The Empty Desk (2 page)

“So how was your day?” Melinda asked when she collected Aiden from school that afternoon. It had been a quiet day in the shop, but it had at least given her the opportunity to sort out the new stock that had arrived that morning. The tea service was complete and undamaged, and she had taken the time to wash all of the items carefully and arrange them in one of the display cabinets, where they would be safe from casual breakage.

Mr. Lowe had not returned at any point in the day, though, and that was preying on her mind. She suspected that something was troubling his spirit for him to have paid her a visit, and while it might have been as simple as relaying his message, she didn't think that had been sufficient to allow him to pass over.

“It was okay,” Aiden said, his tiny hand slipping into hers so she could take hold. She knew it wouldn't be long before he wouldn't want to be seen being picked up from school by his mother, let alone holding her hand as they crossed the road to her car. “We've got a new teacher,” he announced.

“Oh, yes?” Melinda had no idea that there had been any addition to the teaching staff, but there was no reason why she should. There were plenty of other mothers who took pride in having their ears to the ground and letting the others know their news if they were the first to pick it up. If they had heard anything, they would have been bending the ear of anyone around to listen so they could show how in the know they were. Melinda thought that perhaps she just wasn't hanging around the school gate enough to catch up with all the gossip.

“So what's she like?”

“Okay, I guess. She said she used to live here a long time ago.”

“What's her name?” Melinda asked, already thinking that she might know the answer.

He paused for a moment as if deep in thought. “Miss Kelly,” he said at last, the information retrieved from the back of his mind somewhere. “Do you know her?”

“She used to be a very good friend of mine,” Melinda said. She didn't know why she should be so surprised at the fact that Dana was Aiden's new teacher, but somehow she hadn't considered the possibility that she might be teaching here when she had seen her that morning. Clearly this was more than just a flying visit.

“Is she going to come for dinner?” he asked.

“Not today,” she said. She hadn't even considered the possibility, but she knew that if they managed to get together, it would almost certainly be inevitable. “But would it be okay if she came another day?”

“Sure. She's nice. But why isn't she your friend anymore?”

Melinda tried to explain about people losing touch if one of them moved away. He seemed to accept it without question and became more interested in what was for dinner. Jim was going to be home in time that evening for the three of them to eat together for the first time in days. Work at the hospital was always demanding, and even though they knew what shifts he was scheduled for, he was often delayed as he stayed to care for his patients.

“Someone told Miss Kelly that you could see ghosts. It wasn't me,” he said as if he was about to be blamed for letting a family secret slip out. Melinda never tried to get him to hide things from his friends, but he already knew that sometimes it caused less difficulty if he kept some things to himself. “She didn't seem very surprised. I guess that must be because she was such a good friend of yours.”

“Must be,” Melinda said, though she had no recollection of ever discussing it with Dana. There had been a time when it had been something she had kept to herself, only sharing when she was sure that it would not cause distress or disbelief. Now at least she had the confidence of knowing that she was not the only one with a gift like hers.

“It must have been good to have a friend you didn't have to keep secrets from,” Aiden said, stopping when they reached the car.

“Special friends are hard to find,” she said as she opened the door to let him climb in. It wasn't the first time that Aiden had mentioned having to keep secrets.

“Especially ones who aren't ghosts,” he said. His face was deadly serious. He turned away and looked out of the window of the car as she made her way around the other side to slide in behind the wheel. One of the other mothers sounded her horn and waved a hand as she drove past. Melinda waved back, then strapped herself in.

“Everything okay at school?” she asked as she pulled the car away from the sidewalk into the slow-moving traffic. The street was busy with parents, but there was no sign of impatience from any of the drivers. They all knew what they were getting themselves into by choosing to pick up their children at school.

“Sure,” he said, but Melinda wasn't convinced that he was telling the whole truth. He knew the difference between the truth and a lie, but like all boys he was learning to avoid giving an answer if he thought that might prevent a difficult conversation. He contented himself with looking at the book he was taking home to read, but Melinda was not sure that he was giving it his full attention. She tried to get him to talk, but he pretended to be engrossed, giving no more than one-word answers. At least Jim would be home soon. Maybe he would get more out of Aiden than he seemed to be willing to give to her at that moment.

The boys were sitting on the couch watching something on TV that had them roaring with laughter and making them both forget about whatever else might have gone on during their day. Melinda was in the middle of fixing dinner when the telephone rang, but neither Jim nor Aiden showed any sign of making a move to answer it. She wiped her hands on a cloth and picked up the receiver.

“Hi,” she said. “Who is this?”

“Melinda? It's Dana!”

Before long they were chatting away as if there had not been a break in their friendship, even though it had been years since they had spent any time in each other's company. More than once Jim stuck his head through the kitchen door, only for her to wave him away as she held up five fingers to tell him how long she thought she was going to be. When he came back a third time, she realized that they'd been chatting for more than an hour, and the evening was fast slipping away.

“I'm going to have to go,” she said reluctantly to Dana.

“Do you think you could get away for lunch tomorrow? Aiden tells me that you have a store in town?”

“That's right,” Melinda gave her the name of the shop and described what street it was on. She soon realized she was in severe danger of spilling into a whole new line of conversation that could take up the rest of the evening. “There are a couple of good places to eat not far away.”

“Is that coffee shop still open? You know, the one we used to hang out at?”

“It is,” Melinda replied. “It's changed hands a couple of times since we were there, and it's had a bit of a makeover, but it's still there.”

They agreed on a time to meet before Melinda hung up, surprised by how hot the handset had become and, more concerning, how much time had gone by. She glanced at the dinner she had barely started to prepare and reached into a drawer.

“Hey, guys,” she shouted to make sure she could be heard above the sound of the TV. “How do you two feel about pizza tonight?”

“Did Aiden say anything about school tonight?” Melinda asked as she slid into bed later that night. Their son had fallen asleep on the couch soon after he had finished eating, and Jim had succeeded in carrying him up to bed without waking him. It made a change for them to have an evening together and the chance to just curl up and enjoy a glass of wine without the constant calls for another bedtime story or a glass of water. Maybe the time would come when they would actually get more quality time like this.

“He said he had a new teacher, and he seems to like her, but that was about it. Something wrong?”

“I don't know. I just got the feeling that something wasn't quite right. I'm worried someone might be picking on him.”

“You think one of the bigger kids is giving him a hard time? I thought he would tell us if he was having trouble like that.”

“Me too, but maybe he thinks it's something he has to work out for himself.”

“Is that what you were talking to his teacher about? Aiden told me you knew her.”

“Dana? No, we hardly talked about Aiden. We talked about you more than him.” She decided that as Delia had managed to get some pleasure from her discomfort, it was her turn to do the same to Jim. The trouble was he might just think that his ego was being stroked.

“Me? Why would you talk to her about me?”

“Because she remembers you from when she used to live around here. She said you never noticed her though. She said there were always plenty of other girls for you to go chasing after.” She laughed, then couldn't stop the giggles as he started to tickle her beneath her ribs. He knew when he was being teased much more quickly than she did and he also knew how to stop her. It seemed to work every time.

“Shhh,” she said through her laughter. “You'll wake Aiden.”

“Me? I'm not the one making all the noise.” He was clearly enjoying it far more than she was, despite the laughter, but it was still one of those rare moments of being really close when the rest of the world could be pushed to one side and they only had time for each other.

“I'm serious,” she said, though she knew that the smile on her face was probably saying the opposite. This reminded her so much of the time when they had just been getting to know each other, finding out what they each liked and disliked, discovering what made the other happy or annoyed. It didn't take long to find out that there was plenty that was good between them and very little that put the other on edge. They soon realized that they were good together and couldn't imagine spending the rest of their lives without each other. They had been through so much since then and yet they had managed to come through it all somehow. There were new challenges every day, but they enjoyed their own kind of normalcy, even if there were times when their marriage was a little . . . crowded.

“So, she remembered me, did she?” Jim said, holding Melinda tight in his arms while she squirmed. She tried to pretend that this was worse than being tickled but they both knew that wasn't true. Nothing was worse than being tickled to the point where she could no longer bear the slightest touch.

“Oh, yes,” Melinda lied. “She said that you didn't have to do a lot of chasing. The girls were lining up, by all accounts. Is that right?”

She felt his grip relax and saw a look of mock disbelief spread across his face. “Me?”

She couldn't keep the pretense up any longer. She had only mentioned Jim in passing, and it hadn't brought even the slightest response from Dana. There had been plenty of other things to talk about, and it would be quite a while before they would have time to talk about things that were not shared between them. That wasn't going to stop her from teasing Jim about it though. Before he could press her again, she planted a kiss full on his lips and pulled him back toward her. She knew that was the best way of getting him to shut up and forget about whatever else he might have been thinking about.

She was still holding him close when she heard the slightest creak of their bedroom door. She looked over Jim's shoulder and saw the familiar shape in the doorway, framed by the dull glow of a nightlight on the landing. Waiting, without speaking at first.

“Can I have a drink, please?” Aiden asked.

The coffee shop had changed even more than Melinda had thought. She had walked past it many times, and although she had glanced in through the windows, she had not gone in. There had once been a time when a week would not go by without her calling in, but then it had closed for a while, to be replaced first by a high-end restaurant and then a fast-food place. Neither had succeeded in capturing the hearts or appetites of the people of Grandview, and each venture had shut up shop in turn. What now stood in that spot was an old-fashioned coffee shop with chintz curtains and tables with white lace tablecloths.

Dana was already sitting at a table near the window when Melinda arrived, while most of the other tables were already occupied by middle-aged women with shopping bags at their feet. A few of them looked up and smiled at Melinda as she took her seat. She recognized a few of them but could not claim to have more than a passing acquaintance with any of them. Dana rose to give her a welcoming hug and they were soon deep in conversation once more, picking up at exactly the point where they had broken off the evening before.

“So what really brings you back to Grandview?” Melinda asked in a pause in their conversation when their coffee was placed on the table in front of them. She had asked the question before, but as was so often the case another topic had gotten in the way.

“I miss this place,” she said. “When this job came up, it was more than I could have hoped for. Besides, now is a good time for a fresh start.”

“Ah,” Melinda said. “Man trouble?”

“Big time,” Dana said, staring into her coffee. Melinda didn't push. She knew that Dana would talk about it if she wanted to, when she wanted to. Melinda had clearly touched a raw nerve, and the last thing she would want to do was make it any more painful than it clearly was. A fresh start might mean leaving the bad stuff behind, but sometimes it also meant abandoning things that were important.

“So, how are you settling in?”

“Good,” Dana said, the relief clear in her face. “So much has changed, and yet it's still the same. The faces are a little older but I still recognize so many people, and they seem to remember me. It really does feel like coming home.”

“And the job?”

“It's great. I know it's only my second day with the children, but they're great. I wonder just how many more of them are the children of people I grew up with. There are certainly a few faces out there in the class that have a strange familiarity.”

“Quite a few, I suspect,” Melinda said. “Aiden has certainly taken to you.”

“He's a lovely little boy. You must be very proud of him.”

“Of course. But then, isn't every mother?” Melinda paused for a moment, knowing that if she didn't raise the question now, she might never find the right time. “Aiden said that you told him that you knew I could see ghosts?”

“I did,” she said. There was no hesitation before she gave her answer.

“You weren't just humoring him?”

“Of course not. I've known for a long time, Melinda. I've probably always known, even though you never actually said anything. You didn't need to.”

“You've never mentioned it before, and it's not something I used to shout about, especially not back then.”

Dana shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“I didn't think anything of it at the time. It was only when I moved away that I started to think that it was anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it's just something about this place, but it's a gift, Melinda, a wonderful gift. I have no idea how you use it, but I hope you are able to do some good with it.”

Melinda felt a wave of relief wash through her. She was never sure how people would react when she told them what she was able to do. Some were horrified, others were amazed, but it was rare for someone to just accept it in stride without even questioning it in the way that Dana was doing. Maybe it was a sign of their friendship.

“I hope I do,” Melinda said and took another sip of her coffee. If Dana was holding back a burning question about what she was able to do, she wanted to give her the time to ask it, but none came.

“Maybe you could come to school and give a talk about what you do,” Dana said eventually.

“A talk? Are you kidding me? Half the town would be up in arms and want to lynch me, and the rest would want me to try to contact their relatives. I suspect that you wouldn't get off without taking some of the blame either.” Melinda was horrified at the very thought of it.

“Sorry, I didn't mean that,” Dana said, putting her cup down with a clatter, barely able to control her laughter. A couple of heads turned in their direction to see what the commotion was, all other conversations in the room coming to a sudden halt as they became the center of attention. Dana's laughter was infectious, and soon Melinda was unable to stop herself from joining in, even though she had no idea why they were laughing. It was only when it had subsided and the middle-aged women had returned to their gossip that Melinda asked what was supposed to be so funny.

“I meant talk about the shop! I thought maybe you could bring a few old things in and talk to the kids about them. I'm sure that Aiden would love it if you came. He's very proud of the shop.”

The second wave of laughter brought little more than a restrained giggle, but at least Melinda could now understand why her old friend was finding this so funny. It didn't take long for her to agree to come to school, as long as Aiden was okay with it. The last thing she would want to do was embarrass him in front of his friends. She had no idea that he had become quite so attached to the shop, though.

“Oh my, is that the time?” Dana said, glancing at her watch and quickly pulling a couple of bills out of her purse and putting them on the table, waving away Melinda's protests. “You can pay next time, but I need to get back.”

“I'll call you about coming into school,” Melinda said as Dana tugged her coat from the back of her chair and took a final sip of her coffee.

“I'm sure Aiden will be fine with it,” Dana said. “But I won't say anything to him about it in class until you've had the chance to talk to him yourself. Stay and finish your coffee.”

A moment later she was gone in a flurry of motion, although there was still an echo of her presence that had a lot of the women looking in her direction and smiling.

“Did you warn her about the car?” Melinda was surprised that the spirit of Jez Lowe had now taken Dana's place opposite her when she turned back. He looked at the coffee in front of him wistfully. It was an expression that Melinda had seen many times before, almost always from those who were no longer able to drink it for one reason or another.

“It's already in the garage,” she whispered, looking around to make sure that no one was looking at her. “Your garage. Well, your son's.”

“That son of mine doesn't know how to look after a fine-looking vehicle like that.”

“What's the problem?” she asked, still keeping her voice down, though at least one pair of eyes flicked a glance in her direction.

“He can't tell what's wrong with a car just by listening to it. He needs a damn computer to do it all for him, if you'll pardon my language. A car like your friend's needs careful handling. Special attention.”

Melinda took a final slurp of her coffee and slipped on her coat, indicating to the waitress that the money for the check was on the table before making her way outside. She hated talking to ghosts when she had an audience who didn't understand what she was doing, or worse still, didn't approve. After she had struggled to slip her coat on against the sharp wind that warned that winter was not too far away, she looked around for any sign of the ghost, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was starting to make a habit of this.