by Ivan B
“Read it?”
Josie nodded.
“Brill.”
Mary pointed to her backpack and Josie placed the book in it and withdrew the one waiting on top.
“Oh,” Josie exclaimed.
“Another Enid Blyton.”
Mary raised her eyebrows and whispered.
“I thought you liked the Famous Five series.”
Josie smiled and her blue eyes sparkled.
“I do, but sometimes they seem very old-fashioned, they never seem to watch TV or play computer games.”
Mary suppressed a laugh.
“But what about the stories?”
Josie nodded seriously.
“They’re very good; I wish I had holidays like they do.”
The service started and they settled down to join in the singing, as usual Josie started reading her book during the sermon. Mary, on the other hand, was forced to listen; although she too would probably have preferred to read a book. The vicar droned on about what he called ‘the efficacy of honesty’ for his allotted twelve minutes and then the service continued towards communion. Eventually the distribution of the bread and wine commenced and Josie leaned over to Mary and whispered.
“Why don’t you go forward for the bread and wine?”
Mary whispered back.
“Because I haven’t been confirmed.”
Josie opened her mouth for a follow up question, but Mary put her finger to her lips; she needn’t have bothered as Josie ignored the action.
“You could go forward for a blessing, the vicar said.”
Mary felt that there was more to this than met the eye.
“Do you want to go forward?”
Josie became shy.
“I would like to, but not by myself, would you come?”
When the stewards arrived at the back Mary and Josie walked hand in hand to the front and knelt down. Actually Mary didn’t take communion because although God was definite in her mind, Jesus was an uncertainty and normally nothing would get her to the front. The vicar said a prayer over Josie and then, noting Mary’s hands below the communion rail, put his hand on Mary’s head; he seemed to hesitate and then prayed that Mary would find peace in her heart before moving on to the next person. Mary was slightly taken aback, she’d been coming with her mother long enough to know that the prayer of blessing was usually formulaic, so how did the vicar know that she was not at peace? They made their way to the back, followed by the vicar and a chalice bearer who give the five old ladies communion in their pew. For once Mary sat down and said a real prayer before the final hymn commenced.
Ten minutes later, as coffee was being served in the church, Mary and Josie sat on a low brick wall outside waiting for her dad to re-appear. Josie tucked into the chocolate bar that Mary had provided and managed to ask between mouthfuls if Mary was going to the barbeque. Mary nodded.
“Yes, my mother wouldn’t miss it.”
Josie suspended eating for a few seconds.
“Is the food good?”
Mary chuckled.
“Most of the time, except two years ago when the meat caught fire.”
Josie gave Mary a suspicious look.
“Really?”
“Really, they had to put it out with a garden hose.”
Josie finished her chocolate and handed the wrapper back to Mary, who put it in her pocket. Josie grinned.
“That was great, thank you.” She paused.
“Where is the Vicarage?”
Mary pointed.
“That big house behind the Oak trees.”
Josie looked.
“How do you know that they are Oak trees?”
Mary sighed, Josie was nothing but questions.
“It’s the shape of the leaves and because they grow acorns.”
Josie seemed to ignore the reply.
“Do you think my dad would enjoy the barbecue?”
Mary smiled benevolently.
“He might have already cooked you something.”
Josie tossed her head causing her two blonde plaits to swing violently.
“He never cooks till we get home and it’s Sunday so he’ll do a fish stir-fry.”
Mary looked up the road hoping desperately that her father would appear.
“Don’t you like stir-fry?”
Josie wrinkled her tiny nose.
“Don’t like the funny Chinese vegetables.” She looked down the empty road and muttered ‘toilet’ before running up the church path. Mary watched her go and wondered how her parents could possible just dump her at the church and expect a child-minding service. On the other hand she had to admit that Josie had brightened up her church attendance, which was more as a support for her mother than out of dedication to God.
A silver car came round the corner and pulled up; Josie’s father opened the driver’s door and stood up with the engine running, obviously intent on a quick getaway. Mary pointed towards the church.
“She’s inside, should be back in a minute.”
He reached inside the car, turned the engine off and came over to Mary. Mary had not seen him close up before and she was totally surprised at his lack of height, definitely shorter than her, and the fact that he had an olive coloured skin and dark brown eyes. The surprise was due to the fact that Josie was blonde, blue eyed, obviously destined to be tall and had a totally different bone structure to her face. He approached and held out his hand.
“Hi, you must be Mary. Just thought I’d say thanks for the books you’ve been lending to Josie; I never know what to get her.”
Mary gave him a rueful smile.
“No point in working in a library if I can’t encourage children to read.”
He laughed.
“She doesn’t need encouragement, she’ll read anything and everything.”
He looked at the church door.
“Not a problem in the service is she?”
Mary shook her head.
“No, she’s fine. She should really be in the Sunday School though, it’s more geared to her age.”
Josie’s father grimaced and sat on the wall.
“Can’t get her to join in with other kids, won’t even join the Brownies; she was bullied last year at school and won’t mix.”
Mary was astonished.
“Bullied, but she’s only seven!”
He grinned.
“Eight actually.”
Mary nodded towards the church door.
“You’re not worried about leaving her here though; the church isn’t really a child-minding service.”
He looked pained.
“Oh, is she a nuisance?”
Mary sighed loudly through her nose.
“No, of course she is not a nuisance. She is very well behaved and I rather like keeping an eye on her, I’m just saying that you took a risk.”
He sat further back on the wall.
“To be honest I didn’t know what else to do. I need to visit my mother and Josie won’t come.”
He noted Mary’s face.
“Mum’s in a secure nursing home for the mentally ill, she’s got a malignant brain-tumour and it’s affected her personality; Josie gets frightened by the place and the other residents. She told me that she’d rather not go and visit her grandma and wanted to remember her as a kind old lady not…”
He tailed off obviously having difficulty himself in describing his mother’s condition. Mary felt about two inches tall, she shrugged.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
He tried to brush it off.
“Fact of life, parents grow old and die, I just wish that she wasn’t in so much distress.”
Before Mary could reply Josie came skipping down the drive and threw herself into her father’s arms. Once untangled she gave a suspicious looking smile to her father.
“Church is having a barbecue, Vicar said that food is at one o’clock and everyone is welcome.”
He half smiled, but obviously wanted to back off from the
idea.
“I’ve got rather a lot of work on Josie and I really need to be at home this afternoon.”
Josie gave him a coy smile.
“I haven’t been to a barbecue for ages, it would save you cooking.”
He bit his bottom lip.
“I’m really sorry Josie, but I just have to get some work done.”
Josie’s face fell, but she didn’t argue. Her father looked at Mary.
“I don’t suppose…”
Mary gave a short laugh.
“I suppose I could, but only if Josie agrees to join in the games.”
Josie wrinkled her nose.
“Do I have to?”
Mary and her father both chorused “Yes” and Josie sighed. Her father looked at her.
“Remember the rules.”
Josie rolled her eyes and chanted.
“No orange juice, no chocolate and no cheese.”
Mary looked at her father, he flapped his arms.
“Cheese makes her sick and the other two have so many additives that they make her hyperactive.” He then smiled.
“But then so does church and that hasn’t got any additives.”
Mary almost burst into laughter, no wonder Josie found her Sunday chocolate bar so inviting.
“Have you got a phone number, just in case?”
He reached into his back pocket, have a card. She looked at the grey embossed card which proclaimed ‘Robert E Handly, Architect’, he gave a self-satisfied smile.
“I work from home and I have an important contract to finish.”
He suddenly had a thought.
“What time does it finish?”
Mary made a helpless gesture with her hands.
“On past track records about three-thirty or when the rain comes, whichever is earlier.”
He turned to Josie.
“Got your mobile turned on?”
She rolled her eyes again.
“Yes dad and I charged it last night.”
He turned back to Mary.
“You sure you don’t mind?”
Mary smiled.
“It’s fine.”
He turned and waved to Josie before going back to his car. Josie put her hands on her hips.
“Now what?”
Mary gazed at the gaggle of old ladies.
“We have to run Mrs Castle and Mrs Hargreves home because their not staying.”
Josie hopped for foot to foot.
“Can I sit in the front?”
Mary ruffled her hair.
“No you can’t, you sit in the back of your dad’s car and you’ll sit in the back of mine. You're too short for the front seat because of the airbag.”
Josie went into her rolling eye routine.
“That’s just what dad says.”
They walked back towards the church and Mary casually remarked.
“You never told me that you dad doesn’t let you eat chocolate…”
Two hours later Mary was sitting at a rickety table finishing off a sort of strawberry cheesecake that had the consistence of marzipan on granite when the vicar suddenly appeared and sat beside her. The vicar was fairly new and had only been in charge of the church for six months so Mary knew little about him or his diminutive wife. However, she was certain of one thing and that was that the Vicar lived on a different planet to her. He smiled benevolently and nodded to Josie, who was taking part in a tug of way.
“Your daughter seems to be enjoying herself.”
Mary almost spluttered on her cheesecake, but kept quiet, he continued blissfully onward.
“Nice to see you at the communion rail this morning.”
Mary opened her mouth, but the Vicar wasn’t looking at her and was rambling on.
“May I ask why you didn’t take communion?”
Mary almost gave a sharp retort about minding his own business, but realised in time that it was his business.
“I’m not confirmed.”
He turned and looked at her, still smiling benevolently.
“I’m sure that wouldn’t stop you if you really wanted to take it.”
She considered her reply.
“I believe in God, I’m not sure about all the rest and I’m not sure he cares.”
He didn’t bat an eyelid.
“What makes you say that?”
Mary made a meaningless gesture with her hands.
“If he cares why do people die in pain, if he cares why does he let us fight one another, if he cares why doesn’t he stop accidents like the one yesterday where twelve schoolchildren were killed?”
The Vicar nodded.
“Difficult questions. But you can put them alongside why are we here? Who created the universe? Does God answer prayer?”
Mary watched Josie talking to another young girl, she turned back to the Vicar.
“One unanswerable question does not answer another unanswerable question.”
He smiled his far away smile.
“I know, but we have a little discussion group once a month on a Thursday evening. All sorts of people come with all sorts of questions, why don’t you come and bring yours; you may find some of the answers you are looking for.” He paused.
“And you may even find some peace in your heart.”
Mary swallowed.
“I’ll think about it.”
He smiled again with that unworldly look on his face.
“And you can always try a few prayers you know. You don’t have to wait for others to pray, try it for yourself.”
She smiled tolerantly and he stood up and moved to the next table. She remembered her last real urgent prayer; at about fifty feet up she’d screamed ‘oh God, let it be quick,’ but it hadn’t been quick, she lived and had two years of utter agony followed by two years of almost tolerable pain. Suddenly it started to rain and Mary signalled to Josie, who came running over.
“Time to go?”
Mary nodded.
“Most definitely.”
Once they were sitting in the car Josie tried phoning Josie’s father, to no avail. She turned to Mary.
“Just the ansaphone, shall I try his mobile?”
Mary nodded and Josie dialled, this time with some success; eventually Josie looked at Mary.
“He’s in his car at some place called Felburgh, says he can be here in half an hour.”
Mary drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.
“Tell him you’ll be at my house, that’s 21 Summertime Drive.”
Josie duly passed the information on and Mary did her reverse church run and dropped off her mothers remaining friends before going home. Once there her own mother announced that she was going for a lay-down and promptly disappeared into her bedroom. Josie looked around.
“Big house!”
Mary smiled tolerantly.
“It’s not that big.”
She wrinkled up her little nose.
“It’s bigger than ours and you’ve got a proper garden.”
She surveyed the lounge again.
“Got any computer games?”
Mary shook her head.
“No I read for pleasure.” She paused.
“Well actually I do have one, follow me.”
Mary went to the foot of the stairs, sat on the stair lift and started to ascend, Josie kept pace with her.
“Why do you use that?”
Mary patted her right leg.
“Had a bad accident a few years ago and I find stairs difficult.”
Josie looked at Mary’s hook.
“Is that when you…”
“Yes.”
They reached to top and Mary took her into a back room and sat her down at what looked like an ancient TV screen with two buttons and a sort of paddle on the front. Mary turned it on and patted it.
“It’s called space-invaders, you use the paddle to move the ship at the bottom left and right and the red button to fire the gun. You have to get the aliens before they get you.”
Josie looked
at the green images on the black screen in disbelief.
“And that’s it?”
Mary smiled at the expression of disbelief on her face.
“That’s it, but each time you shoot a group of aliens the game gets faster, I’ve never managed to find out just how fast it ends up, look I’ll show you.”
Mary placed her hook in a small ring-bolt that was screwed into the paddle and pressed the green button’ the screen sprang into life and she zapped a few aliens with consummate ease.
Mary took her hands off the controls.
“You try it; press the green button to start, your score is in the top corner.”
Josie pressed a button and then started to play, within two minutes she was totally absorbed. Mary went downstairs, checked on her mother and then started making herself a cup of coffee, the kettle was just boiling as the doorbell rang. Mary opened the door, Robert entered.
“Where is she?”
Mary pointed upstairs.
“Playing space invaders, she’s just started, fancy a coffee?”
He hesitated and then nodded.
“I’d heard that they’d brought out some of the old games to run in the current operating systems.”
Mary grinned with pleasure.
“She’s not on a PC, she’s on an original machine; my brother bought it for me when I was indisposed, at first I thought he was mad, but it kept me sane.”
She poured him a coffee and handed him the mug, then she took him through the lounge into the conservatory where there were two armchairs facing the garden; it was still raining. He sipped the coffee.
“Was she any trouble?”
“Not in the least, in fact I think she made a friend, a girl called Nell.”
Robert’s face almost creased into two.