Beside the Brook (7 page)

The handbrake creaked as Kirsten put the car in park. “Do you want to go take a look?”

Sarah stared at Kirsten as if she had suggested there was a giant spider in her hair.

“Come on. Let’s go see what the kids are up to.”

They climbed out of the car and Kirsten felt Sarah take hold of her arm. The thumb of her other hand slid into her mouth as they walked up the steps. The old galvanized gate squeaked on its hinges as they entered, and clunked noisily shut behind them, announcing their arrival.

They located the small staffroom, where a middle aged man and two portly women sat with hot drinks, enjoying their break from the children.

“Hi,” the elder of the two women greeted them. “Can we help you?” She looked to be in her mid thirties, which a bush of unruly sand coloured hair. She had a generous figure which had long ago out grown jeans, into wide tracksuit pants and long, loose fitting shirts.

“Hi, I’m Kirsty and this is Sarah.” She squeezed Sarah’s hand. “We were just in the area and I thought Sarah might enjoy seeing your school.”

“Great, how old are you, Sarah?” The woman’s knees popped as she brought herself down to Sarah’s level.

“Seven,” Sarah whispered. She rested her head against Kirsten’s arm for reassurance.

“Well, my name is Anne, and this is Tania.” She pointed to the younger woman who smiled. “And this man is Gary, he teaches the big kids.”

“How many children do you have here?” Kirsten asked.

“We’ve got thirty-three at the moment. Next year we get another three new entrants and lose two of the big kids to high school.”

The answer spiked Kirsten’s curiosity. “How far away do they travel from? Such a spread out area must have kids coming from all directions.”

“Some of them are in the Bay. Some come from over in Manaroa.” Anne pointed behind her toward the hill in the north. “We have a bus that goes to the Kenepuru Heads to pick children up, and then it goes all the way round the other way to Nopera, about forty kilometres.”

“Wow, that’s a long way just to get kids to school.” Kirsten’s mind ticked over as she spoke.

“Where do you live, Sarah?” Anne asked.

Sarah shrugged, obviously confused about how far they had come and where they were. She looked up at Kirsten for the answer.

“Just over the way, about five minutes the other side of Portage Hotel.” Kirsten patted Sarah’s hand as she jiggled from one foot to the other.

“Oh, so you’re locals?” Anne straightened her back and returned to Kirsten’s level.

“I’m Sarah’s new Nanny, so I’ve only been here a week, but Sarah’s family have been in the area a long time.”

“Who does her schooling?”

“She learns by correspondence.”

“Gee, that’s pretty grown up of you, Sarah.” Anne flashed a pretty smile at the little girl. “Would you like to come and meet some of the other kids?”

Sarah nodded as curiosity stole her timidity and she began to look around the room. To reach the staff room they had walked through the largest of the three classrooms. It seemed to be the room where the older children learned, for the artwork here consisted of clay models and intricate pictures of animals in various careful colours. Titles were done in precise hand drawn block letters, and the problems on the large green chalk board were of a level that Kirsten guessed a twelve year old would find challenging.

* * * *

Sarah and Kirsten spent the rest of the afternoon at the Waitaria Bay School. Kirsten watched as Sarah painted with another small girl who was the same age. She was always a happy child, but now she was among her peers she seemed like a different person. She didn’t have to attempt to understand the
grown ups
or act as though she should be seen and not heard. This was what she needed. Somehow, Kirsten had to find a way to make sure Sarah got more of this stimulation.

When they arrived home, Sarah was eager to tell her grandmother all about her visit to the local school. Unsure of whether Beth would be pleased or not, Kirsten thought it best that Sarah tell her. The innocence and excitement so plainly written on her face may soften the blow and work to Kirsten’s advantage later on. So instead she slipped upstairs to get changed for dinner, letting Sarah go straight to the kitchen where Beth sat at the table with the newspaper.

Refreshed once more, she slipped down to the lounge, where she found Jamie on the patio, sitting at an easel in the bright afternoon light. She sat on the edge of the couch and watched him, undetected, careful not to disturb his concentration. He seemed lost in his own world, paint brush dangled softly in one hand, his brow furrowed into rows over his narrow eyes.

Heavy footsteps on the stairs behind them caught Jamie’s attention, and Kirsty had but a moment to smile in acknowledgement before Tyler burst into the room, destroying any chance she may have had of carrying a civilized conversation with him.

“Afternoon everyone,” Tyler chirped as he rolled the sleeves of his denim shirt up over his broad forearms.

“Hi.” Kirsten watched the two men together. Jamie’s back stiffened and the wall that always seemed to go up whenever Tyler was around resurrected itself.

“Where’s Sarah?” Jamie addressed Kirsten in a curt manner.

“She’s in the kitchen with your mother.” Kirsten glared back at him. She was beginning to tire of his impolite conversations which began with an almost accusatory tone. Could he not even be courteous enough to begin a conversation with a simple hello? She had been nothing but polite to this man. What gave him the right to continue the obnoxious renderings which did him no favours?

“I came up to see her this afternoon, but you’d had taken her away.” Jamie put his brush in the jar of water set on the side table and wiped his hands on an old rag.
Taken her away?
Even the way he spoke about Sarah, it was as if everyone was out to get him. Everything was an accusation.

“We went on a field trip.” Kirsten straightened her skirt and tried to avoid his gaze. “I thought Sarah needed some outside stimulation.”

“Oh?” Jamie questioned.

Tyler scoffed as he moved to pour himself a drink at the bar. “Leave the poor woman alone, James. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”

“Well, that’s yet to be proven, don’t you think?” Jamie glared at Tyler.

“She loves writing stories,” Kirsten interjected, glancing at them both in turn. “I simply wanted to provide a little inspiration. Sarah needs to get out more, socialize and explore in order to engage her imagination.”

Jamie smirked, but Kirsten couldn’t decide whether or not it was positive, even when he spoke, “You think her family doesn’t give her enough?”

Kirsten watched him closely, wondering if it was a defensive mechanism or a test to see whose side she was on. But there was only one side to be taken here, and it wasn’t that of any man.

She steadied her gaze on him. “No, I don’t. Children need more than just their family to give them a balanced outlook on life.”

Jamie dropped his stare in defeat and continued to pack up his brushes. The light was fading over the hills and he had lost the best part of the day for painting.
One all
, Kirsten thought as she crossed her arms and turned back to Tyler. He stood behind the bar, a smarmy grin plastered on his shadowed face, as if he were silently cheering for Kirsten.

“You really think she can write?” he asked as he poured a double nip of scotch into a crystal tumbler.

“Well she’s only seven, but I can tell she loves it. She just needs things to write about. You know, to get her juices going.”

Tyler raised one eyebrow. “Juices?”

Kirsten laughed and whatever tension was in the air dissipated. “Don’t be rude. This is your niece we’re talking about.”

Jamie mumbled something under his breath, but Kirsten couldn’t quite make out what it was. His back was turned and it was obviously not meant for their ears so she didn’t bother asking him to clarify.

As Kirsten expected, Beth requested a word with her after dinner was over. Instinctively she knew she was in for a tow over the hot coals. Beth was silent as they climbed to her office and she closed the door behind them.

“Sarah tells me you visited the school today.” She sat on the edge of the desk and looked down at Kirsten.

“Yes,” Kirsten replied in her sweetest tone. “Did you know there was a school in the area?” She already knew the answer to the question, but hoped her plea of innocence would work to her advantage.

“Yes, I knew there was a school here. We simply chose to school Sarah ourselves. I would hope that in future you will check with me before you decide to take Sarah anywhere.”

“Before I take her anywhere?”

Beth seemed unsure whether Kirsten was questioning what she had heard or was standing up to her. Before she could say anything Kirsten continued.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, Beth, but I do think I know what I’m doing when it comes to caring for children.”

Beth frowned. “I’m not disputing that, my dear. But ultimately we make the decisions for Sarah, not you.”

“Nothing that happened today was about making decisions for Sarah,” Kirsten scoffed. “We simply stopped in to see what the school was like. Sarah was extremely keen to interact with the other children.”

“So you don’t think Sarah should be going to a school instead of distance learning?”

Beth raised her eyebrow, looking rather like Tyler as she did so.

“I’m not saying that.” Kirsten clenched her hands together in her lap. “You probably already know that’s not what I think, and that’s why you have jumped to the defensive on the subject. I think Sarah
should
be at a school with other children her own age. She should be open to all the possibilities, all the stimulations she can get at her age. But that’s not my decision. She’s not my child. I work for you, and I will respect your decisions when it comes to Sarah.”

“Well, good.” Beth seemed puzzled.

“Alright then.” Kirsten stood up. She didn’t want to give Beth a chance to realise what had just happened. Right now she had the upper hand and she wanted to leave on that note.

“Kirsty-,”

Kirsten turned as the older woman spoke. “Oh, can I just say one thing? I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but Sarah is
not
Brook. I may be way out of line in saying so, but I think Sarah needs to learn to breathe without being mollycoddled by her family. She’s not going to disappear if you give her some room to experience life for herself. But when she gets old enough to realise there’s a whole world out there that she’s been kept from, you
will
lose her.”

Beth simply stared, open mouthed at Kirsty, as if she had been slapped in the face. Kirsty disappeared quickly, deciding it was probably a good idea if she laid low for a few hours. She thought if she even so much as stuck her head out the door it may be chopped from her neck.

She blamed her red hair more than anything else. It always managed to get her into so much trouble. Why couldn’t she learn to keep her mouth shut? So far she had managed to alienate Jamie, even though she couldn’t put her finger on what may have caused that, and now she had more than likely upset the matriarch of the family. That was called
biting the hand that feeds
, she remembered her father saying once. God, what she wouldn’t do to see her father’s friendly smile right now. He would know just what to say to make her feel better. But she wasn’t about to go running to him right now. She needed to act like the adult she was and just keep it together. She could handle this.

What she needed was something to take her mind off the job. Dragging her bathing suit from the wardrobe, she exchanged it for her clothes, feeling sure that a hot soak would be just the thing to ease her mind. Tomorrow she may not have a job, so why not make the most of her time here before Beth sent her packing?

She took the lift to the bottom floor, which brought her down into the back passage and to a shortcut out through the laundry door. She walked down the damp concrete path, maiden hair ferns rustling against her bare legs as she passed. The sweet scent of Jasmine wafted on the night air as she neared the pool, its thick crawling growth providing shelter as Kirsty slipped behind the fence. With some difficulty she pulled back the cover of the pool, and dropped it onto the paving beneath. Thick steam rose in contrasting shards of warm against the cool black sky. Kirsten stepped down into the heat. The smell of chlorine assaulted her nostrils as she dipped into the water. She leaned over and found the button to start the bubbles. The gurgling water surged around

her, and she lay back against the vinyl headrest, her eyes skimming the expanse of brilliant stars that seemed endless. The sky here was clearer, the air cleaner with no city smog to coat the atmosphere. Kirsten had never seen a night sky like it. After a few moments she felt the tension melting from her body, and she relaxed completely, letting the stress wash away.

“You’d look better with a glass of mulled wine in your hand.”

She opened her eyes to see Tyler staring down at her, a playful grin at the corners of his mouth.

“Definitely not.” She smirked as she watched him throw his towel onto the tiles and climb into the pool opposite her. “I had a bad experience with red wine once and I don’t touch the stuff now.”

“Sounds interesting.” Tyler dipped both hands in the water and then ran them through his hair, pushing it back against his head. Then he leaned back and extended both arms out along the edge of the pool. His body glistened, water dripped from his muscular upper arms as he watched her trying not to look at him. His thick eyebrows and black hair framed a well defined face with high cheek bones and an angular jaw. Kirsten wasn’t sure if it was his good looks, or the way he seemed to be her only ally here right now, but she felt drawn to him. She dropped her gaze and trailed her hands through the water.

“Not really.” she smiled to herself as she remembered the night in question. It seemed like such a long time ago now.

“Are you okay?” Tyler seemed concerned and in tune with her unrest. She gave him a wary smile. “Yes. It’s been a long week. I think I’ve already managed to upset your mother, and Jamie-,” she paused. “I don’t know what’s up with Jamie. Is he always like this?”