Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound Chapter 16

The walk down to the doctor's surgery was a short one for there was only a few houses down from mums for us to walk. I had decided to place dad's old ties and shoes in with the dress that I had swapped so that mum wouldn't question me anymore than she already had about the dress. I felt slightly nervous as I kept thinking that someone would know what I had done and pull me over.

We dropped off the old medication and then I had to wait an age for mum to stop nattering on to the receptionist about the knitting they were both doing. Apparently, they were thinking of starting a knitting club.

'Right onto the thrift store,' I ordered.

'Alright,' She replied.

We didn't meet anyone as we walked down the pathway into town which I made me feel very relieved as I thought that I probably looked a little shifty due to the fact that I kept looking around like I was in some James Bond movie. We deftly avoided Margo who seemed to be in a conversation with some elderly woman, more like gossiping hags. That was fine as long as she left my personal life well alone.

We entered the thrift store and I noted that the same woman was still in there, now fussing over some old DVD's and brick a brac in the corner. She turned and then beamed a smile like she knew me, but I realised it was mum she knew far better.

'Helen! So nice to see you, how is the farm going?' mum perked up no end, which reminded me that mum was quite friendly with Helen O'Malley, who this was, much changed since the last time I had seen her.

They had bonded over their mutual dislike of Margo Brockhurst. Helen could never bring herself to care about giving underhanded jabs towards Margo. I remembered Helen, or Mrs O'Malley as I'd called her, from when I would go up to the farm and help out during the harvest with Lizzie. We were often allowed to take some of the fruit especially for Lizzie the strawberries. It often seemed that it was one for the basket two for me. It was amazing that I had never met Gideon during those times for Lizzie had been dating Theo but then again Gideon had always looked after the livestock and had been away at college for some part of it.

'It's quite a busy time of the year, what with the calving. Poor Gideon was up all night dealing with a heifer who had a breech,' Helen replied. She caught sight of me behind mum, which wasn't that hard as I was taller than her. 'Cara Tucker, I thought I recognised you from earlier. Come here child and let me hug you.'

I went willing, thinking, it seemed like all the O'Malley's had a thing for hugs and being very demonstrative with affection.

'Oh, you look a bit peaky, I hope you are sleeping properly,' Helen fussed around me like a clucky mother hen.

'I just had a bad night sleep that's all,' I lied.

'Don't you lie to me Cara; I can tell when you lie. I know you must be suffering with the loss of your dad.'

Damn it. Helen always knew when I lied, nothing could get past her. I still didn't understand how she knew when we were all lying as teenagers.

'I had a bit of a disagreement with Gideon,' I finally confessed, knowing that she would get the information out of me. She had always been good at the old interrogation and equally as good at being the agony aunt.

'I'm just having a chat with Cara I won't be long,' she mentioned to my mum, before pulling me into the little backroom for a talk.

She even went as far as closing the door, knowing that I wouldn't want mum knowing about my disagreement with Gideon and what it was about. I wanted to protect mum from what seemed to be catching up with me.

'Right, this disagreement with my stupid son.' She got right down to business.

'Well I got a phone call from someone who threatened me and Gideon decided to take my phone and tell him to get lost,' I said knowing that it wouldn't be wise to mention the few choice words Gideon had thrown at him. She would have berated him even if he was taller than her. For someone as small as she was you didn't want to cross her. She often used her elbows on the cows like she was getting the practice so that she could use it on the people that annoyed her.