“Where’s that?” I asked the attic.
It didn’t answer.
My phone blared and I dropped the paper.
Fumbling to answer, I sneezed my greeting.
“Andie? That you? Roy here.”
I wiped my nose on my sleeve again. So sexy. “Roy. Hey. What’s the verdict?”
“Pretty good overall. The bank was right. If we hit rateable value with the sale, it will cover the amount owed.”
I blew out a quiet breath. “That’s definitely good news. Interest is sky high, so I’ll need you to move on the sale ASAP.”
“Can do. Where are you at with moving?”
“I hired a truck for tomorrow to put everything in storage. The cleaner is in the day after.”
I’d have to dip into my savings to pay those bills, but if I could focus my attention on the sorry-looking garden while others worked inside, I’d lose two or three days less money from the ridiculous interest.
“I’ll schedule photos for Friday,” he said. “Then we’ll need three days to get it online. I’ll put out feelers now to see if we can get an early sale.”
So much change. And so fast. My life hadn’t altered in the last three years.
I peered around the dirty attic and steeled myself for how much things were about to overturn. “Perfect. Thanks for that, Roy.”
“No problem. I’m just sorry this fell on you.”
“What do you mean?” As far as he should know, we’d used our mortgage and a personal loan on cancer treatments.
He answered in the same sombre tone. “I’m sorry Ragna’s addiction has impacted your life so much.”
A telling heat crept up my neck. Mum always said I had the temper to match my dark auburn hair. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard, Roy. You’ve been misinformed.”
Over my dead body would people gossip about my mother.
“Oh… the person must have their wires crossed.”
“Must have,” I said coolly.
He rushed to say, “I’ll make sure to set the matter straight.”
Sure he would. Still, I needed him. “I’d appreciate that, Roy. See you on Friday for photos.”
Disconnecting, I strangled my phone in place of Roy’s neck.
Gossiping bastards. They had no idea. My mother was a lot more than her disease, either disease.
I crouched over her old will, studying her last wish again. Deception Valley. If this place was once so important, how come she never mentioned it? Rummaging for her certificate, I squinted at the almost faded Place of Birth. I could make out cep in the first word.
The second word was definitely Valley.
She was born in this place, too, not in Queen’s Way Public Hospital as she’d always maintained.
Opening Maps, I typed in Deception Valley.
Jesus. “Nine hours away.”
Zooming in, I squinted at the route, tracing it to the destination. The town was in the middle of nowhere, past Frankton Gorge.
No wonder I’d never heard of it.
Tapping on the bus, train, and flight icons yielded the same message.
No options found.
“What the hell, Mum?” I stared at the screen as if it could solve the mystery for me.
Carefully folding the two documents, I hesitated and grabbed the photo of her with auburn cousin guy too.
I slid all three into my back pocket.
2
I wiped sweat from my brow, probably smearing more dirt across my face.
“Thanks for your help, Marie,” I said, ready for a shower and bed. The last ten days officially caught up this morning.
At least the seasoned cleaner had put in a day as big as mine. The house was sparkling. Except now I regretted not doing the cleaning because aside from dropping a last load at the storage container, there was nothing more to do.
That left me contemplating my future with mounting dread.
Ten days ago, I didn’t mind my life.
But ten days ago, my mother was here.
“You’re welcome, dear. I enjoy cleaning when the house is empty.”
I grabbed her vacuum. “Let me help you.”
She took her mop and a toolbox filled with cleaning equipment, falling in beside me.
“I’ve heard the house market is slow,” she said. “I hope you get the place sold quickly. Took my niece four months to sell hers. People just don’t move to Queen’s Way as much with that new bypass in.”
I really hoped the house didn’t take four months to sell. Thinking of the interest I’d accrue made me feel sick. Mum grabbed at a personal loan with sky-high rates—with a bank, at least, and not a loan shark as she’d done in the past.
Should I be thankful for that? Well, I was.
Loan sharks were more likely to be the kicking in doors type.
“Fingers crossed it’s quick,” I replied as she opened the boot of her small car.
Handing over the vacuum, I stood back. A piece of paper with the words FOR SALE was plastered in the back window.
“Selling your car?” I crossed my arms.
She closed the boot. “Too small to fit my grandbabies in now. I need something bigger. A shame, because this one’s as economical as they come. I considered keeping it just for work, but I can’t justify paying two registrations.”
“Understandable.”
I’d always relied on my legs or trusty bike to get me around. A car was always out of the question, though Logan let me drive his sometimes and a neighbour let me borrow their car to practice for my license.
“Why? You looking for something?”
No. Buying a car wasn’t practical. It would be an additional cost. I didn’t need a car to get to work or to study. To see Logan. Or anything, really.
Nothing at all…
…except Deception Valley.
Public transportation didn’t run anywhere near the tiny town. I could only get there by driving nine hours. Logan needed his car for work, so I couldn’t borrow that. And he’d want to come along.
More than anything, I wanted to be alone to understand why Mum’s death had only uncovered a series of lies so far.
“Maybe.” The word slid from my lips.
Oh my god. I just said maybe.
My heart raced.
She joined me on the pavement. “The annual safety check and registration were just done. I’ve priced it at $1600, but there’s wiggle room if you can take it off my hands quick. You have my number if you’re interested.”
My heart beat faster still.
This was crazy. I’d lined up two viewings for rental properties tomorrow. To rent a place, I’d need a bond and a month’s rent upfront, around $1500. If I bought this car, I’d have $500 left in savings.
I couldn’t afford a car.
Entertaining this was… insane—a totally, totally rash thing to do. As the adult in our household since eleven, I understood rash decisions led to angry knocks on the front door.
And yet.
And yet.
I could slide into this car and drive away. I could escape. The lure of that enticed me.
That future wasn’t bleak. It didn’t fill me with dread. What if I left for a few days? What if I had a destination to drive to instead of aimlessly wandering around Queen’s Way?