Free Beyond Death by Deb McEwan Page B

to my children until I know whether we’ll be accepted.’ Said Val and Marion agreed that was a good idea. After an awkward hug, they departed in different directions, each woman with a new sense of purpose and a spring in her step.
     
    Strike when the iron’s hot thought Val as she picked up the phone to dial the charity some time later. She knew that if she didn’t do it now she might lose her bottle. After a nerve-wracking but pleasant conversation, she hung up and called Marion with the news that their initial interviews, by telephone, had been scheduled for the following Tuesday. The woman had explained that subject to passing the phone interview and a police and criminal records check they could expect to be loaded onto a course within the next few months.
    *****
    Val was waiting for Carl and Libby to arrive and Ron awaited the arrival of his children with almost as much enthusiasm and anticipation as his wife. He hadn’t seen them since his funeral and was keen to see how they were getting on. Carl was studying Computer Science at Edinburgh University and although Ron was inordinately proud of his son, he had missed their Sunday afternoons together for the past three years. It was just as well that Carl was undertaking a project in London and had travelled down the previous night otherwise Val would have had to give him her news, whatever that was, over the phone. Libby, studying History and English at London University lived on the other side of the city and, Ron assumed, was coming home for the weekend.
    They met outside on the pavement approaching each other from opposite directions. Libby hadn’t seen her younger brother since their father’s funeral and seeing him now reminded her of that awful day. They hugged for a long time until Libby stopped crying. She dried her eyes and did her best to look cheerful. She didn’t want her mother to see how upset she was in case it started her off. Carl gave his sister a gentle push and she walked up the concrete steps to the house followed by her brother.
    Val had watched her children hugging and her daughter crying and was in floods of tears when she opened the front door, so Libby’s efforts had been to no avail. Carl quickly excused himself and made his way to the kitchen to make the coffee.
    That’s my boy thought Ron smiling to himself. Carl was exactly like he was, beating a hasty retreat as soon as the women became emotional, or wanted to talk about their feelings. Carl returned to the lounge and Ron could see that Val was ready to impart her news.
     
    ‘I know you were both worried about me taking tranquilisers.’ Her children nodded. ‘You’ll be glad to know that I’ve stopped them and so far so good, touch wood.’ She tapped the table with her forefinger and looked up, brandishing a big smile.
    Both glad to see their mother starting to look well again, Libby knew there’d been other changes. She hadn’t seen her mother for a few weeks and she sensed an air of optimism compared to the last time she’d been home when the house seemed to have been mired in a fog of gloom and doom. Although this was understandable Libby had still been relieved to return to the norm of university.
    ‘What’s happened?’
    ‘I’ve enrolled on a course.’
    ‘Oh, well done, Mum. Good for you. When do you start?’
    ‘Second week in January.’
    ‘That’s great. Which night?’ Said Carl, assuming that his mother was going to evening classes.
    ‘It’s a full-time course, Carl. On the outskirts of the city and I’ll be staying in a hotel.’
    ‘Oh, right. How long?’ Carl wasn’t sure how he felt about his mother going away for a course so wanted to hear more.
    ‘It’s only a week.’ She smiled again and Libby just knew there was more to this than met the eye.
    ‘Well good for you,’ said Carl and Val waited for the pat on her head.
    ‘Right, Mother, spill. The whole story.’
    Val knew her daughter would pick-up the good news vibes. Well, her good