Chapter 7.
Our next problem was soccer. Now Kevin and I are both soccer mad and Dad manages our team and comes along each week and cheers us on. They have a big registration day once a year when you go along and pay your sub and they tell you what team you’ll be in. Kevin and I had been talking about it for ages then suddenly when it was two days away he went all quiet and gasped and said he wasn’t going.
“What do you mean, not going?” I was flabbergasted. “Of course you’re going. You’re our ace goalie. We can’t win without you. Why don’t you want to play, anyway?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to play,” said Kevin gloomily, “but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t pay the sub, that’s why,” Kevin shouted. “I’ve thought about it so hard my head hurts and I can’t work out how to do it. I can’t ask Mum for the money because she doesn’t even know I’m still in town and I’m supposed to be with Dad and heaven only knows where he is. And I haven’t got any money left and anyway I know it’s about $60 so I can’t go.”
“Perhaps you could come along and say you forgot the money and you’ll bring it later,” I suggested.
“Oh great. And what happens when someone rings my Mum and asks for the money? It won’t work. I already thought of that.”
“Perhaps I could tell Mum and Dad I lost my money and they’d have to give me another lot.”
“Yeah, like they’d trust you not to lose the next lot. Anyway, they probably pay by cheque.”
He was right. This was a terrible blow. All the boys in the team were going to be upset because Kevin is an amazing goalkeeper. He seems to instinctively know where the ball is going to be and he can get a clearing kick practically into the penalty area at the other end of the pitch.
Dad didn’t help. He kept talking about soccer and how he couldn’t wait for the season to start.
“Are you coming with us to the domain, Kevin?” he asked. “We can pick you up first thing Saturday morning if you like.”
“Ah, no thanks,” mumbled Kevin. “Um, I have to go now,” and he rushed out.
I told him he had to come.
“Look, just come and get put in a team anyway. Some boys don’t bring their money for a week or so and at least you can have a game.”
So Kevin came along. It meant he had to walk to the Domain, which is miles away, and he was cross and unhappy when he arrived late. Mr Walker our coach gave a great yell of delight and put him straight in as goalie as we knew he would. Kevin saved about six attempts and only let through two goals in our scratch game against the under 15’s which was pretty good going. We only scored one and that was a penalty, but hey, they are a year older than us. It rained quite hard as we were finishing so we all got wet and muddy but it was worth it.
Kevin didn’t come in for ages that night. He said he’d cleaned himself up a bit at the domain then gone round the shops to see if anyone needed any work done. He thought perhaps he could earn the money for his soccer sub, then no one would have to know his parents hadn’t paid for him. But most of the shops had shut and the others all turned him down so he was cold and hungry when he climbed in the window. The worst thing was, I didn’t have any food in the bedroom, and Mum and Dad had friends round and were obviously going to be up most of the night talking and having coffee.
Kevin pretended to come round on Sunday and said goodbye to the Japanese girls. They taught us to say ‘sayonara’ and we made them say ‘cheerio’ which they thought was hysterical.
Kevin then said he wanted to be alone for a bit so he sloped off to the glasshouse. It was a pretty fair bet that Mum wasn’t going to be working there that day as she was busy cleaning out the guest room and changing the beds.
Kevin didn’t come in that night and I finally went to sleep figuring he was still in a snit. I guess I could have gone down to the glasshouse to get him but I was getting pretty stressed out with the whole situation.
It was Mum’s birthday the next morning and I was going to lose the excuse of her present in the cupboard so I didn’t really know what we were going to do.
Dad had a day off but naturally Amber and I had to go to school. We shot into Mum and Dad’s room with our presents first thing in the morning. Mum went into raptures over the plant I gave her and kept going on about how ‘thoughtful’ it was and how much work I’d put into it and how she really appreciated all the effort I’d gone to. I felt awful. It was like I was getting praised under false pretences and I knew that I obviously wasn’t cut out to be a criminal.
Amber gave her some hand cream, (she’d borrowed more money from Dad,) and Dad gave her a waffle maker .That was brilliant because Mum insisted on making waffles for breakfast for us.
Amber and I went off to school and waited at the corner but Kevin didn’t show up.
“Where is he?” asked Amber.
“I don’t know. He didn’t come into my room last night. I haven’t seen him since yesterday after lunch. He said he wanted to be alone and went off to the glasshouse.”
“Perhaps he’s still there,” said Amber doubtfully. “You’d better take a look. Hurry, we don’t want to be late for school.”
“Oh all right,” I grumbled, and pushed through the bushes into the garden and opened the glasshouse door. Kevin was lying on a pile of sacks half under one of the tables and he was asleep.
“Kevin, wake up you idiot. It’s time for school.”
I shook his shoulder. Kevin mumbled something but kept his eyes closed and made gasping noises.
“Kevin, wake up!”
I pushed him harder but he was all limp and floppy. I rushed back for Amber in a panic.
“Quick, you’d better come and look. I can’t wake Kevin up and he’s breathing funny.”
Amber looked alarmed at this and pushed ahead of me. She tried to wake Kevin up but he just wouldn’t open his eyes.
Amber put her hand on his forehead, the way Mum does to check if we have a fever.
“He’s burning up. Robbie, I think he’s really sick. We’ll have to get Mum and Dad”
I ran back inside feeling scared.
“Mum, Mum. Kevin’s in the glasshouse and he’s sick.”
“What? Kevin’s been sick in the glasshouse? What are you talking about Robbie?”
“No, he’s not being sick. At least, I hope he hasn’t. He’s breathing all gaspy and he won’t wake up.”
Mum and Dad leapt up and tore down to the glasshouse at the speed of light. Amber had taken off her jacket and was holding it over Kevin to warm him up but Kevin was shuddering in big jerks.
“Oh my God!” Dad took one look and took charge. “This boy is ill. I’ll carry him to the house. Brenda, call the doctor and Amber, fill a hot water bottle and put it in the bed in the guest room. Thank goodness those girls have gone. Robbie you can hold the door open for me."
Mum and Amber raced off and I helped Dad as he lifted Kevin in his arms like a baby and carried him into my old bedroom. Then Mum shooed us out and told us to go and wait in the living room.
Amber was going to ask, “what about school?” but decided not to after seeing Mum’s face which was all grim with worry.
The doctor came pretty smartly. I don’t know what Mum said to him but it was obviously enough to make him drop everything. He was in with Kevin for about half an hour then Dad came in and asked us to explain what had been going on.
“I’ve just rung Kevin’s mother to say he’d been taken sick and she had no idea he was here. She says he’s been living with his father for the past couple of months in Whitianga but I know that’s not true. So what’s the story?”
Amber and I both started to talk at once but she gave me a frown and said she’d explain. She did it better than I would have anyway. It was such a relief to have it in the open but Dad’s face got more and more amazed and angry so by the end I was quaking.
“Do you mean to tell me that child has been sleeping in a cupboard and living on scraps from our
table?” he roared when Amber had finally come to a stop.
“Um yes. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Kevin quite liked the cupboard. He said it was really more comfortable than the tree house,” I said desperately. “And we didn’t know what else to do.”
“I don’t believe this,” Dad shook his head.
“How is Kevin?” I asked.
“He’ll be fine, I hope. He’s got a touch of pneumonia but the doctor has given him a shot of antibiotics and left a prescription for more. If he’s kept warm and dry and well fed he should be as good as new in a week or so.”
That was a relief. For one awful moment when I had seen him I thought Kevin had been going to die. I guess he would have if he’d stayed out in the cold and damp much longer.
Dad piled us into the car and took us to school then and told the office lady we’d had a domestic emergency, which was why we were late. He said he and Mum would talk to us when we got home. That had to be one of the worst days I have ever lived through. I was sure we were in such big trouble.
“They’ll probably send me and Kevin off to Borstal,” I said gloomily as Amber and I walked home.
“Yeah. I’ll probably have to go to a home for wayward girls. Don’t be silly Robbie. We haven’t done anything criminal. Anyway, they’re our parents. It’s their job to look after us.”
“Kevin’s parents didn’t look after him,” I said mutinously. There was no reply Amber could make to this so she shut up and we trudged home.
Mum called us into the kitchen for something to eat then said she and Dad wanted to talk to us.
“Where’s Kevin?”
“He’s in bed asleep and you are not to disturb him. He needs a lot of rest to get better. Now, tell me all about it.” So we told Mum what we’d told Dad and she wanted to know why we did it.
“Because it seemed like the right thing to do,” I said.
Mum went all tearful then and gave us both a big hug and we knew that things were going be all right.
While we’d been at school Dad had been round to Kevin’s Mum who said that life was heaps better without Kevin but that she missed him and so did his brother Troy. So then they managed to get hold of Kevin’s Dad by ringing the police in the place he usually stayed. Kevin’s Dad is pretty well known there and he came to the phone at the pub where he hangs out. Mum and Dad said they had worked things out but it was up to us to decide what we wanted. Dad explained it to us.
“Kevin’s family don’t want him living with them but they still want to see him from time to time. So we have decided that if you children are agreeable Kevin can come and live with us. He can go and stay with his own family at holidays and weekends whenever he chooses to and of course his brother Troy would be able to visit and stay here with him occasionally. It will have to go through the Child Youth and Family Department, and Kevin will probably have to have some counselling to help him to deal with it, but it’s up to you Robbie, and Amber. If you are happy with the idea, we’ll go ahead. If not, then Kevin could perhaps go to a boarding school and come here for holidays.”
“We don’t want you to answer right away. Think about it first,” Mum suggested.
“I don’t need to think about it,” I blurted out. “I want Kevin to stay.”
“How about you Amber?”
“Oh I’m happy with the idea. He’s an okay sort of kid and I guess I can get used to having two brothers. He used to be here most of the time anyway so it won’t make much difference.”
So that was pretty much what happened. Mum said I could have my old room back and Kevin could have the veranda room but I said I’d got used to it now and it was going to be great to have my own private entrance as I got older. Kevin had my old room and was really pleased as there was an extra bed for Troy to stay in when he came occasionally.
Mum and Dad gave up having foreigners to help and I think they were secretly pleased. Kevin said he’d help Mum every day and she said,
“No, no you don’t have to do that.”
And Kevin said,
“But I love growing things. I really enjoy it.” Which was true.
Of course we were busy doing stuff together quite a lot in the weekends what with soccer and homework and other things but Kevin still helped Mum quite a bit and she said he was the best thing that had happened to her that year. The government made Kevin’s family pay for his board so he didn’t have to feel like he was a charity case so that worked out okay as well.
But Mum and Dad told Amber and me that we had to tell them if any more problems came up. They said things like “a problem shared is a problem halved,” and that they would always help us work things out and we didn’t have to hide things from them.
I didn’t get a brand new mountain bike for my thirteenth birthday after all. Instead I got a second hand one which was better because I didn’t have to worry so much about other kids nicking it. What was even better was that Mum and Dad got a bike for Kevin as well so we’ve both joined the mountain bike club and have huge fun going on rides and rallies and things.
It’s worked out really well having Kevin to live with us. We get on most of the time but is good to have someone you can hit back, especially now that Amber has decided she is grown up and spends all her time in the bathroom or on the phone to one of her girlfriends. Dad says he’ll take us on a camping holiday down the South Island next Christmas which is probably as close to travelling overseas as we’re ever likely to get.
Who needs their mind broadened anyway? I’m happy enough with mine the way it is.
The Year I Turned Thirteen and Broadened my Mind Page 7