16th May 2012
“I won’t be long; I’ve just got a few bits to pick up before this afternoon. You can do man-type things out on the deck. You know, make sure it’s tidy, get the big cool box out for the beers and put ice in it, that sort of thing”. Beth Cox knew her husband, Thomas, would be doing all the things she’d suggested anyway. He could be a bit on the fussy side, ‘precise’ he called it, but she wouldn’t change him for the world.
“I can come with you, help pack, check the use-by dates. You know what they’re like at that store”.
“No, Thomas, you’ll just get in the way. Unlike you, I take no pleasure in reading every label for five minutes before it goes in the basket”.
“Take the Subaru then, it’s safer, bigger”.
“I’ll take my little Yaris thank you, it’s cheaper and more environmentally friendly, besides, the Subaru is already packed for the vacation, you insisted, remember? I’m really looking forward to this road trip, I can’t wait to see the Black Hills of Dakota”, and with that Beth Cox left for the store, humming a tune from the movie ‘Calamity Jane’ to herself as she went.
Thomas Cox did one last tidy-up around the house and deck, not that it needed it. The sky was clear, the air fresh and the breeze light. The house was ready to receive their closest friends, just a little soiree to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. He knew it would be a blast and then, tomorrow, they were off into the wild blue yonder and living their big adventure.
As often happened, Cox got involved in making notes on an idea he’d just had- something he did when the splash of inspiration, as he called it, hit. After about forty-five minutes, he caught up with real-time and wondered where Beth had got to? He did the calculation in his head; she should have been back fifteen minutes ago at the latest. A nervous apprehension engulfed him, it was inexplicable but, if he was writing one of his stories, he’d have called it a dread. Then he saw a car pull up outside.
Opening the door before the officers had even reached it, he recognized their faces. He knew everyone at the station. The look on his colleagues’ faces he knew very well, it was one he’d employed many times himself over the course of his career, too many times. He left the door open, and the officers followed him inside, silently. “How?” he asked.
“There was an accident, we don’t have all the details yet. I’m sorry Thomas, Beth died at the scene, it would have been instant. I’m so sorry, Thomas, is there anyone we can call, family, friends?”
“No, thanks. I have things to do now then. Sorry to be a poor host guys, but I have lots to be getting on with, I’m sure you understand”.
The attending officers were used to various reactions when bad news was delivered, people reacted in very different ways. Thomas Cox was clearly in shock, a condition which would manifest itself in extreme efficiency by the look of it. They’d seen it before when people, presented with awful, unexpected news, had cleaned their house from top to bottom or filled the car with bags of the personal belongings of the deceased, instantly trying to erase the departed from their lives. Then they suffered the inevitable mental collapse when what had happened caught up with them. A version of this appeared to be what was happening now with Thomas Cox, so they’d automatically talk to someone about him, get a grief councillor to call by, help him as best they could.
When the deliverers of the terrible news had gone, Cox sat in his chair and looked around the room. Beth had spent money on cut flowers for the party, she always loved to have flowers around the house. Now, each vase sat there looking at him, reminding him that he didn’t even know what to do to make the flowers last longer. It was something Beth had always done, now that she was gone, he couldn’t let them die as well.
Taking the phone from its cradle, Cox went through the important numbers systematically. They were already programmed into the phone, Beth did that, she was the one who read the manual for that sort of thing. Each call was the same. ‘Sorry we’ve had to cancel, something urgent came up, sorry, I’ll get back to you later’. In fifteen minutes, everyone had been told to change their plans for the day. Due to unforeseen circumstances, there would be no celebration of the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of Thomas and Elizabeth Cox, and there’d be no Black Hills of Dakota either.
Mark Dennis Books 