Free The Noon God by Donna Carrick Page A

morning. We made up the couch for her to sleep on.
    Gail and I sat up long after Ben had turned in. We watched an old movie and ate popcorn. Gail was uncharacteristically affectionate, resting her feet on my lap.
    When the movie was over I found an extra pillow in one of the boxes and tucked it under her sleepy head.
    “ Mona,” she said, “I’m glad you married Ben.”
    “ Me too.”
    “ He’s a really great guy.”
    “ Yes.”
    “ I love you, Mona.”
    “ I love you, too, Gail.” We hugged for a few moments and as I pulled away I glimpsed a tear in her eye.
    “ I’m sorry I was such a shit,” she said.
    “ It’s over now, honey. You’re back and that’s all that counts.”
    I felt an odd mix of warmth and sorrow as I changed into my pyjamas. But I was tired and it was late. Within minutes of brushing my teeth I had snuggled in close to my sleeping husband and my thoughts were drifting into dreamland.
    In my half-conscious state my imaginings found their way, as they so often did, to my mother. The ghost of Angelina Fortune sat on the end of my bed, swirling the ice around in her glass. She looked at me with the sweetest of s miles and I knew she loved me.
    “ I approve of your husband,” she said.
    “ Thank you, Mommy.”
    She patted my leg. “Take care of your sister,” she whispered. “She needs you.”
    “ Which sister?”
    “ You know which one.”
    “ No I don’t,” I said, beginning to panic. “Tell me, Mom. What am I supposed to do?”
    “ Just take care of her.”
    I started to cry. She raised her free hand in a gesture asking for silence. “You know which one.”
    I nodded. Suddenly I knew what she meant. She meant both sisters.
    Ben stirred beside me and I woke with a start. I tried to get comfortable again but my spine complained about the air mattress. My tossing woke Ben and we made love, sweetly and softly for the first time in our new house.

EIGHT
     
    I slept like a rock in Daddy’s chair, not stirring till late in the afternoon. Finally I heard the sound of Lucy rattling around in her favourite place. I wandered out to the kitchen to see what she was up to. I was surprised to find myself hungry. We’d eaten a big lunch.
    “Did you have a good rest?” she asked. She put her knife down beside a carrot.
    “Yes. How about you?”
    “I crashed.” She smiled. “I guess it’s true we won’t die from exhaustion because the symptom and the cure are the same – to fall asleep.”
    “ That’s right. Sleep is the best thing for us right now anyway. By tonight Daddy’s death will be all over the news and the calls will start coming in. Let it go to answering machine if it gets to be too much.”
    “ I’ll be fine,” she said. “They all loved Daddy. I don’t mind them calling to say so. It’s just their way of being kind.”
    I rested my hand on my hungry tummy. I should take lessons in humanity from Lucy. There was so much she could teach me.
    “ What are you cooking?” I asked.
    “ Spaghetti Bolognese.” That explained the abundance of carrots and fresh stew beef.
    “ What time are you aiming for?”
    “ Seven o’clock.”
    I looked at my watch. It was nearly six. There would be plenty of time.
    “ I’m going to go through some of Daddy’s papers,” I said. “We’ll need to find the will and his financial stuff. On Monday we can empty the safe-deposit box.” I was Daddy’s executor. I wanted to get started on some of the practical matters while I still had the strength. Lucy and I could expect to inherit what many people would consider to be a fortune.
    Daddy had discussed his estate with me. I knew where he kept his papers and the key to his safety box. I was also more or less familiar with the terms of his will. On my insistence, Daddy had left just over half of his assets to Lucy. After all, she still had to get through University. He also left a small amount to his favourite charity for the arts and a much larger amount to The United