had heard everything.
Finally the day of their departure arrived. With solemn faces they watched as Ramon loaded up the car with their cases. Federica couldn’t stop herself crying. She didn’t want to leave her father. She didn’t know when she would see him again. In Viña she had been happy to wait, after all it was his home, he was bound to come back at some stage. He always had. But now her new home wouldn’t be his home.
He picked her up in his strong arms and held her tightly, kissing her face. ‘Papa loves you, Fede. Papa loves you so much. Just remember that, mi amor. Papa will always love you, even if he’s not with you. When the sun shines and you feel that heat on your body, that’s Papa’s love. You understand?’ Federica nodded, too distressed to speak. She didn’t want him to let her go. But he had to. They had a flight to catch and the taxi was waiting to take them to Santiago. Helena had thought it less traumatic for the children if Ramon said goodbye to them at the house and didn’t accompany them to the airport. He picked up his son, who didn’t really understand what was going on, and kissed his plump face. ‘Papa loves you too, Hal. Be good for Mama, won’t you,’ he choked, closing his eyes, burying his face in the child’s glossy black hair.
Federica clutched the box against her and waved at her father who stood forlornly in the road, waving back with an unsteady smile, like a clumsy giant. She turned to look out of the back of the car and waved until they had turned the corner and he had gone. Then she sat slouched against the window, watching the houses pass by, numb with sadness. She felt as if her insides had been scooped out, leaving a gaping hole that only her father could fill. She worried all the way to the airport about Rasta. She worried that no one would walk him and that he’d start to bark again out of sheer boredom and misery. It was only when they were on the plane that she stopped crying. She had never been in a plane before and it fascinated and excited her. She took her mother’s hand as they careered up the runway. Helena smiled down at her lovingly and squeezed her hand.
When the lights were turned out and Hal and Federica lay sleeping in their chairs, Helena reflected on the past few days, relieved that they were over. She would put Chile behind her, Ramon too. She’d start a new life in England. She felt drained of energy, depleted of emotion. She replayed the telephone conversation she had had with her mother and found the tears welling in her somnolent eyes. She had been so busy playing the glad game for the children she hadn’t allowed herself the luxury of crying. Now they were asleep she wept silently, relieving the strain in her neck and jaw. The thought of her mother’s voice made her stomach flutter with longing. She had heard her father in the background and suddenly she had wanted more than anything in the world to run to them, as she had done as a child, and let them soothe her with their gentle words and reassuring presence. They had been saddened to hear that Helena had decided to leave her husband, but glad that they were coming home.
Jake and Polly Trebeka had watched helplessly as their daughter had married and gone to live on the other side of the world. They had both liked Ramon in spite of the vast difference in culture that had prevented them from understanding him. They were never given the time to get to know him properly. Both would have preferred a gentle Cornishman for their daughter. But Helena had been consumed by him almost from the minute she met him. The first indication of his feelings for her and off she had gone to follow him wherever he chose to go, like an adoring shadow. Of course, Polly knew all about their troubles and blamed Ramon entirely for the disintegration of their marriage.
She had had her reservations right from the start. He was from a different world, a wanderer and it was all very well while they floated about just the two of them, but there would come a point when Helena would want a family. Ramon had always been selfish. The world revolved for him alone and she doubted he’d ever change his ways for anyone. Well, now it had imploded. Jake and Polly were distraught but realistic. Helena was still young, only thirty years old. There was plenty of time to find a nice, kind Cornishman to look after her as she deserved to be looked after. Ramon was an unfortunate error; but he was now in the past.
Polly immediately set about preparing for their arrival. She spent hours deliberating whether Hal and Federica would like to share or whether they’d prefer to have their own rooms. The house was large. There was space enough for everyone. Finally, after having discussed it with her husband she decided to give them their own, each with twin beds, so that if they felt lonely they could share. She aired Helena’s old bedroom, still with the clothes and trinkets she had left behind packed neatly in the cupboards. She had never cleared them out. She hadn’t had to. As far as she was concerned that room had always belonged to Helena.