The elephant stood proudly holding the umbrella high above his head trying to keep the rain off his ears. Passengers ran frantically from the wind and rain that pummelled in from the south. The elephant, however, shuffled his big feet and kept the umbrella high. Me, I couldn’t stop laughing. The umbrella wasn’t accomplishing anything. Eventually, the elephant found himself a place out of the rain towards the end of the platform.
My mother was not there to greet me. I was not surprised. She probably had a disaster. A false eyelash collapse or something just as ludicrous. So, I took shelter under an awning next to the elephant.
“Lucky you, to be at peace on this cold rainy day.” The elephant seemed to nod his head. “I like rain even more so as it mucks up my birthday party tomorrow.” The elephant closed his eyes. “Yeah, I know, there will probably be a plan B of some sort, knowing my mother.” The elephant said nothing, he had other things on his mind.
“Emily, Oh Emily.” It was my mother, running from the entrance to the platform. “We’re here.” She ran like Mr Bean in high heels. Pathetically dramatic as always. Outstretching her arms as she came in for the hoola hoop hug. A hug holding a moat of air between her arms and me all I had to do was stand there. Lost in the middle while she air kissed my ear. Then with less fanfare her arms retracted quickly, like the cord of a vacuum cleaner after you’ve pushed the button. “Oh darling, so sorry we were late, but time just got away. Oh but you must be excited?”
“Excited?”
“Your, eighteenth birthday party, silly. I’ve invited all your friends.”
“What friends?”
“Oh you know all,” she waved her hands frantically, “your…ah…netball friends and your father has…”
“Step…father!”
“Oh don’t start that already, darling. You know he loves you like you’re his own.” And there, near the entrance, looming like a spectre in the pouring rain, he stood. His egg face beaming with that grin. I froze. I heard a rumble like thunder behind me. “What’s wrong dear, come on let’s get you home, you’re looking awfully pale.”
“Remember that talk we had?”
“What talk, dear?” Again, a rumble.
“That talk.”
“Oh Emily, really, it’s your birthday, I want it to be nice. Your fath…well, he has put a lot of work into this and…well…talk like that is not…”
“Is not what…exactly?” The rumble gained with intensity behind me. I looked back to see the elephant shaking his head, trumpeting, as things weren’t going as planned.
My mother grabbed my hands, squeezing them hard, “you will not ruin everything with your ugly fantasy. I know he would never do such things.” The elephant’s anger overflowed. Suddenly he came charging towards us, still holding the umbrella only now, more like a sword. He would not be silenced. He would no longer be, ignored.
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