Affinity House

by Ruth Hay

  When the children were fed, and settled in the playroom, Mavis took Shania aside.

  “Well done, Shania! I can see you will be an invaluable help to Mrs. Ridley. Do you know that I live next door? There’s someone there I would like you to meet. It’s all right. Mrs. Ridley knows. We won’t be too long. We’ll take the private entrance through the treeline.

  Shania followed along without expecting too much. The first thing she noticed was the size of the house with the towers at the side. It was even bigger than the Ridley place. They walked along a side path to the front door and were almost bowled over by two big dogs exiting with their owner at the same time.

  “Oh, you must be Shania! These two are Oscar and Astrid. It’s all right to pet them if you want. You could come for a walk with us soon, if you like. Bye for now!”

  In a flash of furry tails the trio were off.

  “Is that who you wanted me to meet? What kind of dogs are those?”

  Shania’s eyes were wide with surprise. Mavis laughed.

  “Those are Vilma’s dogs. She’ll tell you all about them. They walk in the woods behind the house every day. The person I want you to meet is in here.

  Mavis knocked on the door on the left of the main entrance and a young voice said, “Come in!”

  Shania went ahead with Mavis’s encouragement and found herself in the last place she expected. It was a teenager’s room with posters on the walls and a pale carpet covered by bright rugs. There was a piano against one wall and, of all things, a cat sat on top of it. There was a big soft couch with throws over it and on the couch sat a girl with a laptop and earplugs, the new kind that had electronic connections.

  She put the computer down, unplugged, and stood up with her hand outstretched.

  “Pleased to meet you, Shania! I’m Faith Jeffries. Welcome to the neighbourhood. I will be your local guide. I hope we will be friends. I came here from the foster system. I’ve made all the mistakes you can imagine, so you can ask me anything. I’ll tell you the real truth. I promise you that!

  What music do you like? You can borrow mine if you want.

  Don’t say anything to anyone, but I have a private supply of snacks here. Help yourself!”

  Mavis heard the last of this as she withdrew and went to find Hilary. Shania was in good hands.

  Faith would help her integrate into Westmount Elementary School which shared a large open space with Saunders Secondary. There was no one better to keep an eye on the new girl. All the schoolchildren knew about Faith. She was quite the celebrity these days. As soon as the word was out that Shania was under her protection, everything would go smoothly.

  Mavis breathed a sigh of relief.

  One down. Two to go.

  Chapter 17

  By the end of the first week, Faith had made a real impression on Shania. She considered her to be very cool. Faith advised her on clothes, recommended a good haircut and told her all about Westmount, the mall, and the general types of kids who went to the schools there. There was even a Beauty School in the mall, which caused Shania’s heart to beat faster. Faith could not have known it, but she always aimed to work in a salon one day.

  Faith promised to take Shania to the mall on the weekend and introduce her to her group of pals.

  “Most of them have younger kids in the family who go to Westmount Elementary. We’ll set you up with them when the new term begins.”

  Shania could hardly wait. Now that Louise was taking over most of the care of the little kids, she could start to think about herself for a change. Ever since the police took away her mom and stepdad, she had glued herself to Ty and Betsy. She knew she was their anchor but she also knew, as weeks went by, that an anchor is a very heavy weight to bear and can drag a person down.

  The Ridleys came just at the right time to save her. Now she could think about herself and school was a new beginning. The question remained about how long she would be able to stay with the Ridleys, and with Faith.

  In the early morning, she watched out of the window of the lilac room to see the comings and goings next door at the Tower House. Vilma and the dogs went out first, followed by a tall, serious-looking older woman who drove away shortly after, but not every day.

  Mavis, she recognized at once. She headed straight to the back of the property and stayed there for hours at a time when she was not with Louise and the kids.

  A couple also left by car shortly after that. They did not look like the average Canadian. They had nice tanned skin, dark hair and could be related to each other as they looked so alike. She noted there was at least one man in Faith’s house. She wondered what kind of house it was to have so many different people living inside.

  At this point in the morning, Shania gave up her watch and got dressed to go down for breakfast with Ty and Betsy. Louise had told her the kids always seemed a little unsettled until they saw their big sis.

  Anchor becomes security blanket, she thought.

  It was okay with her. She would always feel responsible for these two no matter what happened.

  She was also very grateful to Louise and Dennis for keeping the three of them together. Faith told her this was unusual in foster situations. The idea of being separated from the kids and not knowing where or how they were, was horrifying to her.

  Faith had not yet told her the story of her own foster experiences but she did say she had an aunt who saved her in the end and who also lived in the Tower House.

  So many new people and new stuff to learn, but it all centres around school. If I can make a go of it there, maybe I can stay here forever. Maybe?

  She was wise enough to know these big decisions were no longer in the control of anyone over whom she had any influence. It was something to keep in mind.

  Saturday eventually came around and Faith arrived at the Ridley house to collect Shania.

  “Have fun!” said Louise, while quietly placing folded money in the pocket of the new spring jacket Shania wore.

  Faith assured Louise she would look after Shania, then the two were off and walking to the nearest bus stop.

  “We’ll go by bus. You need to know how to get around and how to get to town and back. We’ll just do school and the mall today.”

  Shania felt super cool going out with Faith. She explained that the crescent was a real nice place but not typical of everywhere in London. Shania refrained from saying she understood that. The building where she and the kids had lived before, was a dump compared to anything she had seen on the crescent. Some people would have called it a slum.

  As the bus wound its way to Oxford Street and Byron, Faith pointed out the places of interest. It seemed like a long way to the school and Faith said she was hoping to get her driving license one day and then the drive would be much shorter.

  Does she mean she would give me a ride to school? Does she think I will be here that long?

  The bus turned a corner at traffic lights and Shania saw the big, brown bulk of Saunders on the left, opposite a long mall with buses arriving and departing in front of it. Their bus deposited them right at an entrance to Westmount Mall and Faith made Shania turn around and see Westmount Elementary, set further back from the road, but very close to the Secondary School building.

  She felt glad she was not yet required to take on that challenge. Soon enough!

  Faith did a walk around the two floors of the mall with comments about what was new and what had recently closed down.

  “There’s still a Tim Hortons in the centre and in the parking lot at the back is a huge Cineplex movie theatre complex. But what I want to show you today is the Beauty School. The students there will give you a good haircut for a cheap price. They work under their teachers’ supervision. What do you think? Is it time for a new look?”

  Shania was willing to take her new friend’s advice. She reached into her pocket and withdrew the money Louise had thrust in there.

  “No! No! This is Mavis’s treat.”

  “Really! Will you come with me?”
>
  “Sure I will!”

  There was a large sign on the glass window stating, ‘Walk-Ins Welcome’. Before she could change her mind, Shania took one deep breath and took them at their word.

  It was like a normal hair salon only there were more work stations than usual and there were a lot of young girls and men working on different customers who were all older. Faith talked to the woman behind the desk and Shania was soon shown to a seat in front of a big mirror. She was glad this seat was not near the front windows so people could not look in while she was sitting there being worked on.

  Over her head, a conversation commenced about what might suit Shania. She took no part in this conversation, allowing Faith to take the lead. Although she had seen salons before she had never actually entered one.

  Faith stepped back and the young assistant lifted Shania’s long curly mop and moved it here and there while examining the effect in the mirror. Next, she moved Shania to another station and wet her hair in a basin after which she encased the dripping mound in a towel and wheeled back to the original spot.

  When her hair was towelled dry, Shania saw the scissors in the assistant’s hands.

  She looked around nervously for Faith and saw her nod with approval.

  If Faith was in charge, Shania could relax.

  She actually closed her eyes for a while. She could hear the sound of clipping and she knew the assistant was moving back and forward from one side of the chair to the other but she did not see what was happening until Faith tapped her on the shoulder and asked what she thought.

  “Should we go a bit shorter?”

  Shorter? I have no hair left! What just happened? What have I done?

  Shania turned her head to left and right and still could not recognize herself. Her long, curly-brown locks had gone, and what was left was straighter with a slight wave and cut close to her head. A wispy fringe of hair brushed her forehead and longer wings of hair clung to the sides of her face.

  Was this a real hairstyle or something partly done?

  She looked once again at Faith for reassurance and saw the beaming smile on the older girl’s face.

  “I think we’ll leave it as it is. The cut is good and it makes her look more mature. You can see the shape of her head and the way the hair curves around her cheeks draws attention to those cute hazel eyes.

  Shania, you will make a great first impression with this sharp hairstyle. Let’s go for a latte and see what the reaction is.”

  The bill was paid and a tip given to the assistant. Shania managed a thank you but she was reeling from the shock the haircut made to her self-image. She could feel tiny bits of hair clinging to the skin around her neck and wanted to reach up every minute to feel if she really had lost all that huge clump of hair that she had owned for so long.

  They sat at a table in the centre court of the mall and Shania tried not to think everyone else was looking over at her and wondering why she had subjected herself to such a radical change. She sipped her latte and attempted to concentrate on what Faith was saying.

  “…….. so, Jolene is my best friend. She has a younger brother at Westmount Elementary. He is an OK kid and they live nearby. Jo will meet us here. I can’t wait to see her reaction to your haircut! You know, Shania, it really does make a huge difference. People will treat you like a smart kid now you look like one. I think you have been hiding behind that hair for a long time. I did the very same thing. Mine was dyed green at the ends, if you can believe it?”

  Shania nodded as if she believed Faith’s story, but what was described did not match with this confident older girl she now saw before her. She began to worry if her own brother and sister would recognize her after such a radical change to their big sister’s appearance.

  If they ran screaming away from her, it would not be good. There were already too many changes for the little ones to get used to.

  Faith started to wave at someone approaching from the main entrance and Shania saw this cute girl with really black hair and blue eyes coming toward their table.

  This must be her. Jo something?

  There was a big hug, as if Faith and Jo had not seen each other for ages. The talk started up at once and it was like Greek to Shania who did not know the people they were discussing.

  “Anyhoo! enough about all that! I want you to meet Shania. She’s staying next door to Harmony House, like I told you.”

  “Hey there! Pleased to meet you. J.J. told me a lot about you. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine. Did you know this one is famous around these parts? She speaks at other schools and does a lot of good work for mental health with teens.”

  “Hush up about all that, Jo! Shania doesn’t need to hear about it. Tell her what you think about her new haircut.”

  “Right you are!”

  To Shania’s embarrassment, Jo stood up and walked around the table examining Shania’s head from all angles, causing her eyes to go wide and her eyebrows to shoot up as she looked at Faith hoping she would tell the other girl to sit down at once. She knew her face was turning red. She was not used to this type of close inspection.

  “Well, I have to say she’s a beauty all right! The cut is sensational and it will only improve when it gets a little longer. Wait till the other girls in grade six see it! They will all be clamouring to get into that salon and get the Shania Cut. Well done you two!”

  Faith grinned from ear to ear and Jo went off to the counter to get her drink.

  “Does she mean it?” Shania whispered.

  “You bet she does! One thing you need to know about Jolene is that she tells it like it is. She sorted me out right away when I arrived at Saunders and she continues to keep me in line ever since.”

  Shania was relieved that Jolene did not ask her questions about her foster situation. She guessed Faith (what was the J.J. about?) had filled her in previously. It was nice to just sit at the table with two older girls and be accepted, even though she could not take part in their chatter about teachers and friends and homework assignments.

  By the time the pair’s attention finally came around to her again, Shania had lost some of her shyness, and was prepared to provide answers when Jolene asked what her favourite subject in school was.

  “Recess is my favourite, but I suppose I am best at gym since it doesn’t matter if you have missed a lesson or two.”

  Faith immediately recognized a pattern she was familiar with. During episodes when her mother was sick, or drugged, or out of her head, she stayed home also. She saw Jo’s quirked eyebrow at this response and countered with, “Well, you will get lots of physical activity now. Your little guys need to be outside playing every day and you have the choice of helping Mavis in her garden or Vilma walk her dogs and I have a job for you.”

  “A job? I am too young!”

  “I used to watch a neighbour’s younger boy while she was busy with his older brother. I don’t have the time to do it anymore, but you could take over for me. It’s not a total babysitting job as you would not be alone with the children. It’s like a ‘mother’s helper’ and I know Mrs. Wyatt would appreciate your help in the evenings, especially on the weekends. You have way more experience with kiddies right now than I ever had when I started, and it gives you a bit of pocket money. The Wyatts are two houses over in the crescent. I’ll introduce you to them.”

  Shania blinked rapidly. This was all happening so fast. One minute she was standing in their old kitchen, shaking from head to toe as police and social services stormed in and took her mother and stepdad away in handcuffs while Ty and Betsy screamed at the top of their voices and Mom cried out to Shania to ‘look after my babies!’

  The next minute, it seemed, she was in a new place with new people and suddenly new friends who cared about her. It was almost too much and for a moment she was overcome with the shock of the huge adjustment all this required. Her throat went dry and her eyes stung. She reached up to pull her hair around her face as she used to do to hide herself, but that option was gon
e now. Her hair and her whole life was changed out of all recognition and she was adrift.

  Faith caught the startled expression on her face and reached out a hand to steady her.

  “It’s okay, Shania! It will be fine. Give it all time. Me and Jo and others will help you. Finish your drink and we’ll go across the road and walk around the school so you can see the playgrounds behind it.

  One step at a time, really works!”

  Chapter 18

  Mandy Lennox could hardly believe how fast she and her cousin were settling into life at Harmony House. The weather was wonderful, the people in the house were amazing and their shared room was working out fine. It was large enough that the twin beds could be placed against two opposite walls for privacy and still left enough room for a large desk.

  Not that the amount of desk space was ever going to be a problem. Since Honor had invited them to share her lower level work and living area, they relished the chance to take breaks outside in the garden or sit on the patio and enjoy the flowers and plants that sprang to life like magic under Mavis’s care. When they discovered the elevator just outside the kitchen, it was perfect for dashing down to see Honor without disturbing anyone. Mandy noticed Braden was the one who preferred working with Honor and she was beginning to sense that it was not just about the outdoor access. He and Honor had business experience in common as well as a type of personality match that drew Honor out of her natural reticence.

  Whenever Mandy went to the hospital to spend time with her mother, she knew Braden was not only taking care of their business interests, he was also taking care of, what appeared to be, a personal interest.

  “So, what is this Honor like?”

  It was a way to distract her mother from the chemo injections that were of a type that required daily monitoring and various blood tests. Mandy had plenty to relate with all that went on in Harmony House.