Lucien put Dustin's suitcase in the boot of the car and settled him in the back seat.
"Um, granddad," Dustin bit his bottom lip, "how long does it take, to get to Ballarat?"
"Three hours, tops," Lucien smiled.
"Your granddad isn't a fast driver, Dustin," Jean laughed "How are you in the car?"
"Father doesn't run a car, he says he has no need of one for the amount of time he spends in Australia; I went in one of my friend's cars once, I was ok."
"If you need a break," Jean got into the passenger seat, "to stretch your legs or to go to the loo, just sing out."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dustin only requested one stop for the bathroom and to stretch his legs. He was ok in the car, but it was hot and he didn't really like the motion.
Jean noticed he looked a little paler and whispered to Lucien. He nodded and let her take over.
"Hey, Dustin," she patted his shoulder, "how would you like to sit up front with me, granddad can nap in the back seat."
Uh, oh, alright," he swallowed, "Grandma, can I take off my jacket?"
"Oh sweetheart," she smiled, "of course you can, and your tie, hot car journeys can be trying. Wind the window down."
Jean drove a little faster than Lucien and with the windows wound down a little Dustin began to feel better. He started to ask a few questions about where he would stay, who he would meet ...
"Well, of course there is Amelia and William and also Elizabeth, she is your mother's cousin so that makes her your second cousin. Your Aunt and Uncle Alice and Matthew Lawson are frequent visitors – if Aunt Alice is working then Elizabeth comes to us ..."
"Why?"
"Why does Elizabeth come to us? She's too young to be left on her own, same age as you, just about, and because she is family. Even if she wasn't Alice is our friend and we would gladly have Elizabeth come to us. You'll meet everybody today, Alice and Matthew, and Elizabeth, stayed over at our house last night, to look after Amelia and William." She smiled and turned into a town. "Soon be there."
"Do Amelia and William stay at school, I mean like I do?"
"No, dear, they are day pupils, go to school each morning and come home at the end of the day."
"I used to do that," he sighed, "with my mother. She used to take me and wait for me at the end of the day ..."
Jean reached across with one hand and stroked his head. "I understand, Dustin," she soothed, "you miss her, as you should. I'm sure your father is doing his best, but he is a soldier and he must go where the army send him. You will always be welcome at our home, Dustin, if it suits you to come."
"Thank you," he hummed, though he wondered how it would be at his grandmother's house, with so many people apparently coming and going.
"I have set a room for you," she continued, "I hope it will be alright. You will have the same as the others, bed, chair, somewhere to put your clothes ..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They pulled up outside the front door, as usual and Dustin looked around. The garden was coming into bloom, the grass neatly cut and the paint-work clean; there was another car on the drive parked in front of the garage.
"Welcome," Lucien unfolded himself from the back seat and stretched. It wasn't often he got to sleep during a journey, and he couldn't remember the last time he had sat in the back of the car. "See Matthew's off duty," he hummed.
"He said he would be," Jean agreed, "come on Dustin, they're quite friendly, really."
Slowly, Dustin slid out of the car and tucked his shirt into his trousers. The house seemed to hang over a slope and there were windows set in the roof overlooking the drive.
Jean went to open the front door and called into the house that they had returned.
Two children, about Dustin's age ran up the hall and wrapped their arms round her in greeting; one had chestnut curls tied in two bunches with blue ribbons – one was higher than the other and the other child, a boy, had his strawberry blond waves neatly trimmed but seemingly uncombed as it stuck up in all directions.
"Hello, my darlings," she hugged them both, "alright?"
"Hello, mum," the girl smiled, "Auntie Alice is cooking tonight, Uncle Matthew says dad should go to the chip shop."
"Cheek," Jean laughed, "Auntie Alice is quite a good cook ..."
"Seriously, Jean," a voice from somewhere behind the children floated through, "even I can't muck up a salad."
"Can't remember the last time you had an un-eatable failure," Jean smiled, "now," she turned round, "this is Dustin," she beckoned him forward, "Dustin this is Amelia and William." She put her hands gently on his shoulders, as if to ground him, to keep him sure and steady. "And this is your Great Aunt Alice," she pulled Alice forward.
"Let's skip the 'Great' part, eh?" Alice grimaced, "makes me sound like an ancient monument." She squeezed his hand and smiled, "welcome to this odd but lovely family."
"Hey, Dustin," Amelia smiled and held out her hand, "come on, I'll show you where your bedroom is, and everything else ..." she took his hand and tugged him gently further into the house.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So, this is your room, mum used to rent it out to a copper, but he got married and left to work in Melbourne." Amelia pushed open a bedroom door, "it's got a great view of the garden."
The room was light and airy, the bed had a soft cover decorated with a subtle geometric pattern and there was a rug at the side of it to put his bare feet on when he got into or out of bed. The bedside cabinet had a small reading lamp and clock on it and there was room for a book should he have one to read before he went to sleep. There was a small chest with a mirror over it and room to put his brush and comb, a similarly proportioned wardrobe and a small desk like affair with a chair completed the room.
Dustin thought it was the cosiest room he had ever seen; so used to sleeping in a dormitory with seven other boys he liked the idea he would be able to read without disturbing anyone or cry without anyone knowing just how lonely he was.
"The bathroom's down here," Amelia continued dragging him around the upstairs part of the house, "I'm across the landing and William's next to you. Mum and dad have their room downstairs with their own bathroom. Guests use the other rooms when they come, like Auntie Alice and Uncle Matthew and Elizabeth so this floor's ours." She grinned.
Amelia showed him around the rest of the house, telling him most firmly that the surgery was off limits and the study unless her father was showing them experiments. "That usually means a horrible smell, but it's still great fun. Dad'd make a great science teacher," she added proudly. William had joined her by now and he wanted to show Dustin the rest of the house, the living room, the toys they had to play with and the kitchen.
"Ah, there you are," Jean looked up from her cup of tea, "juice and a biscuit?"
"Oh, er, yes, thank you," Dustin stammered.
"Keep you going until dinner," she smiled, "Amelia has been baking with Auntie Alice, jam drops ..."
"... using your grandmother's homemade plum jam," Alice pushed the plate towards him.
Dustin took a biscuit and turned it round in his hand, the biscuits they had at school were usually ANZAC biscuits or something plain, nice but plain, this looked lovely – and it was. It was crumbly and sweet and the jam added a tiny burst of sharpness.
"Delicious," he sighed, "really lovely, thank you."
"Glad you like 'em," Amelia grinned through a mouthful and was rewarded with a glare from Jean for talking with her mouth full. She shrugged her shoulders, swallowed and apologised. Jean just shook her head and smiled. "Is Iz-beff coming in?" She still called her oldest friend by her childhood nickname. She looked at Dustin, "she's gardening with Uncle Matthew."
"Iz-beff?" he frowned.
"Elizabeth," Alice clarified, "when Amelia was little she couldn't say 'Elizabeth', it came out as 'Iz-beff', she's the only one allowed to use it now. She and her father love gardening – I, on the other hand, do not have green fingers."
Dustin thought he had a lot to learn about families and friends; everyone seemed to be so nice here, nobody had laughed at his name or pushed and shoved him – he had been offered a biscuit and a glass of squash and shown a cosy bedroom. If he wanted to be invited back he would have to be on his best behaviour.
The kitchen door opened and in strode a man with dark hair, streaked with grey, his hands were dirty and the trousers he wore were shabby. His short sleeved shirt was un-tucked and his arms tanned with working outdoors in the sunshine.
"Ah, Matthew," Jean grinned at his relaxed appearance, "this is Dustin, your great nephew."
"Ah, the new recruit to the family," he started to wash his hands, "welcome, lad, good to have you here. This'n here is Elizabeth ..." he nodded to the girl beside him.
"Hi," she grinned, she had dark auburn hair and a ready smile which reached her blue grey eyes. She joined her father at the sink to wash her hands of the dirt.
Having been introduced to the family, Dustin followed the children out into the garden to either kick a ball around or swing on the tyre swing that hung from the old apple tree. Inside the adults were preparing the dinner, talking and Jean said she would go and unpack his suitcase, put his things away. She wondered if he had any clothes that he could play in, clothes that weren't quite as smart as the ones he was wearing. Judging him to be around the same size as William she thought if necessary he could borrow shorts and tops from him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Starched white shirts with stiff collars, perfectly pressed trousers with a knife sharp crease, three ties, two pullovers and another jacket similar to the one Dustin had worn to travel in. All proper and smart, all fine if he was going to sit in the house and read all the time, or go to 'improving' sites such as the art gallery or a museum; but this was not the holiday she envisioned for the boy. What she had thought was they would go for walks down to the lake, have picnics, let him go off with their children and climb trees, paddle in streams and generally do 'fun' things.
She was shocked at the state of his underwear, however, his singlets were not as white as she would have liked, his undershorts were thin, worn through almost and the elastic on the point of giving up altogether. She would buy him some new the next day, also some pyjamas – what was Christopher thinking? Outwardly Dustin was a well dressed boy and properly brought up but it would seem that clothing his son was left up to his wife originally and he had no idea what to buy him, she rolled her eyes and made a mental note to suggest that if he thought Dustin needed new clothes of any kind he could ask her to get them for him. She thought his own father would have been just the same had she trusted him to go and get underwear for the two boys – clueless.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
At first, in the garden, Dustin was unsure of how to 'play'. At school they ran races, played tig and kicked or threw balls during their breaks. Amelia, William and Elizabeth swung on the branches of the apple tree, sat through the tyre and had one of the others push it and got out an old cricket bat and practice batting and bowling. There were occasional calls of: 'Mind the window!' or 'push me higher!' and when he finally got the courage to try the swing he found pleasure in being with his new family.
When they were called in to wash their hands for dinner he found he was hungry and looking forward to whatever his Aunt had prepared for them – salad was ok, they had it at school, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, and occasionally very hard boiled eggs; the sight that greeted him in the kitchen was awe-inspiring! The lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber was as he expected, but there was a dish of what appeared to be potatoes in a sauce or dressing with green specks, shredded cabbage mixed with grated carrot and onion, beetroot, cold sliced ham and chicken, cold vegetables, crusty bread, sliced apples ... the table positively groaned.
There was just enough room for eight people round the table if they kept their elbows in tight. The dishes were passed round and everyone helped themselves to as much or as little as they wanted. Dustin tried everything, small helpings of each dish until he was certain he liked it, and then second helpings of the potato salad and even a little more of the coleslaw – as he learned the shredded cabbage mixture was called – until he didn't think he would be able to move.
"Right," Jean stood up and helped Alice take the dirty plates to the sink, "who's for ice cream?"
He'd had ice cream once, with his mother, but barely remembered the taste. It wasn't easy to get lots of dishes out to pupils without it melting so it wasn't usually served at school and his father didn't go in for sweet treats – bad for his teeth he would grunt.
"Dustin?" Jean waved a bowl in front of him, "go on, it should slip down round the rest of the dinner you've eaten."
He tried a tiny bit on the point of his spoon – sweet, creamy, soft it slipped down his throat like nothing he could describe, it was almost soothing. He polished off the rest of his bowl, set his spoon down and sighed contentedly.
"That, Aunt Alice and Grandma Blake, was incredible. I don't think I'll need to eat for another week."
"Oh you'll be ready for bacon and eggs in the morning," Jean smiled, "but for now, go and sit in the living room and let that lot settle. Choose a book off the shelf if you want."
He slipped from his chair and followed the other children through, found a book and sat on the floor reading.
"Come on, Blake," Matthew grunted, "washing up duty for you and me."
"Fair enough," Lucien shoved his chair back, "you wash, I'll dry."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Does Granddad and Uncle Matthew do the washing up all the time?" Dustin asked Amelia as Jean and Alice wandered through for a drink.
"When there's a lot," Amelia wriggled over to him, "we do it sometimes, like after breakfast and lunch, at least our own plates. It's ok, you're a guest you don't have to."
"No, I'll do it," he nodded, "if you show me how."
"No worries," she grinned.
Alice nudged Jean's elbow and nodded towards the two siblings, though she was sure Dustin had no idea Amelia was his elder sister, "Seems he feels part of something," she whispered.
"I hope so," Jean whispered back.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jean chivvied the children up to bed a couple of hours later after the Lawson's had left. She settled her own children first, asking them not to go jumping on Dustin in the morning.
"He'll be disoriented until he is fully awake," she kissed Amelia, "but he seems to be settling alright – thank you for being kind to him."
"That's ok, mum," Amelia yawned, "if it was me I would want my new family to be kind to me."
She wasn't an unkind child and Jean felt that Dustin would be safe in her hands, even if she let them go off on their own.
William just smiled a sleepy smile through his yawn and said he hoped Dustin would want to play cricket again.
"I'm sure he will, dear," Jean kissed his forehead, "now, off to sleep with you."
"Night mum," he mumbled.
"Good night, sweet boy," she whispered, wondering again for the millionth time how she had got this lucky.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dustin was lying on his back when Jean knocked on his door and stepped in.
"Comfortable?" she smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Yes, thank you," he nodded, "Amelia said this used to be a copper's room."
"Yes, his name was Charlie and he was one of our lodgers. He was kind and strong, but he got a promotion and went to work in Melbourne. We see him sometimes, when he has leave. He brings his wife and stays with us if we have room."
"Oh," he frowned, thinking this over, "who was the other lodger?"
"That was a nurse, Mattie. She went to work in London, in England." She watched him work this out. Jean wondered what Ruby and Christopher had told him about who lived in this house, if anything at all. If he had overheard them talking about when she got married and took Amelia away.
"So," he hummed, "there's always been other people here? Not just you."
"I used to live on a farm, that was where your father grew up, but after the war, when his father had died, I came to work for granddad's father, Dr Thomas Blake, then Granddad came back from the war and we found we liked each other, then loved each other ..." she waited. "This is all a lot for you to take in, families can be complicated and I suppose we are, but families can also be the people around you and not related. I don't suppose your father told you you have another uncle, did he?"
Dustin shook his head.
"He has a brother, Jack," her shoulders dropped, "I'm afraid Jack is, well he can get into trouble sometimes, doesn't follow the rules, but I still love him, he is still my son."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know, Dustin, I really don't," Jean sighed heavily, "I wish I did but he never writes to me or rings me and I don't even know if he knew I married Lucien – your granddad – he doesn't much care for him."
"Oh," Dustin chewed his bottom lip, "I like him," he hummed finally.
"Uncle Jack and your granddad misunderstood each other, it's a long story that I don't wish to dwell on, safe to say that if he ever comes to see us I will welcome him with open arms. Now," she stood up and brushed her skirt down, "time to turn out the light and sleep; goodnight, dear."
"Er, Grandma," he swallowed nervously.
"Yes, Dustin."
"Mum used to hug me good night ..." he looked down, embarrassed.
"Anytime you need a hug, or just want one, I give them freely and without the need for thanks." She wrapped her arms round him, "you are safe here, and loved ... by all of us."
She felt and heard him give a little sniff and waited until he had composed himself, considering he may cry himself to sleep many times, but hopefully not tonight.
"G'night, Grandma." He finally whispered.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," she kissed the top of his head and settled him down.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"All settled?" Lucien looked up from the paper.
"Hmm," she nodded, "I've told Dustin about Jack, enough anyway, so he knows he has another uncle somewhere about. How I came to live here and that his father grew up on a farm. Enough I think."
"Sounds about right," he agreed, "I'm sure he'll have questions as time wears on – some of which he will probably ask his father, rather than you or me."
"I just hope Christopher answers them honestly," she curled up next to him on the couch, "I just wish I knew what I did wrong."
"I don't think you did anything wrong," he held her close, "from what Ruth says Ruby was accustomed to getting her own way with both her father and her husband, you weren't going to let that happen and when you arrived to help with Amelia I think she saw that."
"So it was my fault?" she wriggled free and looked up at him, fear all over her face.
"No, no, Jean that's not what I meant," he ran his hands over his head, "she saw how it should be done and when she didn't think she could do it she gave up."
"That and she didn't want a girl, they wanted a boy ..." she snuggled back into him, "oh Lucien," she sighed, "how could you not love both of them?"
"Indeed," he hummed. "Well, Jean, Amelia is our daughter, whatever the birth certificate may say, and as for Dustin – let's just be around, eh? Keep writing to him, and if Christopher has a long tour of duty open our home ..."
"... and our hearts?"
"Always, love, always."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The following morning Dustin was surprised to find he was hungry, just as his Grandmother had said and when Amelia stuck her nose into his bedroom he leapt out of bed.
Down in the kitchen the residents were eating their breakfasts as they appeared. There was no official order, he stepped into the kitchen, was told to sit down and a plate of bacon and eggs was placed before him and a glass of orange juice.
"Help yourself to toast," Jean smiled and turned back to the stove.
"Morning," Lucien wandered through, "ah, last to the plate, am I?" he grinned and sat down, helping himself to tea and looking around the table. "Sleep well, Dustin?"
"Yes sir, very well," Dustin smiled, "it was very comfortable, thank you."
Jean smiled to herself and hoped this was how it was going to be; maybe she could get Christopher back?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The days passed in walks out, picnics by the lake; Dustin wore some of William's shorts and tops until Jean managed to find some for him, together with the underwear she had to buy him. Everything she offered him was received with a hug, a shout of joy and a tearful thanks.
"I didn't know how to tell father I needed things, like undies, he always said I had to look smart, I am the son of a soldier ..."
"I understand, Dustin, like most men your father thinks of the outward appearance and forgets the under pinnings," Jean smiled, "if your mum sorted out these things I imagine he's all at sea. Don't worry, if you need anything you can always write to me or Grandma Amory."
"Why are you so kind to me?" he frowned.
"Mum's kind to everybody," Amelia reached past him for an apple, "even when she tells us off she's kind."
"Am I?" Jean smiled.
"Yeah, and we don't like making you sad," she swallowed a bite of the apple.
"You don't, well not very often," Jean passed Dustin the bag of fruit to help himself. "Now, Dustin, you said you don't swim?"
"No," he shook his head, "the boys at school ducked me in the pool ..." his eyes filled with tears.
"Not very helpful," Jean frowned, "well, these three do, so how about me and Granddad teach you? There'll be no ducking or splashing ..."
"I don't have any bathers."
"You can use a pair of William's until you get the hang of it then I'll get you some of your own – it'll be good to show those boys that ducked you, don't you think."
"They'll be gentle with you," Elizabeth piped up, "my mum used to take me to the swimming baths when I was younger. She went because the exercise was good for her leg."
"What happened – to her leg?" he had noticed his aunt used a stick but had been too shy to ask why.
"She was hit by a car, Uncle Lucien put it back together – I'm going to be a doctor like him," she declared, "the other doctor wanted to chop it off ..."
Dustin gasped in horror.
"... yeah, right," she grimaced, "but dad called Uncle Lucien and he came all the way back from Adelaide just to put her back together again."
"It was a long time ago, Dustin," Jean smiled, "your aunt was very badly injured while we were away visiting your parents when Amelia was a baby."
"Gosh," he was wide-eyed with wonder, he knew Granddad was clever but this sounded really something.
"So, swimming lessons?"
"Alright," he nodded, if Granddad could put legs back together and Grandma was such a kind person he reckoned it was worth a go.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dustin sat on the side of the pool watching his new family swim and splash in the water. Aunt Alice was swimming lengths, racing Elizabeth, Amelia and William were playing games, and Grandma was just patiently waiting for him to take the plunge. He took a deep breath and let her guide him down the steps – he was pleased to feel the bottom under his feet and not to feel his head under the water. Jean chose to take his hands and pull him across the pool, encouraging him to kick his legs; the water went up his nose and into his eyes but all in all it wasn't too bad.
By the time Jean thought they should be heading home Dustin could just about make it across the width of the pool on his own and was also happy to play 'ring a roses' with the others. This involved holding hands and standing in a ring and on 'we all fall down' duck down under the water. This kind of ducking was okay, he was doing it with friends and wasn't being forced down by bullies.
"Enjoy yourself?" Jean asked, rubbing his head with the towel and making a mental note to see his hair was cut before he went back to school.
He nodded, his face shone with happiness, "Can we come again?"
"Of course we can, soon have you swimming in one of the lakes," she grinned. "Come on, home, juice and a biscuit then I must get on with dinner."
He was getting used to this, to living with a family. He joined in with chores, helped in the kitchen with the other children, washed up his pots and others too, played in the garden, been on picnics, walks ... he didn't want it to end.
But it did.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
His hair was cut two days before he was to return to school, but those two days were filled with so much fun he thought his heart would burst; he had little time to think about returning to school. They went for a picnic and a swim in a lake, Jean was confident he would be safe in the water, but she had her swimsuit on just in case. He climbed trees, no longer afraid of falling down now he had done so several times. His knees showed a holiday of daring, with grazes and healed cuts, fading bruises on his shins, he was tanned from days out in the sun and he had gained a little weight – healthy weight, he had things bought for him even when he offered to use some of his saved allowance.
"No, Dustin, you save that for treats, not for clothes and haircuts," Jean pushed the money back to him, "and the stamp for the letter to your father."
The letter was in the form of a diary of sorts, Jean had suggested it when he said he didn't know what to put in the letter or how to set it out. He wrote a little every night.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This time he was to travel all the way by train; he would meet Richard halfway when he boarded the train at Horsham and if he came again he would travel by himself.
"Granddad," he dried his breakfast plate, "will you take me to the post office to send my letter to father, please?"
"Glad to, son," Lucien smiled, "let's see if Grandma needs anything while we're at it, eh?"
"Ok," he grinned.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jean was having a baking day with the children, she aimed to send Dustin back to school with a supply of biscuits and cake, so she asked Lucien to pick up some ingredients she seemed to have run out of. He headed to the grocers while Dustin went to the post office to send his letter and they planned to meet by the police station.
Uncle Matthew passed him and they struck up a conversation.
"I hope I can come again," Dustin sighed.
"You'll be most welcome, lad," Matthew grinned, "it's been a pleasure having you around, Elizabeth will miss you as I'm sure everyone else will."
"I've sent a letter to father, telling him what I have been doing, I hope he isn't cross that I've been climbing trees and swimming in the lake. Grandma gave me a photograph to send too."
"I remember you dad as a boy, he did all those things, though he was less reckless than your Uncle Jack. Don't you worry about it." He ruffled his hair, still not combed in the 'approved manner' for school, but it had been combed that morning.
"Will you give these sweets to Elizabeth I wanted to thank her for being so kind to me," he handed over a packet of jelly babies, "I know she likes these. I've got some for Amelia and William, too."
"That's very kind of you, Dustin," he smiled, thinking how much the boy had learnt in just two weeks.
"Matthew?" Lucien appeared at their side, "not arresting my grandson, I hope?" he grinned.
"Jus' passin' the time of day, Blake," Matthew nodded.
"Good," he smiled, "well, come on, son," he put his hand on Dustin's shoulder, "got to get this stuff to Grandma."
Matthew watched them head back to the car and smiled. He hoped this was to be the first of many holidays Dustin would spend in Ballarat, and with Christopher spending so much time in Vietnam it was likely.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Now," Jean helped him pack his suitcase the night before he left, "here is another copy of the photograph we had taken, of all of us. There's your proof, Dustin, that you have a family. I've written everybody's name on the back ..." it was a picture of all of them by the lake, even Alice and Matthew had managed to take a day off together and they had grabbed a passer-by to take the snap, otherwise, as Jean had pointed out, one of them would be left out.
"Thank you very much," he grinned and gave her a hug. He'd started to accept and give hugs in the first week of his holiday and now gave them as often as he could, he even thought that the next time he saw his father he might give him one, too.
"You're welcome," she smiled, "and you are welcome here anytime, if your father is away."
"I'd like that," he cuddled close, "perhaps father could come to?"
"He's always welcome, Dustin, and I would like that very much." She kissed the top of his head.
The last dinner was almost a party. All the things he had come to love to eat were prepared, coleslaw, potato salad, cold meats, fresh tomatoes from the garden, hard boiled eggs that didn't bounce like the school ones followed by ice cream and fruit. It would be an early start in the morning if he was to catch the train to meet up with Richard. Anyone who woke up in time was welcome to accompany Jean and Dustin to the station, but he said if everyone was still in bed he wouldn't be upset.
They were sleepy, up and yawning round the breakfast table. Jean just smiled and put pancakes and fruit in front of them, glasses of orange juice and tea for herself and Lucien. They had talked long into the night and decided that if Christopher was on a long posting then they would offer to have Dustin for the holidays, Ruth was due to join them for Christmas and it would be a good way for him to meet his other grandmother. Ruth had said that she wouldn't have him to stay, she had made such a mess of bringing up Ruby she worried she would do the same to Dustin, however, she would love to meet him when he stayed with the Blakes, saying it was probably better for him to be with children of his own age anyway.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dustin hugged and was hugged by everybody; he had given Amelia and William their sweets the day before.
"There you go, Dustin," Jean smiled as she handed him over to the guard, "ask the headmaster to ring me when you arrive back at school please."
"Why?"
"So I know you have arrived safely," she smiled, "it's a long journey and I have to trust you not to get into trouble."
"I won't Grandma," he smiled, "I have a book and some comics to read, and Richard to talk to when he gets on. I'll behave."
"He'll be fine, missus," the guard took his case.
"Thank you, and, Dustin, here," she handed him a bag of small tins and packets, "biscuits for you to share with your mates."
"Wow! Thanks Grandma, I wondered where you had put everything you baked yesterday, I thought you were hiding them from Granddad." He laughed.
"He's too good," she laughed back, "he knows all my hiding places."
Lucien joined in the laughter, so did William and Amelia; they all hugged again and he boarded the train with a new found confidence born of having a family who he could rely on.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"It's goin' to be quiet," Amelia sighed in the car.
"He'll be back," Lucien comforted her, "maybe a Christmas holiday?"
"That'd be wonderful," she hummed, "he's a nice boy, kind and clever."
"And he plays cricket," William piped up.
"He fitted in rather well, didn't he," Jean smiled at Lucien.
"Perfectly," he agreed, hoping that Christopher could be persuaded to put aside whatever slight Ruby had perceived and rejoin the family.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dustin leaned out of the train window and waved madly at Richard. He came running over with his case, having bid his aunt goodbye and assured her that he would be fine, as usual.
"Hey, Dusty," he grinned, flopping down onto the seat, "how'd you go?"
"Oh Richard, I had the best time," he sighed, "my grandparents are so kind, and Amelia and William, and my cousin, Elizabeth. They made me feel so welcome, here have a biscuit and I'll tell you everything ..." he opened a box of Amelia's jam drops and proceeded to tell Richard all he had done, what his family were like, how Aunt Alice was nowhere near as serious as she looked, or Uncle Matthew as fierce, how Granddad did a smelly experiment in the study just because he could, how he had learnt to swim and gone on picnics and climbed trees. He told how Grandma had bought him the things he needed, underwear and shorts and tops he could play in and he never saw the inside of a museum or an art gallery ...
"Though they do have them in Ballarat, but we never got round to it." He laughed at the memory of Lucien pulling faces and then showing him some of his own mother's work that hung in the studio bedroom.
"You're a lucky bugger," Richard grumbled, "I did a lot of reading and Aunt Kate let me go and play in the park, but I didn't do much really. Still, it's good of her to take me in ..." he frowned.
"Maybe you could come with me, one holiday," Dustin chewed his bottom lip; his grandmother had said something along those lines when they picked him up.
"I don't want to be a bother," Richard hummed, "she must have enough to do, and there's the grub ..."
"Grandma makes enough to feed one of father's regiments every time," he laughed, "honestly I've never seen so much food."
They continued to talk and laugh for the rest of the journey and were still grinning when the headmaster collected them from the station in Adelaide.
"Good break, boys?" he asked conversationally.
"Yes sir, thank you," Dustin smiled, "my grandmother would like you to ring her to tell her I have arrived back safely."
The headmaster looked at the boy her remembered as quiet and reserved, pale and a little on the thin side; now he was bright and chatty, glowing with days in the outdoors and had filled out a little.
"Well, Beazley," he smiled, "I shall be happy to do just that, you look well, boy."
"I am, sir, very well."
"Good, good," he muttered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Christopher sat in his little makeshift office in Vietnam and read the letter from his son. He sighed. Dustin sounded happy, he had done things he remembered doing as a boy and the new found love from his extended family leapt off the page. He did love his son, but he had left most of his care to Ruby and now she was gone he wasn't sure how to deal with a child. He supposed it had all gone wrong when Amelia was born. All through her pregnancy Ruby had talked about giving him a son to raise to be a strong man and then she gave birth to a girl. The birth had been difficult, that much was true, but it was Ruby's failure to bond with the baby girl that had started the problems. She claimed Amelia was a difficult baby and demanded he ask his oh so competent mother to come and help. It had surprised him, he knew she and Ruby were not easy in each other's company but she rarely spoke to her own mother, so he asked her to come to Adelaide and help without thinking how much it would disrupt her life. Neither thought of the financial consequences of Jean leaving her job with Dr Blake and having to find somewhere to live, or how she would live without an income. When she had talked of finding some work to support herself Ruby had asked what she did with the money from the farm and when he said he thought she had put it in a savings account she said she could use that, then, and that was the end of him even vaguely thinking they should at least pay her rent. As the weeks had worn on he couldn't tell his mother that Ruby didn't like her daughter simply because she was a girl and when she married Blake and said she would be going back to Ballarat he hadn't argued with Ruby when she said she might as well take the 'brat', she would only put her up for adoption, so he had let Jean take his daughter and they had severed all contact with her. Then his mother in law had come calling, on the off chance of meeting her granddaughter, only to find Amelia had been sent to live with her grandparents in Ballarat. Ruth and Ruby had argued, an argument which had Ruth heading to Ballarat to see Mrs Blake and see if she could meet her granddaughter. They had not expected that meeting to end with Ruth finding her long lost sister and a family that took her to their hearts. Ruth called regularly on her way back from her holidays with Alice and Matthew, though she stayed with the Blakes after Elizabeth was born, but all that ended up as was another argument when Ruth called her selfish and mean, and Ruby called her an old hard hearted harridan. Looking back he thought Ruth was a really strong person to put up with those scathing remarks, but still she came – every time she returned from a trip to Ballarat. Ruby had been gone over two years, now, perhaps it was time to bury the hatchet.
He wrote a short note to Dustin telling him he was glad he had had a good time and yes, in answer to his question could he go back, indeed he could. He thought he ought to write to his mother as well – at least to thank her for caring for Dustin. Going to see them was not on his agenda, he would have to face Amelia – the daughter he abandoned – and he wasn't sure he could. He looked at the photograph ... a happy family, the Superintendant he knew, and had met his wife when she was Dr Harvey and held in a strangle hold by the veteran at the Colonist's Club. He saw a more relaxed woman now, her hand on the girl's shoulder in front of her, the back of the picture stated that this was Elizabeth Lawson, her and Matthew's daughter. Amelia had a look of Jean about her a cheeky smile he remembered from years ago and William, very much like his father – Dr Blake. And his mother seemingly younger than her fifty plus years; what was she now? Fifty five, fifty six? His shoulders drooped; how much did Amelia know, did she know the woman raising her was her grandmother, did she know that Dustin was her brother? He tucked the letter and photograph in his top pocket and went out to do his duty. His letter back to Dustin would tell him he wouldn't see him for a year, at least, perhaps he would like to go to his grandmother's for Christmas, and the other holidays he was going to miss – he said he had been invited – at least he would be safe there.