by Ruth Hay
She turned away from the mirror with tears dripping down her face. The mirror never answered any of her questions. Her mother was gone.
She went back to bed with her books and notes to finish an assignment. She knew she was tired as the term drew to a close and exams loomed. Sessions in front of the mirror only happened when she was at a low ebb. Hilary, whose voice was now firmly implanted in her head, would say “Think positively, Faith! Negative thoughts only drag you down.”
Hilary Dempster. She was Mrs. Dempster to the school personnel who seemed to know her prior reputation as a London Principal, and treated her with the greatest respect. She was the guiding force behind the new Faith Jeffries. Although she resented everything she said and did at the beginning, over the weeks and months, Faith now, reluctantly, appreciated this woman’s selfless devotion to her purpose; the purpose of creating a completely new person out of the walking disaster that once was Faith Joan Jeffries.
She kept a secret little bit of that old persona in the J.J. school name. With that moniker she could occasionally speak out in class and shock a few students, but she never overstepped the mark. She knew it was a downward path to go back to the old Faith’s careless ways. Her home, her ride to school, her meals, her own room, her personal tutors (Hilary and Honor), her babysitting job, her entire new existence was predicated on her continued efforts to conform.
It was not always easy, like now, when vital grade nine exams beckoned. She sighed. Could she make it to the Christmas break without caving in to the pressure?
What about a day off? If she could plan one day without supervision or homework or anyone interfering, could she keep going? Just knowing that day was coming might give her the incentive to plough on. After all she was fourteen, for pity’s sake. Still just a kid! Hardly ready for grown-up responsibilities yet.
Wait! The birthday! The perfect day to escape responsibilities!
Last day in November. She checked the exam schedule and saw it was a Saturday.
Perfect! She would take off and no one would know. Aunt Honor had never asked when she was born and she was not there to mark the day so she could not know. Some of the official papers probably had her birthdate on them but those were locked in Hilary’s safe, inside a cupboard in her tower room.
Perfect! Saturday, November 30 was the day to escape for a few hours. She had the babysitting money to spend.
The thought brought energy to her mind and she picked up her phone to which her notes from the school computer had been forwarded. She typed 15 on the 30 as the heading on all her study pages as an incentive.
Perfect!
Andy was pleased to get a phone message from Vilma Smith accepting his invitation to try a training session for her dogs. He set up the barn and called immediately to arrange a date before the weather changed. There was always one bad, but short-lived, storm in November and he did not want to delay too long and be caught up in that.
Vilma approached the date with some apprehension. She was sure the dogs would enjoy it. She was not so confident about her own feelings. She really knew nothing significant about this man. As a precaution she told Mavis all about the training idea and asked her to expect a phone call during the afternoon session.
Mavis was surprised at this request. Vilma was not usually so cautious. She wondered what Vilma had found out about their gardener. She had always suspected there was a past history behind such a fine man who preferred to work on his own. They had exchanged a few words recently while he was making the recycling bin, but he was a man of few words at all times, it seemed. He had not mentioned Vilma. She was sure Vilma’s dogs were the connection between them. If ever there were two people who belonged to different worlds it would be those two.
* * *
Andy arrived on time in his old truck. Vilma had decided she was not going to ride in that battered vehicle. As part of her provisional escape plan, she insisted on transporting the dogs and herself in her own car which was clean and reliable. There was a minute of discussion, then Andy gave in and all of them got into Vilma’s car for the ride.
They turned off the busy Colonel Talbot Road onto a side road at a right angle that was narrow and somewhat bumpy in places. Vilma was glad of her car’s superior shocks. The dogs bounced in the rear seats but they were securely held in by the custom belts. She was glad she had not left them to possible damage rolling around unsecured in the back of the truck.
It was a long straight road carving through countryside and soon leaving the city far behind. Fields of corn stubble were on both sides of the road with the occasional farmhouse in the distance, backed by trees. One farmer was riding a tractor and turning the soil for a winter wheat crop. They saw no other cars coming toward them.
Vilma became more anxious as the road continued as far as the horizon and Andy had not yet mentioned a turning or destination.
“How far is it?”
He noticed her nervousness for the first time as soon as she spoke.
Darn it! She’s afraid of me. I have totally lost the ability to make normal conversation. She must think I am strange.
He cleared his throat and tried to sound relaxed. “Not far now. We’ll come to a bridge over a river then turn left on a track and go downhill for a mile or two following the river. I should probably warn you it’s an old place but the barn where we’ll work the dogs is in good condition.”
Relieved to hear the sound of his voice at last, she was also dismayed to discover how isolated his place seemed. Her right hand touched her phone in her jacket pocket. It was on and she had activated an app that recorded her location.
Relax Vilma! You are being paranoid. Andy hasn’t done anything dangerous yet.
It was the ‘yet’ that lingered in her mind as they reached the bridge and bumped down the track where the ruts from Andy’s truck and trailer were deep.
“Sorry about the state of this lane. “It’s not worth doing work on it until after spring. It might have been best to come in my truck.”
Far too late for that now!
The track stopped outside a barn. Vilma could see an old farmhouse nearby but her attention was caught by the sheer beauty of the surroundings. A stand of willow trees followed the line of the river. The trees had kept some of their leaves because of their proximity to the water source and the longer branches trailed in the river like a maiden’s hair from an old myth. The stream ran fast, filled with recent rains, and its burbling could be heard over the bird chatter. A flock of Canada geese were assembling on a higher field in preparation for their long flight to the warm south. They were telling each other it would be well worth the trip now winter was on its way.
Vilma was enchanted. It was a captivating country scene such as the city girl had never known before.
“This flock of wild geese will be gone any day now. They return next year as they have done for generations, or so the old guy who sold this to me said. So far he has been right about most things.”
They took the dogs straight into the barn. Vilma saw them eyeing the geese and kept a tight hold on the leash.
The barn was not as dark as Vilma had feared. There were small windows high up near the rafters and someone had installed a shuttered window where the big loft exit for hay bales once functioned.
The interior still retained the smell of old straw and engine oil from the tractor and trailer parked on a hard surface to the right of the barn where there were two big doors for access. The floor where she stood was hard-packed sand and on it Andy had set out a number of challenges for the dogs.
Something about the atmosphere or the unusual day had excited the animals and Andy took over the lead and spoke calmly to them until they had turned their focus onto him.
While Vilma watched, he told them what they were going to do as if they were smart children instead of dogs. She stepped back. This was an expert at work. There was nothing to fear for herself or for her dogs.
As if they understood every word, Astrid and Oscar stood quiver
ing with excitement when their leash was unclipped. They remained sitting until Andy led them together to the first obstacle. This was a ramp about a metre high. The object was for the dogs to clamber up, and then down the other side.
Vilma could see the challenge to their obedience was in asking them to climb. They were perfectly capable of jumping right over the ramp.
She noted that the next obstacle, an open-ended barrel, had been placed some distance from the first to avoid the dogs setting off on their own to try it out before instructions had been given. There was a balancing plank further away and a set of boxes arranged like a high staircase in another corner.
Vilma found all of this fascinating. She couldn’t wait to see how her dogs performed. She looked around and saw a metal storage locker behind her and after she ran a hand along its flat surface for dirt, she sat there and waited.
The dogs were also waiting. Andy chose Astrid to take the lead. She jumped to the top of the ramp and jumped down the other side returning to Andy with a pleased look on her face.
He did not chastise her. Her took a short lead from his pocket, attached it to her collar, and walked her through the challenge at a slow pace so her feet touched every section of the ramp. Then he turned to Oscar.
Vilma wondered if the male dog could learn from watching his sister. Oscar was clearly excited to try.
He galloped over to the ramp then seemed to stop and think for a second. He could not resist jumping to the top but he managed to walk sedately down the other side.
Andy praised both dogs and Vilma was delighted to see his approach to training. She had feared he might be one of those who use punishment as a way to get obedience.
I should have known he was not one of those dangerous people. He loves dogs.
* * *
The session continued for half an hour more, then Andy took the dogs out of the barn to a fenced area on the other side from the gaggle of geese, where they could run free and drink from the stream.
“Well now! That was interesting. How do you think they did? They looked like they were having fun.”
Andy agreed. “It’s important that they enjoy the work. It’s work they are well suited to. I feel they have a good chance to succeed in competition but it will mean hours of training. What’s your own feeling about that… Vilma?”
She could tell by his hesitation about her name, that he almost said Miss Smith again. He really was a different type of man and now that she had seen how and where he lived, she was not surprised. This kind of remote existence could lead to isolation. Other than his gardening work, he probably did not interact with many people all week.
“I think it’s a wonderful way to keep the dogs in good spirits this winter. If you are happy with their progress after that, then we’ll see if we should continue. Let’s take it one step at a time for now. Okay?”
“Yes. Good. Thank you. I’m forgetting my manners. The dogs are fine there. We can see them from the kitchen window. May I offer you a cup of tea?”
Vilma wondered what his version of a cup of tea would be like. A man living on his own, as he appeared to be, was not likely to do much housekeeping. Her curiosity was piqued nevertheless, and she accepted his offer.
The front door of the farmhouse was in need of a coat of paint. It was obviously the original door. It creaked loudly when opened, to reveal a small square entry with pegs on the wall for coats. The kitchen was to the left and was typical of country kitchens with open wood shelves and mismatched cupboards below. It was bereft of a spot of colour anywhere, but to her relief everything was spotlessly clean.
Andy filled a metal kettle from the big sink and set it on the stove to boil. He indicated she should sit at the scrubbed wooden table while he searched for two plain white cups and gave them a rinse.
These are the ‘company’ cups, I guess. He doesn’t have company much, or ever, it seems. There are no signs of anyone else living here.
The silence was growing uncomfortable so Vilma asked how long he had lived at the farm.
The spoken question reminded him he was not alone. He started, blinked, and replied without his usual caution.
“Several years now. I found it after my divorce. Sorry, it’s pretty basic, but this is all I need.”
So, he was married! Looks like it did not end well. No children, I presume. Did his police job have something to do with the divorce?
Vilma realized she was letting her curiosity roam free. His life was none of her business. Their relationship was client and trainer. All that mattered was his ability to work with her dogs effectively.
And yet, a small corner of her heart felt sad at his bleak existence. Living so far from normal society could not be good for a person. She began to suspect something traumatic had forced him to this choice.
Definitely not your problem, Vilma Smith. Keep out of this. You have sworn off men forever. Remember?
* * *
The tea was quite acceptable. Conversation, such as it was, concentrated on Astrid and Oscar. With this topic he was secure. Vilma nodded and listened as he analyzed their characteristics much like a dog breeder might do. When she glanced at her watch she remembered they still had to return to civilization to fetch his truck. By now the Harmony House residents would be wondering where they were.
She hoped Mavis had told them about the text message she sent from the barn, and they were not about to call the police to declare her sudden absence.
The return drive seemed much shorter. They talked about the growth of housing in the Westmount and Byron areas in recent years. Andy recalled a time when there were nothing but farm fields and orchards near Colonel Talbot Road. He gave her a capsule history of the road and the important role of Talbot in the area’s settlement. The time passed swiftly and she concentrated on driving as fast as the roads would allow. Night came early in November and she did not want to be on these country roads in the dark. At the same time, she noted landmarks so she could make the drive on her own for the next session. Her happy dogs were sleeping soundly in the rear of the car and that was sufficient incentive for her to continue.
Chapter 21
Hilary’s Sunday discussion about Christmas was not what she expected.
Faith was studying, and eating, in her room, but all the others had gathered for Honor’s Irish stew, made with help from Jannice who contributed Guinness-style beer to the recipe.
There was a silence when Hilary asked about plans for the holidays. She looked around the table and everyone was suddenly absorbed in the last particles of apple pie on the dessert plates.
This was going to be awkward. She began again in what she hoped was a casual tone.
“I was thinking of a quiet day here with no fuss, but then I thought about Faith. It would be a chance to give her a family Christmas and I feel all of us will agree that Faith is truly one of the family now.”
Honor’s head came up and she beamed with delight to hear Hilary’s comment. It was what she believed to be true. How generous of Hilary to consider Faith in this way. She waited with bated breath to hear what the others thought.
“Of course, we need to have a traditional Christmas,” said Jannice.
“I agree. It will be fun to do up the house,” added Eve. “We can have turkey and all the trimmings.”
“It’s our very first Christmas at Harmony House,” Mavis reminded them.
The unspoken thoughts were first, that no one had a real alternative to staying home, and second, that they must all pull together as a lot of work would be required.
Vilma had been silent to this point. Hilary turned to her with eyebrows raised. It was unlike Vilma to be uncommunicative.
Perhaps she has other plans or does she disapprove of Faith? She is the one with the least contact with the girl.
Vilma was thinking fast. She had not yet taken a turn with the Sunday meal. This was a chance to remedy that omission.
“I think this is a lovely idea, Hilary. My suggestion is that all of you work o
n the decorations and I will arrange for a catering company to supply a festive meal for us on the 25th as my gift to everyone.”
There was a sigh of relief. Gifts had been mentioned.
Hilary quickly added. “That is so generous of you, Vilma. And, may I say, I think the rest of us can set a low bar on gifts. Something appropriate for Faith would be my choice, and the meal will be a mutual celebration. I can’t think of anything better. Agreed?”
There was a hum of conversation around the table as possible decorations were considered.
A large tree, of course. The dining room for the celebration. Holly from the woods. Heirloom treasures for the tree. Honor and Hilary were asked to compile a list of useful gifts for Faith.
At this juncture, Hilary remembered the other item on her agenda.
“Oh, wait just a moment! I forgot to ask another important question.”
Talk ceased as they turned back to Hilary.
“It’s about birthdays. Personally, I intend to forget about mine.”
There was sympathetic laughter around the table. In the past there was something pathetic about celebrating such occasions when the birthday girl had to do everything for herself.
“I recently discovered Faith’s birth date. It comes up on November 30. She will be fifteen.”
Many minds jolted back to that age and how they had felt then.
Fifteen. So young. So vulnerable.
“Wait, please! I am ashamed not to have thought about this. I will do a birthday tea for Faith. You are all so kind. Let me do this. It will be the very first time I have spent a birthday with my niece. You are all invited to a tea on the 30th.”
Mavis could hear the excitement in Honor’s voice. She imagined how special a bonding event this could be for the two family members. The only Pace family members. She spoke up.