| "Andy's Quest" |
| Copyright Francis Blow, 1996. |
| CHAPTER 6 |
| The only two realistic ways of getting out of the home was either to wait until he was old enough to be released into the world to make his own way, or to be taken in by a family. |
| Andy changed his original plan. Instead of years of waiting inside the dark, dreary rooms of the home, he would see if the Hentys might be willing to foster him. After dinner, Andy asked Mr. Ribson if the two of them could talk. |
| "Well, Andy." Mr. Ribson let Andy into his office. "Have a seat and tell me about your weekend." |
| "Are the Hentys an ordinary family? I still can't believe how nice they were to me and each other." |
| "Hmm. I think you might have found a family that's much better than average. Tell me what you think of them as individuals. Start with the youngest. They've got twin girls, right?" |
| "Yes, sir. May's a real tom-boy, she tries too hard to prove how tough she is. Chrissy's nice and she likes to wear pretty dresses, though sometimes she'll get as crazy as May. I really like Gail. She's teaching me to play chess, and she gives me hugs. Carol's very kind to me... I wish she was really my mum." |
| "Andy, why are you crying?" Mr. Ribson put his hand on Andy's shoulder. |
| Tears flowed down Andy's cheeks as he spoke. "I don't know... I miss them already, I guess." |
| "What about Mr. Henty? Did you get on okay with him?" |
| "He's really cool. He hugged me. Is it okay for guys to kiss?" |
| "Oh?.. That's a hard one. The answer is yes, in the right circumstances. Did he kiss you?" |
| "When I was mixed up and crying. Like Carol kissed me. Here." Andy pointed at his forehead . "He said crying's okay, and that there's nothing wrong with me. He says I'm tough." |
| "Well, Andy, he's right in all those things. Sounds like you did a lot of crying. Did anything go wrong at all?" |
| "Oh no! Everything was perfect. It was like a fairy-tale, or a dream. I want to live with them every day!" |
| "I can understand that. How about you tell me about it? Start from the beginning." |
| Later that night, Andy lay in bed thinking about the five people who had grown to mean so much to him in two days. He slept soundly, dreaming peaceful dreams. |
| Monday started like any school day, and it was not until the third period that Andy made up his mind not to wait for things to go his way. Andy was going to make his future happen. He did not know how he was going to do it, he just knew that it was up to him. Instead of playing during the meal times, Andy sat with a piece of paper, working out what to do. First he had to figure out what the problem was. |
| He was in the home, when he needed to be living in the Henty house. Okay; take it from there. What reason could there be for the Hentys to want him living with them? A friend for the twins? They must have lots of friends, and, anyway, they got on great by themselves. Gail needed someone to play chess with, but that was not much of a reason, and she had heaps of boyfriends whom she could teach to play chess. |
| Carol? Carol had her three daughters to do chores. What more could Carol want? Was there anything special a boy could do that a girl could not? About the only thing Andy could figure out that was really different between him and the girls was that he could go to the toilet standing up. Big deal! Was that really the only difference? It certainly seemed that way. That left Rod. Help with the garden? Maybe. The girls did not show much interest in plants. Gail liked to look at flowers, though she was not keen on getting her hands into the dirt. Could being a gardener for them be an answer? What else? |
| There had to be something! |
| Maybe Rod wanted someone he could talk "Man" stuff to, whatever that was. Andy knew most of the boys in the home talked dirty about girls, and, sometimes, he did too. No way, though, that Rod would! With three daughters, Rod would probably knock Andy's teeth out, if he talked dirty. Rod's family was so religious, they probably never did anything wrong, or even had bad thoughts. |
| Hey. Religion! They were Catholics. If he read up on what Catholics were about, it might be another way of getting them to like him enough to stay. It was worth a try, anyway. |
| Andy was surprised there were so many religion books in the library. Most of them were for ordinary types of Christians, though there were a couple on Catholics. Andy borrowed the books and read them at night, in bed. He always fell asleep reading the books, they were so boring. Andy did not believe any of it. |
| How could all that stuff about Jesus be true? Get real, Andy thought to himself. When you died, that was it. The end! Worm food. Come back from the dead? Heaven? Hell? Pull the other one, mate! Talk about fairy stories; how could so many people believe that stuff? |
| Andy almost gave up after three days, but decided to give it one more go. |
| On Thursday, Andy went to see the only practicing Catholic in the home. |
| Mrs. Wileman took time to talk to Andy, between looking in on some sick boys at lunch time. |
| "Why do I believe all these stories?" She said. "Because nothing else makes as much sense. Have you worked out that most Christian religions are pretty much the same, basically?" |
| "Yeah. But you worship a goddess as well. Mary, right?" |
| "I think you misunderstand. Most Christians, and other religions too, recognise she's the mother of Jesus. Catholics take it further, by treating her with special respect, that's all." |
| "You talk about her as if she's still alive." Andy noticed. |
| "You've got doubts about life after death, Andy? Let's just assume for a minute that when you die your thoughts, personality and essence transform into a kind of ghost, and goes to live in another dimension. Can you imagine that?" |
| "I guess." He made the concession doubtfully. |
| "Now, you've got no body, right?" |
| "Okay." |
| "Let's say, you've become pure energy, or whatever name you want to give it. What do you need to survive?" |
| "Um... Nothing. More energy, I suppose?" |
| "If that's the case, what is stopping you from existing forever?" |
| Oh... I get it... But how can you prove it?" |
| "I'll ask you another question. How do you exist at all?" |
| "I was born. What do you mean?" |
| "Where did we all come from?" |
| "Humans evolved from animals?" |
| "I won't argue that with you. What about animals, then?" |
| "They came from plants, and plants came from germs and stuff." |
| "Go right back to the beginning. How did the first life start?" |
| "In science, they say lightning and chemicals and radiation started a little bug going." |
| "All just a freak accident, in other words. Now, imagine this: what would be the hardest thing to do? Create a germ the way you describe, using just the right combination of conditions, or for a few metals and chemicals to get together and start a machine? By the way, scientists have been trying to recreate life for hundreds of years." |
| Andy thought about her question, and could only come up with one answer. "Anyone can make a machine. I guess that would be easier." |
| "Would it surprise you if I said that natural batteries and machines do exist in nature?" |
| "Really? What kind?" |
| "There are lots of different kinds, but they don't last long. The electricity runs down, or they wear out. What I'm leading up to, is that humans have never built any machine as complicated as the simplest germ. In other words, there is a better chance of nature creating a super computer, or a jumbo jet, or a factory, than of producing the most basic virus." |
| "But there were millions of years for that to happen." Andy protested. "It was an accident." |
| "Let's say you're right. A bug was created by accident. How likely is it, that that one tiny creature survived in the kind of environment we talked about?" |
| Andy could not answer her, though he thought there had to be a reason. |
| "Don't worry about it, Andy. Does this interest on your part have anything to do with the family you visited?" She asked. |
| "I'm trying to work out why Catholics believe in what they do." |
| "Don't just concentrate on Catholics, Andy. Learn about as many religions as you can." |
| "Aren't you going to try and convert me?" |
| "Good heavens, no! What good is that, if you don't understand what the truth is? Learn the truth, and that will solve all your problems. And I really mean every problem in your life!" |
| "What is the truth?" |
| "Look for it, and you will find it. I've got a feeling that you came close to it on the weekend." |
| "What do you mean?" Andy had become frustrated with her answers. |
| "If I told you, it would mean nothing to you. If you find it out yourself...well, then you'll need nothing else." |
| Friday! At last! |
| Andy waited at the front steps of the home. He was terribly worried that Rod would not come. What if the Hentys changed their minds about having him stay? |
| Andy was fidgeting with anxiousness by the time the familiar station wagon drove through the gates. Rod was alone, since he had come straight from work. He got out of the car and shook Andy's hand. "How was your week, Andy?" |
| "It was okay. Mostly, I was wishing it was now." Andy admitted, smiling. |
| "Your wish came true, then! It is now. Ready to go?" |
| "You bet!" As they drove out of the grounds, Andy asked how the family was. |
| "They're all well. Gail's got a new boyfriend, the second one this month. The twins tried out for the touch footy, and May got selected. Chrissy changed her mind at the last minute. I don't know why, but it's her choice. And Carol joined a photography course." |
| "Do you need a course to take photos?" |
| "Not for ordinary snaps. Carol wants to take fancy photos of the family, without the cost of using professionals all the time." Rod shrugged. "I think it's mostly so she can get away from all the housework. That's pretty boring. I did the stuff around the house for her each time one of the girls was getting born, and she was too tired to do housework." |
| Andy thought to himself that he could do more of the housework for Carol. She might want to keep him, if he was handy to have around. And he would tell her how good her photos were. |
| The three girls were in the backyard, so Andy dropped his bag in his bedroom and went out to meet them. Gail kissed him, while the twins called "Hi!", and Carol gave him a hug as well as a kiss. |
| "Did you study hard at school, this week, Andy?" Carol asked, while brushing Andy's hair out of his eyes. |
| "Very hard. I want to do extra well at everything, so I'll be ready for whatever job I decide to get." |
| "My goodness, you're all ready for going to work? That's unusual to hear. Most kids your age are only interested in playing." |
| "I like playing. It's great, but nobody pays you for playing. I can play anytime I want to, as long as I've got enough to eat, a place to live and nice clothes." |
| "Put that way, you're right, Andy. I like the clothes you picked. You look very handsome." |
| "Thanks." Andy blushed, glad she noticed. Not everything he wore was his own. He had begged, borrowed and bribed other boys to get himself the best he could. Now, he wore light grey slacks, a pale blue shirt and a black belt, along with his own black school shoes and socks. Mrs. Wileman had helped him choose the best mixtures of clothes, even down to what he would wear to play in. |
| "Hey, Andy." Gail said. "Would you like to start a chess game? We can finish it after dinner." |
| "I'd love to, Gail." Andy was keen to get the older of the girls to want his company. He did notice, though, that May and Chrissy were fairly quiet. He was thinking of something clever to tell the twins when Gail took his hand and led him into her bedroom. Gail's room was bigger than his, and had lots of soft colours, with pin-up posters of guys. Dolls lay on the pale yellow bed. |
| Gail pushed aside a small pile of frilly clothes, to make room for Andy and herself on the bed. She put the chess set between her and Andy. "Let's see how much you remember." |
| The first game was over before dinner, with Gail winning easily. |
| "Do you want to play later, after our showers?" She asked. Andy noticed that Gail sounded a little anxious. |
| "Try and stop me. I'm going to beat you fair and square one day!" |
| "You and what army?" |
| "That one." Andy pointed at the chess pieces, winked at her and walked out the door, followed by a flying pillow that brushed his shoulder. |
| Andy went to the kitchen. Without saying anything, he set the table, being very precise as to how he laid out the knives and forks, with a serviette at each place, and salt and pepper in the middle of the table. Carol kept glancing up from where she was cooking, then smiled when he finished, "Thank you, Andy." |
| "Is there anything else I can do? I love to help." |
| "Everything else's fine. You can tell everyone to wash up, please." |
| He knew Gail was coming to the dining room, so he told Rod, who was reading a newspaper in the lounge room, then Andy went outside where he could hear the twins voices. He spied them playing at the bottom of the yard, and called out, "Chrissy! May! It's time to come in." |
| "Hey, Andy!" One of them yelled. "Come and look at this!" |
| Andy ran to join them. They were peering down at the ground. A large, fat lizard with a blunt head and a blue tongue was hissing at the girls from near the fence. |
| "What is it?" Andy asked, wondering how dangerous it was. |
| "It's a blue-tongue, silly. It was eating a snail!" May explained. |
| "Yeah, megga gross!" Chrissy agreed. |
| Now that he was close, Andy could tell the twins apart. May was in cycle pants and a fluorescent green singlet, while Chrissy wore baggy shorts and a big, white t-shirt. |
| "It's ugly." Andy said. |
| "You'd be ugly, too, if you ate snails." May told him, and laughed. |
| Andy grinned. "If we don't get inside soon, that might be all we're allowed to eat. Dinner's ready." |
| There was a race for the bathroom. No one won, because they got there at the same time, and tangled their arms up, trying to wash all three pair of hands at once. They were still laughing and giggling when they sat at the table. |
| "Dad!" May called. |
| "Keep it down to a dull roar, sweetheart. What is it?" Rod asked. |
| "There's a blue-tongue in the backyard." She said, her voice slightly quieter. |
| "That's nice. It'll keep the spiders and things down." |
| Chrissy joined the conversation. "It ate a snail. Crunched its shell, and all this icky stuff came out of its mouth." |
| "Oh, Chrissy!" Gail protested. "Do you have to? I'm eating!" |
| "That's enough, girls." Carol ordered . "We have a guest at the dinner table." |
| "Andy's not a guest!" Gail said. "He's my mate! Aren't you, Andy?" |
| She winked at him, and Andy grinned broadly. |
| They had a wonderful baked dinner with chicken, followed by ice cream. The twins insisted that the family go out to see the lizard, but it had gone. While he was outside, Andy noticed that the lawn needed mowing, so he hurried inside, changed into jeans, a blue t-shirt and sneakers, then went searching for the mower in the garage. By the time he had finished the backyard, and filled the wheel barrow with clippings, it was getting dark. Andy went inside, leaving his shoes at the back door, and had a shower. He was putting his dirty underwear in his plastic laundry bag, when Rod knocked at the open door. "Hi, Andy. I noticed you did some mowing." |
| "Just the back. It looked like it could use a cut, and I'm not much into TV. Sometimes I'll watch a cartoon or a movie, and I like travel shows. The other stuff doesn't interest me." |
| "I bet that makes study time easier. Um... Do you feel that you need to do things for us, because you're staying here?" |
| Andy was not sure how to answer that, and he did not want to lie to Rod. "I know I don't need to. I want to." |
| "Why is that? Mowing and setting tables is hardly exciting." |
| Andy fiddled with the buttons on his pyjama shirt before he answered. "I want to help... I... I'm not sure any more." |
| "That's alright, Andy. I didn't mean to sound heavy or anything. It's just that we're not used to people volunteering around here." Rod grinned. "We usually have to drag the twins kicking and screaming to get their chores done, and Gail often finds good reasons to put things off. I think it might be nice to have another responsible person around the house." |
| Andy smiled, relieved and pleased at the way things turned out. A few moments later, Carol came in to stand behind Rod. |
| "Ah, Andy." She began. "Leave any of your clothes here that you like. It's nothing to throw them in the wash with the rest of the laundry, and that way you don't have to bring them each time. Let me have those." |
| When Carol took the plastic bag, Andy felt as if he was suddenly as light as a feather. She wanted him to leave his clothes there! They wanted him to keep coming back! |
| The grown-ups left Andy. He was alone for less than two minutes, thinking how lucky he was, when May came into his room without knocking, because the door was still open. The twins hardly ever closed their door, either. |
| "Do you ever get to do anything in the home?" She asked. "I mean, play games and stuff like that?" |
| "Sure, when we're not in class or doing regular duties, we can do all sorts of things. TV, cards, read, video games, pool, cricket, footy." |
| "I'm on the touch footy team!" |
| "Yeah, your dad said. Congratulations!" |
| Chrissy came in while they were talking. |
| "What about you, Chrissy? Your dad told me you changed your mind about playing." |
| Chrissy shrugged. "Footy's a boys game, and I don't really want to spend every Saturday chasing a ball while other people tackle me." |
| "Wimp!" May poked her sister in the ribs, and plopped herself onto Andy's bed. "You're not as much fun as you used to be." |
| "Gail says young ladies should not play rough sports with boys. We should be more... lady-like." |
| "Well la-de-da! Listen to Miss Prissy! I'm going to have a shower... I suppose, being a lady, you'll have a bath and a slave'll wash your back." Chrissy did not bother to answer, so May slid off the bed and walked out with a loud "Humpf!" |
| When they heard the bathroom door close, Chrissy took May's place on the bed, and Andy sat with her. "Do you think I'm a wimp, Andy?" |
| "Nope. I don't know much about girls, except that when they dress nice, they're pretty, like...flowers, I guess. Nice to look at." |
| "Really? You think I look like flowers?" Chrissy's eyes widened. |
| "Aw. You know what I mean... Nice." Andy felt himself blushing, though he was unsure why that was. He got more embarrassed when Chrissy smiled at him. |
| Andy was saved by May calling her sister. "Chrissy! Get my nightie, will you?" |
| Chrissy scowled, slid off the bed and went to help May. Andy watched her enter her room, then he hurried to Gail's closed door, where he knocked. "Gail?" |
| "Come in, Andy." Gail was sitting at her dressing table, rubbing some kind of cream into her face. |
| "Have you got a rash?" Andy asked. |
| "No! It's skin cleanser. Women use it instead of soap." |
| "Oh." Andy was not sure if she was making a joke or not. "Can I watch?" |
| "Sure... What was May bellowing about?" |
| "She forgot her clothes. Why don't you use soap?" |
| "It dries the skin out and I'd get wrinkles too soon. I'm sure it helps clear up acne too." |
| "Zits? I haven't got any, yet. Some of the other kids my age have." |
| "You're thirteen, aren't you? " She paused to study him in the mirror, a blob of cream half way to her face. |
| "Yeah. I know I'm small for my age. Mrs. Wileman told me it's because I didn't get enough of the right kind of food when I was younger." |
| They gazed at each other's reflection. "You probably think that the twins and I are pretty spoiled." |
| Andy grinned. "Only a tiny bit. I wish I was spoiled just like you three!.. How come you talk to me? I mean most older kids don't want to be around guys my age." |
| Gail turned around on her stool. "I like you, Andy. Don't ask me why, 'cos I don't know myself. At first I felt sorry for you, but not for long after I met you and realised how tough you are." Gail had a puzzled expression on her face. "Not tough like a bully... Tough like a winner. Yeah. Like someone who's in a race, or climbing a mountain, and won't let anything stop him from getting to the finish. That's exactly what you are, Andy. A winner!" |
| Andy was astonished with Gail. Could she mean it? He sure did not feel like he was winning at anything. Every time he solved one problem, it seemed he found two or three more problems. |
| "Thanks, Gail." He managed to say. It was hard to talk to someone as clever as Gail, without sounding immature. "Do you want a game of chess now?" |
| "How about you set up the pieces as close as you can remember them, while I grab a quick shower?" |
| "Sure. May should be finished by now." |
| Gail threw her sweater onto her stool when she stood, grabbed her nightie off the bed, and was gone, leaving Andy room on the quilt. He concentrated on setting the chess pieces up on the board. The pawns were easy enough, but the rest were harder to remember. Fortunately, Andy found a small diagram inside the lid of the chess set, and set the pieces up accordingly, he thought. Andy estimated that Gail's "quick" shower took nearly twenty minutes, and when she did come back, her nightie clung damply to the middle of her back, where she forgot to towel herself. |
| "All set?" She asked, once she was sitting on her folded legs, opposite him. |
| "I think so." He watched her anxiously as she studied the board. |
| "Pretty good, really. The only thing is that the White Queen stands on the white square. You adjust the two kings and the Black Queen accordingly. Like this." Gail changed the four pieces in question. "I'm white? You're a true gentleman, Andy." |
| Their game went on for half an hour, with Gail winning. "You sure have improved, Andy. That was great. Another game?" |
| Andy smiled. "It is fun, isn't it?" |
| "Do you really think so?" Gail was delighted. |
| "I didn't know it could be so interesting. I mean, you're like the general of an army, aren't you?" |
| "Or the queen of a country!" She agreed. |
| "Good! You can be Black Queen Gail this time!" |
| "Huh? I take it back! You're not a gentleman after all." |
| "All's fair in love and war." |
| "And chess. Lay on, McDuff!" |
| "Who?" Andy was puzzeled by the change of subject. |
| "Never mind. One day you'll learn about Shakespeare." |
