by Ruth Hay
There was too much going on for Faith Joan Jeffries to think of anything other than classes, teachers and assignments. At least she had a head start on the computer science class. She only hoped her teacher would be supportive of her personal quest. She also worried about the Community work hours she had to fulfill this year. It was going to be a challenge from beginning to end.
It would be best if the 3F project died an early death. She managed this long without her real father.
What difference would it make if she did find him? She had a place at Harmony House which was better than anything she had known before. She even had a real blood relative in Aunt Honor. Along the way, through schools, foster care and elsewhere, she had met many kids who had a lot less security in their lives. Maybe it was time to stop asking for the impossible.
Chapter 10
Louise Ridley set up an observation post in the back bedroom upstairs, from where she could watch the comings and goings next door at Harmony House. She placed a table and chair by the window and placed on the table a pair of binoculars and notepaper with a pen. She was considering ordering a recording device for her notes in case they would be useful for a future court case or prosecution.
As far as she was concerned, there were unusual, and possibly illegal, things happening in the busy house.
For example, when the neighbourhood barbecue was arranged by her Dennis, not one of the residents mentioned the girl. Why were they keeping her secret? It was pure luck that she discovered her in the first place. She was following the dog lady’s progress into the woods one early morning when she noticed the girl approaching the back of the house and entering through the window wall. She almost called the police then, but shortly after this the pudgy one with the red hair came out and waved at the gardener, Mavis, and she looked fine. Not like a person whose house had just been invaded by some teenager thief.
For months she watched and never saw the girl again until she caught sight of her crossing the side lawn to the garage with the tall bossy one, called Hilary. They went off together early in the day and Hilary soon arrived back alone. This was repeated in reverse, later in the afternoons. After much thinking, it became clear that the girl must be at school. So someone in the house took responsibility for this child. It brought the number of residents to seven. She wondered if this broke some rule of the total number of occupants allowed. She made a note about this and continued her observations.
Naturally she kept everything from Dennis until she had compiled compelling evidence. He never bothered to enter the spare bedroom. He left the house in her care while he was off downtown and on business trips to Toronto. She barely understood his business. Something complicated about insurance or mortgages? Suffice to say it brought in enough money to maintain the house and let her stay home rather than join the ambitious throng of young people who raced into the city each day. The crescent was deserted when the younger couples set off, heading for daycare services with their children. She supposed it took two wages to keep up a home of the size and status of the crescent buildings, but it was too bad it was necessary for them.
If it were not for Harmony House she would be left with only daytime television to watch and that eventually became predictable and boring. She preferred to sit quietly with a nice glass of sherry and her notes, speculating about the busy lives next door.
She wondered what became of the fair-haired lady who sat painting in the garden for several months.
She had disappeared. She seemed to be inside all the time now. Perhaps she was ill. And the cheery youngish one with the dark hair and the Irish accent who had charmed Dennis at the barbecue, where did she go at odd times in the day, sometimes in the dog lady’s car?
It was frustrating to be so close and yet unable to find answers.
She tried Andy Patterson on a regular basis all summer when he did her gardening work but he was worse than Dennis. Gossip was not of any interest to him, it seemed. He was quite short with her more than once when she pressed him for details. He was good at turning her questions in another direction as he did when she commented on the recycling bin he built for Mavis.
“So, Mrs. Ridley, are you keen to have a similar bin built for your garden?”
“Perhaps,” she answered nervously. “But not right at the moment.”
Andy would disappear as an information source for most of the winter once the leaves were down. When he cleared their driveway of snow he never needed to jump off his truck at all, so there was no chance to talk to him. She tried offering cups of coffee. He always refused saying, ‘He must get on. He had clients waiting.’ It was like a theme with him; always someone else waiting.
But she knew that was not actually the case. She had seen him months ago with dog lady on Wednesdays going off into the woods. They did not stop by the bin where the clean-up was deposited. They went farther in. Who knew what was going on in there? It was disgusting as far as she was concerned. Andy Patterson would barely speak to her and he went wandering off with that woman although he did not seem to do this recently. Likely he got tired of her. She must be older than him in any case. Her smart clothes and slim figure couldn’t disguise that from Louise Ridley. Oh, no! She knew better.
Such a pity Dennis paid no attention to her ideas about Harmony House. He could be a big help if he chose to be. Dennis was bold enough to march next door and complain or ask for information. His only response, when she dared ask him a question, was to tell her to take another pill.
Dr. Liston agreed and he increased her medication on a regular basis. No one wanted to listen to her concerns. No one. But one day she would discover something criminal going on in that house. Something incriminating enough that everyone would realize she was doing the right thing by watching and waiting and accumulating evidence.
She had found a new way of getting a better view. When the window of the spare room was opened up wide, she could lean out and crane her neck to the right. Then she was able to see the side of the house right around to the front path leading to the door. The large tree was in the way but when the leaves came down it would be clear if anyone was on the covered porch or walking from there to another part of the house at the back. If she balanced just right, she could see the steps up to the front door. Finding out who was coming and going from there would be a big advantage but only before the winter came and it was impossible to tolerate the freezing air coming in the open window.
It could be that she was missing something in the night hours. She must try to wake herself up and watch from the window once in a while. Dennis would not notice, of course. He took himself off to the guest bedroom long ago with the excuse that her pills made her a restless sleeper and he needed his sleep. She would try cutting back the pills for a few days and see what she might be missing at nighttime.
If that did not produce results she had one more idea to try before the weather turned too cold. She would cross into the garden next door when Mavis was working there and pretend to be interested in her plants and stuff. She could ask about the recycling bin. That would be a good ploy.
Mavis seemed to be a kind person. She had a cat. Cats were nice and gentle, not like noisy, dirty dogs.
Perhaps Mavis could tell her about those mystery women inside the house that were keeping her nerves on edge.
This must be a last resort, of course. It would take huge courage to venture away from her own property and take the risk of being rejected. She knew well how rejection felt and it was much too painful to contemplate. The weather was already cooling. Some leaves were falling from the trees in the forest.
She must act soon before the winter snows closed in and she was isolated once more for long, lonely months on end.
Chapter 11
Jannice O’Connor thought her life was improving by leaps and bounds since she entered the community of friends at Harmony House. She was looking at the framed certificate from her supervisor at work. It declared her to be ‘a valued member of the Elder Care Team; much apprec
iated by her clients and a welcome visitor and friend.’ It was a lovely thing to have, for sure. It proved all her years of caring for her parents in that old house, stuffed with memories of other lives, was a worthwhile teaching experience. Truly, she had no trouble at all with the courses online or in-house at London’s Westervelt College. She did even better with the practical exams. It was all easy-peasy for her. She even helped the younger girls with bed baths and how to help an old person into a wheel chair without damaging their legs. In fact she had enjoyed the whole process.
And now she was seeing the rewards. Her new life was opening up and expanding as every month passed. With the driving licence she could seriously start to save for her own little car. She put aside every month the money she earned by doing the small amount of housecleaning in Harmony House.
It was so good to see the money accumulating. Vilma said she could lease a car rather than buying one outright. She said she would find her a second-hand car company that offered lease-to-buy options.
Really truly! There was no end to the wonders of that woman. She was a source of all the information a person could ever want. Vilma’s life had been so totally different from anything Jannice had known. Vilma had two marriages, travelled the world, acquired beautiful homes and clothes and even inherited that wonderful time-share cottage on the beach in Jamaica. Whenever she thought about that incredible week in February she remembered, with such a thrill, the sunlight on the crystal-clear sea, the soft sand under her bare feet, the starlit nights and the company of one gentleman named Mitchell Delaney.
“I cannot wait any longer. The poor man has not had a reply from me. He’ll be thinking I don’t care for his interest when I know I’m just scared.”
Talking aloud was a way she found to help her make decisions.
She turned around and went to her door. She would not waste another minute. One thing she had learned since coming to Harmony House was that fortune favours the bold. She would be bold and ask Vilma’s advice.
She tapped on Vilma’s door and heard a muffled bark from Astrid who was the more watchful one of the two.
Vilma shushed her dog and opened up the door.
“It’s you, Jannice! I’m glad to see you. I want to talk to you about something.”
“Now, isn’t that amazing! I’m on a similar mission but you start first. Mine can wait a bit.”
“Hmm… I think yours should be first. There’s a wrinkle on your forehead that tells me you are worried.
Spit it out, my dear. We can’t have London’s finest personal care worker with matters on her mind distracting her from her important work.”
“Oh, Vilma, you are such a tease! It’s about that man Mitchell Delaney. He’s asked me to go to Quebec City over Christmas to discuss my life story for a possible publication of some kind and I don’t think I can do it.”
“This is extraordinary, Jannice! I knew you and he had long talks in Jamaica but I did not realize things had moved on this far. He’s an author isn’t he? You must go. It could be something very special for you.”
“I do want to go. He’s a proper gentleman and will pay my travel and for a hotel room. The thing is I have another invitation for Christmas and I can’t really refuse it.”
Vilma had to sit back and consider for a moment how her friend’s life had changed. The little mousy person that Jannice once was, had been transformed. Where her life had once circled around that awful, dingy house in a run-down part of London, she was now a woman with choices she could never have imagined back then. Clearing out the old home had cleared out her mind as well and she was a new person.
“You surprise and delight me all the time Jannice O’Connor. Pray tell, who is your other suitor?”
“Oh my! Not at all! Neither of them is a suitor! It’s the O’Connor brother and sister who bought the house in Old East London from me who have invited me for Christmas dinner. It’s very kind of them and I do want to hear how they are doing. I just can’t decide which invite should get priority.”
“I can help you with that, Jannice. Do both!
Have Christmas dinner with the O’Connors and then go off to Quebec and meet with Mitchell Delaney. You can arrange time off from work during the holidays if you ask early enough. If you fly to Quebec City you will save hours of travelling on the train. You should spend a few days there. It’s a beautiful and historic city, well worth exploring.”
Vilma sat back and stroked Oscar’s head. Problem solved.
But when she looked up again she saw confusion written all over her companion’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you mean it’s all right to be away from Harmony House for Christmas and also to travel that far to meet a man I don’t know all that well?”
“Jannice, my dear, dear woman; you live here but you are not tied to the place every single day. It’s time you had adventures on your own. The O’Connors are friends already. Mitchell Delaney is a new friend. You can keep in touch by phone. Quebec City is not Darkest Africa. You will love it there. Most people speak better English than we do. If the life story idea takes off, it could be the start of something very interesting for you. It’s time you lived a little!”
For Vilma that seemed to be the end of the matter, but for Jannice a whole new horizon had been opened up and it would take time to catch up with the new vision Vilma had presented.
Me, Jannice O’Connor, on a plane and flying across the country to meet an author and stay in a hotel all by myself? Ma and pa would turn in their graves if they suspected such a thing could happen to their meek and mild little girlie.
She coughed once or twice, trying to clear her brain. The dogs moved closer in case she needed help, then followed after Vilma as she went to pour water into a glass for Jannice.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine! Just a little shocked. Now what did you want to ask me about?”
Vilma settled down in her chair again and her expression changed to one of wonder.
“Strangely enough, I’ve been giving you advice that I should have given to myself. Andy Patterson wants to enter the dogs into a show to see if they are as good as he thinks they are. The show is quite far away in Northern Ontario and we would need to stay there for a day or two. It’s an indoor competition for all breeds and I have only a few weeks to make up my mind. Andy has already made entry applications.”
“Is it also at Christmas?”
“No. It’s in early November.”
“I don’t see the problem. It sounds like a great thing for the dogs. You have done grand work with them.”
Vilma looked down at her dogs and knew Jannice was right. The dogs were ready. Andy had prepared them well.
“It’s me who has the problem. I don’t particularly like Andy Patterson. He has taken over parts of my life for his own purposes and I am not sure I am comfortable with it.”
“But I thought you were getting along splendidly! Haven’t you been out to his farm every week all summer? Don’t you feel you know him by now?”
“Jannice, he’s had a very difficult life. He does not want to be known and I am not interested in a relationship. I appreciate what he’s done for my dogs but going off on this trip might give him ideas I am not willing to consider. I promised myself never to get tangled up with another man for the rest of my days. I am independent financially. What more could a troubled man bring to me?”
There was no good answer to this question and Jannice O’Connor was not qualified to provide one. And yet, Vilma had contributed so much to her. She owed her some kind of response.
She searched her mind for something, anything, that might be helpful.
“Well now, Vilma. I can see this is worrying for you. Could you possibly think of it only as an opportunity for the dogs? You would likely be helping this man do something he needs, but you wouldn’t be in his company that much. It sounds like a busy time. Perhaps, afterward, it would be a good chance to make a break with him?”
/> Out of the mouths of babes!
Vilma quickly sensed that Jannice, with little to no experience of men, had steered a path through her complex emotions and found a solution. It was, indeed, time to bring this thing to a close. The competition would be the end of whatever the association with Andy Patterson had become.
When they returned home to Harmony House, she would be free of him.
Chapter 12
Faith managed only two vlog sessions in the first week at school. There was so much new stuff to absorb. New teachers and new class groups to get used to. The J.J. gang were together only twice in the week for math, and for home room every day for a very brief period before moving off to other parts of the large, three-storey Saunders building. Faith found herself getting lost often until she figured out the
orientation by heading to an end-of-corridor window and looking outside to see if she was at the Viscount Road end, or the one facing the playing fields.
Last year while she was going about with Jo, Jessica and Jarvis she just followed along and paid no attention to where they were leading her. This year she was with a whole other group but fortunately Ryan was in several classes and he seemed keen to buddy up ever since her fifteenth birthday party.
She was glad of a friendly face.
Jolene had not stopped bugging her about the vlog. If they did not find a private moment together during lunch, she left notes slipped inside Faith’s locker, saying ‘Keep trying’ or ‘This will work’. Jo had obeyed the instruction to avoid phone calls but she followed up with texts when Faith was at home.
These had to be ignored while she was in homework sessions with Hilary or Aunt Honor, both of whom seemed to want to fast-track her attempts right from day one of year ten.
Shakespeare was going to be the major hurdle. Naturally, Hilary was a big fan of ‘The Bard’ and admired every weird word the man had ever written back in the dark ages. This made the situation close to impossible for Faith. She hated the plays, hated the language, hated the history…… generally speaking, she hated all things Shakespeare and she could not disguise the fact.
