Oliver sat in the privacy of his bedroom and made his call. He listened to the phone ring and waited for the familiar greeting.
“Hello, who is it?”
“Hi mum it’s me, Oliver.”
“Hello love, lovely to hear from you, at long last.”
“Sorry mum, it has been a really busy few weeks.”
“Have you made a decision?”
“We’re going to spend some time in South East Asia.”
“Oh. How long?”
“A few months but we intend to keep travelling for a bit longer.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Jenny seems lovely and the week you were here was wonderful. We really like her, but giving that course up seems a step too far love.”
“I know, I know. I wish I could explain but it’s the right thing to do for where I am in my life right now.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“No, no. Honest mum, it’s just Jenny and me it really works and we want to do this, be together and live a little.”
“Where in South East Asia? Your dad and me are planning a long haul we could meet up?”
“Laos. Vietnam. Cambodia. Thailand. It would be good to meet up if we could.”
“But you won’t.”
“Don’t be like that mum, we’ll see how it pans out. I could think of nothing nice than some time together.”
“Good, now you be careful, when do you fly?”
“Not sure we’re going last minute to get a good deal.”
“You’re being very vague, are you sure everything is okay?”
“It is all fine mum, honestly, I’m just taking a different look at life, I can afford to and I just want to be a little more care free. While I’m still young enough.”
“So you should I suppose. Give our love to Jenny and keep in touch, when you fly, land, where you’re staying.”
“Mum.”
“Have a great time.”
“Mum?”
“Yes love.”
“I really love you and dad you know, thanks for being such a lovely mum and dad.”
“That’s okay, we’re really proud of you darling.”
“I know, I’ll phone soon.”
“Take care Oliver.”
“I will, bye mum.”
“Bye love, you’re dads shouting here, he says bye.”
Oliver smiled, “Bye dad, bye mum.”
“He said bye dad. Bye Oliver. Love you.”
“I love you both.”
The phone call ended and Oliver wiped his eyes and cheeks to catch the tears that had rundown his face as he made the call. Oliver put the phone down, stretched and stood up. He left his bedroom and walked down the hall to the living room. Jenny was in the lounge packing boxes, helping Oliver move out and leave the London home he had sold.
She stood up from the box she was packing with books from the bookshelf in the corner of his lounge.
“Is your mum okay?” she asked.
“Yes she is fine,” Oliver replied.
“I don’t believe you, this is so difficult. My parents can’t believe I’m selling ‘Other World’. It was all I ever spoke about as a teenager.”
“We’re doing the right thing. With the capital from this flat and your business we can travel, keep moving. Difficult decisions will keep us alive.”
“Are you sure we can stay together safely?”
“I can’t see why not, my diaries are all gone, I burnt the last volumes yesterday. Contact with Mary and Jamie is zero, the change should cause a ripple, make us difficult to find. We just need to be judicious telling our family where we are.”
Jenny dropped her eyes. Oliver knew she was close to her adoptive parents.
Oliver spoke, “I’m sorry I have made such a horrible mess of everything. As difficult as this is Jenny it’s the right thing to do.”
Jenny nodded and continued to pack boxes. Oliver was exhausted with the paranoia that accompanied being hunted like an animal. Every shopping trip, showing of his home to prospective buyers, estate agents, was a stressful and cautious experience. Each event was planned with a contingency and an escape route should someone be taken as a host and an attack launched.
The texts from Jack Splinter were an unwelcome reminder of the failed research that remained locked in the basement of St Thomas Hospital. Jack wanted to meet up. Oliver always treated him as a ‘missed call’. He was polite in responding to the texts but could not bring himself to completely can Jack Splinter.
Jack Splinter’s latest text said,
‘Any news on DVD? I have strong interest in TG. Would like to meet you at your lab, when free?’
Oliver shook his head in dismay at the opportunity he could not pursue. Once a door had opened it was too dangerous to step through.
Mary sat in the lecture theatre on her own. She was friendly enough with everyone on the course but didn’t feel the need to find new buddies to sit with. The news of Minnie’s death had devastated the faculty and its students. Jamie dropping out was a shock but the students and lecturers understood the death of his friend had had a profound effect on him. Oliver dropping out was not a surprise. Blooms had made particular effort to welcome Mary back and offered whatever pastoral support she needed. The Professor had asked her to try to get Jamie to reconsider his decision. He did not ask after Oliver at all.
Mary had picked up her studies and her thesis was progressing well, she had positive interest and a suggestion of funding from Pfizer. The trial she proposed could become a large scale study building her reputation and creating opportunities that would endure beyond her PhD. Blooms hailed her as a prospective modern day example of UCLs scientific nobility.
Mary had moved flats and moved in a lover. Mary did not see Judith as a long term prospect but she needed a distraction. Mary hoped one day to marry and have children, but at the moment she just wanted to feel safer than she did. She missed Minnie with gut wrenching sadness, wanted desperately to speak to Jamie and felt fury at the wedge Oliver and Jenny had driven between the friends Jamie used to call a team.