Family Secrets – Part 4
Lexie fetched a mango from the carton on the bench and expertly sliced it once on the left of the core and once on the right. Then pulling the sides off spliced the flesh into checkerboard like squares before handing it to Shelley. 'Why would Duncan want to know about Lairds? That was not something that was taught in Australian schools...' She looked at her daughter and shook her head. In the small amount of time that Shelley had had the mango she had managed to make a complete mess of herself, it was running off her fingers and was all over her face. "Bath time Hun" She smiled, "Go on up the stairs now" Shelley grinned through the remaining orange flesh of the now demolished mango. She didn't argue but obediently trooped up the stairs. In the summer any excuse to have a bath, shower, swim or anything to do with water was a blessing not a hindrance. Lexie walked up behind her, stopping to peep in on Duncan. He was sitting at his desk reading. Her brow creased 'something just wasn't right' It wasn't until she had seen Shelley into the bathroom and was folding up her pajamas that it finally hit her. 'Why would Duncan have any homework at all? They had just started the Christmas holidays! It wasn't like the Scottish holidays that lasted two weeks, this lasted six weeks and then they moved up to the next grade.' She stomped into his room and walked up to him without him noticing. He jumped, as she pounced "You don't have history homework Duncan." "Yeah I do Mum" he insisted "How can you? It's the holidays!" "Um..." Duncan's eyes flew around his room and landed on a picture of the highlands "It's for a cultural day. You know cause you and dad are from Scotland I have to research a bit" Lexie narrowed her eyes at him but was interrupted by Shelley's call "Mum I can't find my swimmers" Lexie sighed, "We'll talk about this later" she declared turning away from Duncan and walking into the other room. He briefly heard her tell his sister "They're on the verandah you loon. Where you left them after the beach yesterday" 'Sometimes having Shelley around did come in handy' Duncan thought 'at least he had a distraction now to get onto the computer again'
Lexie was hanging out the washing on the hills hoist out the back when Archie came up behind her "Hey Sweetie. How's things?" Lexie laughed and handed him some pegs "I think you've been here too long, you're starting to sound Aussie" Archie shrugged "Is that a bad thing" Lexie raised her eyebrows "Spose not. We have been here a while" He nodded and after hanging the last piece of clothing waited for her to wind the line up to flat in the southerly breeze. He took the basket from her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She looked up at him, squinting at the sun "Do you think about Glenbogle much?" she asked "Yeah. But I like it here too. You do too don't you?" He prompted "Yeah, yeah" Lexie reassured quickly "Then why do you ask?" They climbed the stairs back up into the house "Duncan was asking about what a Laird was today..." Archie glanced at he in shock "What did you tell him?" "Just the basics, its just he's been acting weird. I think you're right, something's up"
Lexie fetched a mango from the carton on the bench and expertly sliced it once on the left of the core and once on the right. Then pulling the sides off spliced the flesh into checkerboard like squares before handing it to Shelley. 'Why would Duncan want to know about Lairds? That was not something that was taught in Australian schools...' She looked at her daughter and shook her head. In the small amount of time that Shelley had had the mango she had managed to make a complete mess of herself, it was running off her fingers and was all over her face. "Bath time Hun" She smiled, "Go on up the stairs now" Shelley grinned through the remaining orange flesh of the now demolished mango. She didn't argue but obediently trooped up the stairs. In the summer any excuse to have a bath, shower, swim or anything to do with water was a blessing not a hindrance. Lexie walked up behind her, stopping to peep in on Duncan. He was sitting at his desk reading. Her brow creased 'something just wasn't right' It wasn't until she had seen Shelley into the bathroom and was folding up her pajamas that it finally hit her. 'Why would Duncan have any homework at all? They had just started the Christmas holidays! It wasn't like the Scottish holidays that lasted two weeks, this lasted six weeks and then they moved up to the next grade.' She stomped into his room and walked up to him without him noticing. He jumped, as she pounced "You don't have history homework Duncan." "Yeah I do Mum" he insisted "How can you? It's the holidays!" "Um..." Duncan's eyes flew around his room and landed on a picture of the highlands "It's for a cultural day. You know cause you and dad are from Scotland I have to research a bit" Lexie narrowed her eyes at him but was interrupted by Shelley's call "Mum I can't find my swimmers" Lexie sighed, "We'll talk about this later" she declared turning away from Duncan and walking into the other room. He briefly heard her tell his sister "They're on the verandah you loon. Where you left them after the beach yesterday" 'Sometimes having Shelley around did come in handy' Duncan thought 'at least he had a distraction now to get onto the computer again'
Lexie was hanging out the washing on the hills hoist out the back when Archie came up behind her "Hey Sweetie. How's things?" Lexie laughed and handed him some pegs "I think you've been here too long, you're starting to sound Aussie" Archie shrugged "Is that a bad thing" Lexie raised her eyebrows "Spose not. We have been here a while" He nodded and after hanging the last piece of clothing waited for her to wind the line up to flat in the southerly breeze. He took the basket from her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She looked up at him, squinting at the sun "Do you think about Glenbogle much?" she asked "Yeah. But I like it here too. You do too don't you?" He prompted "Yeah, yeah" Lexie reassured quickly "Then why do you ask?" They climbed the stairs back up into the house "Duncan was asking about what a Laird was today..." Archie glanced at he in shock "What did you tell him?" "Just the basics, its just he's been acting weird. I think you're right, something's up"