Lost, Confused, Unkind (Sequel To "Freaked")
Chapter 47
For the next four weeks we went on as we had done for the last three months except for Jeff getting back into work & the fact that we finally sorted out Matt's room everything was as it was before. I was sitting alone on the porch one morning, I had a book infront of me but as usual my mind had wandered off & I hadn't turned a page for over an hour! I heard some laughing in the distance, it sounded like kids, giggling as they played & I put as hand to my stomach. The laughter faded out as I thought of the letter that had arrived that morning from the hospital. It was an appointment for an ultrasound scan in 4 days time and in big letters across the bottom of the page it said, "WE MAY BE ABLE TO DETERMIN THE SEX OF YOUR BABY! PLEASE ASK IF YOU WISH TO KNOW!" It seemed like one hurdle after another for me to jump these days! I wasn't sure that I wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl, sometimes I did & sometimes I didn't! Well now I had 4 days to make up my mind!
"Hello?" A voice snapped me out of my day dream & I looked to see a girl, a little younger than me, standing on the bottom step. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! But…"
"BEEEEEEEC!" A little face appeared from behind her legs!
"Oh my GOD!! Daniel?" I stood up as he ran to me with outspread arms! "Daniel!" I hugged him tightly then knelt down on the porch, "My look at you! All grown up!" I ruffled his hair & he smiled, "You must be what…..25 by now right?"
"Noooo silly Bec! I'm nearly…" he held up three fingers, "Free!"
"Three? Already?" he nodded, "Wow you're such a big boy now!"
"He said he knew you! Begged me to bring him up here! I hope that's ok!"
"What? Oh God yeah! Thankyou!" I smiled as Daniel hugged my legs again! " I was their nanny for a while! I haven't seen them in months!" I held out my hand, "Bec!"
"I'm Betty!" She shook my hand, "I guess I got your job!" She smiled.
"Ah the new nanny huh! Australian?"
"Yeah! British?"
"Yeah!" We both laughed. "Oh how rude of me! Please come on up! Do you want a coffee or a glass of lemonade or something?"
"Ah no! We came with supplies!" She held up a bag.
"We're having a picin…a pican…." Daniel looked at Betty for help.
"Picnic!" she smiled.
"Yeah! A nicpic!" he grinned & ran to the bench trying to climb up!
"Oh you are huh?" I laughed.
"Yep!" He wriggled around so his legs were dangling over the edge of the bench. "Mommy said you were sad because Matt went to heaven!"
He caught me totally off-guard & I gasped slightly!
"DANIEL!" Betty hissed at him! "I'm so sorry!"
"Oh that's ok um erm… I should have expected it!" I sat down beside Daniel. "Yeah I have been a little sad, is that why you came over, to cheer me up?"
"Yep!" He nodded. "But why did Matt want to go & be an angel when he was spose to stay here with you so you can have a baby?"
I glanced up at Betty who was cringing! "I'm so sorry! They talk way too much infront of him! He picks it all up! They don't realize! Maybe we should just go!"
"No really it's ok! He's just curious!" I forced a smile, "Well I really don't know why he went to heaven Dan, but he left the baby behind before he went!" Daniel looked at me & wrinkled his nose, "Y'see I'm keeping it….erm…in here!" I patted my stomach, "Until erm he's big enough to come out!" I took a gulp from my glass of lemonade!
"Oh so Jeff can be it's dada until Matt comes back!" he smiled & I choked on my drink.
"That's it!" Betty grabbed Daniel's arm as he jumped down from the bench. "Come on little mate! Think it's about time we looked for a spot for our picnic!"
"Can Bec come with the baby?"
"I think you've done enough damage for one day!" Betty said under her breath, "I'm sorry Bec!"
"No it's fine!" I had to smile at his innocence but at the same time what he'd said about Jeff wasn't just a child's imagination, it had come from somewhere that was for sure! "Listen why don't you two have your lunch in the field over there?"
"You sure?"
"Yeah go for it!"
"Would you like to join us? He's quiet when he has food in his mouth honest!" She smiled.
"Oh no! Not if you want to spend time with him, maybe next time!"
"Believe me I've talked enough about Big Bird & Barney today! I'd be glad of a real conversation, that's if you want to join us of course?"
I smiled, "I'd really like that actually! Thanks! Want me to bring anything?"
"Yeah a blanket if you have one!" she laughed, "I'm not the most organized person on the planet!"
"No problem!" I grabbed the blanket from the back of the chair where I'd been sitting & headed off with Daniel holding my hand & skipping along beside me.
Once we'd had lunch Betty & I sat back on the blanket & watched Daniel chasing a butterfly. Both of us at the same time shouted "Don't go too far!"
"Ok I'm sorry!" I blushed, "Old habits I guess!"
Betty laughed, "That's ok!"
"So how long have you been their nanny then?"
"Oh only a week! They apparently stayed on in Europe for a few months & had a German nanny but lucky for me she couldn't get her green card so here I am!" She smiled, "Nice place!"
I sighed, "Yeah it must be! I never went home!"
"I'm sorry, about what Daniel said earlier! It must be hard?"
"Yeah! It's getting better y'know, one day at a time and all that!" I smiled, "As for Daniel, don't appologise, kids are honest, I suppose that's why I like em so much!"
"Yeah, they are at his age anyway!" She leaned back & rested on her elbow.
"So I suppose Mary filled you in on my gory past then?"
"Hm well the thing is with Mary she tends to talk 'AT' me rather than to me!" She laughed, "I've developed a way to turn down the volume!"
"Fast learner!" I smiled, "So what do you think of Sarah?"
"Sarah? Oh she's a strange one! Don't really have much to do with her, she's either out or asleep whenever I'm around!"
"Some things don't change then?!" I laughed.
"Mary did mention she used to date Matt though!"
"Yeah!" I smiled, "That's how I met him! He threw stones at the wrong window & I thought he was a jerk!"
Betty looked back towards the house, "Who's that stud?" She giggled. I turned around to see Jeff wandering over the field towards us & laughed.
"That's Jeff, Matt's brother!" I stood up & went to meet him. I hadn't seen him in a week & he lifted me up into his arms.
"Come & meet Betty! She's the Jameson's new nanny!" I said enthusiastically, "And she reckons you're a stud!" I whispered as we walked back to where she was sitting.
"Oh sometimes you women treat me like a piece of meat!" Jeff stuck his nose in the air & I playfully slapped his chest!
"Jeff this is Betty, the new nanny in town! And Betty this is Jeff, he's a freak but you'll get used to it!" I giggled & Jeff nudged my arm before shaking her hand.
Daniel ran over & hid behind Betty's legs. Jeff knelt down,
"You remember me?" Daniel peered out & shook his head. "I'm Jeff and you're erm…wait a minute it'll come to me….ah ……..Action Man!" Jeff snapped his fingers & Daniel giggled.
"No I'm not! I'm the HURRICAAAAAAANE!!" He ran away with one arm raised & Jeff shook his head.
"You let him watch that crap?" he said to Betty.
Betty held up her hands, "Nothing to do with me! Blame his brother! He's always glued to that rubbish!"
I bit on my lip to stop myself smiling & Jeff did the same. "Oh right! Well mind if I go & kick a ball around with him for a while?"
"Go for it! Wear him out! He might sleep tonight!"
Once Jeff had gone off with Daniel we sat back down & I couldn't help but laugh.
'What's funny?" Betty asked, smiling.
"Oh well y'know that 'rubbish' you were talking about on TV?"
"Yeah, wrestling! Jeez it's crap! Bunch of guys wearing tights & rolling around like a troop of clowns!" I burst out laughing. "What?" She asked.
"Jeff's a wrestler!" I laughed.
"Oh yeah right! He sure looks the part!"
"I'm serious!" I laughed again, "The Hurricane that Daniel mentioned, well he…."
"Don't tell me Jeff is that green guy?"
"NO! The Hurricane is Shane! He lives about a mile in that direction! Shannon is another wrestler & he lives just up the road!"
Betty's eyes widened, "You're not kidding are you?" I shook my head, "Oh my GOD! Now I feel like such a bloody idiot!" she blushed.
"Don't feel bad! You didn't know they were wrestlers!" I smiled.
Betty laughed, "Maybe I'll have to start and watch this crap with Andrew sometime!"
"Yeah let me know if you like it I'll get you tickets!" I winked.
Betty looked over the field at Jeff & twirled her hair around her finger absentmindedly, "Oh I think I could get into it!" She smiled.
I watched her looking at Jeff & I swallowed hard.
Chapter 47
For the next four weeks we went on as we had done for the last three months except for Jeff getting back into work & the fact that we finally sorted out Matt's room everything was as it was before. I was sitting alone on the porch one morning, I had a book infront of me but as usual my mind had wandered off & I hadn't turned a page for over an hour! I heard some laughing in the distance, it sounded like kids, giggling as they played & I put as hand to my stomach. The laughter faded out as I thought of the letter that had arrived that morning from the hospital. It was an appointment for an ultrasound scan in 4 days time and in big letters across the bottom of the page it said, "WE MAY BE ABLE TO DETERMIN THE SEX OF YOUR BABY! PLEASE ASK IF YOU WISH TO KNOW!" It seemed like one hurdle after another for me to jump these days! I wasn't sure that I wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl, sometimes I did & sometimes I didn't! Well now I had 4 days to make up my mind!
"Hello?" A voice snapped me out of my day dream & I looked to see a girl, a little younger than me, standing on the bottom step. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! But…"
"BEEEEEEEC!" A little face appeared from behind her legs!
"Oh my GOD!! Daniel?" I stood up as he ran to me with outspread arms! "Daniel!" I hugged him tightly then knelt down on the porch, "My look at you! All grown up!" I ruffled his hair & he smiled, "You must be what…..25 by now right?"
"Noooo silly Bec! I'm nearly…" he held up three fingers, "Free!"
"Three? Already?" he nodded, "Wow you're such a big boy now!"
"He said he knew you! Begged me to bring him up here! I hope that's ok!"
"What? Oh God yeah! Thankyou!" I smiled as Daniel hugged my legs again! " I was their nanny for a while! I haven't seen them in months!" I held out my hand, "Bec!"
"I'm Betty!" She shook my hand, "I guess I got your job!" She smiled.
"Ah the new nanny huh! Australian?"
"Yeah! British?"
"Yeah!" We both laughed. "Oh how rude of me! Please come on up! Do you want a coffee or a glass of lemonade or something?"
"Ah no! We came with supplies!" She held up a bag.
"We're having a picin…a pican…." Daniel looked at Betty for help.
"Picnic!" she smiled.
"Yeah! A nicpic!" he grinned & ran to the bench trying to climb up!
"Oh you are huh?" I laughed.
"Yep!" He wriggled around so his legs were dangling over the edge of the bench. "Mommy said you were sad because Matt went to heaven!"
He caught me totally off-guard & I gasped slightly!
"DANIEL!" Betty hissed at him! "I'm so sorry!"
"Oh that's ok um erm… I should have expected it!" I sat down beside Daniel. "Yeah I have been a little sad, is that why you came over, to cheer me up?"
"Yep!" He nodded. "But why did Matt want to go & be an angel when he was spose to stay here with you so you can have a baby?"
I glanced up at Betty who was cringing! "I'm so sorry! They talk way too much infront of him! He picks it all up! They don't realize! Maybe we should just go!"
"No really it's ok! He's just curious!" I forced a smile, "Well I really don't know why he went to heaven Dan, but he left the baby behind before he went!" Daniel looked at me & wrinkled his nose, "Y'see I'm keeping it….erm…in here!" I patted my stomach, "Until erm he's big enough to come out!" I took a gulp from my glass of lemonade!
"Oh so Jeff can be it's dada until Matt comes back!" he smiled & I choked on my drink.
"That's it!" Betty grabbed Daniel's arm as he jumped down from the bench. "Come on little mate! Think it's about time we looked for a spot for our picnic!"
"Can Bec come with the baby?"
"I think you've done enough damage for one day!" Betty said under her breath, "I'm sorry Bec!"
"No it's fine!" I had to smile at his innocence but at the same time what he'd said about Jeff wasn't just a child's imagination, it had come from somewhere that was for sure! "Listen why don't you two have your lunch in the field over there?"
"You sure?"
"Yeah go for it!"
"Would you like to join us? He's quiet when he has food in his mouth honest!" She smiled.
"Oh no! Not if you want to spend time with him, maybe next time!"
"Believe me I've talked enough about Big Bird & Barney today! I'd be glad of a real conversation, that's if you want to join us of course?"
I smiled, "I'd really like that actually! Thanks! Want me to bring anything?"
"Yeah a blanket if you have one!" she laughed, "I'm not the most organized person on the planet!"
"No problem!" I grabbed the blanket from the back of the chair where I'd been sitting & headed off with Daniel holding my hand & skipping along beside me.
Once we'd had lunch Betty & I sat back on the blanket & watched Daniel chasing a butterfly. Both of us at the same time shouted "Don't go too far!"
"Ok I'm sorry!" I blushed, "Old habits I guess!"
Betty laughed, "That's ok!"
"So how long have you been their nanny then?"
"Oh only a week! They apparently stayed on in Europe for a few months & had a German nanny but lucky for me she couldn't get her green card so here I am!" She smiled, "Nice place!"
I sighed, "Yeah it must be! I never went home!"
"I'm sorry, about what Daniel said earlier! It must be hard?"
"Yeah! It's getting better y'know, one day at a time and all that!" I smiled, "As for Daniel, don't appologise, kids are honest, I suppose that's why I like em so much!"
"Yeah, they are at his age anyway!" She leaned back & rested on her elbow.
"So I suppose Mary filled you in on my gory past then?"
"Hm well the thing is with Mary she tends to talk 'AT' me rather than to me!" She laughed, "I've developed a way to turn down the volume!"
"Fast learner!" I smiled, "So what do you think of Sarah?"
"Sarah? Oh she's a strange one! Don't really have much to do with her, she's either out or asleep whenever I'm around!"
"Some things don't change then?!" I laughed.
"Mary did mention she used to date Matt though!"
"Yeah!" I smiled, "That's how I met him! He threw stones at the wrong window & I thought he was a jerk!"
Betty looked back towards the house, "Who's that stud?" She giggled. I turned around to see Jeff wandering over the field towards us & laughed.
"That's Jeff, Matt's brother!" I stood up & went to meet him. I hadn't seen him in a week & he lifted me up into his arms.
"Come & meet Betty! She's the Jameson's new nanny!" I said enthusiastically, "And she reckons you're a stud!" I whispered as we walked back to where she was sitting.
"Oh sometimes you women treat me like a piece of meat!" Jeff stuck his nose in the air & I playfully slapped his chest!
"Jeff this is Betty, the new nanny in town! And Betty this is Jeff, he's a freak but you'll get used to it!" I giggled & Jeff nudged my arm before shaking her hand.
Daniel ran over & hid behind Betty's legs. Jeff knelt down,
"You remember me?" Daniel peered out & shook his head. "I'm Jeff and you're erm…wait a minute it'll come to me….ah ……..Action Man!" Jeff snapped his fingers & Daniel giggled.
"No I'm not! I'm the HURRICAAAAAAANE!!" He ran away with one arm raised & Jeff shook his head.
"You let him watch that crap?" he said to Betty.
Betty held up her hands, "Nothing to do with me! Blame his brother! He's always glued to that rubbish!"
I bit on my lip to stop myself smiling & Jeff did the same. "Oh right! Well mind if I go & kick a ball around with him for a while?"
"Go for it! Wear him out! He might sleep tonight!"
Once Jeff had gone off with Daniel we sat back down & I couldn't help but laugh.
'What's funny?" Betty asked, smiling.
"Oh well y'know that 'rubbish' you were talking about on TV?"
"Yeah, wrestling! Jeez it's crap! Bunch of guys wearing tights & rolling around like a troop of clowns!" I burst out laughing. "What?" She asked.
"Jeff's a wrestler!" I laughed.
"Oh yeah right! He sure looks the part!"
"I'm serious!" I laughed again, "The Hurricane that Daniel mentioned, well he…."
"Don't tell me Jeff is that green guy?"
"NO! The Hurricane is Shane! He lives about a mile in that direction! Shannon is another wrestler & he lives just up the road!"
Betty's eyes widened, "You're not kidding are you?" I shook my head, "Oh my GOD! Now I feel like such a bloody idiot!" she blushed.
"Don't feel bad! You didn't know they were wrestlers!" I smiled.
Betty laughed, "Maybe I'll have to start and watch this crap with Andrew sometime!"
"Yeah let me know if you like it I'll get you tickets!" I winked.
Betty looked over the field at Jeff & twirled her hair around her finger absentmindedly, "Oh I think I could get into it!" She smiled.
I watched her looking at Jeff & I swallowed hard.