Wisps of Wisdom

by Ross Richdale

  "I'm scared about what she will think."

  "But you cannot protect Stella if you say nothing."

  "Will you help me tell Mum?"

  "Yes. Do you have her mobile phone number?"

  "Now?" Isabelle gasped.

  "You were extremely courageous to come to me but need to continue with this next phase, that is to talk to your Mum. Where will she be at the moment?"

  "At work. She is an accountant with a local firm."

  "So shall I call her?"

  Isabelle nodded and wrote down her mother's number that Karla punched it into her mobile.

  "Good afternoon, Ava Kensington speaking," said a cultured voice after Karla had told an office secretary who was calling. "What has Stella done, Mrs Spicer?"

  "Nothing Mrs Kensington. I have Isabelle in my office with me."

  "Oh my God, Isabelle but why?"

  "She wanted to talk to me and..."

  "She told you about being raped when she was in Year 10 at your school and doesn't want it to happen to Stella?"

  "You know?" Karla attempted to hide the surprised tone from her voice

  "I guessed but in all these months she never told me a thing. It's that attack you stopped on your pupil at the airport that brought it to the surface, isn't it?"

  "Probably. Do you wish to speak to her?"

  "Not on the phone but do you have the time to meet with us both? I can be at your school in twenty minutes." Ava Kensington hesitated. "If Isabelle confided in you, it is more than she's done with anyone as far as I know. By ourselves, I'm afraid she will refuse to say anything."

  "I am available to help for as long as I am needed, Mrs Kensington. Just come to the main reception area and one of my assistants will escort you to my office." She clicked off and looked into Isabelle's apprehensive eyes. "Your mother will be here in about twenty minutes. She said she already knew about the rape but waited for you to confide in her."

  "Oh hell!"

  "She obviously loves both you and Stella very much, Isabelle."

  "But what will I say to her?"

  "Everything, exactly how you told me."

  "Thank you," the girl replied and sipped on her glass of water.

  *

  While they waited, Karla gathered up information about Stella's web site and jotted down her passwords that Isabelle had knowledge of. She also let the girl just talk about her life in the two years since the rape. It appeared that she had little to do with males and had absorbed herself in schoolwork and her interest in swimming. It was less than twenty minutes later when Karla looked out the mezzanine floor window and saw a woman dressed in a business suit come into the main foyer below.

  "That's Mum," Isabelle whispered and stood biting on her lip as Maureen greeted the visitor and led her out of sight upstairs. There was a knock and Maureen opened the door.

  "Mrs Kensington this is our principal, Karla Spicer," she introduced.

  Karla had seen her before at one of the school functions but had never spoken to her. She held out her hand and thanked her for coming. Meanwhile, Isabella almost shrunk back to the edge of the office and only spoke when her mother turned to her.

  "Hello Mum," she muttered.

  "Isabelle," Ava said and held her arms out to her daughter who hesitated a moment before moving forward.

  Isabelle's lips quivered as she stepped into her mother's arms and burst into long uncontrolled sobs. Ava held her close and glanced at Karla over her daughter's shaking shoulders, her own face white and chin shaking.

  "Thank you," she mouthed.

  Karla nodded and touched Isabelle's arm. "I'll leave you but if you need me just press the green button on my intercom. There is no hurry. Take as long as you wish."

  Isabelle turned and nodded.

  "I'll ask Maureen to bring in a coffee for you both if you wish, Mrs Kensington" Karla said.

  "Call me Ava," the woman replied. "Yes I think we'd both love a coffee. I think Isabelle drinks more coffee than me in a day."

  Karla squeezed the girl's arm again and slid out of the room for she was sure that her presence wasn't needed any more.

  *

  By now school had finished for the day and students had fanned out everywhere to head home. Karla walked out the front as she usually did at this time and watched as buses loaded, the car park filled with modern upmarket cars and the loading bay outside the school was crowded with cars zooming in and students waiting for parents to pick them up. In contrast, the foyer was comparatively quiet with only a dozen or so students around. One girl looked quite apprehensive as she glanced around as if looking for someone.

  This wasn't unusual but she looked vaguely familiar so Karla approached her. "Hello, is there something I can help you with?" she asked.

  The girl smiled slightly. "Hello Mrs Spicer. I saw my mother's car outside and wondered where she was as she would normally be at work."

  Of course, she looked like her sister. "You're Stella Kensington, if I'm not mistaken."

  The girl nodded. "Do you know everyone in the school Mrs Spicer?"

  Karla smiled. "No, there are far too many of you but you look like Isabelle, don't you?"

  Stella frowned. "I guess but how do you know Isabelle and why is Mum here?"

  "They are both in my office but should be out in a few minutes."

  Stella swore, apologised and stared wide eyed at Karla. "Isabelle told you about our web sites, didn't she? I told her to stay out of it."

  "Stay out of what, Stella."

  "Oh my God she did come and told you everything, not just about our web sites."

  Karla nodded at an empty couch a few metres away. "Perhaps we should sit down and you tell me what you know, Stella."

  Stella looked reluctant but did sit down and placed a backpack between her knees.

  "So what do you know about Isabelle coming to speak to me?"

  "Everything," Stella whispered and glanced over at her. "She told you, didn't she?"

  "You never really answered my question."

  "She thinks that the creep who attacked Jasmine was probably the one who raped her when she was my age."

  "She told you about that?"

  "Of course. We're sisters and tell each other everything but until now it has been our secret bond to tell nobody, not even Mum or Dad about the things we share. However, Isabelle said it was too big for us and we needed to get help." She pouted. "Now I guess Mum knows, too."

  "So what do you know, Stella and don't just say everything."

  Stella sighed but repeated everything that Karla had heard from her sister but added more. "There are four of us who set out to catch the creep by pretending we had fallen for him. He sent us different photos of different boys but we're pretty certain it's the same guy. The trouble is Jasmine got caught up with him and you know what happened, don't you?"

  "You mean there are four of you who have been exchanging messages with this man on Petal Life pages?"

  Stella nodded.

  "And Jasmine was one?"

  "No, she's in a different syndicate to us and we didn't even know her until we all heard about how you stopped this creep at the airport."

  Karla frowned. This was meant to be confidential. "Go on," she said.

  "It must be the same guy for he has gone to ground, I mean, after that happened all his texts on our mobiles and on Petal Life stopped. Oh there was last one; want to see it?"

  "Please," Karla replied.

  Stella took a mobile from her pocket and brought up a message, g2g syiab loml Gary.

  Karla had to grin. "Okay, what does it mean, Stella?"

  "Got to go, see you in a bit, love of my life, Gary. Except for a different name at the end, we all got the same message."

  "And when was that?"

  "The day after you rescued Jasmine." Stella frowned. "I realise she didn't know about us but she stuffed it up anyway."

  Karla nodded. "Your friends and yourself are only trying to help, I know but Isabelle is right in telli
ng you that this is too big for you to handle by yourselves. Tomorrow morning I'll send for you all so I'd like your friend's names, please."

  Stella pouted but told her.

  "Thank you." Karla glanced up. "Isabelle and your Mum are coming down the stairs. Remember, you are not in trouble. We are all going to help each other. Okay?"

  "Okay, Mrs Spicer."

  Stella stood and ran across to meet her mother and sister as they stepped off the stairs. Both girls gave her a wave, Ava said something to them and stepped across to talk to her while the sisters headed outside, deep in conversation.

  *

  CHAPTER 7

  Avery Francis gazed around Room 241 where there was a buzz of quiet voices as her students continued group projects on the merits or otherwise of building a new harbour bridge or tunnel under the harbour between the North Shore and Central Auckland. Also included in the topic were the merits of extending the railway across to the North Shore compared with using buses in special lanes or just extending the status quo. She was quite amazed at the sophisticated arguments to support ideas the opposing groups had. This assignment would end with each group making a ten-minute video of their findings and conclusions. Already, she could see different approaches made by the five groups in both their research and the methods of designing their presentations.

  "Time to wrap up now," she said. "And remember, it is your job to put away all the materials you used and tidy up." She grinned. "And Russell, don't lose your charts before you had time to scan them like yesterday,"

  "Found them, Avery," Russell replied. "They were put in Anna's shelf instead of ours."

  "And who did that, Russell?" Anna retorted. "At least our shelf is tidy not just a pile of junk like your group's one."

  "She has a point, Russell," Avery said. "Perhaps if you were a little bit more organised..."

  "Yes Avery." The boy grinned as he carried a bundle of folders across to the shelf allocated to his group.

  The day ended with a general tidy up of the room and a final review of the homework expected and any general news or questions.

  "We heard that you're coming back next year," Anna said. "Will us Year 7s still be in this room with you?"

  Avery smiled. The news about her position and the other teachers involved becoming permanent had been well received. "Probably, " she said. "That's up to Mrs Spicer but usually Year 7s stay with the same teacher for two years."

  "Hope so," one of the Year 7 boys muttered.

  "Why can't our year stay with you, too?" Russell, who was in Year 8, asked.

  "School policy but perhaps we could make this one of our topics to ask the student council. If we have good arguments like we have for our present study, they might decide to present Mrs Spicer with a recommendation that a class such as ours stay together for four years rather than just two."

  "And having to put up with Russell's moans for two more years," another girl interjected. "No thanks!"

  Everyone laughed.

  After saying good afternoon and dismissing the class, Avery had a chat to a couple of students before glancing up and smiling. Hunter was standing there.

  "How'd you get across from your room so quickly?" she asked.

  He grinned. "Free period. My class has been at manual." He glanced around. "How do you get your kids to leave so orderly? At home bell my lot just about fight to get out the door."

  Avery shrugged. "So why are you here?"

  Hunter looked almost nervous. "I was just wondering... well... what I mean is..."

  "Oh spit it out, Hunter. What do you want?"

  "Have you got a couple of thousand spare bucks?"

  "Not to spare but why?"

  "The school holidays are coming up and I was thinking of taking a trip to Tahiti to brush up on my French. I'm meant to be taking French with my class but some of them are better at pronouncing the words than me." He shrugged. "I can read and write it okay but my oral French is terrible."

  "Sounds great. So you want a loan?"

  "No," Hunter whispered. "I just thought you'd like to come with me."

  Avery flushed. Since the attack, she had gone out with Hunter several times and found his company fun but she was still nervous when the evenings finished and they were alone together. He had, though been a perfect gentleman; almost too much so but finally their affection for each other became more serious though she still froze if his hands wandered too far.

  She stared at him and noticed an almost anxious expression on his face. Since the time he had visited her in hospital she realised how important he was to her and also how much he had shown restraint when they were together. He had probably been thinking about asking her for ages and now... oh hell, why not?

  "So we'd better book soon if we want to get a cheaper fair," she said. "I would imagine that the airlines would be pretty well booked out for the school holidays."

  "So you will?" he gasped.

  She nodded but didn't expect his reaction. He stepped forward, grabbed her in a massive hug and deposited a kiss on her lips.

  "Hunter!" she gasped and attempted, unsuccessfully to slip out of his arms. "What if my kids see?"

  "Who cares?" he replied and kissed her again.

  "So what about the tickets and accommodation?" she said after they finally disentangled.

  Hunter grinned. "Already booked. We fly out on Air New Zealand on the first Sunday of the holidays, return a week later and stay at two hotels, one in Papeete and the other on an outer island resort."

  Avery attempted to look serious. "I see and if I told you I wasn't interested?"

  Hunter shrugged. "I'd ask one of the other girls on the staff, I guess. There's a dozen or more unattached ones."

  "Yeah all ten years older than you and mostly old maids."

  Hunter laughed. "So how about a meal together tonight and I'll show you a pamphlet with photos of the resort."

  "But it's only Wednesday."

  "So?"

  "I'll call Mum and tell her I won't be home for tea." Avery grinned. "Okay, I know I sound like a teenager but Mum and I have looked after each other over the last few years."

  "I know," Hunter replied in a serious voice. "She's lucky to have you."

  "And me her," Avery replied. "Look, drop in about six. She wants to meet you so isn't it about time I introduced you to her?"

  "Oh one other thing," Hunter said with a gleam in his eyes.

  Avery glowered, "What?"

  "I've got twenty-five essays to mark before Friday. How'd you like to help?"

  "That, my dear friend is going that just too far. You can mark your own damn essays." She kissed him on the cheek and retreated back behind her desk before he could grab her.

  *

  Avery was disappointed in her mother after she introduced Hunter to her. She came across as being formal and almost cold but said everything right and wished them a pleasant meal.

  "I don't know what got into her," she said after they left the house. "Mum acted like you were the enemy at peace conference."

  "Perhaps I am," Hunter replied.

  "How?"

  "Your mother depends on you but I turn up and her world is about to change. She visualises you leaving her alone sooner rather than later."

  "Could be," Avery replied. "It is no reason for her to be so cold, though. You've done nothing to antagonise her."

  "I'm male and a possible enemy. Don't be too hard on her, Avery. Your stabbing affected her as much as it did you."

  Avery pouted. "Guess so. She still thinks I'm sixteen with a crush on some pimply boy of the same age. Oh well, let's forget about her and enjoy our meal." She grinned. "If you give me your bank account number, I'll transfer my half of the Tahiti holiday costs over to you."

  "So you haven't changed your mind?"

  "Not about that," Avery whispered. "Perhaps we could go to the Westfield Mall for our meal. There's a lovely little roast place in the food court there. I also want to visit a pharmacy."

  "Pharmacy?" H
unter shrugged. "Sorry, it's none of my business."

  "Oh it is, Hunter," Avery grinned across at him. "It's everything to do with you. I thought I'd better get a morning-after pill, just in case..." She flushed. "Oh hell, do I have to cross all my ts?"

  Hunter blew out through his cheeks and chuckled. "No, that won't be necessary. Can't having you competing with the boss, now can we?"

  "And what does that mean?"

  "Haven't you heard the rumour? It's all around our syndicate. We've even got a wager on when she'll make an announcement."

  "About what?"

  "Karla's pregnancy. The odds are that she'll announce that she's pregnant before the end of the term, her daughter is coming up to four and she's over thirty. That's young for the position she holds but if she wants more children, wouldn't now be the best time?"

  "What a cynical lot you are over in your syndicate."

  "So how about a bet for the 'Nos'? For just five bucks you could win a couple of thousand. Everyone is betting the other way."

  Avery smiled. "You're on."

  She grinned out the window as Hunter turned into the mall car park. Her heart raced in the anticipation of how the evening would conclude. Somehow, it all seemed right and even her mother's coolness wasn't going to spoil the evening for Hunter and herself.

  *

  As Hunter explained, his apartment was once part of one of those small motels with twenty rooms in a long line with the vehicles parked on an angle in front of each unit. After the motel closed, the units were extended out the rear to provide a little more space and a laundry that, in turn opened out to a private back yard enclosed by a wooden fence and a tiny tool shed.

  Avery walked into Unit 3, Hunter's one and her first impression was how comfortable and homely it felt. One wall of the living area had a wall-to-wall bench with a computer, printer, two monitors and other electronic devices along it. Folders and papers poked out of a divided shelf attached to the wall while sitting on the top were several ornaments and a couple of family photos. At the end, between two internal doors was a large modern television attached to the wall while to the left was a small kitchen that looked clean and tidy with dishes stacked on the sink top. In the main living area there was a couch, one armchair and a kitchen table surrounded by four chairs. The carpet was of the commercial type that motels have and a large red beanbag with magazines on the floor beside it completed the furniture. She noted that the magazines were either educational or electronic publications.