Holding the takeaway bag in her hand, Kate’s mouth began salivating as she closed the door to her flat with her bottom. She hadn’t felt hungry when she’d called in at the drive thru, but now her stomach was grumbling as the smell of the food filled the room.
Flicking the kitchen light on, she dropped her bag and coat on the breakfast bar and removed a plate from the cupboard. Eating the burger and fries out of their packaging would have saved washing up, but she wanted to eat in the living room, and a plate was the safest option. Squeezing more ketchup into the burger and splashing a dollop of mayonnaise on the edge of the plate, she carried the feast through to the living room, turning on the lamp on the coffee table.
She screamed when she saw the figure dozing on the couch.
Tara rolled over and blinked against the sudden light. ‘Oh, Kate.’
‘Tara, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you’d gone back to your mum and dad’s.’
Tara sat up and let out a yawn. ‘I did, but the second I walked through the door Mum started having a massive go at me.’
Kate remembered the version of events the supe had painted earlier, wondering how much of what Tara was about to tell her would be factually accurate. Kate decided she would give her the benefit of the doubt. For now.
‘How did you get back in here?’
Tara sheepishly reached into her pocket and pulled out the set of spare keys Kate kept in the drawer of the unit nearest the door. ‘Sorry, I borrowed them… just in case.’
Kate narrowed her eyes as she picked up the chips that had scattered to the floor in her shock. ‘So you knew that things wouldn’t go well at home? I can’t help you if you lie to me, Tara.’
‘You don’t understand what she’s like and I figured you wouldn’t mind. You said yesterday that you wanted to help.’
But Kate wasn’t buying it. ‘I do want to help you, Tara, but not by becoming a wedge between you and your parents. I said last night you could spend the night as it was too late to get you home. You told me that they knew you were staying out, but your dad says differently.’
‘You promised you wouldn’t speak to him.’
Kate sighed. ‘I didn’t… what I mean is he spoke to me. What do you expect? We work in the same building and I report to him. This is why you staying here isn’t a good idea. Don’t you see the position you’re putting me in here?’
Tara began chewing the sleeve of her jumper. ‘What did he say?
Kate put the plate down on the coffee table. ‘He claimed they were up all night, worried sick about what had happened to you. They said you hadn’t told them you wouldn’t be home.’
‘I sent Mum a text, but she never has her phone on. I don’t know why she has it, to be honest.’
Kate cocked an eyebrow. ‘Why not just call the house phone, then?’
Tara’s cheeks reddened, and although she opened her mouth, no words came out.
‘Staying here last night was part of something else, wasn’t it?’ Kate continued. ‘You wanted to make them worry?’
Tara scowled at her. ‘Not worry, but I wanted them to accept that I’m not a little girl any more. I’m supposed to be going off to university in September, and they won’t have a clue where I am or who I’m with when I’m there. I certainly won’t be phoning every night to let them know I’m safe.’
Kate recognised the rebellious streak from her own adolescence, and could recall having a similar disagreement with her own mother. She could empathise with Tara’s feelings, but as a mother herself, she knew whose side she was really on.
‘If you want to be treated as a grown-up, you need to behave like one,’ Kate said, without judgement. ‘Believe me, I understand what you’re going through, but you need to try and see it from their side too. There’s a fifteen-year-old girl who disappeared from the city just over a week ago. Your dad and I are working night and day investigating what’s happened, and so when you suddenly didn’t come home, you can’t be surprised at how your parents reacted. Can you? Of course they were going to fear the worst. I know I would if my little girl went missing.’
‘So why have a go at me? If they were that worried, she should have been pleased to see me, not go ballistic at the first opportunity.’
‘Maybe not, but it all comes from a place of love. Until you have a child of your own…’ Kate’s words trailed off, as she remembered the reason Tara had turned up originally. ‘Did you tell your mum about…?’
Tara shook her head. ‘She didn’t give me the chance. She accused me of not taking my studies seriously, as if I’m not under enough pressure already.’
Kate turned back towards the door. ‘Get your coat on, and I’ll take you over there now. I’ll stay with you and make sure they hear you out.’
Tara squirmed awkwardly. ‘No, I’m not going back there tonight. I don’t need the stress. Not with…’ she gestured to her belly. ‘Besides, your dinner will get cold.’
‘I can warm my dinner in the microwave after. You need to speak to your parents about what is going on with your body. They’re the best people who can offer you the advice and guidance that you need right now.’
‘Mum needs to cool off a bit first. Please? It’s late and I’m exhausted, and if they were up all night, I’m sure they’re tired too. I have college first thing, but only until lunchtime, so I’ll go back then.’
Kate stared her down.
‘And I will tell them everything,’ Tara added. ‘I promise. Please, Kate, just let me crash here for one more night and then I’ll break the news to them.’
Kate sighed, taking a seat on the sofa opposite her and resting the plate of food on her lap. ‘Do you want to share this?’
Tara turned up her nose. ‘Just the thought of a burger is turning my stomach, to be honest. I had some toast earlier, and I’m fine.’
Kate took a bite. ‘Have you had any contact with the father?’
‘He was just some guy I met in a club. All you need to know is he’s out of the picture.’
Kate sensed there was more to that than Tara was prepared to say, so she let it pass. ‘And have you decided whether you want to keep the baby?’
Tara collapsed back into the cushion. ‘I don’t know. When I think about bringing a baby into the world, and the disruption it would cause to my life, my education, my parents’ lives… I just think I should have an abortion. But then I think, how can I kill a living baby, my child? Would I one day regret the choice? I don’t know what to do for the best.’
‘This is why you need to talk to your mum and dad.’
‘What would you do in my situation?’
Kate finished the burger, buying herself time before she had to answer. ‘I can’t tell you what you should do.’
‘Yeah, but that’s not what I’m asking. I mean, you’re a mother, do you regret having your baby?’
‘Absolutely not! There was a time… I suffered with post-natal depression after my daughter was born and I was gripped with fear that I’d never be good enough to be the mother she needed and deserved, but I can hand-on-heart say I don’t regret having her for one moment. What I regret, is not being a better mother. But I’m working to improve that every day.’
Tara yawned again.
‘But I wasn’t pregnant when I was seventeen,’ Kate continued. ‘I was married, had a good job and a mortgage on a house. Our situations are quite different and you shouldn’t allow my personal experiences to guide you. Can you not speak to the father and see what he thinks? Maybe he would want to support you through this, regardless of the decision you make.’
‘I told you: it’s nothing to do with him. Please can we change the subject? I’ve spent all day thinking about nothing else. All I want is a moment of normality before sleep.’
Kate nodded. ‘Okay, but I want to see you phone your mum and dad and let them know you’ll be back tomorrow. They deserve that much.’
26
TEN DAYS MISSING
‘I made you a cup of tea,’ Tara said, startling Kate as she emerged from the steam-filled bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around her.
‘Oh, thanks,’ Kate said, accepting the mug.
‘I didn’t know if you’d have sugar in it or not, so I didn’t put any in.’