Eventually, on day 21, there he was, strolling towards the house, a large backpack strapped to his shoulders. This time I couldn't help myself, and I ran and flung my arms round him. He seemed taken aback but pleased, and embraced me into a hug. Whilst I wondered where he had been, I didn't ask, as I didn't care all that much. All that mattered was that he was back. I noticed he'd had a hair cut.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn't hang around as I was needed at the store, and Richard was clearly tired and needed to sleep, so I went off, but only after he promised that he would be sticking around for a couple of days.
I ploughed through the daily chores as quickly as I could. By mid afternoon I was pretty much done and hurried home. There didn't seem to be any sign of Richard, so I went inside. In my kitchen sat a large carrier bag, and intrigued, I looked inside. It was full of clothes. Not clothes like we had in the store, but proper clothes. Most were practical, outdoor garments - shorts, t-shirts, sweaters and a pair of hiking boots, and there were also PJs, lounge pants and new underwear. It was all brand new, still with their tags, and all in my size. I was stunned. Did Richard leave them for me, and if so where did he get them? Either he sent for them from one of the contacts on the mainland….or…..could he have been there himself? He had told me that his people generally didn't go back to the 'outside world', but was he an exception? He was the one person that didn't answer to Ben after all. Thoughts swirled in my head, until I looked up and realised he was standing in the doorway.
"Like your new stuff?" he asked.
"This is really for me? How did…" but he cut me off at that point.
"Don't….don't ask me any questions please. I just thought you deserved to have your own clothes like everyone else. If anybody asks just say you were given them and you don't know where they came from."
"Thank you" was all I could reply. I was so touched. He had obviously broke the rules in getting me this stuff.
"You hungry? I have some casserole in the fridge that I can heat up for dinner?" I asked.
"Starving!" came his reply.
We sat out on the porch, ate casserole and drank wine. I was getting used to this Dharma variety now. I told him all about how work was going, and mentioned my daily trip to Mikhail's. He looked a bit concerned about this.
"I don't know if you should be doing that. I told you it's dangerous out there. Going with David is one thing, but you shouldn't be going on your own. What if you hit trouble? There's a reason why everyone carries a rifle when they go outside the barracks."
"Well i'll take a rifle then." I suggested helpfully.
"Do you even know how to shoot one?" Richard looked doubtful.
"Well you could teach me." I pushed.
"Maybe. Can you play Chess?" Richard changed the subject.
"I've played it a couple of times in the past but can't remember what i'm doing very well." I admitted.
Richard went and fetched a chess set out of his house, and he spent the rest of the evening teaching me how to play properly. He even let me win a couple of games to keep me motivated.
"When do you go back?" I asked.
"I have to spend the day with Ben and Tom tomorrow but i'll go back first thing the day after." He confirmed.
When it got late we said our goodnights and went through our respective doors.
I loved it when he was here but it always felt so temporary. I got the impression he didn't really like being around the barracks and preferred to be off in the wilderness. I guess he must have done or he wouldn't have chose to live like that.
I didn't see him much the next day, and when he finally arrived home he looked tired and drained so I felt too bad to ask him to sit out with me again. We spoke briefly, and he said he would be back in about a week.
I went to bed sad that I wouldn't be seeing him again for a while. Should I tell him how I feel next time I saw him? Maybe not, it could ruin the friendship that we had formed and that was the last thing I wanted to do. Maybe he had already figured it out though.