Colin M. Johnson's Fiction - Novels

"ONE POTATO, TWO"

by Colin M. Johnson

CHAPTER 13


      They landed at Los Angeles International Airport at four o'clock local time and joined a line of passengers waiting to pass through immigration.   It seemed a frustrating delay, though it actually took no more than twenty minutes.

      "I've arranged to meet Mrs. B.   by the information desk," Cyril whispered as they emerged from customs.   "She won't know us, and we don't know her, but she damned well ought to recognise someone."

      "What if she doesn't show up?" Barbara murmured quietly.

      "Then we either catch the next plane home, or take a cab!" he replied with a facetious grin.   "Give her time.   This is L.A.!"

      "Good heavens!" exclaimed an Englishman's voice behind them.   "I know this young lady, surely?"

      They turned to see a good-natured man in his early forties.

      "Slight change of plans," he said cheerfully.   "Vera's taken the girls to see a film, so she asked me to pop along instead.   I'm parked right outside, which is a bit naughty, but I told the guy I was picking up a British child film-star with her agent and governess, so back me up if he wants Wendy's autograph."

      Wendy was rather sorry he didn't.   She kept staring at their driver, who reminded her of Hilary's father - but hadn't the Billings family moved to California?   Was this California?   Wendy resolved not to say anything foolish until she'd gathered more clues.

      The big Pontiac glided gracefully away from the airport and onto the Santa Monica Freeway to join thousands of other motorists on their journey home.   They twisted and turned among suburban streets and wide boulevards, eventually pulling onto the tarmac drive of a large wooden house.

      "Here we are, guys!   Welcome to our home from home."

      The driver helped carry their four bags round to the front door.

      "Normally we pile in through the garage," he said, "but Vera likes first-time guests to be treated royally, so it's a front-door job today."

      He rang a short tattoo on the bell, and opened a thin metal storm door.   Immediately there appeared at the top of the stairs a motherly figure with a warm and welcoming smile that Wendy recognised instantly.

      "You've no idea what a pleasure this is, my dears," Vera said, coming down towards them and clasping their hands.   "Did you have a good flight?"

      "A very long one," said Cyril, "but I doubt if it's any longer or faster than Wendy's tongue."

      Wendy looked scornfully at her doctor, then gave Vera a big hug and followed her up the steps.   It was a large house, and Wendy questioned at once why the living area appeared to be upstairs.

      "Are the bedrooms down below then?"

      "One of them," Vera explained.   "But that's for your two escorts.   Let me show you where everything is."

        In front of them they saw the living and dining areas, which led straight through to a luxury kitchen.   Vera let them to stand and stare for a moment like prospective buyers, then ushered them along a passage.   Wendy voiced her need for the toilet.

      "We have three to choose from, dear.   This house has two and a half bathrooms.   First let me put your things in the juvenile guest room."

      Wendy peered into the room, and might have recognised some of her sister's treasures if Vera hadn't taken care to hide everything away.

      "Next door is Hilary's room," she explained, "and to the rear the master bedroom where Sam and I sleep."

      "Where's the half-bathroom?" asked Wendy, curious to see half a bath.

      "Come, and I'll show you."

      Vera led them down two short flights of steps.

      "Basically we have two rooms down here - the family room, for hobbies and children's mess, and the other bedroom."   She turned to the weary Lathams.   "Rest assured, you'll be well taken care of here."

      Wendy decided to use the half-bathroom.

      "Don't expect anything too exciting," Vera warned her.   "It's only a toilet and hand-basin.   Back home, we'd call it a cloakroom."

      As Wendy went off in the direction of the pointed finger, Vera took advantage of her absence.

      "A quick run-through of plans this evening," she whispered.   "The girls have gone to see The Lady and the Tramp.   It should be over by now, so Sam's off to pick them up.   Hopefully we can persuade Wendy to rest a while in our room.   I told you-know-who I've got surprises hidden there ready for tomorrow, so it's strictly out of bounds."

      "Your taps and plugs are different," Wendy remarked, emerging from the cloakroom.   "How long before I see Hilary?"

      "My dear, she'll be back later this evening.   Meanwhile you must be exhausted, so why not take a short nap on my bed while I get your room ready?   I'll come and wake you when Hilary arrives, then you can give her a nice surprise.   Won't that be fun?"

      Wendy agreed.   Vera made her comfortable in the big room, and within minutes she was fast asleep.   The other travellers were equally weary, but determined not to miss the all-important moment of reunion.

      They were just having a light snack when they heard the chatter of excited young voices, as Hilary and Sarah came bounding up the stairs making dog noises and howling "Home Sweet Home".

      "Hush, dears," whispered Vera.   "We have some visitors who've just arrived from London, and they're extremely tired.   Come and meet them."

      Cyril and Barbara stared at the uncanny likeness of Wendy so intently that Sarah began to suspect there was something odd about her face.

      "You have got to be Sarah," the doctor said at last, transfixed by this mirror-image of his patient, a more mature version of the twin he'd grown to love so dearly.   It was hard to accept that those familiar blue eyes were seeing him only as a stranger.   "Yes, I've heard so much about you."

      "From your Aunt Dottie and Uncle Jim," Barbara added quickly before her husband betrayed any secrets.   "And you must be Hilary.   How are you enjoying America?"

      "Not bad," Hilary replied, with a trace of American accent.   "I've gotten used to most things by now.   On the whole, it's pretty neat!"

      "Now listen, dears," Vera intervened.   "I thought we'd show our guests some of the slides we've taken since we came to California.   Sam, if you'd fix the projector, please?"

      "Before we eat?" asked the bewildered Sam.

      "Sam, dear, don't be dumb, there's a good boy.   Projector?   Darkened room, are you with me?   With all that noise the girls were making, something may have stirred, so Sarah, dear, why don't you sit in the big armchair.   You'll find it very comfortable."

      Sam duly set up the projector while Vera drew the curtains.   The brief show began with shots of the Californian coast, and San Francisco's Chinatown, which prompted Hilary to start singing something from "Flower Drum Song".

      Vera cautioned her.   "Don't forget what I said about keeping quiet, dears.   See if you can maintain absolute silence for two whole minutes."

      She then crept away to her bedroom and roused the sleeping Wendy.

      "Hilary's watching some slides," she whispered, "come and join us.   She doesn't know you're here yet, so tiptoe in quietly and stand behind the door.   Don't make a sound.   We'll surprise her when the lights come on."

      The fun-loving Wendy thought this was an excellent plan.   She waited obediently in the passage, and heard Vera clapping her hands like a school teacher.

      "Listen everyone!   I want you to close your eyes for a minute.   It's time for a special birthday surprise, but I need silence from everyone, grown-ups included.   I'm going to give you each a blindfold, and I want you to put it on without saying a word.   There's a special Hollywood guest due to arrive any minute, and if he or she hears voices it'll spoil the surprise."

      Sarah was handed a blindfold which she duly put on.

      "Good," Vera whispered, "so I'll now ask our mystery guest to come and sit on the settee."

      Wendy agreed also to be blindfolded and was guided to one end of the settee, while an equally surprised Sarah found herself being ushered to the other end.

      "To explain what's going on," Vera continued, "if our mystery guest were in England it would already be her birthday.   So I want each of you now to hold hands with the person sitting next to you, and try to guess who it is."

      Hilary gave a yelp of surprise as the lights came on, but Vera managed to restrain her.   The adults were all choked with emotion, scarcely daring to breathe - every eye on Wendy and Sarah as they grasped each other's hand.

      For an agonising moment they sat motionless, their mouths opening simultaneously as both faces told of an impossible dream coming true.   Then, still blindfolded, each turned and flung her arms around her twin.

      "This was the finest present we could think of," Vera said as soon as she could find words.   "Do you know who our mystery guest is?"

      Both nodded vigorously and ripped off each other's blindfold to a spontaneous round of applause as everyone sang "Happy Birthday!"

      Wendy and Sarah sat staring in disbelief, hugging each other again and again as everyone coped with inevitable tears.   Nobody spoke, until like a dawn chorus, conversation broke out as everyone thought of a dozen things to say at once.   The twins had a thousand questions for each other, but still remained speechless until Sarah finally managed to blurt out:

      "Where have you BEEN?"

      Poor jet-lagged Wendy couldn't answer.   She clung tightly onto her sister, afraid to let go, looking so bewildered and forlorn, yet sharing only immense happiness.

      "Plenty of time for questions later," said Cyril.   "But those of us who spent last night in England are long overdue for sleep, or we won't be fit to enjoy the rest of our stay."

      His infectious yawn convinced everyone, including Wendy who was soon lying sound asleep beside her sister in aptly named twin beds.

      The next morning they were up bright and early, exploring presents that had been set out overnight.   Apart from the paramount gift of their own reunion, the biggest tangible item the twins received was an enormous birthday card very nearly the size of a suitcase, inscribed:

      "To the twin we know and love, and the twin we're still longing to meet."

      It was full of little messages, signed by over a hundred patients, doctors, nurses and members of staff in Dr. Latham's hospital, to whom Potato had given so much joy and entertainment during her long stay.

      "But why on earth was she called Potato?" Vera asked.   Dr. Latham confessed he still didn't know.   But Sarah knew.   So did Wendy.   And why should they tell anyone else?

      Shortly after breakfast - it was already tea-time back home - they had a phone call from Aunt Dottie and Uncle Jim, who listened intently to Vera's account of the wonderful moment when the two girls finally came together.

      Dr. Latham had so many questions that he left most of them unresolved.   But he did ask Wendy again why she had chosen the name Potato, and the reply came instantly from Sarah, who described the little potato doll Wendy had made her as a get-well present.

      Further answers came the following evening as they sat and watched Hilary's holiday slides, visual evidence of the dreams Wendy had so often described, showing the giant golf-ball at the Epcot Center, and Stone Mountain near Atlanta, with its huge carving of three men on horseback and people swarming to the summit like ants.

      There were poignant close-ups too of Allen and Trudy, whom the Lathams found indistinguishable from Jim and Dottie.   The two girls seemed to cope well with their feelings, drawing from each other the joint strength to accept their parents' death without too much sadness.

      After a riotous party in the evening, with repeated reminders to the others about being gentle with Wendy, the birthday came to a happy close.   During the rest of their stay, the twins and escorts visited Disneyland, and many other attractions that California has to offer, but all too soon the holiday came to an end.   The visitors were assured of a warm welcome any time they were free to return, and it seemed no time at all before they were airborne and heading back through the darkness towards England.

      Wendy and Sarah enjoyed the fun of re-entering Britain on each other's passports, a crime which they took delight in confessing to Uncle Jim as soon as they reached St. Albans.   The Lathams were invited to stay with the Bradmores all day - because everyone was dreading that inevitable moment when they had to say goodbye.

      Wendy knew she might have to face further surgery as she grew taller, but Dr. Latham's professional work with her had come to an end.   From now on, any time they spent together would be on the basis of friendship alone, a bond she resolved would never be broken.   As darkness fell she adopted a commendably philosophical view, holding tightly to Cyril's and Barbara's hands to speak her farewell thoughts in a well-rehearsed speech which Dottie helped her to compose.

      "We'll always love coming to stay with you," she concluded, "as often as we can.   And if only you'd move to St. Albans I could see you a lot more.   I still think I'm very lucky to have so many people who wanted to look after me.   I want Sarah to love you just as I do, and if ever you have another little Potato who belongs to no-one else, I want you to love her just as much as you loved me."

      Dr. Latham crouched down, his eyes level with Wendy's as he took her soft hands into his, in a gentle but firm grasp.

      "Listen, sweetheart," he whispered.   "In this world, there are always going to be certain things we can't have.   There will also be things we don't need all the time, which is why it's best to take everything in moderation, the nice as well as the nasty.   As far as you and I are concerned, we both know it'll be a long, long time before I find anyone half as cute and special as my little Potato.   So, as you grow up, I hope you'll always be kind enough to let me know where in the world you are, and how you're getting on.   And I promise in return, you'll always know where you can find me."

      He then lifted her up into his arms for a final eyeball-to-eyeball.

      "A word of warning though - you have a funny habit of forgetting things, so you'd better not start forgetting me, or there'll be big, big trouble.   Whenever we need to see each other, you or I, we'll make contact and spend some time together, agreed?   And you're to promise something else on your solemn word as a twin.   When, one day, you get married to some nice young doctor who's even more handsome than your Uncle Cyril, you'll send Barbara and me a wedding invitation, because there's quite a few things I need to warn him about you.   Besides, we'll want to see how pretty you look.   You're a truly lovely little girl, but I bet you won't miss me half as much as you think.   Because if you do - doctor's orders, mind - you're to come and visit me straight away!   Fair deal?   Now, how about a big hug and a kiss?"

      There were hugs and kisses all round, until Barbara pointed out it was all quite unnecessary, since the four Bradmores would be coming over to visit them at Wendy's hospital the following weekend.

      In fact, from that day forward, the Bradmores and Lathams became very firm friends, and spent many happy hours together, time and time again.   After all, Wendy wouldn't let them have it any other way, would she?

THE END

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