by Amy Brown
‘It does sound good. But I’ll have to talk to my dad.’ Yes, her dad probably wouldn’t be keen on Jade spending Christmas away from home. With just the two of them, plus granddad, if anyone was away the family felt too small.
‘Tell him it’ll be character-building,’ Andy said, making Aunt Flora laugh.
‘Tell him that mean old Flora is going to keep you out of trouble by giving you plenty of wholesome jobs to do. You could also mention that it’s a very nice beach, just in case he’s interested in joining you.’
That was an idea: Christmas at the beach. That’s how Jade would pitch it.
Tradition. Ads on TV with Santa Claus in red and white togs, surfing. Not having to cook ham or turkey — barbecue or picnic instead. And, as Andy had suggested, character-building hard work. On her bike ride home from Mr White’s, Jade listed again and again in her head the arguments that might win her dad over.
‘No,’ he said. They were sitting out on the back deck, both eating cheese and piccalilli sandwiches. ‘We’re having Christmas at granddad’s, end of story.’
‘Why?’ Jade whined.
‘Because I said so.’ Her dad wasn’t even arguing well. His fishing magazine was open next to his plate and his eyes didn’t rise from the page.
‘Flaxton is landlocked,’ Jade announced.
‘What?’
‘Why are you reading a fishing magazine?’
Her dad stared at her, a smile beginning. ‘I picked it up at work. Is this another reason for traipsing out to some beach for Christmas?’
‘Yes.’ Jade wasn’t a good liar, so didn’t even try. ‘Yes, it is. You are clearly interested in fishing. You can’t fish in Flaxton, but you can fish in the sea. Ocean Bay has the sea — so, we should go to Ocean Bay!’
‘I think I’ve said this before, but I hope you’re planning to study Law one day.’
Jade grinned. ‘Have I won yet?’
Her dad sighed deeply and shook his head, a defeated man. ‘Almost. We’ll leave it up to your granddad, shall we? And where would we stay? Did Aunt Flora have an answer to that? In an expensive bach, I guess.’
Granddad and money. Jade could have predicted that these would be the moot points. They never seemed to be far from her father’s mind.
‘Granddad would love the beach!’ Jade tried. ‘Barbecue for dinner every night. And he could bring Holly; you two could take her for long walks every night.’
‘We’ll see. Just don’t be too pushy.’
Visiting Granddad wasn’t pushy, was it? Jade could have waited until dinner time the following evening — they often ate together on Sundays — but there was nothing wrong with making the forty-five-minute bike ride to Granddad’s house, her first home in Flaxton.
On a summery mid-afternoon, it was a pleasant ride. Jade couldn’t remember how unfamiliar this road had once been. When her granddad had driven her home from the bus stop and she had gazed silently out the window, looking for horses in the paddocks, she hadn’t noticed street signs or known what crops were growing in each field. All she had seen was Pip, standing in the paddock of the farm-animal pound with a scrawny ginger-coloured goat. Other than Pip, nothing had stood out in Flaxton that day. It had seemed empty and quiet.
Somehow, Flaxton had grown rather than shrunk as Jade became more familiar with the little town. Cities and schools, she had noticed, seemed to get smaller and more manageable as one got used to them. Flaxton, by contrast, had opened up — it had proved itself liveable, something Jade hadn’t been sure of at all as her granddad had first parked his Falcon in the driveway of what was to be her new home.
Wheeling her bike up the same driveway now, Jade found her granddad looking under the bonnet of a silver Honda. A small black-and-white dog was sprawled in the sun behind him, looking up now and then at her master as if to say, ‘This is so boring.’
‘Holly!’ Jade called. The young fox terrier’s ears pricked. Seeing Jade, the dog leapt to her paws and did her sideways run to meet her.
‘Nice surprise.’ Her granddad wiped his hands on a cloth and closed the bonnet of the Honda. ‘What can I do for you, Jade?’
‘Nothing,’ Jade said in a high-pitched voice. ‘Just saying hello.’
Granddad stared at her for a moment, then smiled. This made Jade feel slightly guilty: it was true, she seldom bothered to ride out to see her granddad unless she wanted something.
‘I think it’s time for a cold drink. Might even have some biscuits somewhere.’
The two went inside, followed by Holly, whose mood had much improved at the unexpected visitor’s arrival.
‘Do you like fishing?’ Jade asked, as she looked for clean glasses in the kitchen cupboard.
‘Not especially.’
‘No?’
‘Not really my cup of tea. Why do you ask?’
‘Dad was reading a fishing magazine today. I think he might be really into it.’
‘Reckon we should get him a fishing rod for Christmas?’
‘Maybe.’ Jade steered the conversation closer to Ocean Bay. ‘That’d be a great idea if we spent Christmas out at a beach.’
‘Here they are … Can biscuits go off? I think they’re quite old.’ Granddad slowly opened the packet and put five biscuits on a plate.
‘If we went to Ocean Bay, we could stay at a bach next to a riding school. And Holly could come, too.’ Jade bit into one of the biscuits. Its texture wasn’t quite right; the biscuit was too soft and crumbly, and the jam too hard and gluey.
‘Whose bach?’
Jade wasn’t sure. ‘A friend of Andy’s Aunt Flora …’
‘Where’s this beach?’
‘Ocean Bay. You know —’
‘I do, actually. Nice swimming beach.’
Jade grinned. ‘So you’re keen for a beach Christmas?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘C’mon, Granddad, it’ll be fun. We won’t have to even try cooking a ham — it can all be barbecues.’ Jade thought she saw her grandfather’s face soften a little.
‘I thought the ham last year wasn’t too bad.’
Jade bit her tongue. ‘You like barbecuing.’
‘Why are you so set on this beach idea? Something about a riding school, you said?’
Seeing that honesty was the only option now, Jade told her granddad the whole story. He listened and sipped at his lemon cordial. When Jade had finished explaining, he frowned, thoughtful.
‘You know the problems already, don’t you? Your dad wants you with us over the holiday — and so do I, for that matter. If we all go to the beach, we can still have a family Christmas, but it may not be as simple as all that. I can’t believe that there would still be baches available there only a couple of weeks out from Christmas Day.’
‘Maybe you could stay at the riding school with me?’ Jade suggested.
‘If you had to choose between Christmas with me and your dad, and working with the horses, which would it be?’
Jade frowned now. ‘Why don’t you two just come with me?’
‘Because it’s probably not practical.’
Jade’s face fell. Her mouth pursed in a sullen way her grandfather recognized well.
‘Look, girl, me and your dad can survive a Christmas without you, if you’re that set on going.’
‘You’re making me feel guilty,’ Jade whined.
‘Nope. I’m being practical.’
‘It’s the same thing!’
‘Jade, I’ll talk to your dad. Maybe we could drive out for Christmas Day. It’s not so far, really. What about a picnic on the beach? I could bring along the ham?’ Granddad was trying to be jolly.
Jade smiled. ‘Maybe that could work? If you and Dad didn’t mind? I don’t want to feel selfish.’
Her granddad raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t want to feel selfish? Silly old thing — you should be having fun with your mates at your age. And if your idea of fun is working free for someone’s auntie over the Christmas holidays, then that’s fine.’
Jade’s eyebrows crept together again. ‘You think it’s a bad idea?’
‘For most people, yes. But you’re a funny girl, Jade. It might be exactly your idea of a good time.’
Freewheeling down Kopanga Road towards the strawberry-pink bungalow her dad had bought nearly a year ago, Jade spotted Laura walking her dogs, Bubble and Squeak. Slowing down, and throwing a leg over the bike until she was standing on just one pedal (something Jade had only recently mastered), she called to her school friend.
‘Come back to my place. Mum’s just baked a cake,’ Laura answered. Laura’s mum was always baking.
‘Okay.’
‘Oi, give it a rest, Squeak. He hates bikes for some reason.’ One of the terriers was straining on its leash and snapping at Jade’s front tyre. The dog was so small and unthreatening that they had to laugh.
‘Bubble’s very well-behaved; it’s such a shame about Squeak,’ Laura sighed.
Laura’s house, behind the local café, was conveniently around the corner from Jade’s. In no time they were herding dogs and a bicycle through the back gate, and breathing in a rich chocolaty smell.
‘Have you told Jade about our Christmas plans?’ Laura’s mum asked, handing the girls slices of still-warm cake.
‘I was just about to. We’re going to the beach!’
‘What?’ Jade felt like the words had been taken out of her mouth.
‘The Coromandel! My uncle has a boat now and everything. Finally, a Christmas away from Flaxton.’
‘And I won’t be in charge of the cooking: merely a sous-chef, this year,’ Laura’s mum grinned. ‘That’s why we’re all in such a good mood. One more week, then the café is closed for a fortnight. A proper holiday at last. It’ll be bliss.’
Jade smiled. ‘I’m getting out of Flaxton and going to the beach for Christmas, too — to Ocean Bay.’
‘Really?’ Laura’s mum looked confused. ‘I bumped into your dad at the supermarket not long ago. He told me you were spending the day with your granddad.’
‘Oh, yes,’ Jade went on. ‘Dad and Granddad will join me out at the beach for a picnic on Christmas Day.’
‘So you’ll be out there by yourself? How come?’ Laura asked.
‘You know Andy, from pony club? Her Aunt Flora has agreed to take Pip for her riding school. When she was around inspecting her, Flora asked me and Andy if we’d like to work for her over the summer. It’ll just be lots of riding and swimming and looking after horses, so we said yes.’
‘Amazing!’ Laura’s eyes were wide. Although she wasn’t particularly interested in horses, she could see the allure of the riding school. ‘Won’t Becca feel like she’s missing out?’
Jade hadn’t considered that. ‘Becca’s busy with the show season,’ she said quickly.
‘And are you sure your dad doesn’t mind you being away? How long are you staying with this Aunt Flora?’
‘He’s okay with it. Andy and I will leave on Wednesday and stay for a few weeks, I think.’ As Jade answered each question, her certainty gradually departed.
‘Well, it sounds like fun. Nothing like Christmas at the beach, is there?’ Laura’s mum said.
‘I’ll tell Dad you said that. In fact, I ’d better go home and talk to him about it some more. Wednesday’s only three days away! Thanks very much for the cake, and have a great time in the Coromandel.’
‘You’re welcome, dear, and you have a nice Christmas, too — wherever you are.’
Laura’s mum clearly wasn’t convinced. But Jade was determined now. Come Wednesday, she would be at the beach.
This is like the Champs all over again,’ her dad said with mock sorrow. ‘A strange lady is whisking you and your ponies away in a truck. I’m very trusting, you know.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Jade soothed. ‘And I’ll see you on Christmas Day with Granddad, yes?’
‘You certainly will, my girl. With bells on.’
‘Very Christmassy. Are you ready to go now, Jade?’ Flora called. The ponies and gear had been loaded for some time. It was just goodbyes stopping them from hitting the road.
‘Just one more quick goodbye!’ Mr White had emerged from his back yard. ‘Have a splendid time at the riding school, Jade. I’m quite sure Pip will be happy there.’
‘Thanks, Mr White,’ Jade said, giving him a quick hug. Since he had suggested that two ponies was too many, Jade had been rather cold around her old mentor and benefactor. But if he hadn’t made that suggestion, Jade would never have heard of Samudra Riding School, much less be on her way to working there.
‘See you when I see you! Take care!’ Mr White and her dad stood in the limestone driveway, waving as the Samudra truck departed.
‘The presents!’ Jade yelped as the truck turned left onto the main road. ‘I forgot to give the Whites the Christmas fudge we made in home economics.’
‘Text your dad. He’ll be able to pass it on,’ Andy suggested. She was one year older than Jade, and was used to being calm in a crisis from having ridden unpredictable Piper for the past two years. ‘Use your phone now, while you still can. Out at the beach, we have to climb Bare Mountain to get reception.’
‘Bear Mountain?’ Jade asked, impressed.
‘No, not what you’re picturing. I used to think there were bears, too, when I was little. It’s not even really a mountain — just a smallish hill. But it’s bare, in the sense that there’s hardly any grass on it. You blame the goats, don’t you, Aunt Flora?’
‘Enough of the “Aunt”, please. And yes, the “mountain” is bare because of goats, not bears.’
They managed to drive for about a minute in silence — Jade texting to tell her dad about the cellophane packet of fudge on the fridge-door shelf — before Andy, whom Jade had never seen so gregarious and relaxed, wanted to chat again.
‘Flora, do you believe in God?’ They had just passed an empty paddock with a huge billboard in it that said I will give rest to the weary and comfort the anxious. It came, Jade noticed, straight after a road-safety sign about pulling over for a micro-sleep instead of driving while tired, which was next to two white crosses dug into the grass verge. The crosses were decorated with sunflowers, which made Jade uneasy. She and her dad had never put flowers at the site of the accident that had killed her mother and grandmother. Although there was a cross for each of them, her dad had never wanted to go back there, and Jade wouldn’t be the one to suggest it.
‘Well, do you?’ Andy’s pestering was clearly making Aunt Flora irritable.
‘What do you think, Andrea?’
Jade had never heard her friend called by her full name before. It didn’t suit the charmingly scruffy, brown-haired thirteen-year-old sitting next to her.
‘I really don’t know, Flora. That’s why I asked.’
Aunt Flora swerved the truck suddenly, to avoid a hawk that was lunching on a squashed possum. ‘Jesus. Sorry about that.’
‘There, you took the Lord’s name in vain just then.’
‘Andy, I’m sure this conversation is making your friend uncomfortable.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ Jade said.
‘In that case, no, I do not believe in God.’
‘What do you believe in?’
‘You always were an interrogator, as soon as you learnt to talk. “What’s this for?” “Can I do that?” “Why?” “Why?” “Why?”’
Jade giggled.
‘I’m just inquisitive,’ Andy said, smiling. ‘So, we were talking about beliefs.’
‘I believe in honesty, freedom, kindness to animals, and silent car trips.’ Flora scowled at her niece in a way which convinced Jade that the woman wasn’t really angry after all, just pretending.
The rest of the trip was another forty-five minutes of dull North Island landscape. (The looming turbines of the wind farm had once impressed Jade, but were now all too familiar.) Andy struggled unsuccessfully to be quiet, but as the tarmac turned into dirt and the truck began to crawl along at a snail’s pace, she started chan
ting childishly: ‘I can see the sea! I can see the sea!’
In the deepest part of the V between two hills up ahead, Jade could also see the faintest line, slightly darker blue than the sky.
‘Is that Bare Mountain?’ Jade asked, pointing at the chalky-white side of the V-shape.
‘Yep,’ Andy replied. ‘And that,’ she pointed fondly at a fat grey pony waddling to the fence line to meet the horse-truck, ‘is Dumpling.’
‘Dumpling?’ Jade asked. It was an unceremonious name, yet it suited the stout little pony.
‘I called her White Rose,’ Flora explained. ‘Which I later discovered is a sort of Vietnamese dumpling. That name stuck, I’m afraid. It just seemed more apt.’
‘Dumpling’s in the hilly back paddock to keep her weight down. It’s not working, though, is it? I bet you still feed her bread, don’t you, Flora?’
Flora frowned. ‘I know I oughtn’t, but I love feeding bread to my darlings. It makes them like me more.’
‘She still nips, though, doesn’t she? Naughty Dumpling.’ Andy clearly knew the riding-school horses as if they were her relatives, too.
‘She has character, that’s all. Nothing wrong with a bit of character.’ Now the drive was nearly over, Flora seemed more relaxed, pleased to be back home with her animals.
‘Who was looking after all your horses while you were away?’ Jade asked.
‘Nellie. You’ll meet her soon enough. She has plenty of character, too — all the more now that she’s given up smoking. Don’t be surprised if your heads are bitten off, you two.’
‘Nellie is terrifying,’ Andy whispered gravely to Jade. ‘Do what she says or stay out of her way.’
‘Okay.’ Jade wished she had been warned earlier. She would have had more time to mentally prepare. As it was, the young woman who must have been Nellie was waiting at the entrance to the riding school, ready to open the gate for them. Even though the woman was wearing sunglasses, Jade could tell she was frowning behind the lenses. Her black jeans were torn and faded, her blue-plaid shirtsleeves rolled up, and her unimpressed mouth bright with red lipstick.