She shook her head. She didn’t want to get them into any more trouble. The accident had happened, and that was it.
PC Cooper made a note of her answer. ‘Now one more thing and then I’ll leave you all in peace for now. The police officers who arrived on the scene reported a distinct smell of alcohol on the driver and indeed on the passengers. Can you verify this, please? How much had everyone had to drink at the Rock Park? I must stress this is very important because if Mr Smith drove while under the influence of alcohol, the people in the nextaccident he has may not be as lucky as you were. He would not cooperate and refused to be breathalysed, so he’s in trouble for that anyway. Do you understand?’
It was the constable’s last statement that made Eléni realise the seriousness of what had happened. She had no doubt Andy shouldn’t have been driving so she had to tell the truth.
She picked up her pen again.Gabbie and I had two Bacardi and Cokes. They were doubles. Dave and Andy had a beer each time and they’d already had drinks before we arrived. I don’t know how many. Does that make him over the limit? I don’t know how many drinks Paul and Marie had.
She handed her pad to PC Cooper.
‘Thank you, Miss Beynon. May I tear out these pages and keep them as evidence of our conversation today? In due time, I’d like you to come down to the station and make a formal statement. I hope your arm heals quickly.’ He turned to Tom and Cassia. ‘Thank you, both. If there’s anything else your daughter remembers, please don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll see myself out.’
Eléni ran back upstairs to her bedroom.
* * *
Eléni had another visitor the next day. Gabriella arrived with the clothes she’d left at her house and a bunch of flowers.
‘Come in, Gabriella. Eléni will be pleased to see you.’ Eléni heard her mother invite her friend into the hallway and approached them. In a low voice, her mother told her, ‘I’m afraid she can’t speak so she may mime or draw things in answer to you. See if she’ll talk to you. I’m not going to say anything about what you both did on Saturday. I’m sure you’ve had all that from your mother. We’re just so pleased her injuries weren’t more serious.’
Gabriella looked contrite and nodded. When she noticed Eléni halfway down the stairs, her face broke into a smile. ‘Hiya.I came to see how you are. You gave us all a fright. These are from Mr Williams at the Welsh craft shop to get well soon.’
Cassia led the girls into the living room. ‘I’ll let you girls have a chat while I make us all a cuppa and put those beautiful flowers in water.’
‘Thank you, Mrs Beynon.’ Gabriella handed Cassia the bouquet. She turned back to Eléni. ‘He says once you can work the till with your good hand, you can come back to work and we’ll manage the other jobs between us.’
Eléni nodded but knew that until the words flowed again, serving at the till in a shop would be impossible if she couldn’t converse with the customers.
Gabriella took her hand. ‘We’re all so sorry about what happened. When you were lying on the ground when the car door flung open, I thought you were dead. I couldn’t bear it if we were the cause of you losing your life.’ Her voice became scratchy. ‘I’ve finished with Dave. Well, I didn’t really get started, did I? He was the one egging Andy on to go faster. We had this almighty row.’ She paused. ‘No, we were all doing it. We were all to blame.’
Eléni stood and got her pad and pen.I’m going to be fine. Once this arm heals, I can forget about it. The police came by. Have you had to give a statement?
‘Yes. I told the truth as we all had to. We’d be found out if we didn’t. My mamma heard Andy has been charged with drink-driving and refusing to take a breath test. He’ll probably be banned from driving for a year, she says.’ Gabriella became thoughtful. ‘But why can’t you talk? You told me all about when you were a little girl, but because you’ve been talking for all these years, I don’t understand it happening again now.’
Eléni held her arms open wide to indicate she didn’t know either. She began to write.It’s horrible. I try to speak and it’s as if the words get stuck at the back of my throat. How can Iget back to the craft shop if I can’t speak with the customers? I was going to see if I could get some shifts waitressing at the Metropole, but no one will want a silent waitress, will they?
For the first time since the accident, her whole body dissolved into racking sobs.
‘Aww. Come here.’ Gabriella stood and pulled her friend into a tight hug. ‘I’m sure it won’t last long. It won’t be like before.’
Cassia entered the room carrying a tray of tea and pastries. Eléni dried her eyes on her sleeve, but not before her mother noticed.
‘Oh, don’t cry.’ She placed the tray down on the coffee table and hugged her daughter.
‘She’s worried about not being able to speak. I’ve told her it won’t be like last time, will it? She was so little, she didn’t know how to speak then. This is temporary, I’m sure of it,’ said Gabriella.
Her mother smiled and agreed, but Eléni wasn’t sure either of them actually believed it.
‘Come on, let’s have some tea and some of Eléni’s favourite baklavá. Sugar, Gabriella?’
Chapter Thirty-Seven
While Eléni recuperated at home, Gabriella’s prediction she would soon be able to speak again came true. There was no more tension in the house regarding the row she’d had with her parents before the car accident. She and Bronwen spent a lot of time looking at her sister’s teenage magazines and watching television together. The more Eléni relaxed, the more the words flowed. Not many to start with, but once she was able to converse with her family, she knew it had been just a temporary setback. She thought back to when she was a little girl and how frustrated she’d been, dreading going to school, enduring the name calling, seeing the annoyance on the teachers’ faces just like the expression she’d seen on the ward sister’s face in the hospital.
Gabriella was a frequent visitor too. She kept Eléni up to date with all the gossip of the town, mainly about who was going out with whom. One afternoon, the conversation turned to Andy Smith and the fact he’d been seen riding around Porth Gwyn on a pushbike.
‘Getting used to it before he gets banned, I suppose. My mother heard the Mini was a write-off.’ Gabriella smiled as the two of them chatted away. ‘Oh, it’s so good to have the old Eléni back. Mr Williams told me to tell you he’s looking forward to having you back in the shop on Monday. Nine o’clock sharp. You know what he’s like.’
They both laughed. Eléni’s boss was a stickler for punctuality but, as he’d proved during the last few weeks, he was very kind and thoughtful. He came into the shop to cover Eléni’s absences himself, even though he was supposed to be semi-retired now and left the running of the shop in their capable hands.
