A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Chapter XIV: Oh, Daddy

Bridgette sat nicely on the shelf and Margot looked lovely on the kitchen window sill next to my gorgeous fern. I watered it as soon as I got home, distracting myself from that horrible exchange with Wanda.

Why did everyone have a bone to pick with Angus? Unless you wanted your bare chest signed everyone ran away from him or talked poorly of him. And I had grown quite sick of it. I angrily shovelled more scrambled eggs into my mouth and chugged my tea, spilling it everywhere.

"Fuck!" I yelled in the empty house. Everything was a mess. The neighbours hated us, tea stained the kitchen rug, not to mention the bad hair day I had been having. I rolled the rug up and threw it in the wash. If the stain didn't come out, I'd be buying a new one. Wanda would suggest buying the fanciest rug in the shop, seeing as Angus basically paid for everything. Never mind that I'd been dog sitting for well over a decade now, even watching their Bichon Frisé when they took a holiday to Madrid, and so had enough money to pay for my own things every now and again. 

In fact, I bought my elephant lamp with their money and a nip on my finger. So there.

I needed a distraction. 

**********

I felt a little cheerier fifteen books later. Using my own hard earned money, I bought a new stash of books for me to dig into during the summer. There was a country club nearby that allowed you to sign in as a guest once a month. I'd have to pick the nicest day to go; a day that Molly would be there and we could play badminton together and I could read by the pool. I'd have to give her a call and ask what would work for her. I pulled my new books out of the package and organised them on our polished wooden bookshelf. Angus gave it to me as a birthday present a couple years back shortly after I moved in with him. Angus had been planning to buy us a house in Sydney so we didn't put it together until after the move. Before then we had been living in his little flat in England. Our new house was much roomier and even quite nice. Not as nice as Wanda and Howard's mansion down the street but beautiful all the same. I saved up for a gorgeous crystal chandelier for our dining room and it sparkled every day. Angus said he had been saving up for a few things as well but he wouldn't tell me. Only one of them I'd find out in March. 

What could he possibly have planned?

Picking out one of my new books to read and sipping on a mango smoothie, I plopped on the plush sofa and began my newest adventure. 

**********

The phone ringing scared me right off the couch. Dusting myself off trying to remember what day it was after my long nap, I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hannah? That you?" I grinned from ear to ear. "Jus' got the news, Georgeanne's havin' the baby."

"Right now? Where's Cliff?"

"A friend's drivin' her to the hospital, Cliff is gettin' on the next plane home," Angus said, the words just spilling out of him. "We had to postpone the show next week to give 'em time to settle an' all but we don't mind the break." 

"I hope he gets there soon," I said. "What about you?"

".....Love, I'm fine, I'm not goin' into labour."

"No! I meant to ask how you're doing," I said holding back a laugh. Angus didn't hold back anything. 

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine. There's a nasty flu bug goin' around the crew so we're all keepin' our distances an' pointin' fingers an' whatnot. Brian's jus' come out of it. Poor guy's exhausted."

"That's too bad," I said my laughter gone. I noticed my book was sprawled on the floor, the pages bending horrifically. I fixed it and set it back on the couch. "Don't you go catching it."

"Don't plan to, love, I'll make it out of this one. An' if I don't..." He paused. "You can have whatever food I dropped in the couch cushions."

We both laughed and couldn't stop. It was good to hear from him, even if it couldn't be for long. "How's everyone else? Besides the flu?"

"No one else caught it yet but I think Mal might be comin' down with somethin', ya' know?" Angus said then cleared his throat. "He's been a bit down lately, not sleepin' well...I've asked him a couple times but he shrugs it off. An' what about you?" he asked. "What have you been up to?"

"The Popplewells are driving me crazy," I said. Angus started laughing. 

"Uh oh. What happened this time?"

"Just...you know how Wanda is, always offering her...'help'," I said. "Says we're setting a bad example to Sheryl and....I'll just say it, Angus, she doesn't like you."

"Well I'm not her biggest fan either so that makes us even," he said in a cheerful tone. "Don't let 'em get to ya', the whole neighbourhood knows they're full of it. Oh, I've gotta get goin'. Another interview's in twenty minutes. I'll phone ya' later."

"Okay," I said, disappointment colouring my voice. "I love you."

"Love ya' to the moon an' back," he said. "Bye." And with that he hung up. I set the phone back on the hook. I suppose Cliff could afford to miss a quick interview. I hoped labour would be speedy and that Cliff would be there when his son was born. They both still lived in England ever since they married so I couldn't just take a cab to visit. I wondered if Linda had gotten the news yet. Probably, I'm sure Malcolm called as soon as he could. 

And what did Angus say about Malcolm looking a bit poorly? Images of Phil from when I saw him in England came back to mind and I froze. No, he was just catching the flu going around or perhaps a different illness. That's all it was, no need to get twisted knickers for nothing, Hannah Ruth.

But still. I kept them all in my thoughts that night.