‘Mum, there’s really no need to run around after us like this.’ Noelle caught Colette’s eye and smiled.
‘Only the best for my girls.’ She grinned, looking at them both. ‘And it’s about time.’
‘Mum, stop,’ Colette answered. ‘You’re the one who deserves the best.’
‘And I got it,’ her mother replied fondly.
‘The very best,’ Noelle agreed, nodding at Colette. ‘We’d all be lost without you, big sis.’
She really didn’t expect or want all this gratitude. And she wasn’t sure how to react to it.
Then her sister and mother exchanged a conspiratorial glance. ‘But now we think the same effort should be spent on you.’
Colette was confused. She eyed her family members suspiciously. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Should we tell her now?’ Noelle asked with a grin and Colette’s brow furrowed, feeling left out all of a sudden. What was going on?
‘What have you two been keeping from me?’
‘What I faced was no more than others have faced before me. It was nothing special,’ her mother continued. ‘You, though, love, you were special. You stepped up when there was no one else.’
‘Don’t …’ Colette stopped her, unwilling to bring the mood down with a discussion about her father. ‘Anyway, I’ve told you loads of times, I don’t want any thanks. I don’t need any.’
Miriam got to her feet and went to her eldest daughter. She crouched down and took Colette’s hand in her own, rubbing the back of her knuckles with the pad of her thumb. ‘Love, the past four years have been difficult for us all, of course, but for you most of all.’
‘That’s not true,’ Colette corrected. ‘You had to deal with chemo and radiation and all the worry that came with that …’ She could never bring herself to say the horrible ‘C’ word out loud.
Miriam looked at her tenderly. ‘I wish you’d stop interrupting me. I’m trying to tell you something but you refuse to let me.’
‘Sorry,’ she apologised as she resettled herself in her seat and gave her mother her full attention.
‘Thank you,’ she said with a smile. ‘Now, where was I?’
‘Difficult for everyone,’ Noelle insisted, her eyes watering.
‘That’s it. Colette, love, don’t think for a second I don’t appreciate the sacrifices you had to make. Like it or not, you had to move out of your comfort zone and take up the mantle in my place. You did what you had to in order for this family to be all right, and you never complained, never faltered in your determination to be there for me and do the best you could. Not once. In all the time I was going through treatment, or when I had to give the reins of the business over to you, you never failed me. You always did all you could. I’m more grateful for that than you’ll ever know.’
Her mother touched her cheek and Colette felt a rush of emotion. She didn’t need the praise, or at least she didn’t think so, but receiving it was nice all the same.
‘Thanks.’ Her smile faltered a little when she realised Noelle in the meantime had left the room. She hoped all this hadn’t made her sister uncomfortable, or worse, feel guilty for not being around for the worst of it.
But then she returned with an easy grin.
‘Do you have it?’ her mother asked, turning back to Noelle.
‘Sorry, it was in my bag,’ her sister said, producing an A4 envelope. She was smiling when she handed it to their mother.
‘Here you go.’ Miriam took the envelope and in turn handed it to Colette.
‘What’s this?’ she asked, confused.
‘Open it and see, silly,’ Noelle insisted.
Colette turned the envelope over in her hand, then proceeded to glide her finger under the seal to pry it open. Then she pulled the contents out and stared.
The brochures were a magnificent blaze of colour and light, and the scenery they presented was simply stunning. Azure oceans and groups of pastel houses tumbling down mountainside forests filled the pages, interspersed with images of sailboats on the water and delicious-looking cuisine.
‘Italy?’ Colette questioned, turning to the front of the brochure.
‘Yes, Italy,’ Noelle cheered. ‘You’ve always wanted to go there, haven’t you? You studied the language, after all.’
‘Well, yes,’ she replied hesitantly. ‘But I don’t understand …’
‘Open the white packet now,’ her mother chuckled.
Colette did as instructed, and pulled out a colourful green-and-red folder. Inside was an airline ticket with her name on it and the destination read ‘Naples’. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped in shock. It couldn’t be.
Her gaze flew upwards to her sister and mother, and her words came out as a whisper, so fragile that if spoken too loudly the dream she was obviously in would shatter and she’d be sent right back to reality.
‘Really?’
‘Yes,’ her mother replied tearfully, as she took both of Colette’s hands in hers.
‘We’ve made all the arrangements,’ Noelle added, excitement raising the tone of her voice to almost a squeal. ‘You leave at the end of the month. Three weeks on the Amalfi Coast in sunny Italy.’
Colette couldn’t speak. She shook her head. ‘I can’t. I can’t go.’
‘Why not?’ Noelle asked, confused.
‘Who will take care of Mum and the bakery? The summer season is our busiest, you know that. Who will take care of things around here?’ It seemed as if her entire life had been her mother, the house and the business for so long that she couldn’t imagine a day without having to attend to them. Not even a day without responsibilities.
‘Love, I can take care of myself now.’
‘And I’ll be home for the summer.’
‘But—’
‘No buts,’ her sister interrupted. ‘You’re going on this trip and that’s that. I knew you’d try to find some reason not to. Didn’t I tell you, Mum?’
‘Yes, you did,’ their mother answered, a small smile on her face as she looked at each of them in turn. ‘Though we have to remember that for the past few years Colette’s been the lady of the house here,’ she explained. ‘She’s done it so much she’s forgotten that she has a life of her own. And now the world is out there for her to discover.’
‘Mum,’ Colette said, realising she was being well and truly cornered. Yes, the doctor said all was well with her illness, but it would take more than a couple of weeks until her mother was ready to take on the responsibilities of the life she’d been forced to relinquish. Was she really up to it? ‘Why do I have to go so soon?’
‘Because Noelle will be home from university by then. And to be honest, it was quite difficult to find a place for you to stay – that part of Italy is very busy over the summer months, apparently. The travel agent said that this was basically all we could get.’
Colette looked at her. So it seemed it was now or never. ‘Are you absolutely sure you’d be OK with this? With my leaving you on your own?’
‘I’ll be perfectly fine,’ her mother insisted. ‘Really.’
‘Hey, like I said, I’ll be here, too,’ Noelle added with some annoyance. ‘Stop being such a worrier, Colette. I can take care of Mum just as well as you. Things are different now. We’ll be fine, honestly. It’s