Ruins and Other Short Stories

By Mary Brooks

Ruins and Other Short Stories is another collection of short stories from Mary Brooks

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jun 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543401394

Book preview

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Dianne

D ianne mindlessly scratched her fingers along the ripe yellow fruit and released a tangy explosion of lemon zest. Reflectively, she smiled at the lemons on the tree, remembering that day when she and Fred had planted it twenty-five years ago, along with the orange and lime trees too. She sighed and leaned back into the lounge chair.

Her eyes fell on the open page of the Sunday Times real estate liftout. ‘Quality and Style. An Effortless Blend of Contemporary Sophistication and Modern Design.’

Yes, twenty-five years ago, the house had been ahead of its time, with wide open spaces, large patio, and its own swimming pool; now she had it up for sale, and it was modern and sophisticated.

Fred would have loved that description; he had insisted on the big open spaces, the floor-to-ceiling windows, and Italian tiling throughout the house. He had been meticulous with details, employing the best craftsmen and supervising each stage of the building and furnishings. Dianne remembered the day the bathroom tiles arrived and they were too small; Fred had spent the whole day driving from supplier to supplier until he found the correct blue tiles for the floor. The wall tiles were also blue and had a splash mark effect, with the highlight in the splash picking up the blue of the floor. The smaller tiles would have destroyed the effect.

Fred died of prostate cancer last winter, and now Dianne had to make the big decision of whether to move to a smaller house or not. She loved this place, and it had so many happy memories.

‘Four bedrooms, two bathrooms. The master suite has a massive walk-in robe and magnificent en-suite bathroom with spa.’

Their bedroom was furnished in greys and greens, with white walls and a grey feature wall leading into the walk-in robe. Dianne’s clothes had gradually filled up all the space where Fred’s clothes had hung previously. She would have to cull them if she moved.

The twins, Carrie and Freda, had had a bedroom each, and the spare room was always ready if her mother or Fred’s parents came to stay. Carrie and Freda were twenty-three now, and each had their own place. Sadly, her mother and Fred’s parents had long died. Dianne’s shoulders drooped and she stared down at her hands and the world seemed to slow down. How empty the house felt now. She needed smaller rooms and closer walls to hug her and make her feel comfortable, safe, and loved.

The villa she had looked at in Edgington had seemed just right to her when she inspected it, and yes, it did welcome her. She loved the entrance into the bright living area and the arch linking the lounge and kitchen area; she could see herself relaxing or entertaining there. But she hadn’t been able to bring herself to sign the acceptance papers straight away.

‘Al fresco dining area and pool, large courtyard.’

Fred has been so proud of the courtyard. The fruit trees were planted there, and every year, the girls and she would harvest big crops of oranges, lemons and limes. Fred’s mother would make marmalade and lemon butter. She still had some marmalade in the pantry cupboard.

Fred used to make sure it maintained a neat appearance, even with the children’s toys around the pool when they were little. Carrie dutifully kept her things tidy, whereas Freda resisted all of Fred’s efforts for keeping everything in its place. She never did as she was told and would rather go without her flippers and goggles than take the trouble to unpack them from the poolside cabinet and put them back afterwards.

Carrie and Freda often had friends over. There was a family a few doors down who had a daughter the same age as the twins and a son a little younger. Gwen and Terry would come for a swim, and the sounds of happy laughter delighted Dianne. Their mother, June, would sit with Dianne on the lounges and share a cocktail and gossip. And even though June and Bob had moved now, Dianne still kept in touch regularly. Gwen was already married and had two little children. She and Carrie were close friends still, and Dianne should really make the effort to contact her soon.

Dianne remembered, one year when the twins were teenagers, they had a big birthday party. Fred had insisted parents delivered and collected their children and there was to be no alcohol. Everyone was having a wonderful time until one of Carrie’s friends, Peter, was found with a flagon of passion fruit pop. Carrie was always reliable and did what she was told without causing trouble, while Freda was unpredictable. Reluctantly, Fred told Carrie that Peter’s parents had to be called to take him home or the whole party would be over. It caused quite a commotion, and after Peter left, the remaining teenagers were subdued for a while until Dianne cheerfully announced that supper was ready. The mood lifted, and the rest of the evening was successful and light-hearted.

‘Large three-car garage.’

Dianne and Fred had had matching Mazdas, and Fred also had a four-wheel drive. Since Fred died, Dianne’s new little Hyundai looked lost in the big garage. Fred had retired early, and he did most of the driving whenever they went out, even to the supermarket. Dianne had lost all her confidence after Fred died, and she decided to have some driving lessons again just to get back on the road. Admittedly, their house had been within walking distance of a large shopping centre, and at first, she had contented herself with a walk to the shops whenever she wanted food. But soon she realised how housebound she had become, and it was then that she put the house on the market and started looking for somewhere else to