| "Andy's Quest" |
| Copyright Francis Blow, 1996. |
| CHAPTER 5 |
| Andy decided something very important. First, he wondered if maybe his problems might be caused by himself, and not by other people. If that were the case, he would have to do something very hard. He would have to change. |
| Andy read and re-read his plan for reaching his goals. It was mostly an "I Want" list, and some of his sentences began with "If". He wrote it again on a new piece of paper, in a new way, with no "If's". |
| "I am going to own my own house and vegetable garden in Queensland. I will have a good job. I am going to have lots of friends. People will like me because I am nice to everybody. |
| I work hard and I study hard. I do my best at everything I do, so that I can get better at what I do. I will never ask for handouts. I will give handouts to others who need them more than me. My first step is to do well in school. My second step is to learn how ordinary people live. My third step is to decide what kind of job I will get. My fourth step is to leave the home and earn money." |
| Unfortunately, carrying out even Andy's first step was not as simple as it looked on paper. Telling yourself to do well at school is one thing, actually doing it is not so easy. Andy had a lot of trouble getting started, yet he kept trying to pay more attention, and to get his homework and test results to improve. When the teachers noticed his changed attitude, they began changing also, offering him advice with problems, suggesting where to look for answers in text-books, or just giving Andy a smile every now and then. Though the work never actually got any easier, his marks went up and the teachers were friendlier. The biggest change came when Mr. Ribson called Andy into the office. |
| "You have improved so much in the last six weeks, Andy, that I've decided to offer you a rare chance. I've been thinking about it ever since you gave me a copy of your steps to freedom... Ah, here it is." Mr. Ribson pulled out a sheet of paper. "You want to learn how ordinary people live. Here's my offer, Andy. There is a family who have asked to foster a boy from this home. The Henty family has three daughters, and they would like to help a boy. At first it would only be weekend visits, until we can determine if your staying all week is acceptable. Now, the Hentys have never fostered before, and you have never been fostered properly. I know you won't do anything to cause the Hentys to be disillusioned with fostering. They have been counselled on how to treat boys from broken homes and so on, but they've had no experience. It's up to you to make it work. At any time, if problems arise, you or the Hentys may decide that this arrangement isn't working, and we can bring you back here. If all goes well, however, this may be the answer to your prayers. Think about it till tomorrow, and if you're interested, we can invite the Hentys over to meet you." |
| Andy's mind was churning with possibilities as he sat and listened. There was a short silence after Mr, Ribson finished telling Andy about the offer. "I don't need to wait, sir. I'd like to meet them." |
| "Great, Andy! I'll let you know when they're coming." |
| Today's the day, Andy told himself, This is it! |
| He had showered and put on his best clothes, and Mrs. Wileman had combed his hair so that Andy looked perfect; she was excited for him. Now, Andy was waiting in Mr. Ribson's private study, where he could hear muted voices from the main office, next door. The door opened. |
| "Come in, Andy, and meet the Hentys." Mr. Ribson told him. "This is Mr. Rodney Henty." |
| Andy shook hands with the man who insisted Andy call him Rod, then Andy was introduced to Mrs. Carol Henty. |
| "Mr. Ribson speaks highly of you, Andy." Rod began, when they were all sitting down. |
| "Mr. Ribson has helped me a lot. If it wasn't for him, I'd have been too...scared, I guess, to try a foster home again." |
| "You had problems at your last home?" Carol asked. |
| "It was pretty bad." Andy wondered if telling them would help. Probably not. "That's all over with. May I ask some questions?" |
| "That's why I organised this meeting," Mr. Ribson told Andy, "So you can find out if this is worth trying." |
| "Okay... Rod, why are you thinking of fostering me? I mean, you've got three girls. I've never really known any girls and I don't know how to act around them. Have you ever had boys living with you?" |
| "We have, as a matter of fact. Our two nephews took turns visiting us, and you'd be staying in the room they used. It's not very big, but it's comfortable." |
| "Would I be sharing with the girls?" |
| "Heavens, no." Carol said. "It will be just for you. Our eldest, Gail, is sixteen, and she would die if she had to share with her sisters, let alone a boy! The twins, May and Chrissy, are eleven, and they already share their room. We are fairly strict about privacy. Things like knocking before opening a door, being properly dressed outside of bedrooms and so on. Each person's room is their own, and can only be entered by any one else with permission from the owner." |
| Most of the interview went along those lines, and everyone was satisfied. Andy would be taken to the Hentys' house on the following Friday afternoon by Mrs. Wileman. After that, the Hentys would drive Andy to and from their house. |
| Andy was very nervous, as he sat in Mrs. Wileman's car. His bag of clothes was across his knees. He was not worried about Rod or Carol. But what could he say to three girls! What did girls talk about? What did they do? He had seen girls before, in shops and streets, but Andy had never exchanged more than a few words with any girls. It would be like talking to people from another planet. |
| "Here is your new weekend home, Andy." Mrs. Wileman announced, as she steered into a driveway. The house was a single story, brick place. Two pink bicycles lay on the front lawn, and a small, multicoloured dog barked at the car from the house next door. The front door of the house opened and five people came out. Two skinny girls ran to open Andy's door and take the bag from his knees. Voices overwhelmed Andy, who could not think what to say or do, until Mrs. Wileman knelt beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. |
| "Hi, girls." Mrs. Wileman greeted the twins. "Can you introduce yourselves to Andy?" |
| "I'm May." One girl grinned. She had freckles and there was what looked like vegemite on her chin. "You're small for thirteen." |
| "Yeah. I guess I am." Andy could not think of anything else he could say to such a direct question. His stomach was knotted up, but he refused to give in to his fear. |
| "And I'm Chrissy. How come you're in goal?" |
| "Chrissy!" Carol exclaimed. |
| Andy was surprised at first, then he started laughing at the dumb eleven year old, though no one else knew he was laughing at the girl. "The home's not goal, Chrissy. It's where I live until I'm old enough to live on my own. I like it there, and I like all the grown-ups who look after me." Andy told her. He felt his shoulders being hugged by Mrs. Wileman, which was all right, but a moment later, Andy was horrified when Mrs. Wileman kissed his cheek in front of all those people! |
| "I'll leave you now, Andy. Remember, best manners." |
| Before Andy could even nod, Mrs. Wileman was hugging him and kissed him again! It was so embarrassing. Then Andy was lifting his hand in farwell to the departing car. |
| "Come on in and see your room." Either May or Chrissy said. Andy looked at her chin. |
| Vegemite. It was May. |
| "Okay. Um...Are you Gail?" Andy asked the last girl. She was as tall as her mother, and wore jeans and a big sweater. Andy noticed all of them had red hair, except for Rod, who was fair haired. |
| "Hello, Andy. Don't mind the rug-rats. We've been looking forward to meeting you." The older girl greeted him. Andy smiled at her. Gail, at least, was treating him as an equal. |
| "Wow. Cool room." Andy declared, when they were all inside his bedroom. There was a fish tank, with three goldfish, on a study desk, the bed was covered in a blue quilt with racing car designs on it, and the wardrobe was built into the wall. A notice board above the desk had magazine pictures of cars and planes pinned to it. And there was soft, brown-speckled carpet all through the house, as far as Andy could tell. |
| "I'm glad you like it." Carol said. "Use it as you like." |
| "But you've got to keep it tidy!" Chrissy told him. |
| "And take turns with the washing up!" May added. |
| "Girls, behave yourselves." Rod ordered. |
| "It's okay. I do lots of chores at the home." Andy decided to get his own back on the bossy girls. "I bet I'll keep this room cleaner than you two can keep yours." |
| As May and Chrissy loudly protested, Andy was glad to see that Rod, Carol and Gail were laughing at the two youngest kids. |
| "All right." Rod ordered. "Everyone out, and let Andy settle in. When you're ready, Andy, come out to the kitchen and have a glass of milk. Make yourself comfortable. There's TV and video games, books and board games. Oh, and the bathroom is next door. Across the hall are the girls' bedrooms." |
| "Thanks. Do you have a garden?" Andy asked. |
| "A garden? Sure, there's all kinds of flowers and shrubs. Take a walk in the backyard whenever you're ready." |
| When he was alone and the door closed, Andy unpacked his bag, putting the clothes in drawers, then sliding his empty bag under the bed. He noticed an electrical cord running under the blankets, and on the cord was a kind of switch with four settings; he wondered what it was for. Maybe it was one of those electric blankets he had heard about. |
| Before going into the kitchen, Andy knocked on the bathroom door, then looked inside. It was mostly white, with pinkish coloured tiles and a bath. A small pile of dirty clothes was lying in a corner, and clean towels were stacked on a shelf above the bath. In a separate stall from the shower, was the toilet. |
| Andy left the bathroom and found the kitchen, where Carol was cooking. |
| "Help yourself to milk in the fridge. If you're very hungry, there's biscuits, if you can't wait till dinner." |
| "I'd prefer to wait. What are you making? It looks really nice." |
| "It's just a baked dinner. Lamb, potatoes, pumpkin, that sort of thing." |
| "Great! Would you mind if I go outside? I like gardens." |
| "Of course not, Andy. I hope you come to understand that you're pretty well free to use this as your own home." |
| "Thanks. It's a bit hard. I mean, I'm not used to living like this." |
| "That will come, with time." |
| Andy opened the screen door to the backyard, and stepped onto a concrete path that led to a clothesline. Gail was taking down clothes and folding them into a cane basket on a trolley. |
| "Hi, Andy. Give me a hand?" Gail asked. |
| "Sure." Andy folded the clothes that she handed to him, then they did the sheets together. |
| "You're not what I expected, Andy." Gail surprised him. |
| "Oh? What did you expect?" |
| "I'm not sure. I guess some punk who smokes and swears, and carries a knife in his boot." |
| Andy grinned at her. "What if that's what I'm really like, and this is just a con job?" |
| "Somehow, I don't think it's a con, Andy. You seem like a nice kid. Do you play chess?" |
| "Chess? No." |
| "Dad and I play, sometimes. Would you like to learn? I can bring my chess set into your room later, and show you." |
| "Sure." Andy shrugged. It would help pass the time. "Do you only have flowers in your garden?" |
| "What else would we have?" |
| "Vegetables, fruit trees. Things to eat." |
| "Oh, no. We buy all our vegies. I'd as soon grow vegies as keep sheep and cows! Gardens are for being pretty too." Gail put the last sheet in the basket. "Let me show you something." |
| She led Andy to an earthenware pot that was by itself next to the garage. In the pot was a small, bushy shrub . Gail kneeled next to the pot and pointed at one of the tiny, white flowers. Andy kneeled next to Gail. He had to lean close to the plant to understand what she was trying to show him. The flower was little more than half a centimetre across, and it was perfectly formed, almost like an open rose. |
| "You need a magnifying glass to really appreciate it." Gail spoke softly, her breath barely moving the delicate leaves, which were green and outlined with a much paler green. |
| "It's beautiful." Andy agreed. "What's it called?" |
| "It's the Tree of a Thousand Stars." |
| "Unreal." He leaned closer, squinting to make out the details. |
| They heard Rod's voice close behind them. "What are you two up to? Your backsides are tempting targets, but I resisted." |
| "Oh, Dad! Don't be nasty. I was showing Andy the garden. He's into green thumbs and all that." |
| "I know. Maybe you'd like to help with the maintenance?" |
| "Dad! Andy's a guest." |
| "Sure he is. And if he's anything like me, he finds gardening very relaxing. Am I right, Andy?" |
| Andy smiled. Someone really understood! "Yeah, it's nice to spend a couple of hours mucking about with plants." |
| "Gail, would you take the washing inside and start the ironing, please?" |
| "I get it, Dad. This is Man to Man stuff, right?" She stood up and tossed her long, red hair. "Well, I know when I'm not wanted!" |
| "Get! I want to talk to Andy." They watched Gail go, then Rod motioned Andy over to a garden seat, under a shady tree. "Gail's the best daughter a man could have, Andy. She's helpful to her mother and to me, and she's considerate of other people. Her main flaw, is that she doesn't consider the twins as people. Then again, sometimes I'm not too sure about them, myself." |
| Andy grinned, though he said nothing. |
| "As for our Man to Man talk, well, I don't expect there's anything really to talk about, unless you've got some questions?" Rod watched Andy shake his head. "Right. Anytime, though, I'll try and answer anything as best I can. What I really want to talk to you about, is tomorrow. I've got something special planned, and only the girls' mother knows about it. We're all going to Wonderland!" |
| "What's Wonderland?" Andy asked. "I've heard of it, but I don't know what it is." |
| "You don't know about Wonderland! Good grief! Well, in that case, I'll leave it as a surprise. Don't mention it to the girls, and tomorrow, you are in for the experience of your life!" |
| The baked dinner Andy shared with the Hentys was delicious, and there was ice cream and pudding after the meal. Andy helped the twins clean up the table; he was exempted from doing the washing up, as it was his first night. He joined the rest of the family in front of the TV for a couple of hours, then went for a shower, and he put on his new pajamas and dressing gown that the home had given him for "Out Visits". When he was out of the bathroom, Gail was waiting for him in the hall. She had a box and a folder of some kind in her hands. |
| "Ready for chess?" She had an almost pleading smile, and Andy had to smile back at her. |
| "What do I do?" He asked, letting her walk into his room before him. They sat on the bed, and Gail opened the folder, which was really the playing board. She set up the playing pieces. As she put each piece in place, Gail explained how each was moved, and what it was called. |
| "Now this first game is really just so you get used to how to move. I've got the white side, so I go first. I can move any of this front line, which are the pawns, one or two spaces forward, but only in the first move. Once a pawn is moved, it's restricted to moving one space forward, except...well, I'll explain how a pawn takes another piece when we get to that part. Also, each square has a name. For example, I'm moving King's Bishop's Pawn to King's Bishop Three. Don't worry about those details. Okay, now it's your move." She watched Andy move one of his own pawns. "Yes, you can move that, there. I can keep moving pawns too, but I'll show you another move you can do with these knights. They can jump over other pieces, so it's hard for them to be boxed in." |
| At first, Andy did not have a clue what he was doing, he just copied what Gail did. After a while, though, some of the moves started to make sense. Gail let Andy win the first game by a checkmate, then she beat him. Gail and Andy won in turns, and Andy knew she was letting him win. He thought she was a nice person to teach him that way. |
| There was a knock at the door, which was open, and Carol put her head into the room. "Hey, you guys, it's eleven o'clock, and you haven't even showered yet, Gail." |
| "Sure, mum, we're nearly done. Five minutes, okay?" |
| "Five minutes. Good night, Andy." |
| Andy wished her good night, returning her smile. True to her word, Gail beat Andy, and packed up the game inside the five minutes. Seconds later, she was gone. Andy heard the toilet flush, then the shower came on in the next room. Gail took forever under the shower, but, soon after the water stopped running, she was back in Andy's room to wish him pleasant dreams. Andy smiled at Gail, who was wrapped in a blue robe with purple flowers and red birds all over it. For a moment, Andy was worried that Gail would kiss him good night. Fortunately, she just waved her hair-brush on her way out. |
| After a peaceful, dreamless sleep, Andy woke to find the twins staring at him from the side of his bed. |
| "Morning." They chorused. |
| "What time is it?" He asked. |
| "A few minutes past eight. You really slept in." |
| "I'm still asleep. Which one are you again?" |
| "I'm Chrissy. I've got a scar above my left eyebrow. See?" |
| "Oh, yeah. It's not very big. I'll try and remember." |
| "Mum says breakfast in five minutes, 'cos we're going some place special this morning." |
| "Aren't you two cold?" Andy asked them. |
| The twins were wearing only thin nighties, not even slippers, despite the cool morning. |
| "Nah! Cold is for wimps!" May declared. |
| "Well, I must be a wimp." Andy grinned, and put on his dressing gown and slippers. His memories of the snow were still with him. Warmth was something to treasure. |
| Breakfast was porridge. Andy had never eaten porridge. It was hot and creamy and chewy at the same time. After breakfast, the three girls argued over who would shower first. Andy was surprised that Gail showered twice a day. He shrugged and went to his room where he put on clean underwear, socks, jeans, t-shirt and sweater. It was nearly an hour before he could get into the bathroom to brush his teeth and use the toilet. Girls were unbelievable! |
| At ten thirty, they all piled into the family station wagon, and were on their way. Within another half hour, the twins had worked out where they were going. |
| "Wonderland? We're going to Wonderland! Yay, Daddy!" They screamed from the back, where they sat with Gail. Andy was in the middle of the front with the grown-ups. The entheusiasm shown by all three girls had him anticipating something nice. |
| The amusement park had a huge car park, and as Andy and the Henty family passed through the gates, Andy saw people dressed in costumes like cartoon characters. The place was gigantic. He had not realised such a place actually existed. |
| "What will we do first?" Rod asked. |
| Three female voices demanded different rides, finally, though, the twins outvoted Gail. Many of the rides were terrifying at first, for Andy, then the terror became excitement. Roller coasters, huge ferris wheels and a pirate ship that turned upside down. Somewhere, sometime, they had lunch, then returned to the rides for more thrills. Eventually, however, it was time to go home. Andy was so excited and fidgety by end of the day, Gail insisted he sit with the twins in the back; she sat between her parents. Andy and the younger girls chattered about the fun of the day, all the way home. They did not notice their clothing had gotten wet from some of the rides. On the way home, Rod stopped at a Pizza Hut for their dinner. |
| "I've died and gone to heaven." Andy told the Hentys, when they finally got home. "What an unreal day! Do you do this much?" |
| "Once or twice a year. Sometimes we'll go somewhere different." Gail answered. "A couple of months ago we went to Old Sydney Town." |
| "Is that like Wonderland?" Andy asked. |
| "What planet are you from, dude?" May demanded. "Don't you know anything?" |
| "That's enough, May." Rod ordered. "Andy's not as privileged as you. You've had it easy all your lives, not like Andy." |
| There was an awkward silence, broken by Gail. "Will you be a gentleman, Andy, and let me have first shower?" |
| "Of course, Gail." Andy was impressed with the elder girl's manners. |
| The twins looked at each other and, as one, went "Oooh!" |
| "Who's got the hots, then?" Chrissy wanted to know. |
| "That's it, you two." Rod was angry. "Straight to bed." |
| "Oh, Daddy! We didn't mean it. Honest! It's only eight o'clock!" |
| "Bed. Now." |
| Andy was glad everyone was glaring at the twins. He did not want anybody to notice how red he had gone. He was only being polite, after all. And Gail was sixteen! Gees, why were some kids so nasty? |
| After his own shower, Andy joined Gail and her parents in the living room for a cup of coffee. At ten o'clock, though, he told them he was worn out, and went to his room. Andy left the door open, as he disliked closed rooms at night. |
| The events of the day came back to him in sharp detail. The laughter, hugs from Carol and Gail; Rod's hand on Andy's shoulder as the two of them laughed at Carol screaming on the smaller roller coaster. There was a feeling of belonging he had never, ever had before. |
| Was this what being part of a family was? There were things in the eyes of Rod and Carol and Gail, and even the twins, that Andy had not seen before. None of the people in the home looked at Andy like that. Andy did not know what the look was. He just knew it was good, and he wanted people to look at him like that all the time. |
| The thoughts and feelings churned around inside Andy; he was mixed up, so he did not know he was crying, until Carol came into his room and put her arms around him. She spoke softly to Andy, as he hugged her tightly, and cried against her shoulder. Carol made shushing sounds and brushed Andy's hair. Rod and Gail were there, too, talking to him and patting Andy's back. After a while, Andy slept. |
| As with Saturday morning, Andy woke on Sunday to find the twins staring at him. |
| "Why are you guys watching me?" He mumbled sleepily. "Haven't you ever seen a guy asleep before?" |
| "Not someone who talks so much before they wake up." May said. |
| "Talk? What about?" Andy came awake quickly. No one at the home told him he talked in his sleep. |
| "Don't know. We can't understand most of it. Something about a dog and fleas." |
| "Oh. That. I might tell you about it sometime." Andy sat up, and the twins sat where his legs had been. "What's happening today?" |
| "Not much." Chrissy said. "Mass in an hour, then we might show you some of our secret places where we go to play." |
| "Or we might not." May added. "We haven't decided yet." |
| The three of them heard the shower come on. |
| "Gail sure showers a lot." Andy said with a smile, and the twins grinned back at him. |
| "She's got a boyfriend!" Chrissy announced. |
| "She's got heaps of boyfriends!" May corrected her sister. "Gail thinks showering all the time makes her smell nicer. Then, when she goes out on a date, she pours stinky perfume all over herself." |
| "And there's lipstick and all kinds of junky make-up. What a drag!" Chrissy pulled a face. |
| Andy found himself starting to realise that the twins were probably okay, just a bit young in the way they acted. They might be as big as him, but they were still two years younger than he was. Maybe, they could be friends after all. |
| "Do you go to church a lot?" He asked, hoping that it was not a regular thing. |
| "Every Sunday morning. Boring... Sometimes Father tells a good story, other times it's instant brain death. I suppose we'd better get ready." Chrissy sighed. "Oh, and on Sundays we have brekky after Mass." |
| "Last one dressed is a rotten egg!" May called. |
| In a flash of pink and white, the girls were off the bed and out the door. Andy dressed quickly, though he was in no particular hurry, since Gail was still in the bathroom. He decided Gail would not be able to survive in a girls' home, unless there was an unlimited water supply. |
| The twins were, naturally, in the lounge room before Andy, though May was struggling with a zipper on the back of Chrissy's green dress. Andy thought the twins actually looked like real girls for once. Maybe this was a good time to be nice to them. "You're both very pretty, dressed like that. Can I help?" |
| Strangely enough, the girls blushed almost the same shade of red as their short hair. When neither answered, except for giggles, Andy stepped up behind Chrissy and fiddled the zipper up and down until some threads that were caught came loose. |
| "Thanks, Andy." Chrissy said, with a giggle in her voice. |
| "That was clever of you." May told him. |
| "What was?" Carol asked, as she walked into the room. |
| "Nothing really. I just got Chrissy's zipper working." Andy shrugged his shoulders. It was no big deal, surely? |
| "May, would you go and knock on the bathroom door and hurry your sister along? If she's not out here in ten minutes, she can walk to church." |
| "Yes, Sir, Mummy!" May saluted and dashed down the hall. |
| A moment later there was a tremendous pounding noise, followed by May yelling the instructions to her older sister. Nine and a half minutes later, Gail joined everyone at the front door. She was adjusting bits of her clothes and pulling on shoes as she went. |
| Andy sat in the front of the car, while the three girls had the back. The younger sisters kept complaining when Gail elbowed them; Gail was trying to twist her pantyhose into the right places, while complaining about the trouble she was having. Andy had to put his hand over his mouth and bite his bottom lip, to keep from laughing at the girls. He felt a poke in his left side, and turned to see Carol smiling at him. Carol gave Andy a big, slow wink and then turned to face the road once more. |
| Andy felt strange. Wonderful, but strange. It was as if a balloon, covered in feathers, was expanding inside his chest. A ticklish swelling. How do you describe the feeling that you finally belonged to someone? |
| When Andy cautiously put his left arm around Carol, and gave her a little hug, Carol hugged him back and kissed the top of his head. The sensation inside Andy's chest quickly changed to a tightness that made it hard to swallow, and he hoped he was not going to cry again, like he had the night before. Andy felt good with Carol holding him safe. |
| Once, Andy thought he heard someone sniff, though he was not sure, because a moment later Rod's hand was resting on his shoulder. No one said anything as the car was parked in front of the old, brown church. Carol kept close to Andy all through the service, usually with a hand or arm on his shoulder, and Rod was near enough that they touched often. When the priest told everyone to exchange a sign of friendship, Carol and Gail both kissed Andy, while Rod and the twins shook his hand, as did people all around him. |
| Something was happening to Andy, and it was starting to frighten him. He began to shiver. Carol held him closer, leaned towards him and whispered "Is something wrong, Andy?" |
| "I...I don't know. Why is everyone so friendly?" He whispered back. |
| "What do you mean? It's like this all the time, Andy. Do you mean no one has ever shaken hands with you like this?" |
| Andy shook his head, unable to talk any more, because his throat was tightening up again. |
| A few minutes later, the family joined the people queuing up to get little white biscuits of bread to eat. Andy stayed in his seat, staring at his shoes, hands clasped between his knees. |
| Andy was silent all the way home, though he held tightly to the arm Carol put around his shoulders. While Carol prepared breakfast, Andy went to his room to change into ordinary clothes. He was in his underwear when there was a knock at the door. "Andy, it's Rod. Can I come in?" |
| "Yes, sir." Andy managed to say, though his voice sounded higher than normal. |
| Rod sat on Andy's bed while Andy finished dressing. "You seem upset, Andy. What's wrong?" |
| "Nothing's wrong... I'm wrong... I don't know! I want people to like me, but when they do it scares me. What's wrong with me?" Tears rushed down Andy's cheeks and he hated himself for it. When Rod pulled him close, though, Andy did not try to push him away. |
| "Nothing's wrong with you, son. You've needed this all your life. Now you've found it, it's too much to handle at once. Don't be afraid of crying, either. I'm certainly not going to think any less of you. In fact I think you're one of the toughest kids I know." |
| Andy turned to look up towards the strong, rugged face that smiled at him. A moment later, Andy felt a kiss on his forehead, and, strangely enough, everything became all right. Andy's tears and pain were gone. |
| "Let's go have some breakfast, Andy." |
| "What have you two been up to?" Carol asked. She and the three girls were already eating their bacon and eggs. |
| "Man talk." Rod said. "Looks good, Carol. Better not let any of it go to waste, eh, Andy?" |
| "I could eat a horse." Andy grinned. |
| "That's for lunch, and the saddle is for afternoon tea." Gail said in a solemn voice. |
| Once breakfast was over, Andy insisted on cleaning the kitchen. He tidied, washed and dried everything he could, just as he would have done at the home; then he went out into the front garden, where May and Chrissy were bashing away with tennis racquets at a ball tied to a metal pole. May was wearing a white t-shirt over black cycle pants; Chrissy had a light blue frock on. |
| When the ball bounced off May's head, Andy burst out laughing, and Chrissy did too. May yelled at them that it was not funny and it hurt. That only made Andy and Chrissy laugh more, because May did look funny, with her hands on her hips, and her bottom lip sticking out. |
| "Hey, Andy!" Chrissy called. "Want a hit?" |
| "Sure." |
| "Catch!" Chrissy tossed him the racquet, and he stood opposite May. He missed most of the time, at first. He began to do better, as he worked out some of the things he was doing wrong. Chrissy took over from May, and played with Andy, until it was May's turn again, to play against her sister. |
| When they got tired of that game, Chrissy suggested they head for the park. May ran into the house to tell her mother, then the three of them walked down a few streets for ten minutes. There was a neat park, with swings, a merry-go-round and other things to play on. Andy tried everything. The twins were more than willing to ride the merry-go-round with him, or ride the highest slippery dip, with all three of them sitting locked together as if they were on a toboggan. When Rod arrived in the station wagon and told them it was one o'clock and time for lunch, Andy wondered where the day had gone. |
| Lunch was hamburgers, cooked on the barbecue, and Andy ate three, they tasted so good. Then there were trees to climb with the girls, and that was one thing they could not beat him at. Chrissy got her frock tangled in branches, and May had to get her loose. Not even May could get to where Andy climbed. Andy climbed down to where the twins clung to the swaying tree trunk, then climbed higher than before, just to show them it was not beginner's luck. |
| It was not until afternoon tea, that Andy realised he would have to pack his small bag, ready to return to the home. |
| Before any one was ready for it, five thirty arrived, and Andy had to go. Gail started crying first, and Andy was next, then Chrissy and Carol, while May scolded them all for being sissies. Rod drove Andy to the home, and shook Andy's hand at the door, because other boys were watching. It would not be cool to be seen hugging Rod. |
| "I'll pick you up Friday, straight after work." Rod said. "You've got our phone number, just in case anything happens?" |
| Andy nodded. "Yes, sir. Thanks for an unreal weekend." |
| "Thank you, Andy. See you later." Rod brushed Andy's hair with his hand, then returned to his car. Andy watched the station wagon disappear through the gates. |
| Once inside the building, Andy went to his room, threw his bag on his bed and surveyed what he had to call home. |
| He knew what he had to do. |
