Chapter 26 – Changing

As Theo Wenn lay kicking and thrashing about on the ground of Joan Norton's chicken yard two weeks back, Martin said something terribly frightening. "As a boy I spent plenty of time locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Never did me any harm!"

What gave me pause was that he said it in such a way that he apparently accepted this as normal and acceptable. Locked under the stairs, like some earlier version of the young fictional Harry Potter?

I was at the Wenn's house, where there was trouble afoot. Martin had dropped his bombshell about Theo's and their maid's amoebic infections, so their luncheon guests scattered like leaves before a strong wind. And to boot, their monetary problems were now doubled as their hopes of a juicy payout from Joan Norton were dashed as the chicken coop incident did not cause Theo's illness and their hoped for moneyed benefactors had flown.

Surprisingly it was Richard Wenn who rose to the fore and started acting like an adult. When I tapped on the front door, it swung open and there he sat on the stairs with head in hands. He snuffled and wiped his face as I entered.

"Mr. Wenn, whatever is the…"

"Me, Juliet, the boy, we're sorry…" he started to say and I heard screaming and crashing in the background. "Give me a moment, please." He stood, straightened his yachting jacket and disappeared into the rear of the house.

I heard harsh words, another crash, and he came back bearing Juliet Wenn before him, who carried a stricken look on her shrewish face, but cracks were showing.

"Go on, Juliet!" he said. "Tell her!"

"But, Richard, how was I to know? And what about the money…"

"Damn it, Juliet! Say it! The hell with the money! We'll have to stand up and be responsible; declare bankruptcy if that's what it will take. Now here is Miss Glasson, so…"

She turned her eyes to me and they were red, frightened, scared. "Louisa… I'm…"

"For God's sake, go on!" he shouted at her.

"Miss. Glasson, I am so very sorry, for all, the erh…" she looked at her husband. "The bad things I said about you, and Dr. Ellingham, and about Joan Norton too. You see… what with the money problems, and all, and well there was Theo so sick, and it just had to be…" she stopped and Richard shook her.

He finished for her. "Miss Glasson, what Juliet is trying to say is that we are both so very sorry. And we'll see that Theo does the schoolwork…"

"Fine," I answered him. "Don't worry. No bother."

"See, Richard?" said the wife. "It's ok."

"But I do think you should go and see Joan Norton and say these things to her," I added. "After all she was the one who got so upset… and you did threaten to sue the poor woman."

"Upset, yes. We shall, won't we Juliet?" He stuck out my hand and I took it. "We've been all at sixes-and-sevens with the business, and…"

I held up the three workbooks and some handouts, the schoolwork I was bringing. "So, shall I take these up to Theo, then?"

Richard released my hand and took them into his own. "No, thank you. I think this is something we need to start doing ourselves."

Their au pair breezed past then with a jumper on and her handbag swinging madly. "I told you I wasn't feeling well! Did you believe me? NO! Now you want to sack me?" the young woman's lip curled. "Well you can both go and sod off! Stuck up tossers!"

She made for the door, but I was in the way along with a rack of wire rope, cable, and small buoys.

"Do you mind?" the au pair snarled.

"Sorry," I managed to say and stepped to the side.

"No wait!" Richard called. "I'm sorry, really sorry. Look, we do need your help here, and I'll pay you extra… if you stay!"

"Richard!" shouted Juliet. "Do we have enough?"

He looked at her. "Juliet, I fear the twice a week pedicure and my fancy Internet service will end and straight away. We just can't continue acting that we can go on as if we have all the money in the world, now can we? Good front and all that, but…"

The young woman regarded them. "You can pay me, right? Seems you didn't give me my cheque last week…"

Richard scooped out his wallet and thrust a stack of pounds into her hand. "Here. Now if you can keep an eye on Theo, Juliet and I will go to the chemist to get those prescriptions filled and make a trip out to Havenhurst farm. Have to go and see Mrs. Norton, you see." He looked hard at Juliet. "Make amends."

I stood there trying to keep a straight face, but I guess my surprise showed. "Well then, if you don't need me for Theo… I'll be off." I twisted my handbag. "Got things to do, you know." I tiptoed away from the tableaux and carefully shut the door.

I took a breath of clean air and it made me feel better. I didn't like conflict; not in my students, or their parents, or the village. I marched my matched shoes one after the other away from the house and thought that people, even the Wenn family, can change.

But what Martin had said at Joan's stuck in my head. So, Martin was apparently abused by his parents. That might explain a few things. His shyness when it came to certain human relations, his rudeness to everyone mostly and his superior attitude, which I think is just a big front. He's hiding in there – inside his head. Public school was certainly no fun for him. No friends, no family… my belly thumped just then.

Can babies sense what their mothers are feeling or thinking? "Martin you do have a family, as fractured as it is," I said. I stopped walking and put both hands on my belly. I pushed on it in a bit of a hug and the kicks increased, then slowed. I stroked the taut fabric of my shirt. "Sh… sh…" I said. "It's alright. Nothing's wrong."

I looked towards the harbor. "You have a family, babe. You have me. I'm your mother… and you have a father too. He's just a little distant at the moment."

I finished my walk back home arriving calm and rested in some way. As I unlocked the door, I thought back to the night Martin and I made love for the first time; the day were got engaged.

He was so nervous, so shaking at times, yet weren't you too, Louisa? Yes, I was. Nervous. Uncertain, yet oh so happy.

The buttons on his shirt were a struggle and you laughed then. That made him laugh, too. He then leaned over and we kissed.

"Oh, Louisa, I do love you," he said pulling away a bit as his shirt went flying as you tugged on it.

And later, when he took you in his arms, and you held him so close, you felt a tear drip down his cheek and it wasn't yours, now was it? He was the one crying; if only a little.