Free The Home Girls by Olga Masters Page A

the hotel next door but one from the Forestry office.
    â€œPeter, the baby!” Annie cried almost scandalized.
    â€œYes, yes! I forgot,” he said.
    Forget the baby? said the quick frown on Annie’s face.
    â€œBye, bye,” they said together and made for their truck and obviously their baby.
    Louisa saw Annie the following week on the other side of the street in the town. Louisa stood still with her parcels and smiled and Annie hesitated at the door of the truck. A big timber lorry rumbled slowly between them and when it passed Annie was backing the truck her chin lifted and her eyes on the rear window.
    Louisa walked the half mile to her house glad to see its friendly winking windows and surprised she got there so quickly.
    She filled in the afternoon weeding the earth around her tomatoes, rubbing vaseline into her summer shoes and putting them away in tissue paper and reading for a while in the sun on the front verandah wondering through her distraction why she felt a vague depression and seeing from time to time the lift of Annie’s chin as she backed the truck.
    â€œI must learn to drive,” Louisa said aloud as she often did when alone.
    It was a couple of days after that during breakfast she said they should go and visit Annie and Peter.
    â€œWhat is their name?” she said.
    â€œPomfrey,” he said and she wondered briefly how he found out.
    â€œDid you know him at all?” Louisa asked.
    â€œNo,” he said.
    â€œWell, we should go and visit them,” she said.
    â€œDo you read all these things in books?” he said.
    â€œPeople know by instinct what to do,” she said and felt she almost disliked him.
    â€œWe were here first and they have come and don’t know anyone,” she said after a little silence.
    â€œWe call on them and take something.”
    Her eyes strayed to her kitchen shelves lined with bottles of preserves, deciding whether to take her peaches which were the more successful or her apricots which she could have cooked a little longer.
    She put the apricots with four tomatoes in varying shades of ripeness into a basket the next afternoon which was a Saturday. Then she added a loaf of her bread changing it for a larger one, and then a smaller one and finally going back to the one she chose first.
    He glanced into the basket when he came into the kitchen in a pullover she had knitted him.
    â€œThis all right?” he said indicating his pullover and pants.
    â€œThis all right?” she said half humourously indicating the basket.
    â€œYou would know,” he said.
    When they were nearly there he said: “They mightn’t be home,” but she couldn’t tell from his profile whether he hoped they wouldn’t be.
    They were. Standing on their steps they appeared to be deciding what they could do with the front garden neglected for years by Craggy Hills.
    â€œThis is really nice of you,” Peter said coming down to meet them.
    He tipped the basket to show Annie as if urging her to enthusiasm.
    Annie had a nice wide smile that transformed her small face.
    Louisa felt her own face was too big, in spite of the thick fringe she wore to shorten it.
    â€œCome on in, come on in,” said Peter.
    He is doing all the hosting, Louisa thought. We’ll leave very soon.
    But they stayed and ate dinner with them.
    Annie put the apricots out in a dish and Louisa wished she had brought the peaches.
    â€œWe like them chewy,” Louisa said. “I hope you do too.”
    â€œThey’ll be lovely,” Annie said. “We mean to grow fruit.”
    She glanced through the funny little window to see Peter and Jim making their way back after an hour’s absence.
    â€œHere they come,” Louisa said with relief.
    The two pairs of eyes watched them.
    â€œOne saves the trees and the other cuts them down,” Louisa said laughingly.
    Annie wasn’t amused. “Peter won’t cut anything down that should