Chapter Thirty

 

THE BOYS RETURNED IN A BABBLE OF NOISE, which didn’t give anyone time to think about anything, except the vibrancy of youth, it’s joys, it’s squabbles and it’s ever attending facility to keep everyone else young. The laughter simply rippled through the normally sombre corridors where it was obvious that everyone was happy and I was delighted for them. It is true that sadness and mourning have to be endured in their time, but that time should only cause a short pause in life, I thought ...and not a prolonged sigh. Anna was getting back to her normal self again and I was pleased for her, even if there was a little hiccup at times, but that was only to be expected. It was Gerry who worried me. He appeared to be unable to throw off his mantle of sadness and despair. His eyes always seemed to be looking ...searching, where somehow and somewhere, he would find again the little darling he so tragically lost and I thought it was rather unusual for a man to have such prolonged grief, but then we are all different and as I have so sadly been reminded ...men do cry ... I could see daddy’s face again, as he watched mother in her agony. There was nothing he could do ...and if there was, she would not allow him to do it. Mother had to instigate everything ...even in her needs.

“Baar shee soo tros,” Robbie brought me out of my introspection and I smiled as I welcomed his return from the village.

“He can’t half eat, that nephew of yours Amy,” said Anton as he unwrapped a chocolate caramel ‘éclair’ and threw the silver purple wrapper onto an ashtray on the long coffee table. He missed and it bounced across the floor and Aggie picked it up with a grunt as she passed and put it into her apron pocket. I thought she was going to tell him off, but instead, she smiled ...Somehow to Aggie, everything the boys did was the very right thing to do ... “And Gideon will get himself arrested if he doesn’t behave himself,” Anton went on, with his cheek swollen as he sucked contentedly at his delicacy and Aggie pricked up her ears.

“Why ...Whatever has he done?” She enquired looking attentively at the youngest man in her life and smiling complacently. “We would understand you very much better, young man, if you wouldn’t eat with your mouth full,” she scowled for a moment before the pride returned to her eye and Anton swung the bulge to his other cheek and it wobbled as he continued to speak, paying no attention to the Housekeeper’s loving reprimand.

“It’s his antics on the bus, that’s what,” he gabbled as he licked his lips and the bulge disappeared. Aggie frowned again in mock disapproval as Anton stripped the paper off another sweet and she held out her hand.

“I’ll take that, in case you’re thinking of slinging it in the ashtray where you know it won’t stay,” she said curtly ... but with another smile.

“Well, you know Aggie how everyone should sit in the bus and not stand about as long as there are seats available?”

“Of course,” she replied, pulling in her chest with self righteousness.

“Well ...smart-ass here …”

“Anton ... DO MIND YOUR LANGUAGE”

“Sorry Aggie, but you know what I mean, don’t you?”

Aggie grinned and looked at me under her eyelids as Anton continued.

“Well ...smarty-pants then. He read this notice saying, ‘Please take a seat when available,’ and kept reading it aloud all the way into the village and back again too.” Aggie looked at me and I at her, wondering why this notice should cause such concern. “So, as I was leaving the bus Aggie, I saw the Gideon had scribbled it in pencil, quite heavily, under the notice.”

We had a good long look at each other again.

“Well?” we asked simultaneously. Written WHAT in pencil?”

“Well only that he’d written underneath, ‘Be sure to bring it back again tomorrow.’

Anton looked the picture of innocence as he undid the wrapper from his third sweet and popped it into his mouth before he tucked the wrapper into Aggie’s apron pocket.

“That’ll save you bending down old girl,” he said with a grin and I stood by the kitchen door trying to stifle my laughter and leaving Aggie to cope with her reaction as best she could, but I know it was some before she could speak and her plump shoulders began to heave. Eventually, she blew her nose and announced that she had work to do and would we all, ‘clear orf ...from under her feet’ ...and let her get on with it. Robbie smiled at me as I took his hand.

“Did you enjoy your visit to the village, darling?” I asked and he pressed my hand against his cold cheek. I knew his response in the silence that ensued and as we walked up the stairs together, I thought it best to ‘present’ him to the toilet by pointing to the bathroom door and without seeming to appear too personal, but he shook his head gently and pointed to Freya’s room.

“Do you want to go and see Freya?” I asked and his eyes lit up. I knocked on her door and got the negative response I had expected, but I went in, just the same. The little girl eyed me lazily until she spotted Robbie by my side and then she became another person in that instant. She sat up and her snout twisted into a broad smile, not for me of course, but for him exclusively. ...and then she stretched out her short arms. Robbie walked towards her on his own steam and I waited. Her face was a picture of joy and happiness and I could hear a dull groan coming from the rocking horse as he slowly began to move and rocked into a position where he was looking out of the windows and ignored the two children, who had eyes ...only for each other. It was a strange situation and I was aware of that, but I never for one moment ever felt that Freya would do Robbie any harm in those moments when they were so close together.