Miriam’s relaxing holiday on the beach was shattered when, in the hotel lobby, she caught a glimpse of her daughter Pamela and son-in-law, the very people she had tearfully buried five years ago. With her heart racing, Miriam had to decide whether to confront the ghosts before her or let them slip away into the sun-drenched crowd.
Miriam stepped off the airport shuttle and took a deep breath of air. The salty air of the Bahamas filled her lungs, and it was a welcome change from the stuffy cabin of the plane.
In her sixty-five years, she’d been meaning to go on holiday for a long time. Five years of grief had taken its toll on Miriam, drawing wrinkles around her eyes and mouth that had never been there before.
The Ocean Club resort hotel loomed before her. Its gleaming structure promised only relaxation and escape, so Miriam allowed herself a smile as she followed the bellhop into the lobby.
The marble floors echoed with the chatter of excited tourists and the clinking of luggage carts, and Miriam watched their happy faces, hoping she too would eventually feel as they did.
Welcome to the Ocean Club, ma’am. May I have your name for registration?’ The receptionist’s cheerful voice brought Miriam out of her reverie.
‘Leary. Miriam,’ she replied, pulling her ID card from her purse.
While the receptionist worked at her computer, Miriam’s gaze wandered. And then she saw them.
Time seemed to stop.
It took her breath away.
Standing outside the gift shop, looking at the display of colourful shells, were two people who couldn’t possibly be there. Her daughter, Pamela, and son-in-law, Frank.
But they were dead. Died in a car crash five years ago… So she thought.
‘Ma’am? Your room key,’ came the distant voice of the receptionist.
Miriam reached out and grabbed the key without looking, keeping her eyes on the couple who turned away from the gift shop and headed for the exit.
‘Hold my bags,’ Miriam barked, already getting ready to leave. ‘I’ll be right back.’
She hurried across the lobby, struggling to catch her breath. She was completely out of breath, and the couple was almost to the door.
‘Pamela!’ called out Miriam. Even her own ears heard the desperation.
The woman turned, and her eyes widened with shock. It was unmistakably Pamela!
Suddenly she grabbed her husband’s arm and whispered something urgently. Frank looked round and Miriam saw his face turn into a mask of panic.
Without further ado, they rushed to escape.
Miriam’s heart was pounding frantically as she followed them out into the bright sunlight.
‘Stop here!’ – she shouted, and her voice echoed across the palm tree-lined driveway. ‘Or I’ll call the police!’
The threat worked.
The pair froze, and their shoulders slumped in defeat. Slowly they turned to face her.
Pamela’s eyes filled with tears, but Miriam didn’t know why. Was Pamela crying because of guilt, because of the lie, or because of something else?
‘Mum,’ her daughter whispered. ‘We can explain.’
The door of Pamela and Frank’s hotel room slammed shut behind them, shutting them out of the cheerful holiday atmosphere. Inside, however, the air seemed heavy, charged with the past five years of Miriam’s mourning and her current anger.
She stood with her arms crossed. ‘Start talking,’ she demanded firmly.
Frank cleared his throat. ‘Mrs Leary, we didn’t mean to offend you.’
‘Offend?’ Miriam laughed sharply. ‘I buried you. Both of you. I grieved for five years. And now you stand here and tell me you never meant to hurt me?’
Pamela stepped forward, trying to reach out a hand. ‘Mum, please. We had our reasons.’
Miriam recoiled from her daughter, though she too had the same desire. ‘What reason could possibly justify it?’
Frank and Pamela exchanged anxious glances, and a second passed before Frank spoke. ‘We won the lottery.’
Silence ensued, broken only by the distant sound of waves crashing on the beach outside the window.
‘The lottery,’ Miriam repeated evenly. ‘So you faked your deaths…because you won the money?’
Pamela nodded and began to narrate, though her voice was barely audible.
‘It was a lot of money, Mum. We knew that if people found out, they’d want their piece of it. We just wanted a fresh start, with no strings attached.’
‘Commitment?’ Miriam raised her voice. ‘Like paying back the money you borrowed from Frank’s family for that failed business? Like being there for your cousin’s children after their parents died? That kind of commitment?’
Frank’s face hardened. ‘We didn’t owe anyone anything. This was our chance to live the life we always wanted, and we’re not going to let anyone get in our way.’
‘At the expense of everyone who loved you, and I bet you’re also dodging taxes,’ Miriam retorted. She turned to her daughter. ‘Pamela, how could you do this? To me?’
Pamela lowered her eyes and whimpered. ‘I’m sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean to, but Frank said…’
‘Don’t blame it on me,’ Frank interjected. ‘You went along with the plan.’
Miriam watched her daughter fade under her husband’s gaze. In that moment she saw clearly what was happening between them, and her heart broke anew.
‘Pamela,’ she said quietly. ‘Come home with me. We can make things right. Fix everything.’
For a moment hope flashed in Pamela’s eyes. Then Frank’s hand tightened on her shoulder.
‘We’re not going anywhere,’ he said firmly. ‘Our lives are here now. We have everything we need.’
Pamela’s shoulders slumped. ‘I’m sorry, Mum,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t.’
Miriam stood staring at the strangers her daughter and son-in-law had turned into. Without another word, she turned and left the room.
She couldn’t enjoy her holiday after that and immediately changed her plans. But the journey home passed like a blur.
Miriam moved on autopilot, going over and over in her head the confrontation that had occurred. What should she do? Was the staged death illegal? Could Frank be hiding something else?
By the time she reached her empty house, however, she had made a decision. She would not report them. Not yet.
She would leave the door open, hoping that one day Pamela would walk in.
Three years had passed.
Miriam tried to move on with her life, but the weight of the secret and the pain of betrayal never left her. One rainy afternoon there was a knock at her door.
Miriam opened the door and saw Pamela standing on the porch, soaking wet from the rain, with her arms wrapped around herself and looking completely lost.
‘Mum,’ came Pamela’s cracked voice. ‘Can I come in?’
Miriam hesitated, then stepped aside.
Pamela stepped into the house, leaving a trail of water on the wooden floor. In the harsh light of the hallway, Miriam saw how much her daughter had changed.
The designer clothes and perfectly styled hair were gone, replaced by worn jeans and sloppy hair. Dark circles lingered under her eyes.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Miriam, careful to keep her tone neutral.
Pamela slumped on the sofa, her shoulders hunched. ‘Everything’s gone,’ she whispered. ‘The money, the house, everything. Frank…he got into some bad investments. Started gambling. I tried to stop him, but…’
She lifted her head and met Miriam’s gaze for the first time. ‘He’s gone. Took what was left and disappeared. I don’t know where he is.’
Miriam sat across from her daughter, mulling over the information she had received.
Miriam wanted to comfort Pamela, to put her arms around her and tell her that everything would be all right. But the wounds were still too fresh, the betrayal too deep.
‘Why are you here, Pamela?’ – she asked quietly.
Pamela’s lips trembled. ‘I didn’t know where else to go. I know I don’t deserve your help after everything we’ve done. What a selfish person I’ve been. But I… I miss you, Mum. I’m so sorry. For all of this.’
A silence hung between them because Miriam didn’t know what to do. This was exactly what she had wanted since that day in the Bahamas.
So she studied her daughter’s face, looking for signs of the girl she used to know. After a few minutes, Miriam sighed.
‘I can’t just forgive and forget, Pamela. What you and Frank did…it was more than just lying. I think you broke the law. Faking a death may not be completely illegal, but I’m willing to bet you didn’t pay any taxes on that money. Besides, you hurt a lot of people, not just me.’
Pamela nodded, and new tears ran down her cheeks. ‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘And you’re right. Part of the reason Frank wanted to leave was so he wouldn’t have to pay taxes. The rest of it…the stuff he didn’t want to give back to his family…well, that was just icing.’
‘If you want to make things right with me and everyone else,’ Miriam continued, her voice firm, ’you’re going to have to face the consequences. That means going to the police. Tell them everything. About the staged deaths and everything else you two did with that money. About everything.’
Pamela’s eyes widened with fear. ‘But… I could go to jail.’
‘Yes,’ Miriam agreed. ‘You could. I don’t want you to do it, but it’s the only way forward. The only way to truly make amends.’
For a long minute, Pamela froze in place, sniffing slightly. Then she nodded slowly. ‘All right,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ll do it. Whatever it costs me.’
Miriam felt a glimmer of pride break through the anger and resentment. Maybe her daughter wasn’t completely lost after all. Being away from Frank had definitely done her some good.
‘All right,’ she said, standing up. ‘Let’s get you into some dry clothes. And then we’ll head to the station.’
When they walked out to the car a short time later, Pamela hesitated. ‘Mum?’ – She asked. ‘Will you… will you stay with me? While I talk to them?’
Miriam paused, then reached out and squeezed her daughter’s hand, allowing herself to feel and show again all the love she felt for her. ‘Yes,’ she said warmly and desperately. ‘I’ll be sure to come.’
‘Thank you,’ Pamela nodded and took a deep breath. Suddenly the expression on her face changed. Her mouth pressed into a firm line and her eyes filled with determination. ‘Let’s go.’
There’s my girl!
