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?’