Dreams Come True (12 page)

Amanda smiled.
“Well they do just that.  But they bring their overnight bag.  Sometimes it gets late and you don’t want to be travelling.”  Victoria nodded.
“My folks and Sydney do that.  Unless they don’t want to stay over.  Which isn’t all that often.”  David nodded and looked at Amanda.
“We need to go to town when we are both free.  We need to buy two desks and chairs.  For each of the girls bedrooms.”  David nodded and smiled.
“And we are getting laptops Dad.”  Amanda nodded and looked at David.
“They need them for their studies.  They will be doing a lot of research.”  David smiled and nodded.
“My target has just increased dramatically.”  Amanda chuckled and looked at David.
“Don’t feel pressurized David.  We can only do so much in a day.”

David nodded and smiled.
“I need a money tin.”
“Now there we can help David.”  David chuckled.
“I feel as if I am walking on a cloud.  I didn’t even have time to write out the whole Invoice.  I need to update my Invoice book before I forget.”
“Do you put it on a schedule?”  David nodded.
“I have a PC at home.  I do a quick update in the evenings.  Then I know where I stand.”
“Well you are going to have a whole lot of updating to do.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“How do I tie up the bits where I don’t have an Invoice?”  Amanda chuckled.
“Sundries.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“More sundries than anything else at the moment.”
“I try and do the same.  Do a quick update when I get back to the office.  Sometimes I haul out the cash and put it on the counter.  Denise asks what it was for and I honestly can’t remember.  I forget what I did the first thing in the morning.”  David chuckled and nodded.

“I keep wanting to say homework.  And it is holidays.”
“Dad it is going to be so different.”
“I know sweetheart.  First you went to day care.  Then big school.  That first day.  Then the biggie was high school.  And now Varsity.  Time is flying and you are growing up.”  Amanda smiled and looked at David.
“And you won’t be living at home.”
“But you won’t be alone.”  David smiled and looked at Amanda.
“David it is up to them.  If they don’t enjoy boarding school then they commute.  There is that option.”  David nodded and put his hand on her thigh.
“Thank you.”  Amanda smiled and nodded.
“Everything has an option.  Nothing is cast in stone.  The studies yes.  But we can always change accommodation if we have to.”
“No.  I think Victoria is going to love it.  And Nicola.  Our girls are going to thrive.  They are going to meet lots of new people as well.”  Victoria and Nicola looked at each other and smiled.

“Tomorrow all hands on deck.  Lambs.”  David nodded and smiled.
“We will all be there.”  Amanda chuckled.
“Nothing frightening I can guarantee you that.  I do the actual work.  What you do is handle the lambs.”
“Must be sore.”
“Yes.  But it has to be done.  For their own health.  And.”  David nodded.  He put up his hand and smiled.
“Thank you.”  Amanda chuckled.
“Right.  We don’t do dishes during the week.  Mrs. Dudley would not be impressed.  Folks during the week there is no need to make your bed either.  Mrs. Dudley is very proud that she is the one that makes beds.  So there is no need.  You will have to do that next year so you can slack off.”  Nicola smiled and nodded. 

“When is Mom going to take me shopping?  I have to
buy bedding and things.”
“Mom won’t be taking you.  I am going to be doing that.  But Mom will be coming with that day.  It is going to be an outing for all of us.  And I think I will ask David’s Mom to come along as well.  Always nice to have company.  Then you don’t miss anything on special.”  David smiled and nodded.
“Do we have a list of things that we need to get?”
“Yes.  It is very basic really.  When I take the girls we will get the same for Victoria.  Not really that much.  But it is nice to start the new year with new goodies.  And remember.  That will be your Christmas present from us.”  David smiled and nodded.  Victoria smiled a wide smile.
“So we don’t take what we have?”
“Nope.  Father Christmas is going to bring your goodies.”  Nicola chuckled and nodded.
“I would like to see that man climb down our chimney with a duvet or two.”
“He is innovative Nicola.”  Nicola chuckled.
“And is he going to put everything under the tree?  Oh we have to decorate the tree.  Mrs. Dudley got Henry and Paul to carry the tree in.  And it only just fits.  Mrs. Dudley put the boxes on the floor and said she would like to see twinkling lights in the morning.”

“Oh that woman is just so pushy!”  David roared with laughter.  Victoria giggled.
“I have not been in to the lounge.  How big is that tree?”
“Kind of scrapes the ceiling.”
“Doesn’t a star on the tip appeal?”
“Mrs. Dudley would have a hernia.”  Amanda chuckled.
“I was so looking forward to my bath.  Right.  We stack and run.”  David grinned as they all got up.  Amanda put the lids on all the dishes.
“Mrs. Dudley thinks she is feeding an army.  Oh she is loving this.  I can tell.”  The girls both got up.
“Help yourselves to baubles, bling and tinsel.  Toodles.”  Victoria roared with laughter as they walked through to the lounge. 

David smiled as he helped to stack the dishes.  Amanda put the dishes in the fridge.  She took them out again.  She took out little containers and put the left overs in to the containers.  David chuckled as he helped.
“I need to see the cost of the University.  So that I can start putting money aside to pay for things.  And those text books.  When do you have to pay for them?”
“Get your nose out of my department.”  David looked at Amanda.  She put the container down and hugged David.
“That is my department.”
“But I have to know.”
“So that you can have sleepless nights and wonder how you are going to be able to pay?”  David smiled.
“That bad?”
“I have taken care of the schooling.  Anything that falls in to that category is my department.  I have a goal in life.  Victoria has now fallen in to that little goal.  The two of them are my responsibility.”
“Are you paying for Nicola as well?” 

Amanda sighed.
“My folks can’t have an extended.  How do we put this?  They planned their lives and have two kids that they have to put through school.  That almost ends and they feel as if they have almost reached the goal.  They have their money which is saved for when they retire.  But along comes another.  So I decided that I will take care of that little person.  Take the strain off of them.”  David nodded.
“Tell me you can afford this.”
“Yes.”  David smiled and hugged her and kissed her.
“Tree.”
“Brace yourself.”
“It can’t be all that bad.”
“You don’t know Mrs. Dudley.  She thinks bigger is better.” 

They walked in to the lounge and stared.
“No kidding.  You need the step ladder.”
“I think you need the step ladder.”  David chuckled as he walked out and fetched the step ladder.
“Where are you two?”
“Behind the bush.”  Amanda chuckled as David walked in with the step ladder.
“We start at the top.  Open that step ladder please David.  I will put the star up.  We might have to trim the tree.”  Nicola roared with laughter.  Victoria handed Amanda the star.
“Going up.”  David chuckled as she climbed up and put the star on the trip of the tree.  She walked down the step ladder.
“All done.”  She turned and started to walk off.  David roared with laughter and grabbed her.
“Oh no you don’t.”  She chuckled as he looked at her and kissed her.
“We start with the lights.”
“And I am so glad you are here.  We have four strands which have been zapped in to one box.”  She grinned as she took the box and opened it.  David groaned.
“Told you.”
“I am going to join these two first.  Then you can start winding it around the tree.  Now take that one and start winding.”  Victoria was up the ladder in seconds.  She worked the rope of lights through the top of the tree.  David joined the two properly and the next was wound around the tree.  He ended up joining them all properly.

“Switch
them on let’s see.”
“No because you are going to think it is all done.”  Amanda chuckled.  Nicola plugged the lights in and they all stood still.  There was no flickering.
“It isn’t doing the flicker thing.”
“They have to warm up.  They have been packed away for a year.”  Amanda smiled as she started passing baubles to Nicola.
“My arms are breaking.”  She came down the ladder.  Victoria was next.  They worked their way around the tree.  David stood and hanged all sorts of decorations on to the tree.
“Oh I do like these.  I hope they are not from last year.”  Amanda looked over.
“Where did you get those?”
“From the packet.”
“Mrs. Dudley has been shopping.”
“So there are new.”
“They are.”  He grinned as he took a tiny little bar of chocolate and popped it in his mouth.
“Let me check that.”
“We will have one too thank you.”  David roared with laughter as he gave them all a tiny little block of chocolate.
“Better hide the evidence.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“Gosh they are tasty.”

Victoria chuckled and nodded.
“And there are loads!”  David chuckled as he kept the box away from everyone and carried on hanging all the little packs of chocolates which looked like tiny little gifts.  The tree looked beautiful.  They all stood back.  As David folded up the ladder all the lights started to blink.
“Oh that looks so beautiful.  You all did such a good job.  Thank you.”  David smiled as he put his arm around Amanda.
“It really is Christmas now.  But I think I have my gift.”  Amanda smiled as she looked at David.  She hugged him.
“This is going to be the best Christmas ever.” 

Nicola’s cell phone rang.
“Nicola Rosendale speaking.”  Amanda rolled her eyes and David grinned.
“Good evening Miss Rosendale.”
“Hey Mom!  Guess what we just did!”
“And what did you do?”
“Mrs. Dudley had this gigantic forest of a tree put in the lounge.  We have just finished decorating it.  Mom it is enormous.  It is bigger than big and wider than wide.”  David chuckled as he took a seat on the couch.  He looked at the tree and smiled.
“And do you know what we did today?”
“What did you do today?”
“We rounded up all the sheep.  Tomorrow their little tails come off.  And their gadgets.  You know.  Their gadgets.”
“I am well aware of what a gadget is.”  Amanda smiled and shook her head.  David grinned.
“Mom I have news.  Victoria is also going to be studying with me next year.  Isn’t that awesome!  We got our text books today.  A whole box full!”
“Oh fantastic!  When did that happen?”
“Well she wasn’t sure.  But they accepted her too.  So now I have someone I know that will be there as well.  She is also going to be a weekly boarder.  How cool is that Mom!”
“Very cool love.”

Amanda shook her head.
“Get comfortable folks.”  David grinned as he put his arm around Amanda.
“Mom.  We had an enormous breakfast.  And for lunch they did some meat on the fires and we ate that with a bun.  I had two.”
“Well you are working off a lot of energy.  Did Amanda have her guests over for lunch on Saturday?”
“No.  Yes.”
“Is it yes or no?”  Nicola chuckled.
“Yes.  Uncle David and Victoria came for lunch on Saturday.  But it was too late to drive.  So they stayed over.  Victoria is allowed to stay for the holidays.”  Nicola looked at Amanda and she gave a little nod.  Amanda smiled and nodded.
“Do you think there is a chance that Uncle David and Amanda hit it off?”
“Yes I think so.”
“I am glad.  Do they get on well?”
“Yes.  I will tell Amanda.  Hey is the hamper packed in two’s?  Remember.  I am not there.”  Claire chuckled.
“Yes the hamper arrived and is packed for two.  You have company?”
“Yes.”
“Well sweetheart best you be off.  All fine there?”
“Yes thanks Mom.”
“Love you sweetheart.”
“Love you Mom.”  Nicola cut her call.

“That was Mom.”
“No!”  Nicola gurgled with laughter.
“She says the hamper is packed for two people.  They remembered.”
“Yes that man down at the butcher is very sharp.”  Victoria gurgled with laughter.  David chuckled.
“But other than that there is no news.”
“If you let Mom talk there would be some news.”
“Not a good thing that.  Mom will tell me all about the Bingo and the book club.  And never ask about the garden society.”  Amanda grinned.
“Bath and bed.”
“Can we steal one teeny weeny chocolate.  Mrs. Dudley will never know.  I will put something in to the little elastics.”  Amanda smiled and chuckled.
“I am sure we can all share the little gift.”  Nicola took the little chocolates from the elastics that held them together.  She handed everyone a little chocolate.
“Hey!  Nut!”  She sprinted up the stairs and fetched a chocolate coated nut and ran down the stairs.  She took all the little wrappers and covered it and put it back in place of the chocolates. 

David roared with laughter.
“I hope it is there when we feel like nuts.”
“Oh nuts!”  Amanda got up and walked to the kitchen.  She walked through with an enormous bag of nuts and three bowls.  She put the bowls down with the nutcracker.  She emptied the bag in to the bowls.
“Now Christmas can come.”  David roared with laughter. 

Victoria smiled as her cell phone started to ring.
“Has to be Gran.”  She smiled and answered.
“Gran!”
“And how are you doing?  Has Dad got it together yet?”  Victoria roared with laughter.
“Gran.  We haven’t been home yet!  We went home, right.  Fetched our things.  Dad was supposed to work at that other man’s house but he postponed to Friday night.  Then today he worked the whole day.  He made some mean money.  Gran I have news.  You are not going to believe this.  Put the speakerphone on so that Granddad can hear.”
“Wait a minute.”  Victoria smiled and waited.  She whispered.
“Technology.”
“I heard that!”  David roared with laughter.
“Granddad was in the bathroom.”

“Hey Granddad!”
“Hey sweetheart.  Let us have the good news.  Must we sit?”
“Yes you must sit.”
“Okay we are sitting and waiting.”
“Gran.  Granddad.  I have been accepted in to Varsity.  I don’t have to get a job.  I am going to study.”
“Tell us everything!”  David wriggled and put his feet up on the coffee table.
“I am going to study as a Doctor.  With Nicola.  Gran we are going to be weekly boarders.  Weekends we spend at home.  We both got our text books today.  Every single one.  Gran it is amazing.  I am so excited!”
“How?”
“How what?”
“How.  Right.  So you haven’t come home yet?”
“Nope.  And tomorrow we have to chop lambs tails off.  And cut out their goolies.”
“What on earth is a goolie?”  They all heard Tom roar with laughter.  David started to laugh.
“Gran we have UV ports and they have the wi fi antennae.”
“Oh my word!”  Amanda roared with laughter and shook her head.
“I have a UV port?”  David grinned and shook his head.