With a nod, Officer Reid performed a flawless parallel parking manoeuvre, and stopped in the space right in front of mine. I thanked him for his help, wished him a nice day, and we both got back into our cars. It felt good to think I was about to put this behind me.
Seven
Sucking in a deep breath, I started the engine and put the car into gear. Since it was a lovely day, it made sense to pull down the sun visor above my head. As I did so, a large spider dropped down into my cleavage and started skittering around.
Like many people terrified of spiders, I started screaming like a banshee. I lost complete control of my body and slammed my foot onto the accelerator. I didn’t come back down to earth until I heard the crunching of metal. Oh my God. I just drove into a police car.
Of course, this realization didn’t mean much when the spider was still on my skin. I managed to flick it off, right before Officer Reid yanked open my door. Still heaving for breath, I opened my mouth several times without retaining the ability to speak.
“Hell, I thought you were having a seizure.” He exclaimed.
“Spider.” I spluttered.
“You accelerated into the back of my car, because of a spider?” He appeared confused.
“It dive bombed my cleavage!” I squeaked.
“Oh, I see.”
Closing both eyes, I leaned back in my seat. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to hit your car.”
“I take it back,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “You really do have bad luck.”
“Not helping.” I groaned. “What do we do now?”
“We file an insurance claim, just like any other accident.”
“How bad is it? Do I even want to get out and look?”
He found a better vantage point to survey the damage. “Most of the damage is to your car.”
I scrubbed my face with both hands. “The excess on my insurance is huge. This is the last thing I need.”
“I’ll tell them it was my fault.”
“You’d lie? You’re a police officer!”
Officer Reid gave me an incredulous look. “Would you keep your voice down?”
“Why would you do that for me?” I asked in a quieter tone. Was this a test? Was it wrong of me to say yes? Man, did I want to say yes.
“I thought maybe you could do with something going your way for a change. I’ll tell them I backed into you.”
I was torn. How much trouble would he get into if anyone found out he’d lied? We were both in our vehicles when this happened, parked quite close to each another. Unless someone was really paying attention, it would be difficult to have seen exactly what occurred. Was it wrong of me to let him do this? Or, was this the universe actually cutting me some slack?
“Well, if you’d rather pay that huge excess you mentioned…”
“No, I really appreciate your help, I swear. I just don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
“This was my idea Leona, and I’m not one for rash decisions. You let me worry about the ins and outs. All you have to do is confirm this was my fault and the department’s insurance will take care of the rest.”
“Okay. Thanks Officer Reid.”
“It’s Marren. Unless we’re in there,” he pointed across the road at the station, “you can call me by my first name.”
I felt a silly grin tug at the corners of my mouth. “Marren… Got it.”
“I don’t believe it, is that an actual smile?”
That did it. Now I was grinning like a colossal dork.
“See, told you it was a pretty smile. I’ll call you later about the insurance details.”
Later? We weren’t going to do this right now? Was it because he was in the middle of a shift and needed to get back to work? Maybe, it was an excuse to check on me again and make sure I wasn’t still a complete disaster. By the time I’d found my tongue in order to respond, he’d already returned to his car.
Eight
“It’s pretty bad, Leona.”
My sister wasn’t one to mince words. Usually, this wasn’t a big deal, but I didn’t need a dressing down in front of her five children, who all stood in her driveway with us to examine the front of my car.
“Well, it wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t trying to get out of a parking infringement. It’s okay though, Marren is going to sort out the details.”
Chrissy held up a hand. “Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. Who is Marren?”
“The police officer I had the accident with.”
“You hit a police car? Holy shit!”
“Holeee shit!” Exclaimed my youngest nephew, three year old Tommy, from Chrissy’s hip.
“No. Those are grown up words,” she said sternly, as she placed him in the driveway to address the older kids. “Take your brother to play in the back yard. All of you.”
“But, I want to hear about the police car!” One of my nieces, whinged.
“Holeee shit!” Tommy said again.
Chrissy watched them go, with both hands on her hips. The second they were safely contained in the back yard, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the house so fast, I had to jog to keep up. She parked me at the kitchen table and headed for the kettle.
“I’ll make coffee, you – spill. Now.”
If it had been anyone else, including my parents, I’d have skirted around the truth and kept things vague. However, this was my big sister, A.K.A my best friend. We didn’t keep secrets from each other, no matter how juicy. I told her everything that had gone on, from the Panini in the police cell, to Marren’s promise to call me later to go over the details.
“He likes you.” She decided.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it isn’t that.”
“He’s lying about the incident to make his insurance pay for your car, and he asked you to call him by his first name. Not to mention, he came to your house instead of calling you to come get your stuff, and he personally escorted you to a parking warden to settle a dispute. None of those things are normal. Either he likes you or he’s a complete wackadoodle.”
Panic rose in my chest. “Why would he like me? What am I going to do?”
Chrissy flicked her long black ponytail over a shoulder and folded her arms. “You don’t do anything. Let him call the shots for now. Be your usual charming self and let this unfold naturally.”
My usual charming self? Have you met me?”
Chrissy’s blue eyes twinkled as she laughed. “While you do have a point, think about the first impression you’ve given him, and he still wants to help you. Actually, the second and third impressions are dicey as well. What is he thinking…?”
“Chrissy!”
She grinned and took a sip of coffee. “Come on, you earned that one, baby sister.”
“Look, even if everything you’ve said is true, I’m in no position to even think about starting anything new, especially with a police officer.”
“Why not?”
I made a face at her. “I just got out of a relationship.”
With a flippant wave of the hand, Chrissy took another sip of coffee. “Meh, Chad doesn’t count.”
“It’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.”
“No, I mean it doesn’t count because it’s Chad.”
“Wow…” I tilted my head forward, letting the hair fall around my face like a curtain.
“Like I said, you can do better. Like maybe, this cop. Is he hot?”
Tucking my hair purposefully behind each ear to buy time, I dared to make eye contact with my sister. “Well,”
“Okay, so, he’s hot. What have you got to lose?”
“I don’t think this is a very good idea.”
“You don’t have a great track record with decision making lately. I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
I cupped my chin in one hand. “You would.”
“Ooh, harsh. Anyway, how’s the job hunt going?”
My sister changed subjects at the speed of a r
unaway freight train. Sometimes, it could be jarring, but today it came as a relief. I laid it all out for her. My savings were gone, none of the interviews looked promising. I was about to have to bite the bullet and move back in with Mum and Dad.
“Yeah, that’s not going to be conducive to successfully dating police officers,” Chrissy said. “I have a proposal for you, but we’re going to need more coffee first.” She bustled back into the kitchen. My sister had two speeds, chilling and fast forward. It made me tired just watching her. A short time later, she’d sat back at the table with fresh steaming cups.
“All right, tell me what you’ve got,” I said.
“Being a single mum is hard,” she began, laying it on thick.
Since I wasn’t sure where she was going with this, I played along. “Okay?”
“I had the opportunity to go on a trip with some of my girlfriends. I wasn’t going to go, but if you’re willing to help me out, maybe I could.”
“You want me to babysit for a weekend?” Her five kids were a handful, but a lovable handful. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get out of this, but I could handle a couple of days.
“Uh, it’s really more of a seven day thing. They’re all going to Fiji.”
“Seven days?” My eyes grew wide. I tried to imagine coping for that length of time with five boisterous children. Was it wise given how I’d managed my own life for the past few weeks?
“I know it’s a long time, which is why I didn’t ask Mum and Dad. I didn’t want them to take time off work, which is why this is perfect for you. You’re… between things right now. Plus, if you do this for me, I’ll let you stay with me rent-free for a whole month.”
Oh wow, it was one hell of an offer. My sister, solo mother to five, able to afford a seven day overseas trip, offering charity to her unemployed sibling…
Chrissy placed her cup down and leaned both forearms on the table. “Look, it’s okay if you want to say no. There’s no pressure here, I just thought maybe I’d found a way for us both to help each other.”
“I can do it,” I said quickly. “It wasn’t that, Chrissy, I promise. I was just worried about screwing this up like I have done everything else lately.”
“Oh, honey.” She got out of her chair to give me a squeezy sister hug. “I trust you. I know you’ll keep my babies safe. Plus, if you get really stuck, you know Mum and Dad are only a phone call away.”
“You’re right, and you deserve this break. I’ll give notice on my flat as soon as I get home.”
Nine
The phone call from Marren regarding the insurance was polite, but the fireworks Chrissy predicted just weren’t there. A part of me regretted sharing so much with my sister, because now I wanted there to be a spark, damn it.
Before, I’d convinced myself being single was a good thing. Now, I craved his company like nothing else. I barely knew the man. Why had I let myself get caught up in this?
Thankfully, I had my car repairs to organize, and moving out of the flat. It felt good to have something to focus on, after a month of feeling sorry for myself. Moving in with Chrissy wasn’t as scary as I’d thought, either.
We converted Chrissy’s spacious internal-access garage into a mini-flat for me, which meant I hardly needed to store any of my stuff at Mum and Dad’s. Having extra space for my lounge suite and small dining table meant I didn’t have to encroach on Chrissy’s time with her kids. Close enough to help, but still retaining my own privacy.
Before I knew it, I’d been there an entire week, and Chrissy had boarded the plane to Fiji. I still didn’t have a job, but I was successfully adulting at last, and it felt damned good. Chrissy’s oldest child, my niece Alisha, was eleven and had the memory of an elephant. No sooner had we arrived home, when she was issuing verbal reminders left right and centre. I went to bed confident I had everything under control. This was going to be a piece of cake.
The moment I woke up, and realized my alarm hadn’t gone off, those illusions shattered. It was eight O’clock; the bus would be here in fifteen minutes. Chrissy lived in a rural community. If any of the kids missed the bus it was a long drive to the city, where I’d have to go to two different schools as well as the daycare. I couldn’t face that, not on my first day!
Without bothering to grab a robe or anything else, I sprinted through the house shouting at the children to get out of their beds. I dumped an armload of cereal boxes, bowls, and milk on the table and ran to the kitchen to attempt making lunches. Thank God none of the kids had food allergies.
I piled random snack foods, yoghurt and fruit into the lunchboxes and shoved them all into schoolbags. There were loud protests informing me none of the bags and lunchboxes were matched up right, but there was no time for mollycoddling.
At fifteen minutes past eight and still bra-less in my flimsy nightgown, sporting crazy cave-woman hair, I found myself jogging down the driveway with all five kids. Two were fighting, two were crying, and the one stumbling along at the end of my arm was wailing like a fire engine.
By the time the driveway surpassed the lawn and cut a path to the road between two paddocks, we had two dogs and a flock of chickens trotting along behind. The goats in the nearest paddock, intrigued by the commotion, began running along the fence line beside us.
The Old-McDonald-had-a-farm entourage arrived at the end of the driveway about ten seconds after the school bus. My relief at having not failed at my first task as babysitter dissipated the moment I actually looked at the bus. A small surprised face and pair of hands pressed against the glass of every window-space, staring at our arrival.
The bus driver, unable to hold back his laughter, was not the old man Chrissy had described to me. This guy had to be around my age. Suddenly, our eyes met, and recognition sparked in my brain. What in the heck was Marren doing driving a school bus? His shock mirrored mine, the smile gone from his face.
Still gripping Tommy’s hand tightly within my own, I maintained as much decorum as I could muster, to walk calmly to the school bus door.
“Hi,” I said, as though I hadn’t just made yet another spectacle of myself. “The other bus driver usually escorts the younger children to day care at the end of the school run. Will-will that be happening today?” I swept a handful of bed hair over a shoulder, fighting to keep my expression neutral.
“Yes, I’ve been briefed on that,” he replied smoothly.
I helped Tommy climb onto the first step and crossed both arms over my chest in a belated attempt to hide my bra-less state. “Well, thanks, we appreciate it.”
Marren’s curious gaze felt like it would bore a hole straight through me. I knew he wanted to know whose kids these were and what I was doing in the middle of nowhere like this, but damn it all, he wasn’t giving anything away either. His presence here was just as unusual.
Shepherding all of the dogs and chickens back off the road, I made the short trek back up to the house. I heard the bus drive off, but I didn’t look back. Still reeling over the explosive start to my day, I made a beeline for the kitchen to make coffee. Curled up on the window seat in the dining room, both hands wrapped around the warm mug, I replayed my interaction with Marren.
Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t exactly friendly. Yet again, I had been incredibly embarrassed. He might not know that. What if his curious stare was because he wondered why I wasn’t being nicer? I didn’t even smile. I just wanted to get the kids on board and run away to hide.
Ugh. I’d made a mess of things again. If Marren drove the bus again tomorrow, I was going to smile my butt off and be the friendliest person he’d ever met.
Ten
Determination is a great motivator. The next morning I had all five kids primed and ready to go, at the end of the drive, at ten minutes past eight. I stood there, dressed in a stylish belted jacket and faded jeans, make up on, not a hair out of place. I held firmly to Tommy’s hand on one side, and gripped the rolled up top of the paper bag with the other.
“Why did you bake the b
us driver cookies?” Asked my nine year old nephew, Robert.
“Yeah,” agreed seven year old Sam. “It’s so weird. Mum never does anything like that.”
“Here comes the bus!” Five-year old Steffie pointed.
“I don’t wanna get on the bus!” Cried Tommy.
“Yes you do, you’re going to have a great day.” I insisted. I could do this. I was going to get all the kids on board, make nice with Marren, and have a normal day.
“I can take him,” Alisha offered.
By now, I’d already determined Marren was in the driver’s seat. “No, it’s okay. Thanks, though.”
I managed to usher the children toward the bus in a dignified manner. Once they were all on board, I climbed onto the first step and held out the paper bag. “Good morning!” I gave him a bright smile.
“Hi…” Suspicion laced his tone. He glanced down at the paper bag. “What’s that?”
“She baked you cookies!” Steffie yelled from a couple of seats back.
“She had to do it twice and everything, since she burned the first batch,” Sam added.
Holding the smile in place was starting to get uncomfortable. “Just a little something to say thanks for walking Tommy into day care.”
“She’s sorry you got to see her nightie yesterday,” Sam called out. I wished he would stop doing that.
Marren’s lips lifted on one side. “Oh, I see. Well thanks. These will go great with my coffee when I get to the station.”
“Oh, so you are still a police officer.” The words just slipped out. I could have kicked myself.
“You know a police officer?” A kid asked Sam.
“No, just Aunty Leona. ‘Cause she got arrested.”
“Holeee shit!” Tommy shouted.
“So, I’m going to go now,” I said, quickly exiting the bus.
“Bye, Leona.”
I could see him laughing as the bus drove away. Damn it. I went back to the house harbouring a bit of disappointment, but on the whole, today’s debacle paled in comparison to yesterday. Maybe, it wasn’t so bad. I’d almost convinced myself, until I saw Robert’s lunchbox on the kitchen counter. Crap.
It's the Little Things: A sweet romantic comedy novella Page 3