Free Joyous and Moonbeam by Richard Yaxley Page B

through – lime-green shoots and small flecks of green carpet, even the beginnings of flowers. Dad said, Regrowth. Not long and it’ll be good again. He touched a new petal, used the same hand to touch my hair.
    Looking back, I think that was the first time that I understood fire and understood love, understood them both as destructive forces, and as means of starting over.

MARGARET
    Joyous, My Special
    I have tried to get across to you in my letters how precious a life can be and what a gift it is. Any sort of life, even one like some people have, I suppose, where things have not gone how you would want or where the sadnesses have been more so than happiness, as it is for Mamma. That is to say Thomas Bowen was definitely right in what he wrote on your birth certificate and I truly believe that no matter what occurs, be it anger or accidents or just plain bad luck, we have to make sure that when we wake each and every day we remember the precious and unique giftthat is life, to be cherished until death do us part.
    After the bad boys at your school and special needs with Mrs Swain and the job gone, then Mr Santorini, I felt like I had let My Special down. I was especially sad about the job at the shop because I was so certain that it would work out and you would find your place on the road of life which can be difficult at the best of times. We’ve never really talked about it since because I don’t know what to say. Mistakes were made and the price paid which was a great disappointment to me and you also, of course. I still struggle to believe you stole anything, it was so out of character, but Sammy-K did insist and the evidence was there so I don’t know, and I guess I never will. All I can say is that I haven’t been to that shop since, although I believe Mr and Mrs Ickiewicz have left and new owners have spruced it up with blue paint and pizza take away. But I cannot bring myself to go there because it was a bad episode that no one needs reminding of.
    To other matters, and now it is time for me to share one of my Secrets with you. So here it is, my first Secret of several.
    Seven years ago Mamma was out buying seedlings from the nearby nursery on the corner of James and Harrington when a lady who was hosing ferns in the nursery started talking about the best ones to grow and how. She was a very nice lady going by the name of Alison McDowd andMamma very much enjoyed our chatting, knowing that I didn’t have too many people to chat to at that time or any other time really. We chatted about many things and in a very friendly fashion. I will admit after that I started going to the nursery more than I really needed to because of my chats with Alison McDowd, a lovely lady filled with grace. Pretty soon after we were leaving the nursery and stopping for coffee and I will admit I started to become a little deceitful at this point, always making sure I went to coffee when Sammy-K was out and about and not there to question. I felt badly about that but there are times, Joyous, when, as they say, the ends justifies the means, as you will soon see.
    After some months of chatting over coffee Alison McDowd invited Mamma to come with her to a special place where only a few lucky people are invited. Now this is my Secret, Joyous, because I had been going to this same place ever since until recent times and it gave me such strength, hope, joy and happiness. Its name is The Church Of The New Apostolic Creed and it is a lovely white-painted building over in a different suburb, two connecting buses away, and perhaps one day when things change for the better you may like to see it. You would most certainly like the colourful carvings and beautiful old fashioned pictures of Jesus and Mary and scenes from the Bible, I think, such as the Ascension. So instead ofgoing to the nursery or coffee I used to go to The Church Of The New Apostolic Creed with Alison McDowd and many other people who I soon called my friends.