Episode 51: Night HauntingsJez woke up moody and hungover. She had left Sara to sleep in her living room and had dragged her sorry arse to her bedroom.Her drunken slumber was haunted by old nightmares and some new. She dreamed that Midge, as an adult, was taken away from her by men in uniforms. They screamed for each other, Midge reaching out with desperate arms, screaming for her mother. Jez had tried to chase after her but her legs seemed to get her nowhere no matter how fast she pumped them. It was as if she was running up an escalator that wrong way. Jez woke up in a start, her heart pumping like she really had been running. Her mouth was dry and felt as if a cat had used it as a litter tray. She reached over for a drink of water but her glass was empty. She cursed and dragged her weary body out of bed and staggered to the kitchen. Sara had left at some stage and Jez had no doubt she would be feeling pretty ill too. They had spent the night drinking, listening to country and western and talking about growing up country. As it turned out, Sara had lived near the town where Jez had given birth to Midge. She guzzled water and chewed on aspirin. She grimaced at the empty beer bottles that littered the living room and kitchen. She and Sara had really gotten in to it. There was a knock at the door. ‘Who is it?’ she yelled angrily. ‘Midge, you cranky old mole,’ came a voice from behind the door. Jez groaned. She couldn’t handle this, not now. ‘Go away. I’m crook,’ she shouted back. Midge paused, ‘Ok,’ she said, sounding hurt and confused, ‘I’ll come back later then.’ Jez didn’t say anything. Her voice was ready to crack and she was blubbering again. After a moment she heard Midge’s footsteps fade away. Jez had no idea how she was going to handle this. She went back to bed and hid her head under her pillow and cried for the daughter she had lost and didn’t know if she would ever rediscover. to be continued... |