Aurora's Second Beginning

long she cried. Maybe t

and rubbed her back. "I've got you,

d onions. The hall light flickering the way it always did. Her father standing in the doo

r on the old brown sofa. She did her homework on this sofa when she was a

is newspaper and put it down. He didn't say

with a glass o

drank a

ngry? I've got soup from y

okay,

u're white as paper.

s said. "Leav

he kept twisting the

id. "Now tell us

Dad. Just a s

ror

s re

all argument doesn't m

er hands. Then she t

ow Margaret called her a housegirl and said that was all she was good for. She told them w

eggs. Then she said, in front of Mark's sisters, that a real wife would've been up

d, "and she said, 'Well, you can't train what

her throat. James didn't say

e should look at her own daughters, and why they're home with no husband

I said either. They looked like I'd slapped the

for him to

. I embarr

en he smile

ad

where you told her n

't talk abou

at did

ked how

you s

are because

ack and breath

oo

. I'm prou

ked at hi

ouse. Every Sunday you came here smiling. You think I didn't notice? I noticed. I kept q

as with that thin face. I told myself you were grown

eyes fill

erson. It's his mother.

d. He sat there while she insulted you. And when you answered h

N

say he'd

was making

like he'd e

ou sure? Maybe in a few days when e

mi

ust sa

sighed. "But she's been trying to st

he nodded and wiped her eye. "I

re." He got up and looked out the

rora?" he asked. "Not

nt to go back and m

not on t

kno

the rest." He looked at her. "Nobody's deciding for you.

I can'

her room st

every month," Emily

Her mum had been changing the shee

James said. "Sleep.

all at the hou

buy new

thing I own

ft. "Everything that matters is in

she did when she was little. He p

home,"

He smelled of newspaper and the sa

l a poster on the wardrobe door from when she was sixteen, curling up at the corners.

s from university, her and Mia with terrible haircuts. A ticket from the first film she and Mark ever went

tea. Not too strong, no sugar. The way she liked it. There were two

early cried again. "

at

ody's told me

hing. Years ago. You got so thin. You stopped

s not you

age. He said he didn't like that woman's eyes. I told him every fath

ver to

were

id, "What if I made a mistake? If I'd ju

e what?

dn't a

, love. Tomorrow's another da

clock in the hall. Her dad on the stairs. T

rom Mia. *Are you ok?? Evelyn

a? Aurora rang h

where are yo

y par

ur ago. She was crying. She said you finall

e drove me here. I told hi

hat did

s making a

uld hear it. "Listen. I love Mark. I helped him

horrible

e wh

d mother. In front

are grow

ow what

um and dad first. Don't make yourself the bad guy

kno

nt me to c

just want to

a? Do you st

. "Yeah," she said. Her voic

. Give it time.

put the phone on the pi

Mark with his hands on the steering wheel, not look

ddle of the day just to say he was thinking about her. She couldn't say when that stopped. It didn't

so angry. Now, in the dark, it felt d

the phone and

lf. *You said don't com

ad, Mark waited. He waited until she said sorry first. Until she

Just to say

resse

mail, that polite voice he used for work. *You

hung

The call said 0:00. That w

called again

called aga

he called and let it ring until the voicemai

ftly on the door. "

h, D

essing gown. "I'll be downstairs. If you n

nks,

verything and say nothing. Maybe we got that part wrong.

ugh I mad

e the mess." He

it, typed another one, deleted that

se ca

d *Del

ages, waiting for

ever

e dark on the edge of the bed in the

*Aurora.* It lit up his fa

Eleven calls s

en button. Every time he told himself, jus

d from every other time he'd ever fought with anyone.

on the blanket. It buzzed a

her silk robe, her hair already pinned

that

go t

ng if tha

es

cream she'd used his whole life. She put her hand on his knee,

give in. If you answer once, she'll learn that it works. Do you want a wife who talk

was u

re all

rents didn't tea

went still. "T

it dif

. It just got quieter. "Because I'm your mother. E

wo jobs. The nights she went without dinner so he could eat.

ed at t

"Tomorrow, when she ca

om

se me,

him. He didn't have to turn

aid quietly.

d up. At the door she stopped. "G

wo years old and his mother had just called

and read the three words on

d them

dn't

ady in the room. The phone was st

ew message. N

number she kne

to last a lifetime. If you want to keep your f

wice. Then a thi

name? What

. Down in the kitchen she could hear him moving around, whist

ret Stone knew about he