Between The Trees

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

By the time dinner was finished and the dishes were 'scraped' (the art of scraping all leftovers from the plates into the largest bowl with a spatula – also known as a scraper), Maple felt she had formed solid friendships with both Capri Sun and Marmalade. Elvis had been quiet the whole time, and had only paused to whisper something in Bacon's ear once. Clearly it had been something hilarious as the pair had giggled every time they'd looked at each other for the rest of the meal. Later that night Bacon would insist that Elvis was homesick, but Maple still felt like they'd got off on the wrong foot.

Halfway through Marmalade teaching Maple where to enter and exit the kitchen in order to pick up and return plates, Maple's phone had connected to the internet. Her pocket came alive with buzzing noises and Maple was so taken by surprise that she'd dropped the bowl of clean tongs she'd been learning where to place. Putting it up to tiredness, Marmalade had let Maple go. She'd stolen off to a darker corner of the lodge with nothing but the bright screen to illuminate her face.

Maple checked the time: 9:02pm. It would be 5am in England. If she was lucky, her mum would be getting up for her pre-work swim. She found her mum's contact, and then pressed the green video button.

"Darling," Her mother's voice was ropey with sleep, and a hard lump immediately formed in the back of Maple's throat. "What time is it?"

"I don't know, mum. Five, I think?"

"Oh, my alarm will be going off in ten..." Helen began to fall asleep, and Maple's heart skipped a beat.

"Mum," she said, a sense of urgency in her voice, and her mother opened her eyes again.

"Oh, Sukey," Helen said, seeming to finally remember where her daughter was. "How is it? How are you?" She asked. Maple noticed her glancing behind the phone at the clock again.

"It's okay," Maple said, shrugging a little. "When I first got here it was weird, but we just had dinner and I think I've made some friends, so it's not too bad," Maple tried for a smile, but the lump in her throat still held the corners of her mouth down. "You're not supposed to call me Sukey anymore," Maple continued, clearing her throat when her voice threatened to crack.

"Oh, right, Maple," Helen said, deadpan. "That's what your father calls you," she said, unable to hide her irritability before her first cup of coffee.

Maple chose to ignore her apparent argument with her dad. "I miss you," she changed the subject. Helen's alarm went off with expert timing, and the woman sighed.

"I have to go, Sukey," she said, without an apology. "Bye."

Maple let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding when her mum's face vanished, and the screen went dark.

She dropped her head into her hands, just trying to control her breathing, before tears began to fall. People were fading out of the lodge, drifting back up to Cielos for games nights and showers and sleep, and Maple felt herself being left behind for the second time that day.

"Maple?" Her head picked up and she had to blink a few times to see through her tears, then she eventually recognised Bonsai. "What's up?" The older woman asked, sinking down to sit beside Maple. She opened her mouth to answer, stuttered, and then just let out a sob, leaning her head on Bonsai's shoulder.

"You miss your family?" Bonsai guessed, and Maple stalled before nodding. It wasn't just that; she felt like a fool for missing a family – or a mother, at least – who clearly didn't miss her. Maple didn't know why she was surprised: it had been the same at university too. Somehow, she had thought that the thousands of miles between them would wake some maternal instinct in the woman. Clearly, it had not.