Four Weeks In Cedar Bay

CHAPTER SIX

“Sorry for the disruption Miss, my leading hand seems to need some lessons on how to carry things without breaking everything in his path”, Teddy said in a somewhat apologetic way with un undertone of irritation.  Amy felt a little sorry for Roy.  The older gentleman came across like he would be someone difficult to get along with.  “That’s alright”, Amy began, “I wasn’t expecting anyone else in here today, but there’s plenty of room for all of us.  I’ll just move what I’m doing off to one side.  Do you need a hand bringing anything in?”.  Not being a local, Amy sure didn’t want to seem like she was taking over the place.  “That would be fine Miss, but you don’t need to help with any heavy lifting, that’s what this fella is for”, Teddy gave a nod in Roy’s direction.  Meanwhile, Roy, trying his best to ignore further digs Teddy was making against him, picked up the board again and moved it to one side of the large room which made up the school.  Finding a place to set the board back down, he headed outside again to keep moving the rest of the stage materials.  He had a feeling shifting everything into the school was going to take all afternoon and all night.

Amy swiftly moved her two signs and paints then walked towards Teddy to introduce herself.  “I’m Amy”, offering her hand in greeting, “I’m helping with tasks allocated for Kate from the café for the festival”.  Teddy, leaning on one crutch and taking his weight off the other, awkwardly took Amy’s offered hand.  “I’m Teddy.  I was in charge of the festivals set up, until this happened”, Teddy pointed to his cast with distain in his voice and actions.  “Well, you’re lucky to have the help.  I have no idea what I’m doing really.  I’m just going off a list and suggestions.  Ruth has been so kind and helpful.  I don’t think I would have got this far without her”.  Amy was trying to get Teddy to see how fortunate he was to have at least someone helping him, she’d seen the look on Roy’s face as he’d walked back out of the school, like he was ready to drop everything and leave Teddy to do it all on his own.  “Ah, Ruth, wonderful lady!  A pillar of this community!  Worth her weight in gold!”.  Teddy’s reflection on Ruth was surprising to Amy.  One mention of Ruth and his entire demeanor changed. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Teddy, but these signs won’t paint themselves.  Best get back to it”, Amy summarised as she headed back to her work.  It was then Roy started to walk back into the school with another board when Teddy, directing his words to Roy as he passed by, said, “Look boy!  You’d learn a lot from this young lady.  She’s not afraid of hard work!”.  Amy inwardly shook her head.  ‘Wow!  Just wow!’, she thought.  ‘It would take someone with extreme patients to put up with him by the sounds of it!’.  Amy continued her painting, and every now and then, looked up to watch Roy come and go.  She had to put her ear plugs back in, so her music blocked out Teddy’s ongoing ridicule of what a shocking job Roy was doing.  ‘Poor Roy’, she kept saying to herself as he continued to come and go from the school with more boards and beams.  She really did feel sorry for him.

Amy was finally done repainting the background on both signs, it was time for her to leave the rest for the following day.  The lettering on both signs needed attention next and she’d decided to head back to the craft store before Sandy closed for the day.  Wanting to bring a bit of sparkle to the signs, she was on a mission to find some glitter to make the letters pop.  Amy had no expectations of Sandy donating the glitter as well, she was more than willing to pay for it.  She was really starting to enjoy helping the kind folk she’d met so far in Cedar Bay.  The people and the small town were starting to grow on her.  Some people more than others, but when she thought of Roy, she really didn’t know what to make of him.  He’d been prickly with her most of the time, ‘matter-of-fact’ half the time, then caring and kind for a few fleeting moments.  She couldn’t understand for the life of her, why he’d kissed her.  His actions were far too confusing, she thought it best to just carry on like nothing ever happened.