for her.

Vanessa hopped from one foot to the other as she executed consecutive knee strikes, bringing her legs back for maximum force. Perspiration made her T-shirt cling to her slim body, and exertion brought a rosy tinge to her cheeks.

“OK, there’s my girl! Great workout, well done. Here, have a little sip of water.”

Laura held the bottle up so that Vanessa could sip on the straw.

“Whoa, that’s enough. Let’s do our stretching exercises and then we’re done for the day,” said Laura as she helped her daughter remove her pink gloves and hand wraps.

“Phew! I’m tired, mommy. And hungry.”

“We’ll have breakfast in a minute. Just a quick shower first, okay?”

“Okay, then I want to move my toys to my new bedroom. When’s daddy coming home?”

“He’ll be here this evening, but we can manage ourselves. Strong women that we are,” answered Laura, holding up her palm to high-five her daughter. “But first I have to feed the dogs.”

***

“I don’t bloody believe it!” Laura shouted at the dogs. “Just look at the state of the lawn! Did you have nowhere else to dig?”

Laura frogmarched the dogs, who were suitably contrite, to the dog run and locked them in. 
David is going to have an almighty fit if he sees this. Thank God it’ll be dark when he comes home
.

She grabbed her gardening gloves and a spade from the garage and went to inspect the damage more closely. One of the big ones, probably Mia, had dug a lovely deep foxhole—after two false starts. Damn. Why couldn’t the stupid dog have dug them closer to the flower beds where she could give them a discrete makeover? Or better still, somewhere deep in the woodland where it didn’t matter. She really would have to see if Cesar Milan could possibly come and do a show in Portugal.

There was only one solution, which although not perfect, might just work if she managed to keep David away from the garden for a few days.

Choosing a piece of lawn near a flower bed that was sparsely populated, she plunged the shovel into the earth as hard as she could, and worked it with her foot until she had cut out a sizeable piece of turf. Straining under the weight, she carried it to ground zero and started to fill in the holes. By the time she had disguised the damage as best as she could, her back muscles were burning. Then she extended the flower bed to incorporate the cut-out turf, and transplanted a few clumps of weeping sedge so that it wouldn’t be immediately noticeable.

The lengths she had to go to in order to keep the peace, she fumed. She put the gardening stuff away and went to help Vanessa with the toys.

***

It was dusk when the squawking of seagulls alerted Laura to the fact that David was calling.

“Hey, David. Where are you?”

“Hey, baby. I’m almost home. I’ve just turned into the lane. What you girls doing?”

“Laura’s colouring in and I was watching TV. I’ll jog down and meet you at the gate. I need to stretch my legs.”

“Great. See you in a bit.”

“V, I’m meeting daddy at the gate. Do you wanna come with?”

“No, I’ll stay here and colour in. I want to finish my picture so I can give it to daddy.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll see you in a bit then. Shall I bring Lilly in to keep you company?”

“Oh, yes please, mommy!”

Laura opened the door and whistled. The sextet appeared as if by magic. As Laura let Lilly in, the others immediately tried to follow suit, only to have their hopes dashed. Their disappointment, however, was soon forgotten when they saw they got to accompany their mistress on a jog. All five tails wagged merrily as they set off.

David’s headlights swung towards the gate just as she reached it. She stood aside to let him in, ordering the dogs to do the same. David drove in just far enough for the gate to close behind him, before stopping the car. The girls would do a runner if they were left alone with a half-open gate. Laura and David had learnt that the hard way. 

Seeing Laura bend down to greet him through the window, David turned off the ignition and got out. The dogs were beside themselves with joy, as if they hadn’t seen him for weeks.

David laughed. “At least there’ll always be someone that’s glad I’m home.”

Laura slipped her arms round his neck. “
I’m
glad you’re home,” she said, kissing him.

And then the kiss that was supposed to have been a wifely welcome-home greeting turned into a hot, torrid affair. They groped each other like adolescents at a drive-in, panting and groaning against the car. Hands tore at clothes and unzipped jeans. And whether fuelled by secret thoughts of third parties or just by the heat of the moment, they wrestled each other to the front of the car. Under the cover of darkness, Laura lay back against the bonnet as David took his place between her legs.

The dogs looked on, happily thumping their tails on the ground in time to the thrusting and grunting.

“Girls, don’t run off like that, you’ll get lost,” warned Laura, as Vanessa and Mariana squeezed past the throngs of tourists who filled the narrow street that served as the main thoroughfare in Óbidos.

Like the other little alleyways, it was lined with medieval whitewashed houses with a blue or yellow trim.  Bougainvillea and geraniums adorned the tiny windows and doorways. Few people actually lived within the castle walls; in modern times the town had expanded and spread at the foot of the hill.

“Let’s get away from the crowds. Why don’t we take one of these little side streets and make our way up to the castle wall?” suggested Sara.

“Good idea,” agreed her husband.  “The girls are big enough now to manage those steep steps that lead to the top. We could walk the perimeter, as long as we hold their hands.”

“I don’t know about that, Miguel,” cautioned David. “The cobblestones are slippery and there are no barriers or handrails to prevent you from taking a nasty tumble.” 

“Oh, stop being such a worrywart, David,” replied Laura in an exasperated tone. “We’ll hold their hands, they’ll be fine. I don’t want Vanessa growing up to be a wimp who’s scared of everything.”

David compressed his lips in disapproval but didn’t say anything.

“Come on, David,” said Miguel. “You can tell me about that event on the way. The one you went to yesterday. Was it worthwhile?”

“Yes, it was actually.  I think the whole team enjoyed it.”

“Well, I’m sure David did. After all, Sabrina was there.”

“Sabrina? Who’s that,” asked Miguel.

David laughed.

“Go on, tell them about your witch,” Laura chided.

“Women!” said David, shaking his head. “Pay no attention to her, Miguel. We’d better hurry or we’ll lose sight of the girls. Let the women dawdle, if they must.”

As the two friends rounded a corner, they saw a man bending over to talk to the girls. David frowned, quickened his pace and called out to Vanessa. She turned round and beckoned to her father. The man straightened and cleared his throat awkwardly.

He looked harmless enough, thought David. Perfectly ordinary, in fact: medium height, medium weight, brown hair and brown eyes. Still, you never knew. He’d have a word with Vanessa later. She knew better than to talk to strangers. David and Miguel looked enquiringly at the stranger.

“Look who’s here,
pai
. It’s Luisa’s dad,” Vanessa said excitedly. “We found him all by ourselves, didn’t we, Mariana?”

“Yes, we did,” Mariana replied proudly.

“My daughter is in the same class as your girls,” he said by way of explanation.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry, my name’s David. I’m Vanessa’s dad,” said David, holding out his hand. “And this is Miguel, Mariana’s father.”

The men shook hands.

“Hello, Filipe,” said Sara, coming up behind them.

“Sara, how are you?”

“Oh, you already know each other?” asked Miguel. 

“Yes,” said Sara, without missing a beat. “We usually run into each other at school events.”

“I see. Where is your little girl? Is he here, too?” asked Miguel.

“No, she isn’t,” piped up Mariana. “She’s with her mum this weekend.”

“Yes, it’s such a pity,” added Vanessa, “otherwise we could all play together.”

“Well, I have to go now. Nice meeting you,” he mumbled, eyes downcast as he hurried away.

“Timid sort of fellow, isn’t he?” asked Miguel. “And what’s up with you, Laura? You’re blushing like a school girl. Don’t tell me you have a crush on the man!”

“Don’t be daft,” said Laura, avoiding his eyes. “I barely know him.”

“Well, that was excruciating!” hissed Laura as David and Miguel helped the girls climb the steep stone steps that led to the ramparts.

Sara jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow. “Shh!” she said under her breath. “Save it for later.”

They made their way along the narrow walkway, hugging the stone parapet to avoid the sheer drop on their left. The men held onto their daughters as they leaned over the crenels to peer between the merlons. The bucolic scenery spread as far as the eye could see.

The wind whipped through the girls’ long hair, making it dance around like Inflatable Wacky Waving Tube Men. They pointed at each other and giggled in delight.

“Guys!” Sara called out. “It’s getting a bit nippy up here.  I don’t think we should walk the perimeter after all.”

“I agree,” answered David, clutching Vanessa’s hand tightly as they made their way along the battlements.

“Daddy, can we visit the castle? I’ve never been inside.”

“Well, the castle has been converted into a boutique hotel, so we can’t visit everything. But we can go and have something to drink.”

“Good idea! Laura endorsed the plan. “I could do with a
ginja
.”

“Not for me,” said Miguel. “I don’t like cherry liqueur, even if it is a local specialty.”

The girls dashed through the curved archway with its heavy green door, and into the secluded castle courtyard. Their parents followed at a more sedate pace.

“Come on, come on,” shouted Vanessa impatiently. “I want to see the princess’s bedroom!” She held her arm out, pointing at the palace whose white-washed walls contrasted with the bush hammered marble of the ornate lintel and moulding that adorned the windows and doorways.

David laughed. “I don’t know about that, but Miguel and I will go in with you and have a look round.”  

“Let’s have our beers inside where we can supervise them. We don’t want them running amok and annoying the guests.”

“Laura and I will have our drinks out on the terrace and enjoy the sunshine,” replied Sara.

“Okay, that way we’ll cover all our bases,” grinned David.

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Laura turned to Sara and clutched her forearm.

“I can’t believe how cool you were about the whole thing!” she exclaimed.

“Only on the outside,” said Sara. “I’m glad nobody noticed how fast my heart was beating. Thank God Miguel rarely goes to school functions, otherwise things would really be awkward. ”

“Poor Miguel. I felt so bad for him.”

“Yes, but what he doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him, does it?” she answered philosophically.

“I guess not.”

Still, I can’t imagine putting David in that situation
, she mused.

But you already have, in sorts
, said that annoying voice in her head.
What right have you to feel so jealous of his co-workers when you’re romancing one of your own?

Images from the previous night’s moonlight tryst flooded her head. She resolved to put an end to her infatuation with Hugo before it went any further. She really didn’t need any one else after all.

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity for Laura. She was determined to make the move to the villa on Wednesday, and finalize everything at Delta by Friday.

Things had gotten a little out of hand with Hugo, but she’d soon get everything back in perspective when she didn’t have to see him every day. It certainly wasn’t too late to put a lid on things, to write that kiss off as a spur of the moment indulgence. Yes, that’s what she would do.

It was just as well that he’d had to bring his business trip forward—it had provided the space she needed to see things more clearly. Plus it made going in to the office much easier and even more productive. There were no distractions.

And of course things had been going well between David and her. The strain of the renovation was finally coming to an end, and things could only improve once they were living in the villa.

Dona
Maria had helped her move their personal effects to the main house, and they had now reached the awkward moment where half their things were still at the cottage and the other half was already at the villa. The minute the gas was connected, they’d make the final move.

After leaving the office Laura drove straight to the nursery. She still had time to pick out the pot plants she wanted before the school bus dropped Vanessa off. She looked in the backseat for an umbrella and was annoyed to see she’d left it at the office. The rain had made a return appearance after a few days of glorious sunshine. What a bind. She turned up her coat collar and dashed inside. 

She sighed with pleasure at the sight of the lush tropical shrubs and exotic flowering plants that filled the huge greenhouse. It reminded her of their trip to Costa Rica a couple of years back. Now that was the sort of climate she should be living in. How hard could it be to create and maintain a fabulous garden when it was always hot and humid? Their water bill would certainly be a lot lower!

She strolled along the aisles, admiring the plants and wishing she could buy them all. Suddenly remembering Vanessa, she realized that she had dawdled too long and hastily placed an order for bamboo palms, ficus benjamina, ferns and bromeliads. She held them to their promise that they’d deliver the following day. The plants were the finishing touch. Everything was coming together, she thought with satisfaction.

Then she ran back to her car, wishing she lived in a country that allowed her to plant her recent purchases outdoors.

***

Wednesday morning Laura awoke even before the alarm went off. She felt remarkably cheerful the moment she opened her eyes. They’d spent their last night at the cottage. Tonight they’d be sleeping in their brand new beds in the comfort of their new home. After so many trials and tribulations, the day she despaired would never come had finally dawned.  It would be a new beginning for them. The slate would be wiped clean and she and David would fall in love all over again. It’d be like a second honeymoon.

She lay there, enjoying the warmth of her bed while she planned her day. She wouldn’t tell David or Vanessa about the move. She smiled in the darkness, imagining their pleasure when they realized they’d finally moved in. She’d ask
Dona
Maria to move the remaining stuff while she was at work. Then she’d leave the office in time to pick Vanessa up from school, pick up a tray of lasagne from their favourite restaurant, as well as a bowl of Vanessa’s favourite chocolate mousse, and then she’d surprise them. 

And she’d be sure to put her daughter to bed early…

She cuddled up to David and stroked his arm till he woke up.

“Good morning,” he murmured sleepily.

“Yes, it is,” Laura replied confidently.

***

Laura and David held hands as they gazed down at their daughter, fast asleep in her magnificent new white four-poster bed. The sheer white drapes were tied back with pink ribbons that matched the wallpaper. The play area was littered with prams, kitchens and baby changing stations. A pink round table and matching stools provided a surface for holding tea parties or doing homework. It was truly every little girl’s idea of a princess’s bedroom, and Vanessa had been delighted with the final result. For once she hadn’t argued about going to bed.

Smiling, they crept silently out of the room and went downstairs.

“I believe some champagne is in order,” said David. “We can finally break out that bottle of Moët & Chandon.”

“It’s chilling in the fridge. I’ll get the glasses,” offered Laura, heading for the sitting room. She put on a violin concerto CD, lit a few candles and turned off the lights.

David whistled approvingly as he entered the lounge with the frosty bottle, and Laura cheered softly when he popped the cork. They clinked their champagne flutes and toasted their first night in the villa.

"This is it, we are officially free of builders and workmen," said David, lounging back across the chunky fawn 4 seater sofa.

“Not quite,” Laura reminded him. “Our friend the electrician still has to put some finishing touches on the garden lighting and in the barn.”

"That’s not too serious, at least the villa is done. What an odyssey! We should light a candle to Our Lady of something or other," said David.

"I would if I weren't an atheist,” she smiled, looking round the spacious sitting room with satisfaction. It reflected her African roots and their mutual love of travelling. The walls and shelves were lined with artefacts, masks and paintings they’d brought back from their travels in Africa and South America.

“It looks really nice, doesn’t it, David? It really feels like home.”

David took the glass from her hand and placed it alongside his on the coffee table.

“You know what, I miss the fireplace,” he said softly, running his finger up and down her forearm.

Her flesh quivered.

“I guess we’ll just have to pop over to the cottage from time to time,” he murmured.

A thought flashed unbidden through her mind:
Thank goodness I’ve decided to put an end to this nonsense with Hugo. There really is no need for it.

David pushed her down on the sofa and eased himself alongside. As he brushed his lips against her neck, Laura's brain went into standby mode, effectively preventing any further rational thought.