CH 215
"Jessica, Jessica bird" She turn to the voice and smile then she walk over to the elder man
"Hello Mr Wilson, how are you sir" they both hug
"I'm good thanks I thought I heard your voice but I thought I needed a new hearing aid"
"sorry about the yelling sir"
"Stop calling me sir" Bird smile
"It the way I was taught in the navy sir"
"You know I'm prod of you Jessica"
"Yes... Mr Wilson"
"and who are these two young men with you" he ask why raising an eye brow
"Mr Wilson this is leader Leo Kosov Myers, two dads as the crew call him" Ryan and two dads walk over to bird
"nice to meet you sir"
"You to Leo" he said as they shook hands
"This is midshipmen Ryan white, buck as crew call him"
"nice to meet you sir Jess told me a bit about you"
"All good I hope" he said with a wink as they shook hands
"Yes sir she said she dose your gardens and lawns for you before she join the navy"
"Yes she did and she done other things for me and my wife. Oh sorry, please come on in, Martha would love to see you my dear"
"thank you Mr Wilson" they walk towards the front door and in side.
They walk down and into the kitchen dinning area "Martha look who here"
"Who" she turn around and was shock to see who in the dinning room
"Oh my Jessica" Jessica walk over to the elder women and gave her a hug
"Hello Mrs Wilson"
"Oh my look at you" Martha said as she look bird over
"You getting more beautiful every day"
"thank you"
"Please sit, would you like a cup of tea"
"Yes please, I'll help" Martha smile
"you remember where every thing is"
"Yes I do"
"Leo, Ryan please sit" Mr Wilson said, so they sat around the table.
"Mr Wilson how long have you known the bird family for" Two dads asked
"almost thirty years, Martha and I use to baby sit Jessica when she was a baby. She was a cheeky little thing" He said smiling at the memory Jessica and Martha smile as they listen.
"cheeky, she peed on you eight time when she didn't have a diaper on her" Ryan and two dads laugh as bird blush
"what about what Jessica did when she was two years old. She decided to come over one day and help us in our vegetable garden. she pick up a packet of seeds and tip the seeds on the ground then she pick them up and throw them all over the garden. We didn't know till we turn around to see what she was laughing about. That year we had carrots coming up in the potatoes, cabbage coming up in with the cauliflower and lettuces, leeks in with the spring onions and what worse was pumpkin growing in through all of the vegetable" Mr Wilson said smiling Ryan and two dads laugh
"We had a great year of vegetables and out friends. They thought it was funny when they saw our vegetable garden after we told them what Jessica did" Mrs Wilson said
"what was she like growing up" Ryan asked
"she was a good kid, she was nothing like her brothers and sister. She use to come over when things got bad at home for her. We comfort her and cheer her up for a short while."
"We meet her family today and she sure isn't like them"
"i know. I remember when she was seven years old she just learn how to ride her bike, she was so happy. Till one day she ride her bike down the foot path. She didn't return till after dark. She did it every Sunday till Martha ask her where has she been. Jessica told her that she went to the rest home to visit her great grand father. We were shock that she rode over ten kilometers to visit her great grand father."
"Ten kilometers that a long way" Two dads said
"Yes it was, but she did it. When she was nine Martha had an hip operation and her flower beds and vegetable garden were getting full of weeds till Jessica showed up one Saturday morning and offer to do the weeding for her. Martha watch over Jessica as she weeded the garden. Year later I had knee operated on. So she offer to mow our lawns. When she finish we paid her for doing a great job. We talk to friends of ours down the road and the ask her to do there lawns and gardens for them. I even let her use my lawn mower and garden tools to do the jobs" He said smiling
"Where they happy with her work" Two dads asked
"Yes they were. That Christmas we put money together and we brought her, her own gardening tool kit as a Christmas present. She was so happy she thank every one for it"
Jessica carried a tray over to the table and put it down while Martha use her walking stick to walk over to the table and sat down while bird pour the teas for every one then she put milk and sugar in to them and give it a stir. Before pick up the mugs and putting it in front of every one then the plate of biscuits. When down she pick the tray up and put it on the bench then return to the table and sat down.
"I still got that tool kit Mr Wilson"
"Have you"
"Yes sir"
"We watch Jessica grow up, she help us out in some many ways" Mr Wilson said
"Yes she did, she help per pear our evening meals, take care of the washing for us, collect out mail and even went up town to get some milk for us in the pouring rain and strong winds"
"i was twelve" Jessica said smiling as she drink her tea.
"When Jessica was ten years old she was mowing eight lawns and had six gardens to do. She save her money and she had a trolly made and she brought her own lawn mower and petrol can with it"
"I've seen the trolly Mr Wilson she got it in her garage at home"
"Ah so there where it got to, cause I notice it wasn't in your parents garage one morning, I thought they sold it"
"No I had it move up to where I live now"
"Ok"
"when she told us that she was excepted in the navy, we were so happy for her" Martha said
"Over a year ago there was a knock on the door, I went to answer it, I was shock to see Jessica standing on our front porch in her uniform. I almost had a heart attack that day" bird smile
"Mrs Wilson almost fainted when I walk in to here, she was sitting down reading the news paper. But she was also happy to see me"
"Yes I was. I was shock and happy to see her. She spent the whole day with us telling us about you two and her crew mates. We could tell she is truly happy"
"Have you got any story's to share" Two dads asked
"Two dads, no"
"Why not" she gave him a look which he knew all to well which made Ryan grin
"when Jess gives any one that look, look out they are in big trouble" Ryan said Mr and Mrs Wilson laugh.
"We know that you Leo is a prankster, Jessica tells us in her letters to us and when she comes to visit"
"Oh" Two dads look defeated making Ryan laugh.
Bird got her Android tablet out of her bag and turn it on then she tap the screen a few times then she pass it to Mr Wilson
"This is my crew mates, just tap here and the next photo show up"
"Ok"
Mr Wilson show Martha the Android tablet the first one was of bird standing on Hammersley in her white uniform with Hammersley name above her. Then he touch the arrow showing the next person they see that she put the person name rank, nick name and there job. Then they click on to the next one and the next one so they know what each of the crew mates look like. They laugh when they saw one of two dads
"Leo what happen here" Mr Wilson asked as he show him the photo. They saw the look on his face
"bird she got revenge on me by putting mousse in my hair and making it look like it stand on end one morning while I was sleeping"
"You play a joke on her and it back fired"
"Yeah" After they saw all the photos Mr Wilson pass the phone back to her.
"Here are some funny ones I took that you might like" bird said as she did some taping then pass it back to Mr Wilson.
He and Maratha laugh at the photos of the crew after what happen to them.
"Jessica thank you for share that with us" Mrs Wilson said
"there one more." she click on another file then pass it back to Mr Wilson.
The first one was at the day she started her training at the navy academy, she put the date so the ones who see the photos would know. They look through each of the photos of bird either by her self or with some one else in the photo. When they got to the last three they were shock when that she received
"Oh my... Victoria cross" Mrs Wilson said in shock
"Yes ma'am" then there was a scan article in the cairns paper about what happen and the photos of the ones in groups who received a metal.
"Jessica this is amazing, we so prod of you" Mrs Wilson said
"Thank you"
Hour later they were till talking, Mr and Mrs Wilson asked Jessica, Ryan and two dads stay for lunch.
"thank you, we love to" Bird said
"Good that settles it, I'll go and get some thing for our lunch" Mrs Wilson said as she started to stand up
"Mrs Wilson when was the last time you and Mr Wilson had KFC" Bird asked
"Oh... months ago... Jessica no you don't"
bird stood up while smiling then he put her hand out to Ryan and two dads. Ryan got his wallet out and pass some money to bird then two dads did
"I'll be back in about twenty minutes"
"Jessica, you don't have to" Mr Wilson said
"Yes I want to. Ryan, two dads, you two behave your selves or else"
"You don't have to worry about me Jess"
"You I trust Ryan it two dads I'm worries about"
"Who me" Bird shook her head before picking up her bag and walking out the door.
"Is Jess always like that when she comes here" Ryan asked
"Yes she is, she like to spoil us when ever she comes here." Mrs Wilson said
"Have you got any children and grand children" Two dads asked.
"We did have three. Two girls and a boy" Mr Wilson said
"Our oldest she never married, she was a workaholic. Our youngest she ten years older than bird, she and her husband of three years died in car accident five years ago from a drink driver. They didn't have any children"
"I'm sorry to hear that Mrs Wilson" Ryan said
"Is your son married ma'am" Two dads asked
"Divorce twice, there was one grand child till we found out that our son isn't the biological father"
"That would have been up setting for you two" Ryan said
"yes it was." Mr Wilson said
"We treat Jessica like if she was our own grand child, we use to spoil her with sweets, biscuits, soft drinks, when she was younger. doing what grand parents do to there grand children" Mrs Wilson said
"Now she older she repaying back the generosity back to you both" Ryan said
"Yes she is" they talk till Bird return
"Hey I'm back" she walk into the dinning ares carrying bags with her
"Oh Jessica what else have you brought back with you" Mrs Wilson said when bird put the KFC bags on the dinning room table and the other bags on the kitchen island
"You will find out later, I brought you some milk I notice you were almost out"
"thank you" Mrs Wilson said.
Ryan and two dads got every thing out of the KFC bags while bird put the milk and other items in the fridge then she got the plates out and past them to Ryan then she got glasses, knife and forks out and walk over and sat down again.
Bird brought chicken pieces chips potato and gravy, coleslaw, bean salad, dinner rolls and corn on the cob and a bottle of lemonade. They share what bird brought for lunch. They talk and laugh while enjoying it. When finish Ryan, two dads clean up every thing while Bird put the jug on for another cup of tea then she got desert out of the freezer. She got five trumpet ice creams out and pass one each to the others
"Oh Jessica, you spoiling us" Mrs Wilson said
"I'm repaying you both back after all the times you spoil me" Bird said smiling as she bit into her ice cream.
After they finish eating desert, Ryan and two dads did the dishes while bird made the drinks. They spent the afternoon talking and laughing. Two dads, bird and Ryan left at five since they got dinner reservations at a hotel restaurant where they were staying at. Bird gave the elderly couple a hug before saying her good byes to them before following Ryan and two dads out to the waiting taxi.
"I'm please Jessica is happy" Mrs Wilson said
"Same here, she got wonderful friends and a great boy friend"
"Yes she has. Wait till I tell the ladies at card on Tuesday, they going to be shock"
"Yes they will be alright and every one from the RSL"
"True"
The next day Ryan, two dads and bird flew back to Cairns since both Hammersley and Childers were leaving for a month patrol on Wednesday and they needed to get things sorted out before they leave for there patrol.