by Nanette Fox
“She has been coming up here once a year for about seven years now to help,” he told everyone. Gramps went on to tell everyone about the magnificent equestrian horse Izzy had trucked from Queensland and was now stabled at the farm.
He explained how she had surprised Danny, the Farm Manager and himself, arriving quite late one night: perfectly confidently, had manoeuvred the Toyota truck with the massive horse float in the dark. “Such a slight girl, and she bravely made the drive down herself, to be admired.”
David looked at Tim, “You let her do that by herself?”
“She went off and did it one of the weeks I was in Perth,” said Tim.
“Izzy is running around doing all this stuff now to show she is strong, capable and doesn’t need anyone to molly-coddle her.”
David looked at his brother, “Frustrating for you I’d reckon.” Tim didn’t respond, not wanting to give him ammunition. “Apparently, she had the horse leased and now she wants to start competing with it herself. Danny and she have been working at least one if not two days a week with it.”
David piped up, “You mean our cousin Danny, Aunt Tea’s son?”
“Yes,” said Gramps, “Tim will tell you; he has been my Farm Manager for many years. Your Aunt Tea has a string of equestrian horses here too at the minute.” Gramps clapped Tim on the shoulder and said, “We hope to see you a bit more often with Isabella coming up so frequently.”
“I have to work, I have a heavy schedule at the minute, but I will try,” he said smiling up at his beloved Gramps.
“Tim,” pleaded Lainey, “what about Zot, I am worried.” Gramps looked across at Lainey and said, “Come with me girl, we’ll go and see how the boy’s going with the pony. Don’t worry lass, Izzy’s perfectly capable.”
“Yes, but he is my son; I don’t know her and so I don’t feel comfortable.”
Tim looked at her evenly and said, “He is my son too Lainey, and I am not worried, I trust Izzy.”
Lainey gave him a withering look and said, “I don’t understand what you see in her, that girlfriend of yours. She is certainly beautiful and well-schooled in manners and presentation, but she is much older. She is almost like one of those glamourous escorts you hear about. How is she your academic equal? Doesn’t she work at that Art Gallery or shop thing, so that makes her basically in ‘retail’?”
“You know you were one of the brightest at University, and you hitch your wagon to some ‘blonde bimbo’ who plays with horses.”
Tim stood with a sausage on a fork, waving it at her and raising his voice said, “How dare you? You are being so disrespectful to both Izzy and me. If I didn’t know better ‘Paddle Pop’, you are just a little bit jealous.”
Lainey stood opposite and fired back, “Well ‘sex on a stick’, that’s not true, and are you offering me a sausage or about to eat it?”
“I reckon it bloody is correct, stop it Lainey, we’re Zot’s parents and that’s it.”
“Don’t swear Tim, it doesn’t become you.” Bent across the table and pointing with the sausage, he was becoming quite threatening in his anger. Lainey started to swear, a string of very colourful language.
“Lainey just shut-up you’re embarrassing yourself and in front of Stefan and you’re being incredibly rude to me in front of my family.” It was developing into quite a scene, and the family started looking at each other in a panic, twittering around them. Gramps rescued the situation with another offer to Lainey that he and she go and check on the activity in the barn.
Stefan urged somewhat angrily, “Lainey go and see, I am sure Zot will be fine.”
Lainey flounced out the door towards the barn with Gramps. Tim looked over at Stefan with, “What was all that about?” Stefan looked across at the now seated Tim and said she is very nervous about you being with someone. Stefan shared what Tim already knew, that things were more than a little rocky between he and Lainey, and she was worried that if Tim was in a stable relationship, he would want to claim more time with Zot. Tim ran his hands through his hair and clasped his hands behind his head, having abandoned his plate of food and glancing around, saw his mother’s anxious expression.
Tim was feeling agitated. His weekend with Izzy was turning into a circus. At least she had been ‘out in the barn’ when the scene with Lainey occurred. He took a deep breath and said to everyone, “Let’s all go out and take some photos of Zot on the pony. Let’s take some family photos.”
Stefan cautioned him, “Include Lainey in most, and she’ll settle a bit.” He got up storming out, his long strides purposeful. Out in the yard beside the barn he found Izzy leading a very excited Zot around on a small dappled Shetland. He quickly took a photo with his phone camera before all the family started getting into the act. He saw his cousin Danny come out and whisper to Izzy that her horse was saddled-up; she smiled up at him and said thanks. He felt just a little miffed but remembered Danny was married to Melanie and would be simply friendly to Izzy. David took charge and started taking photos of Zot with his Great-grandparents and with his grandmother Ruth. He then took assorted ones with his own siblings, their partners and Lainey. One was taken with Tim, Lainey and Zot and then again including Stefan. Tim wanted one with just himself, Izzy and Zot but to his annoyance, she’d drifted off somewhere. With Tim’s coaxing, they managed to get Zot alone standing beside the pony and then a father and son one. The photos all done, the Shetland taken back into the barn by a Stable-hand, they were all standing around chatting when they heard the sound of a group of horses coming towards them.
Everyone stepped back against the fence as the magnificent group came into view. These were spectacular equestrian horses ridden by a group of very experienced riders. The Martinelli siblings looked on as their Aunt Tea, their cousins Danny and Sarah, and Izzy rode two by two in almost perfect unison on their way through to the arena on the other side of the barn. Zot had moved over and was holding his great-grandfather’s hand, his little face so mesmerized by the sight, he was pointing at them and said, “It was cool,” asking his great-grandfather if he could learn to ride like that. David managed to capture the old man and the small boy standing hand in hand with rapture on their faces.
Tim was standing aside from everyone leaning against the fence reflecting Izzy hadn’t even acknowledged him as she rode by but conceded that all the riders may have been concentrating on their mounts to ensure they passed the group of people safely. Tim mooched off to the arena to watch. His gramps saw him go but noted his slightly dejected posture and that he kicked the gravel up a couple of times as he wandered away. Gramps rounded everyone else up and got them back inside without causing kerfuffle about where Tim had gone. He knew Gran Rosa would have moved on to cooking a massive luncheon feast, so he thought that’d keep everyone occupied. The ladies would all get busy helping. Tim would find his way back in to the family in a bit, he’d want time with his boy. Izzy would probably be training with the others in the arena for a few hours and then spend some time grooming her horse, she might even go off down to Danny’s house with the others. He hoped she would stay out of Lainey’s way until it was time for everyone to start returning to Melbourne, it would certainly make life easier.
If he and Ruth had been able to sit and compare notes, they would have realized they were on the same page with deep concerns about how Tim was going to manage Lainey’s obvious dislike and distrust of Izzy and how that would play out for his future contact with his son. Gran Rosa had said softly to Ruth that she was concerned. Rosa, with an old woman’s wisdom gained from the trials of life, commented she wanted to see Tim and Izzy stay as a couple but that Lainey could well impair their relationship. She confided to Ruth, “That girl is still looking after Tim, watch her carefully you will see it, with her husband right there too. My grandson is blind to it. He parcels his life up into boxes and he has closed hers, but she is lingering, waiting to have it opened again.” Ruth liked the description of Tim’s way of putting life and people into compartments. She thought to h
erself that Rosa was spot on. She knew Gran Rosa adored Isabella, she had seen the little exchange when Izzy and Tim had arrived. Gran Rosa had given Izzy a quick generous hug and they’d exchanged a soft Italian greeting of respect. She loved her grandson Tim, but she was very protective of Isabella. Lainey hadn’t done herself any favours mocking Isabella in Rosa’s home.
*
Much later in the afternoon, Tim was stretched out on the floor playing ‘cities’ with his son. They had built quite a large game with blocks and cars. Tim had some small bits of paper and was puzzling, trying to remember how Izzy had shown him to fold it into a small house. Zot was hanging over his father’s arm watching. Izzy came in, she looked tired but happy. She knelt down beside Tim and giving him a kiss on the cheek, asked what he was doing. “I am trying to do Ikebana to make little paper houses like you showed me.”
She giggled, “Ikebana is Japanese flower arranging. I think you mean Origami.” She took the paper and sitting in a cross-legged position, with both the small and large dark heads leaning over to watch what she was doing, she created half a dozen little houses in the blink of an eye almost. David had been photographing them and taken the ‘money shot of the day’ when both the man and the little boy had lent in to kiss a cheek and Izzy had been smiling the most radiant smile. David continued to shoot the three of them in various absorbed poses. Lainey who had been drying up dishes with Gran Rosa had seen him and came over, grabbing his phone said, “Enough already,” and handing the phone back to David said, “I never want to see those photos, never! That little group is just so wrong, it shouldn’t be happening. I hate that sweetie-pie witch because she is taking my Tim away.” Lainey’s viciousness unnerved him. He felt his anger rising. His gran’s frowning face directed at Lainey showed her displeasure as she muttered something in Italian. Julia put her hand to her mouth, Gran was cursing Lainey and wanted her out of her house.
*
As evening fell, it was now just Gramps and Gran Rosa, Tim and Izzy, Julia and Antonio left at the farmhouse. Julia and Antonio had wandered outside to take a walk in the warm evening air. Gramps looked tired and was stretched out on a chair with a cup of tea. Gran Rosa was still bustling at the kitchen bench chatting away to Izzy in easily flowing Italian. Tim watched them, smiling at his loving fiancée with his precious gran, so much at home. It was as if the farmhouse sighed with pleasure at the quiet. Several hours earlier, Tim had heard his gran cursing at Lainey in Italian and suggested that Stefan start to make tracks taking his wife Lainey and Zot with him. It was a long drive and he looked at little Zot who was very tired. He imagined he’d fall asleep on the way home. Not long after David, Ronnie and his mother had taken their leave and gone too.
His gramps had dozed off in his chair and Tim sat by himself thinking about the day. He was in trouble with Lainey; he didn’t know what to do. It was blatantly obvious she had taken a dislike to Izzy. His mother and the others assumed he and Lainey were ‘just friends’. He knew better, even Izzy alluded to it when they had been talking on Friday night. Lainey had definitely declared her hand that she was still very keen on Tim. Stefan knew it, and he had actually started to romance his ex-wife again. Lainey had never worried much about Tim’s relationship with Vicki, maybe she knew it would fizzle out. He had made the statement now that he definitely had no interest in Vicki by becoming engaged to Izzy. Over and over, he had told Lainey he was happy to support her and take an active part in Zot’s life, but their romance was over.
He contemplated that he had probably led her on as they were very familiar with each other. He thought of the times he’d run his hands under her clothes when they were loose at her waist or touched her face. Even their hugs and the habitual way they stood with their friends with their arms around each other a hand in each other’s back pockets was misleading. It hadn’t ever really mattered before, but he was in love now with Izzy and committed to her, and things had to change. As he thought he was running his hand down his face, twisting his mouth, and ruffling his hair up. Unbeknownst to him, Izzy stood watching him sipping a cup of tea, leaning against the kitchen bench.
Female intuition told her his thoughts weren’t with her, he was thinking of someone else, and she knew exactly who that might be. She wasn’t alarmed or anxious; she knew he had suddenly been given a huge wakeup call about how people perceived things. Izzy had been sitting on a hay bale inside the barn watching the family during their photo call and observed Lainey’s actions and reactions. Lainey had been quite forward with Tim even with Stefan standing at her side. When Tim had been ignoring her, she’d walked over and snuggled into his side. For the photo with Zot, she’d pulled Tim’s arms around her. To his credit, he’d pulled them away as quickly, frowning angrily. Izzy had continued to observe the photos being taken and then found it so hard to watch without running across and pulling Lainey away, she’d escaped by going to train with her horse.
Tonight, she didn’t want to deal with it. She was out-of-sorts and in pain in her back from riding. It was chronic and constant, and she knew her ambitions to compete with her horse weren’t realistic. A shattered dream, she’d have to rethink and determine what was best for her beautiful horse, leasing it out again was probably the best option. Izzy determined she’d wander down to Danny’s ranch house and spend some time with Tea and Sarah and talk about what to do or simply go by the stable-block and check on the horses. She finished her tea and noiselessly let herself out. Gramps was softly snoring, and Gran Rosa had gone to bed, a very tired lady after a busy day. She doubted Tim had even noticed her go.
Julia and Antonio came back in and sat with a cup of tea before calling it a night. Gramps had stirred when they had come in from their walk, made his excuses and gone to bed. Julia looked at her brother, recognizing a troubled expression. She guessed correctly that it had to do with Lainey. Firstly, there was the total lack of acceptance of Izzy as Tim’s partner. Secondly, probably the realization he and Lainey could no longer be as physically close as they were prone to be, touching, cuddling, hugging, often quite intimate gestures. It had to stop. Thirdly, it had probably dawned on him that whilst he might regard Lainey as just a friend, she was still hoping for the big romance.
Julia touched Tim’s arm to get his attention. “Where is Izzy? Has she already called it a night?”
Tim looked at her and said with some ruefulness, “I truly don’t have any idea, she may have gone to bed, I doubt it, I think she has gone down to Danny’s or maybe the stable-block.”
“Oh Tim, perhaps you should go and look for her.”
“You know Jules, Izzy and I needed to spend the weekend together, just us, doing stuff together. That hasn’t happened. Today was messy with everyone here, I am afraid we’ve hit a bump in the road.” He held his chin in his hand and looked despondent.
Julia patted his arm and said, “Maybe after a good night’s sleep things will look brighter.”
Tim replied, "I have a feeling Izzy won’t share my bed tonight. She’ll stay at Danny’s or in the bunks at the Stable-block. She may even sleep in the horse-float if she’s got some bedding in there.
“Oh Tim, I am sorry.”
“I’ve brought it on myself so don’t be.”
They both stood up and Antonio said, “Good night.”
Tim looked up and said, “Good night.” Tim got up himself and took himself off for a wander outside.
It wasn’t entirely surprising to find Izzy cuddled up in a sleeping bag sitting on the floor of her horse Majestic Dreams’ stable. He let himself in and sitting down on the straw beside her asked her if she wanted to talk. She shook her head, picked up the aluminium mug of hot chocolate and stepping out of the sleeping bag picked it up and explained she was going to bed down in the bunks of the stable-block. She wished Tim a good night and touched his head gently as she left the stall. Tim got up, dusted himself down and said, “Good night, see you in the morning,” and trundled back to the house. He was quite tired, so he slept reasonably well and getting
up felt somewhat re-vitalized.
Julia and Antonio were being spoilt by one of Gran Rosa’s Sunday breakfasts in bed. It was just Gramps and he at the breakfast table. Gramps looked at him kindly, questioning about Izzy. He was explaining she’d slept in the Stable-block as she tumbled sleepily in the door. Tim held out his arm hopefully. She came over to him and moving a chair next to him sat down in his embrace. “How did you sleep?”
“Just okay truthfully, I was thinking things over.”
“Did you come to any conclusions?”
“Hmm, yes Tea wants me to train today, but I’ve been down and told her no, I thought we could take two of the ATV’s and go for a picnic somewhere on the farm, maybe by the river?” Gramps regarded them both and hoped they’d talk things out.
*
Tim and Izzy walked into the farmhouse, hand in hand mid-afternoon. Gramps smiled. It looked as if they’d had a good day together. Izzy told Gramps she’d be up again probably Thursday. She’d talked with Danny as she had a little concern with her horse and had organized a Vet visit which Danny would look after. Tim didn’t think he’d be up for a week or so, as he had a lot of work scheduled. He was quite busy with project management work and a number of other things. Gran Rosa was very anxious as she had heard about Izzy being in the Stable-block overnight. Izzy took her hands and calmed her by talking in Italian, explaining Tim and she had a good talk over their picnic, and it was a small tiff nothing to worry about. Tim looked at his Gramps and knew there was an understanding between them that Tim had some issues to tackle.