Chapter 3 – Robert
“Coming,” Robert shouted, tossing his comic book on his bed then thundering down the stairs, he slung his left foot out to trip up his ten-year-old unsuspecting twin sister Rachel as he jumped the last three steps.
His hand squeezed his cheek as he tried to cover up an involuntary smirk while watching his sister’s distorted face let out a blood-curdling scream.
“It was an accident.”
“We’re having none of this behaviour today. Do you understand?” his mother said as she stroked his sister’s face.
Robert nodded as he took the bowl of cereal from his mum’s hand and headed for the lounge.
Breathing heavily, his mother informed them that the taxi was due in fifteen minutes so they could catch the coach in time for their day trip to Cambridge.
Robert loved adventure and was looking forward to catching up with his mate Harry. They had been in the same class before Harry moved to Cambridge six months before. Robert hadn’t liked school much since his friend had left, finding the lessons all too easy and boring.
Snatching a slice of toast, he ran upstairs to pack his bag for the trip. Ah yeah, he thought, I’ll take my big backpack in case Mum buys me something.
After cleaning his teeth, he threw himself on his bed to continue his comic. Suddenly, the front doorbell ran so Robert grabbed his backpack and bounded down the stairs. “I’m ready, Mum. Do you want me to wait in the taxi?”
“Oh yes, darling. Go with your brother, Rachel.”
“I want to wait for you,” Rachel whined.
Sighing, their mother replied, “Help me find the house keys then.”
Robert smiled to the taxi driver as he got in, and said, “Mum and my sister won’t be long.”
Shuffling along the seat, he noticed his shoelace was undone so bent down to do it up. His eyes widened as he spotted that someone had left a small brown paper parcel addressed for France under the seat. A compulsion came over him to put it in his rucksack. Shiftily, he glanced at the driver who was looking for something in his glove compartment. Robert looked out the window to check his mother and sister were still in the house. No one was watching so he carefully unzipped his rucksack and slid the parcel inside.
Once inside the bag, Robert peered at the address more closely, reading, Mme Normandie Belfton, 21 Rue de Safont, 35500 Béziers, S. France.
How exciting, he thought and quickly zipped up the bag, placing it by his feet.
Crimson-faced and sweating, his mother climbed into the taxi. “Move over, Robert. Make way for your sister.”
Rachel gave Robert a tentative smile, as if to urge her brother to be kinder to her as they were going to visit his old school pal. Their mother Susan had also become good friends with Harry’s mum Janet. Their meeting place was the botanical gardens as both the women were keen gardeners.
Jumping out the taxi, Robert smiled to himself, wondering when he’d have the opportunity to open the mysterious package in his backpack. Rush hour over, they were soon seated on the coach. Robert leaned his head on the window. It would have been an enjoyable forty-five minute trip if his mother hadn’t kept waffling on about how to work hard at school and how Cambridge is the pinnacle for education, and that its academic achievement was known worldwide.
On arrival, they passed Jesus Green, doing a slow crawl, obliging his mother whose beaming face was pointing at King’s College. Now on a roll, she was explaining about punting along the ‘Backs’ down the river Cam, talking about the covered Bridge of Sighs, probably given that name, Richard thought, because they students would sigh before they saw their tutors who would discuss their studies. His sister, and himself, were really none the wiser to what she was talking about.
It seemed like forever, but at last they arrived at the botanical gardens.
Robert and Rachel ran over, grinning, as they met up with Harry and Janet. Robert and Harry walked ahead, while Rachel chatted happily with Janet and Susan.
“The botanical gardens are set in forty acres,” Janet explained, “where many unusual plants are grown.”
Robert and Harry said they’d never seen such a variety of different coloured plants, as well as coming across different birds, reptiles and vertebrates.
“Boys,” Susan said, “these are encouraged to thrive to help get rid of pests and diseases.”
After a couple of hours, Robert noticed the café and asked his mother, “Is it time for cake yet?”
She looked at her watch and smiled. “Why not.”
The café was very busy. Robert suggested that he and Harry could sit on the table for two at the back. Rachel obliged by sitting near the counter with Susan and Janet. Rachel walked through the crowds and placed two large slices of chocolate cake in front of Harry and Robert then walked back to her able.
Through the mouthfuls of cake, Robert opened his backpack and showed Harry the mysterious parcel. “When we have a chance, we can find out what’s in it. It’s too busy here.” Robert shook the parcel, demonstrating to his friend the light rattle, and they both grinned.
It had been a long day and Robert and Harry had not been on their own long enough when Susan said, “Let’s go to the glasshouses where you can ‘walk through the seasons’ and discover more plants from around the world.”
Soon they entered the tropical rain forest glasshouse and Harry ran ahead and bent over to look at all the goldfish.
At the end of the glasshouse stood their mums, Susan and Janet, admiring a huge purple exotic flower.
Still midway through the glasshouse, Robert whispered through a huge cactus plant, “Quick, Harry, I’m going to open the parcel.” Harry watched his friend take the box then they both looked at the French address.
“What you got there?” Rachel asked, peaking over Robert’s shoulder.
“Nothing,” he replied.
“I can see the parcel.”
The boys looked at each other then they heard their mothers’ footsteps approaching.
Robert hurriedly placed the parcel on a bench next to a blue inviting-looking pond and said, “It’s that guy’s there, watering the plants.”
Rachel, who was not as conniving as her brother, shrugged and skipped back to her mother.
The boys, with little choice, followed, leaving the unopened parcel on the bench.
Their day trip soon came to an end, and they all said their goodbyes and within the hour, Robert, Rachel and their mother were back on the coach.
Robert shifted to the back seat and rested his head on the glass, looking into space and wondering what might have been in the parcel.
In the background, he could hear his mother’s voice droning on in depth to Rachel about the explorers and pioneers who had discovered the varieties of tropical plants they had seen that day.
Sighing, and taking a deep breath, Robert consoled himself with the thought that he had a chocolate flake in the fridge back home and he would go to his room to finish his comic as the next edition would come out the following day.
With that thought, he shut his eyes, dreaming of exciting adventures to follow.
***
The Parcel Page 3