BooksBarbecue
Back Nothing to See
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Dedication2
  5. 1994
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 2006
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 2018
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. Acknowledgements

They breathed, feeling every inch of their throat and lungs, almost feeling the oxygen exchange in their blood. They found a knife and rested it on top of the cake and one of them carried the plate into the dining room and placed it on the table.

‘Thanks,’ Heidi said.

‘Cheers,’ said Greta. There was a sound, and the front door opened. Peggy and Greta could hear someone taking off their shoes and putting them into the rack. There was the rustle of a jacket, and Dell walked through the door. And Bisi and Ash said hello.

‘Fuck,’ Heidi said. She looked at Peggy and Greta for help, but they had no idea what she wanted. ‘See?’ she seemed to be indicating. ‘We had a chance and we missed it.’

‘We’re having cake,’ Bisi said. ‘But there’s some dinner-dinner if you want that.’

‘Oh,’ said Dell, and she pulled up a chair. ‘I’ll have cake.’ And Bisi and Ash laughed.

Dell sat next to Heidi. It was unmistakably Dell – exactly the same as Heidi, but without the scars. Her hair was cropped short to show off both her complete ears.

Greta cut the cake, trying not to look at Peggy, while Peggy tried not to look at her. Dell was not dead, that was clear. But had she ever been? Was this a trick Heidi and Bisi and Ash had been playing on them? Surely not Ash? All the news about Dell had come through Heidi. There had been times when they’d asked about Dell, and Heidi had said, ‘Huh?’ and they’d asked again and Heidi had said, ‘Fine – she’s fine.’ Had Heidi just not changed her name? Had she been manufacturing the news about Dell for those years when she was away but not yet dead? Was Heidi the game master? Had Heidi and Dell become Adelaide at some stage, like Peggy and Greta had become Margaret?

But no, no. Peggy and Greta decided. Heidi and Dell would have done anything to be Adelaide again. If it had happened, they would have shouted it from the rooftops. Dell had died – maybe in a lie, maybe for real – and she was here now. Dell was dead and alive. Both things were true, but Peggy and Greta were the only ones who could see it. They looked at Heidi, her disquieted face – and they saw that Heidi could see it too. Heidi and Dell had seen it right from the start and they’d never told them.