The House

Chapter Ten

Doug and Joanne pulled up outside the house. At the restaurant, Joanne had left the table for a full thirty minutes, claiming she had a bad stomach. After this they had a good evening. Doug ordered a margherita pizza made with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, with a hint of basil. Joanne ordered spaghetti ai frutti di mare, a spaghetti dish made with king prawns, baby prawns fresh squid, mussels, chilies, fresh ground garlic, red onion, tomato and cream. Joanne had told Doug that it was scrumptious. He took her word for it.

The night had been enjoyable, a relaxing evening after the weeks they had been through. The two had reminisced about their lives before having children. They had even relived the moment they had met.

The night they met was a cold one in the middle of November. Doug had been invited to join his friends for a night out with the guys. The guys, however, had joined up with a group of five girls, one of them being Joanne. Doug remembered the moment he first set eyes on her.

Joanne was standing by the bar with her friends. She was wearing a lace-back, cutout body-con dress. It was cream in colour. Her hair was a bit shorter then. Her eyes were blue. Not just any blue-blue like a crystal-clear blue sea shimmering in the lights. She looked into his eyes, sucking him in; he could hear the seaside in his mind, the waves crashing against the shore. The group of guys walked over, and Doug made sure he introduced himself to Joanne first.

Doug remembered the first time he took hold of her hand as he introduced himself. "My name is Doug." Her smile made his knees buckle. He was instantly in love with this girl; she had him under her spell.

Doug didn't remember much more after that he got blind drunk. He learned the details at later points in his life, such as at his wedding. His best man, James, told the room about how that night Doug had told the group he was a millionaire. Joanne, knowing he was lying, somehow fell in love with Doug, mostly his boyish charm.

Doug smiled to himself while pulling the keys out of the ignition. Those were the days, he thought. They left the car, with Doug again opening the door for Joanne, and walked up the stairs. The house was in darkness. Opening the door, they heard the sound of the television coming from the study.

Georgia was asleep on the couch. Doug walked toward the couch, throwing his coat onto an armchair. "Georgia," he said, hoping not to startle her. No response. He shook her shoulder.

"Georgia," he said loudly. Still no response.

"Doug!" Joanne shouted from upstairs.

Doug looked up toward the stairs. Her voice sounded distressed. "What?" he shouted.

"Ivy is missing!"

At first, he thought he misheard his wife. He rushed up the stairs toward the room. The door was wide open. It was true. Ivy was not in her bed; her bed was empty. The parents looked at each other in alarm. Ivy was missing!