A Home Like Ours Fiona Lowe (good novels to read .txt) 📖

joke. Not once had he asked her for anything. That niggled. Why hadn’t he asked her for stuff? So she’d trust him with Milo? So he could hurt him?

Yes. No. Maybe …

Bob’s smile had faded and he dropped his arms to his sides. ‘Sorry, Jade. Didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.’

The same confusing feelings of anger and embarrassment that she’d got with Fiza shot back into place, only this time she didn’t know if she was cross with Bob, Corey or herself.

‘He might break your glasses and I can’t pay for new ones.’

‘No worries, love. I understand.’ But the twinkle in his eyes had dimmed. He looked away, his gaze landing on Fiza. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.’

Jade snorted. Fiza was almost six feet tall, black, dressed like a rainbow and impossible to miss. ‘Jeez, Bob. Get your eyes tested.’

‘I was being polite, Jade,’ Bob said calmly. ‘How about you introduce us.’

Jade was whipped back to school and Mrs Kastrati’s useless lesson on how to introduce someone and give a thank you speech. Who did that?

She rolled her eyes and chanted, ‘Bob, I’d like you to meet Fiza. Fiza, this is Bob.’ An idea hit her. ‘Hey, Fiza! Tell Bob about your sick maize. He’s a farmer so he might know.’

Fiza shook Bob’s hand. ‘I am very pleased to meet you, Bob. Could you look at my maize? I am in need of advice.’

‘Point me at it.’

They all walked up the hill to Fiza’s plot. Purple and green plants Jade didn’t recognise were growing well, but the bigger bed contained limp-looking seedlings with yellow-tinged leaves.

Bob squatted down and crumbled some soil in his hand. ‘This looks like a good mix of dirt and compost and your kale and mustard leaves are certainly loving it. Do you know anyone who’s grown maize here before?’

Fiza shook her head, the tiny crystals on her turban flashing silver in the sunshine. Milo clapped, delighted at the light show. ‘I thought because it is hot here too, growing maize would be easy.’

Bob stood and dusted his hands on his work pants. ‘Reckon it might get colder here at night than—where exactly?’

‘Sudan.’

‘Right. Don’t know much about Sudan, I’m afraid. I milked cows for forty years and I grew a few crops to feed them but never maize. But my nephew, Lachie, works with crops. I’ll get him to pop in. He might know where to start.’

‘It is not too much trouble?’ Fiza said.

‘No trouble at all, love. Meanwhile, I’ve got one of those greenhouse tents in my shed. Let’s erect it over these little battlers and see if they do better with a blankie, eh?’

Jade handed Bob back his secateurs, wishing she could see everything he had in his shed. ‘What don’t you have?’

His eyes dimmed again and Jade almost said, ‘Sorry’. She stopped herself in time. It was dumb to apologise when she hadn’t said or done anything to upset him.

Helen returned from her early morning riverside yoga, pulled the paper out of the letterbox and was walking down the drive when she heard the gurgles and squeals of a happy child. Her heart cramped like it did every time she heard the joyful sound.

Expecting to see one of the Hazara women, she walked through the trees and stopped short. ‘You’re here early.’ It came out far more accusatory than she’d intended.

Jade looked up from her kneeling position, her mouth setting into a defiant line. ‘It’s not like I get to sleep in. Milo woke me up at five. And it’s gonna be hot. Bob says there’s no point watering in the middle of the day ’cos the plants wilt.’

‘He’s right.’ Helen surveyed Jade’s rag-tag plantings and swallowed a groan at the petunias and hydrangeas—such water-hogging plants. ‘Peas have pretty flowers too, you know, and you can eat them.’

‘Yeah, but they need to climb. I don’t have anything for that.’

Helen thought about the decades of accumulated junk at the cottage. ‘There’s a broken bedhead you can have if you want.’

Jade studied her plot as if it was a painting. ‘That might look kinda cool. You know, like a piece of sculpture.’

Helen thought that calling a rusty bit of metal ‘art’ was a stretch. ‘Come and get it now if you like and I’ll give you some pea seeds too. They germinate pretty quickly.’

Jade picked up Milo, who protested, and strapped him into the pram. She produced a rusk from a bag and he instantly quietened.

‘Is he teething?’ Helen asked, surprising herself.

‘Yeah. Teething sucks.’

‘For you or for him?’

‘Both.’

They walked back to the cottage in silence.

Helen pointed under the veranda. ‘It’s under there.’

Incredulity splashed across Jade’s face. ‘It can stay there.’

‘I thought you wanted it.’

‘Not if I have to go in there I don’t.’

Helen sighed. ‘I’ll give you a torch.’

‘A torch isn’t gonna keep me safe from spiders and snakes.’

‘Believe me, Jade, you’ll face worse things in life.’

The girl’s eyes narrowed. Helen couldn’t decide if she’d already faced confronting moments or if she thought Helen was pulling her leg.

‘If you’ve faced worse, then you go in and get it,’ Jade said.

Helen thought about the confined space under the house and shuddered. Since her experience of living in her car she avoided small dark places as much as possible.

‘Perhaps we could ask Bob.’ The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Jade grinned. ‘He’d do it too.’

That was what Helen was afraid of. ‘But as independent women, we should do it ourselves.’

‘Why? Neither of us wants to. Anyway, blokes get off on that commando shi—stuff. Makes them feel useful.’

It would make Helen feel beholden. ‘I’ve got a long pole. Maybe I could hook the bedhead and pull it out?’

A dog barked and Jade pointed to the top of the garden. ‘Or you could just ask Bob. He’s up there, fiddling with Fiza’s tent.’

‘No, we can sort—’

‘Hey, Bob!’ Jade yelled. ‘Can you give us a hand?’

Bob’s arm shot up and Helen groaned. She didn’t know which was worse—suffering a panic