The Dingo And His Prey
It seemed like Joseph had
barely closed his eyes when he was awakened by an abrupt shake to his shoulder.
‘Come on, you two. It’s
time to get out of bed; we all have a big day ahead of us.’
Before they knew it, the two
boys found themselves scurrying along behind their mother down the dirt track
that led past their grandparents’ house.
A voice suddenly broke the
silence behind them. ‘Boys, don’t forget your biscuits!’
There she was, puffing down
the track -- none other than grandma Delaney in full flight. ‘Here you are, my
darlings. A day at school without grandma’s biscuits just will not do, will
it?’
Daniel thought the day was
starting to look pretty good, but the road leading to town and Sister Theresa
was starting to get shorter by the minute.
On reaching her parents’
house, Catherine told the boys to wait outside. She made her way through the
picket gate and quietly opened the front door. On her way to the bedroom,
Catherine noticed Dr Hastings and her mother talking in the kitchen. Edith
motioned to her daughter to be very quiet.
‘Mother, how is he? Is he
getting any better? Why is the doctor here again?’
‘Shhhh, calm yourself,
Catherine. Mr. Davidson next door had to ride for the doctor early this morning.
Your father was having difficulty breathing and sweating terribly.’
‘But mother, what is
happening to him?’
Dr. Hastings interrupted,
‘I think it would be best if we all go into the sitting room and I’ll try to
explain the situation.’
He sat them both down and
proceeded to tell them the bad news. ‘As I told you yesterday, Robert has a
poor heart, and his condition I believe has been there for some time. On top of
his heart condition, his lungs are congested because of pneumonia. I could move
him to the hospital, but in his delicate condition the move would surely kill
him.’
Catherine could contain herself no longer; she buried her face
in her hands and started to cry uncontrollably. Edith threw both arms around
her, trying to conceal her own tears and the worrying pain she kept within.
‘Don’t cry, my dear.
Your father has been unwell for some time. I think the shop is the only thing
that has kept him going for so long. It’s been his whole life. All he has ever
wanted to do was to look after his customers and to make our family happy. Being
our only child, when you gave us two beautiful grandsons he was the proudest man
in the world. So don’t cry Catherine, when his time comes, I know he’ll die
a peaceful and fulfilled man. His kind nature and generosity over the years has
given us many friends in this town, but because of his nature it’s also
brought a lot of worry. You would already know he’s been carrying debts to the
amount of one hundred and twenty pounds brought about by a lot of the small
farmers in the area. With their husbands and sons away at the war, and
struggling to bring in the harvest, what else could he do? Your father had to
borrow money from the bank for the first time in twenty-five years. Now with
this damn war, times have become so very hard. All we can do now is pray, and
hope that God will look after him and give him strength.’
‘Mother, we’ve just been
in with granddad, and he gave us a big hug and a kiss and told us we were his
two angels.’
Catherine looked up to see
her two sons standing in the kitchen. ‘I thought I told you to wait outside
for me, what are you doing in here?’ She had not wanted the boys to see their
grandfather this way.
Edith beckoned the boys to
her arms. ‘Come here, you rascals! You must be very quiet; your
grandfather’s not well and needs plenty of rest.’
The boys gave their
grandmother a hug and moved close to their mother, sensing her distress.
Catherine pulled herself up
straight. ‘I’m so sorry, mother, but we have to get moving. I’ve an
appointment with Daniel’s teacher this morning and we’re running late.’
On hearing this, Dr.
Hastings offered them a ride to town in his new automobile. This pleased the
boys immensely; they had seen a few around town but they had never actually
ridden in one. Joseph and Daniel were already waiting in the back seat and
grinning like Cheshire cats before Dr. Hastings and Catherine even made it out
of the house.
What normally would have
taken them thirty minutes to walk only took five minutes to drive. But
unfortunately, that meant Catherine and Daniel were sitting in front of Sister
Theresa that much sooner. Daniel was now thinking it would have been a lot
better if he had not accepted that lift from Dr. Hastings. At least it would
have given him more time to settle the butterflies that were now vigorously
flapping their wings in his stomach.
Ten minutes later, it was
all over, much to Daniel’s relief. His mother had apologised for her son’s
behavior and promised payment of ten shillings for the replacement of the
window.
Catherine assured Sister
Theresa that Daniel would be doing extra jobs around the house to pay for his
expensive accident.
After all was settled at the
school, Catherine made her way directly to the shop, and hoped Dave Jenkins had
everything under control. She had little reason to worry; by the time she
arrived, Dave was just putting out the last of the bits and pieces they normally
displayed on the footpath outside the store.
‘Good morning Dave, I
can’t thank you enough for helping me out this morning,’ cried Catherine,
relieved.
‘Don’t worry about it,
your father has been a good friend for many years and he’s always been there
for me in times of need,’ replied Dave with a smile. ‘Oh, by the way
Catherine, that bloody old money-hungry Jacobson was around first thing this
morning, enquiring as to where you were. He
said that he would drop back later on this morning to talk to you.’
‘What on earth does he
want?’ she wondered.
Isaac Jacobson was well
known in the town; after all, he did own half of it, not to mention the
thousands of acres of land from Beechworth to Glenrowan and out to Milawa. He
had the reputation of knowing when people were in trouble and acquiring their
property for as little as possible. Isaac Jacobson was a man without a
conscience, but being such a wealthy property owner, many people fell helpless
in his wake. The news of Robert Owens’s poor health must have already spread
around the town. She remembered seeing her father in conversation with Jacobson
about six weeks ago in the shop. She also noticed her father getting rather
angry at whatever they were talking about and showing Jacobson the door.
It was all starting to make
sense. Jacobson was after her father’s business, and she knew he wouldn’t
give up until he had acquired it for far less than what it was worth.
‘There’s no way that horrible man will get this business,’ she thought.
‘I would rather see it burnt to the ground before selling it to him.’
What also worried her was
that Jacobson was an acquaintance of John Pottinger; the manager of the local
bank who had approved the one hundred and twenty pound loan to her father on the
condition the store is used as security. She remembered her father’s wishes to
sell the store, but deep down, Catherine could not come to terms with the
thought of losing the place that had been a part of her life since childhood, to
say nothing of the wonderful memories it held for her and Michael.
‘Good morning, Mrs.
Delaney, and how are you on this fine morning?’
Standing in the doorway was
none other than Isaac Jacobson; rubbing his hands together and looking like a
hungry dingo about to make short work of an injured possum. ‘I’m sorry to
hear that your father is in poor health Mrs. Delaney. I have dropped in to see
if I can be of any assistance. I know how difficult it must be for you, trying
to look after the shop and a young family, especially now your father is feeling
so poorly. You are most probably aware that I have spoken to your father on a
couple of occasions about selling the premises to me, but each time he has
declined my offer. Under the
present circumstances, I thought he might reconsider.’
Catherine could contain
herself no longer. ‘How dare you approach me about such things, Mr. Jacobson?
You know full well my father is ill. How can you live with yourself? As long as
I am alive, you will never get your hands on my father’s business. Do you hear
me?’
Dave Jenkins appeared from
the storeroom, apparently concerned by the shrill timbre of Catherine’s voice.
‘Calm down, Mrs. Delaney!
I was only trying to help. You couldn’t possibly look after this place by
yourself. From what I’ve heard, your father will be lucky to see this
illness through.’
Catherine flew into a rage,
and without thinking, gave Jacobson one almighty push that sent him flying
backwards through the front door and onto the footpath where he lay
spread-eagled like a well dressed cow paddy. Catherine clapped her hands over
her mouth in disbelief, unable to believe what she had just done.
Jacobson struggled to his
feet. ‘You’ll regret the day you met me, young woman. I know there’s money
owing to the bank, and I know you’ll have difficulty making the payments.
I’ve a lot of influence in this town, and I’m a man not to be trifled with.
Remember, I always get what I want!’
He snatched up his hat and
dusted down his smart suit before driving off in his shiny black automobile.
Catherine was quite shaken
by what had just occurred, but pleased that she had stood up to this obnoxious
bully.
Dave Jenkins could not
believe what he had just witnessed.
‘Catherine, I don’t
blame you for what you did. Jacobson certainly had it coming. But be very
careful of him. He has a lot of influential friends, including the police, and
I’m sure he will stop at nothing to have his way.’
Catherine knew how ruthless
he was, and decided to return to her parents’ house immediately. ‘Dave,
could you look after the shop for just a bit longer? I need to talk to my mother
urgently. I don’t want this rogue bothering her; she’s got enough to deal
with.’
Dave agreed and allowed
Catherine the use of his spring cart to return to her mother as quickly as
possible. On approaching the house, she saw Jacobson’s automobile already
parked outside. She rushed into the front door to find her mother and Jacobson
talking in the kitchen.
‘How dare you come here
while my father’s so ill? What sort of a man are you? Have you no
conscience?’
Edith looked at Catherine,
astonished. “Catherine, what are you going on about? Mr. Jacobson is only
enquiring about your father‘s health. You owe him an apology.’
‘No mother, I don’t,’
Catherine replied adamantly. ‘His only reason for being here is to make an
offer for our business. He has already spoken to me not ten minutes ago and I
made it quite clear to him how I felt.’
Jacobson quickly
interrupted, ‘Mrs. Owens, your husband’s business has slowed down
considerably since this war started, and I know Robert has borrowed money from
the bank to the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds to keep it going. I’m
here to offer you six hundred pounds for it which I think is a very reasonable
offer worth considering.’
Even Edith was taken aback.
‘What! Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Jacobson! We all know the business is worth
three times that amount, and besides, I thought you’d come here to enquire
about Robert’s health. I think you’d better leave now. We were thinking
about selling, but I think we will hold off until Robert regains his strength.
Good day sir.’
Isaac Jacobson was shown the
door for the second time that morning, but this time it was not as painful as
the first.
‘I know father was
considering selling, mother, but I’m sure all will work out for the best. Once
father gets better, things will return to normal. Somehow we will repay the
debt, surely this war will be coming to an end soon, and when Michael comes home
everything will be okay.’ Catherine looked in on her sleeping father and
returned back to the store.
That evening at the dinner
table Catherine told John and Agnes of her unexpected confrontation with Isaac
Jacobson.
‘That doesn’t surprise
me one bit,’ said John. ‘Jacobson would steal the gold right out of your
teeth given half a chance. It’s funny how times have changed. I’ve known him
since we were kids. His father made a living as a hawker, traveling around the
countryside and selling just about everything you could think of from the back
of his wagon. They weren’t rich by any means, and then his father died when
Isaac was about fourteen. Isaac was left to support his mother and two younger
sisters, and times were tough for them for quite a while. After lot of hard work
and determination, things improved. It was nothing to see him at five in the
morning peddling his wares, and still be hawking at nine o’clock at night or
even later. As the years went by, the hard work finally paid off. Soon he
started investing in land and property. He used to be a decent sort of chap, but
as his holdings grew he started to change for the worse. Now he owns just about
everything in these parts.’
Catherine cut in on the
conversation. ‘Not everything! He’ll never get my father’s business -- not
while I have a breath left in me.’
‘But Catherine,’
interrupted Agnes, ‘if, God forbid, anything should happen to your father, you
may not have a choice. You said yourself earlier that the business is taking in
nowhere near what it used to. With that one hundred and twenty pound loan your
father took out you may just have to face the facts.’
Catherine knew Agnes made a
lot of sense, but she shook her head resolutely. ‘If that happens, I will just
have to find a way to pay back the loan. We’re already behind on the payments,
and I can only hope that the bank will be patient until business returns to
normal. I just wish Michael were here. He would know what to do.’
Poor Catherine could hold
back no longer and burst into tears.
‘Don’t worry, dear,’
said Agnes, wrapping her arms lovingly around her daughter-in-law. ‘All will
turn out for the best.’
After tea Catherine and the
boys said goodnight and started for home. She went straight to bed after giving
each one a kiss as usual, not knowing what tomorrow would bring.
Joseph sat down on the bed
beside Daniel and put his arm around his young brother’s shoulder. ‘Danny,
did you hear what mother was saying at tea tonight?’
Daniel looked at his brother
with a blank expression on his face. ‘About what?’
‘Don’t you hear anything, you dummy?’ snapped Joseph now
shaking his brother in frustration. ‘It looks like granddad Owens may lose his
shop if mother can’t pay a hundred and twenty pounds back to the bank.’
Daniel still couldn’t work
out what his brother was getting at. ‘Does that mean no more boiled sweets,
Joe? Crikey! What are we going to
do?’
Joseph rolled his eyes back
in his head. ‘Is that all you can think about, you idiot? Granddad has owned
that shop since mother was a little girl. What will mother do if she has nowhere
to work? Danny, we have to think of something.’
‘I know!’ cried Daniel
with excitement. ‘We’ll rob a bank!’
‘Danny, I think we’re a
bit young for bank robbers, and what would happen if we get caught? Who would
look after mother then?’
Daniel had run out of ideas,
but the mention of bank robbers had reminded Joseph of Ned Kelly and that
mysterious map. Joseph was now deep in thought. ‘Maybe that map is a treasure
map. But what do those words mean? Are they the key to opening the map’s
secret? And what the blazes has Ned Kelly got to do with it?’
‘Maybe Ned Kelly doesn’t
have anything to do with it,’ Daniel said reasonably.
‘No, he must. Why else
would those newspaper clippings about Ned be in the satchel with the map?’
Joseph got up from the bed and reached to the top of the wardrobe.
Daniel was over him like a
rash. ‘What are we going to do, Joe, are we going to look for buried
treasure?’
‘Shut up and sit down, I
want to have another look at this map.’ Joe spread the paper out across his
knees. ‘I’m sure, Danny, that the first cross on the map is near where we
live. Look, there’s Murphy’s Creek, and that runs about a half a mile to the
rear of granddad’s farm, and there’s the King River. It’s got to be near
here.’
Joe turned the map over and
tried to make sense of the riddle.
‘Whatever it is, Danny, it
lies at a waterfall in the Warby Ranges. It goes on to say, FROM
WHERE THE IRON GLOWS WITH HEAT. What
could they have meant by that?’
Daniel furrowed his brow in
thought. ‘The only place I’ve seen iron glowing is down at Mr. Reagan’s, you
know, the blacksmith’s. But that’s not near where we live.’
‘Danny, you’re not as
stupid as I thought! Remember granddad said he and his father used to make their
own horseshoes and tools in the bush at the back of the farm? The smith they
mean is right here.’
‘Crikey!’ Daniel said,
bouncing in excitement.
‘Yep, I think we’ve
solved the first part of the puzzle, Danny me boy. The first place to start is
right here at the back of the farm.’
Daniel was feeling quite
proud of himself for helping to solve the first marker on the map, and was now
very keen to solve the next step. ‘Come on Joe, what’s next?’
As Joe was about to continue
they heard their mother knocking on their bedroom wall. ‘Stop all the chatter,
you two. How can I get any sleep with all that going on? Now go to sleep.’
The boys were not game
enough to test their mother’s patience again, and thought it a good idea to
take another look at the map some other time.
Daniel couldn’t help
himself. ‘Good night, mother. Sweet dreams!’
‘GOOD NIGHT!’ came the
sharp reply. ‘AND NO MORE NONSENSE!
Before long her two boys
were fast asleep, but sleep would not come so easily to Catherine. She tossed
and turned most of the night thinking about the day’s events and what lay
ahead. Tired and drained from lack of sleep, Catherine dragged herself out of
bed at six the next morning and prepared herself for yet another day she felt
had arrived far too soon. To her surprise, the boys were already up and dressed
for school.
‘Good morning, mother; we
thought we would give you a surprise and make you some breakfast.’
Catherine pulled the two
boys into her arms and held them close. ‘My two young men, what would I do
without you.’? The tears again welled in her eyes, not because she was sad,
but because of the feeling of love and hope that had now surged through her
tired body.
‘And what have you
prepared for breakfast?’ she asked, looking across at the morning spread.
‘Jam sandwiches, and
grandma’s biscuits, and a nice glass of milk,’ Joseph replied proudly.
Catherine didn’t really
feel like breakfast this morning, but what else could she do but sit down with
her boys and enjoy their gift to her. Maybe today would be a good day after all.
Catherine had no sooner
settled down to her meal when urgent knocking on the front door startled her,
and a voice called her name.
‘Mrs. Delaney, Mrs.
Delaney, come quickly, it’s your father, please come to the door!’
Before she could move,
Daniel had flung the door wide and let the mysterious caller in. It was Mr.
Davidson, her parents’ next-door neighbour. As soon as Catherine saw him, her
blood ran cold.
‘You must come straight
away, Mrs. Delaney. Dr. Hastings has sent me to take you to your parent’s
place; your father has taken a turn for the worse.’
Catherine, still in her
dressing gown, told the boys to go down to grandma Delaney’s and wait there
until she returned. She clambered up into Mr. Davidson’s spring cart and was
gone.
‘Crikey, Joe, what’s
happened to granddad?’
‘I don’t know, Danny,
but it sounds pretty bad.’
When Catherine arrived she
found her mother waiting frantically in the front yard. ‘My darling, you’d
better go straight up to your father -- he’s been asking for you all night.’
Catherine rushed up the
front steps and into her father’s bedroom; pushed her way past Dr. Hastings
and stopped. Her father’s colour was bluish, his skin was damp, and when she
gently took hold of his hand, it was cold. She fell down onto her knees and
looked into his half opened eyes. ‘Father, what are you trying to do to your
only daughter? You had me worried sick!’
‘Catherine, come closer, I
need to talk to you.’ His voice sounded very weak and his breath was ragged.
‘I am not long for this world.’
‘Shhhh, don’t be saying
such things, father. You’ll be around forever.’ She just couldn’t imagine
her life without her loving father.
He shook his head. ‘I want
you to promise me something, Catherine. I want you to promise you’ll look
after your mother for me. You know how she worries about any small matter, and I
don’t know how she will cope without me. You know how much I love you all, and
no matter where you are, I’ll always be with you.’
Robert Owens could feel
Edith now holding his other hand. He turned his head slowly towards her and
smiled lovingly into her sodden eyes. ‘My darling, darling Edith, forgive me
for not spending the time with you that I should have. I only wanted to make
sure that you and Catherine had a good life. Please promise me something, my
dear.’
Robert’s voice started to
fade. Edith leant over and placed her ear to his mouth. He whispered a few
words, closed his eyes, and peacefully passed away; his hand still tightly
wrapped in Edith’s. Catherine stared at her father’s gentle face, still not
believing what has just happened, and began to cry bitterly. Dr. Hastings leant
over, checked his pulse, and confirmed what the two women already knew, Robert
Owens was dead.
Offering his condolences, he
walked out of the room and spoke to Mr. Davidson, the neighbour. ‘Mr.
Davidson, would you be so kind as to raise Father O’Donahue? I believe you
will find him at home; it’s the small white house directly behind the church.
Please tell him what has just taken place. I will fill out the death certificate
and wait here until he arrives.’
Thirty minutes later, Father
O’Donahue was standing over his old friend and parishioner with his head bowed
in heartfelt prayer. Sitting in the kitchen, Catherine and her mother, their
tears still flowing freely down their faces, tried desperately to console each
other. Their world had been torn apart, and neither knew how or when they would
ever get through this time of grief.
Agnes got up from her chair
and started to fill the kettle. ‘Mother, what are you doing?’ cried
Catherine as she jumped from her chair. ‘Let me do that.’
‘Why? I’m quite capable
of making a cup of tea. I’ve been making tea for your father for over thirty
five years, so don’t tell me not to make tea in my own home.’ Realising what
she had just said, she dropped the kettle, spilling its contents across the
floor, and began to cry uncontrollably. Catherine held her mother once more
until her crying had ceased, then proceeded to mop up the mess.
‘I think I’ll
make the tea this time, mother,’ she said.
Agnes looked at her daughter
and thought how lucky she was to have such a girl. Five minutes later, Dr
Hastings and Father O’Donahue joined the two women in the kitchen and sat down
to a cup of tea.
When Dr. Hastings left,
Agnes and Catherine made the funeral arrangements with Father O’Donahue.
Robert Owens would be buried in the Wangaratta cemetery, Wednesday the 21st of
June, at half past one. The service would be held at St. Patrick’s church at
half past twelve. Robert would stay in his own bed until the day of the burial.
The clock in the hallway was
now striking nine o’clock, and Catherine had arrangements to make with William
Smith & Son, the undertakers. She borrowed some of her mother’s clothing
to wear into town, and had just started off on her long walk when John and Agnes
arrived in their cart. Catherine again broke down with tears and informed them
of the terrible news.
Agnes went inside to spend
time to comfort Edith, while John drove Catherine into town. ‘What have I done
to deserve this, John? My husband is fighting some damned war half way around
the world, and my father is dead. What am I supposed to do? Michael should be
here with his family. We are the ones who need him most.’
John kept silent. What could
he say? He and Agnes missed their eldest son as much as Catherine did.
After the arrangements had
been finalised with Mr. Smith, Catherine asked John to stop at her father’s
shop. When they arrived a crowd of some twenty people had gathered on the
footpath outside the still locked front door. Catherine with a great deal of
difficulty explained why the shop was closed. Most of the people in the crowd
were customers who had known Robert Owens for many years and were shocked when
told of his passing. She unlocked the front door, and closed it behind her.
Picking up a piece of chalk, Catherine wrote a notice on the blackboard and
placed it in the window. It read: THESE PREMISES WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. ROBERT OWENS IS
DEAD. HIS FUNERAL WILL BE HELD AT ST. PATRICK’S WEDNESDAY 21st JUNE AT 12.30.
Locking
the front door behind her, Catherine, her face stripped of emotion, made her way
back to the waiting cart and headed home to her boys. Catherine did not say one
word to John. Through eyes filled with tears she looked straight ahead as if in
some hypnotic state. After John had dropped Catherine home, he returned to pick
up his wife and stopped a moment to offer his condolences to Edith; after all,
the Delaneys had known the Owenses since Catherine and Michael were children.
Their lifelong friendship had brought two families together, and John would
sorely miss Bob Owens.
Joseph
and Daniel were busy wrestling with their uncle Andrew when they heard their
grandfather’s cart pull up outside. Leaving their uncle spread out on the
dining room floor, the boys ran out to greet their mother and to find out why
she had left so abruptly during their well prepared breakfast.
Catherine
threw her arms around her sons and held them tight.
Daniel’s
face was starting to turn red. ‘Mother, I can’t breathe!’ he gasped.
‘What have you been doing all morning?’
Releasing
her grip, she led them inside to explain what had happened to their beloved
grandfather. She sat the boys down on the sofa and held their hands. Trying in
vain to hold back her tears and to compose herself, she started.
‘You
know how your grandfather has not been well lately and how very tired and sick
he was yesterday when you saw him. Well…’
Catherine
paused for a moment. How could she say
this?
‘Well
what, mother?’ asked Joseph inquisitively.
‘Well…
his heart was very tired also, and sometimes when your heart is tired, it goes
to sleep and stops beating.’
Daniel
still wasn’t sure of what his mother was trying to tell them, but Joseph knew
exactly what she was saying.
‘Grandad
Owens is dead, isn’t he, mother?’ Joseph’s eyes filled with tears as he
reached out to take comfort in his mother’s arms.
‘Dead?’
Daniel asked incredulously. ‘He can’t be, Joe, we only saw him yesterday. He
talked to us.’
Catherine
reached out to comfort her youngest son, but he pulled away.
‘NO!’
he screamed. ‘He’s not dead, he’s not dead, granddad couldn’t die!’
Before
they could stop him, Daniel had stormed out of the house. Joe was about to go
after him when his mother grabbed him by the arm. ‘Joe, leave him be, give him
some time to take it all in. He’s finding it hard to accept. You know how
close he was to his grandfather.’
Catherine
was remembering the hours her father had spent with Daniel, mostly explaining to
him the errors of his ways. Daniel always referred to them as accidents, and
never saw himself as responsible.
‘Maybe
father saw a little of himself in Daniel when he was a boy,’ she
thought. Whatever it was, they had developed a close and lasting bond.
Joseph
sat beside his mother as she explained to him the arrangements that had been
made for his grandfather’s
burial the following day. She would also inform the school they would not be
attending for the rest of the week for obvious reasons.
After
Agnes and John returned, Joseph went in search of his young brother. His
repeated calls as he approached the stable were all answered with silence until
he soon remembered Daniel’s favourite spot -- the back steps to their house.
‘There you are, Danny. I’ve
been looking all over for you. Didn’t
you hear me calling out?’
Daniel
ignored his big brother and kept staring down at the step he was sitting on.
Joseph sat down beside him and put his arm around his shoulder.
‘Don’t
you think we’re all upset? You’re not the only one who’ll miss him.
You’ve got to remember grandad was very old; he must have been at least fifty.’
Daniel
still remained silent and continued staring down at the step.
‘Mother
needs us more than ever now, Danny, and we have to look after her. And
what about grandma? She’s
going to be left all alone too.’
Daniel
swung his head around to face his brother and shouted defiantly, ‘No,
she will not! Grandma can come live with us!’
Joseph
had no answer to his brother’s
outburst. Not wanting to upset him any further, he thought it wise to quickly
retreat. ‘Okay
Danny, I’m going back to see how mother is, but
remember, we all have to stick together. With father not being here, can you
imagine how bad mother must be feeling right now?’
Daniel
thought about what his brother had just said, and after a moment’s
contemplation, finally decided to return with his brother back to the house.
By
the time the boys returned, Agnes, John, Andrew and Catherine were sitting at
the kitchen table talking quietly over a pot of tea. The talk stopped abruptly
as they entered the room. Their eyes were now all focused on Daniel.
‘There’s my boy, come here and give your
mother a big hug.’
Catherine
threw her arms wide open as Daniel ran to the security of her embrace. Joseph
stood alone in the far corner, a little jealous of the attention his brother was
receiving, and trying hard to come to terms with his own pain.
It
didn’t take long for Catherine to notice the absence of her eldest son, and
quickly beckoned him to join them. ‘How
lucky I am to have such wonderful boys,’ she thought, as the tears started to
flow down her face once more.