Dreams Come True (3 page)

It was early when David got up.  He cooked breakfast for himself and Victoria.  They both sat in the kitchen and ate.  Victoria looked at David.
“Dad I can’t wait.  We have to take something with us.  Juice or chips.  Or something.”
“We can nip to town and pick up a few things.  And then we can go straight from there.”  Victoria smiled and nodded.  They washed the dishes and tidied up.  David chuckled.

“Oh come on.  We can dawdle.”  Victoria chuckled as they walked out
of the house.  David drove to the mall.  He bought some grape juice, a box of chocolates and they bought chips.  David looked at all the flowers.  He walked over to the plants.
“That one Dad.  It has all sorts of little baby plants.”  He smiled as he picked it up.  They walked over and he paid.  They hopped into the van.
“Amanda said any time after twelve.”
“So it can’t be far.”
“What is your time?”
“Eleven.”
“We drive.”  Victoria gurgled with laughter. 

He smiled as he drove.  He followed her directions and came to a board that said ‘
Vet’.
“So where to now Dad?”
“To the Vet I presume.”  He turned in to the ranch.
“Dad this can’t be right.  Isn’t that the car that was at Nicola’s house?”
“Yes.”  He pulled up to the enormous double story ranch house.
“Sure Dad?”
“Yep.” 

Nicola almost bounced out of the house.
“Come inside!  Come inside!”  Victoria chuckled as she carried things.  David carried the little plant and the juice.
“Amandaaaaa!”
“Heavens alive!”  Amanda came around the corner.
“Gosh it is good to see you.”  She kissed David on the cheek.  She kissed Victoria on the cheek.
“Welcome!  Come on in.”  David smiled and handed her the little pot plant.
“Oh thank you!”  She smiled and reached up and kissed David.  He smiled.
“This is my home.  I am glad you found it easy enough.”
“We didn’t get lost.”  Amanda chuckled.
“Well come on in to the lounge.”
“I will get drinks.”  Victoria followed Nicola to the kitchen.

Nicola whispered.
“This is the first time that Amanda has ever had a man here.  Ever!”  Victoria chuckled.  She whispered.
“My Dad doesn’t ever do this.  He has never ever had a girlfriend.”
“So cool.  Maybe.”
“I so wish.”
“Would be cool.”  They beamed from ear to ear as they made the coffee.

David looked around
as Amanda put her plant on to the little table.
“This is glorious.”
“It is away from the crowds.”
“I wish I could say the same thing.”  Amanda chuckled as the girls came with the coffee.  They both sat down.
“Well lunch will be ready in about half an hour.  Let me show you around.”  They all had their coffee and got up.  They walked out of the French doors to the back of the house.
“A pool!”  David roared with laughter.
“I didn’t bring my costume!”  Amanda chuckled.
“Well maybe next time.”  David smiled and nodded.  He was glad Amanda was thinking about a next time.

They walked around the pool and down towards the stables.  David sighed as he looked around.
“Come see the horses!”  Nicola and Victoria ran off to the stables.
“I didn’t realize you were on a ranch.”
“I don’t enjoy city life.  I find that people are so false.  Pretentious really.  And so self-centered.  All they care about is money and who they can trample over.  Trampling first and then the money.”
“I think you are right.  Business in town is rather tricky.”
“And what business are you in?”
“Actually.  I have a small little business.  Handy man of sorts.”
“Well that should bring in quite a bit of cash.  People are forever breaking things.  And they get lazy.  Which is good for you.  Just pick up the phone and ring the handy man.”
“I wish it was that easy.  There are so many of us out there.”
“So why don’t you specialize?  Plumbing or something.” 

“Well.  Because I am not really qualified to do anything
.  Electrics yes.”
“There should be courses that you can do.  Qualify in something.”
“There are.  But they all cost money.”
“With you there.  Money makes the world go around.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“So what is it that you do for a living?”
“Don’t you read the signs?”  David roared with laughter.
“You are a Vet.”
“I am.  And that is what I do.  And on a Friday evening I go and do my little thing on the stage.”
“Talent like that should not be wasted.”
“Thank you David.”  David smiled and nodded as they walked.  He looked up.
“Oh Lord!  Victoria be very careful.”
“I have a helmet on Dad.”
“But be careful!”  Amanda chuckled.
“She can’t ride?”
“No.  Pony rides down at the fair.  That is the extent of riding.”
“Well we will have to remedy that.”  David chuckled.
“I am stopping and turning.”  Amanda roared with laughter.
“Scared?”  He grinned and nodded.
“I only have the one.  And she does the dishes.”  Amanda gurgled with laughter. 

They carried on walking down to the stables.
“So the ranch then.  Do you have your surgery here?”
“Yes.  I do.”
“And what else do you have other than horses?”
“Oh all sorts.  Cattle, sheep and chickens.  Veggies.  Fruit.  It is a working ranch.”
“A working ranch?”  Amanda chuckled.
“You can’t have a ranch and not let it make money for you.  That is the idea.”
“Hell.  If you need anything fixed definitely call on me.”  Amanda chuckled and nodded.
“Now that I know what you do I definitely will.”  David chuckled and nodded.

They turned and started walking up the drive.
“This place is beautiful.”
“Thank you.  That is my surgery.”
“So big.”
“Yes.  It is actually a hospital.  I keep some animals overnight.  So half of it is the little rooms.  And the other half is where I do the rest.”
“Gosh I never would have placed you on a ranch.”
“Never judge a book by its cover.”  David nodded as they walked along.
“So quiet.  Nice and peaceful.”
“I love it out here.  At night it is dark.  As it should be.  You turn out the light and it is black.”  David chuckled.
“And no sirens.”
“Serene.” 

The
y walked to the house and stopped.  David turned as Nicola and Victoria came running.
“Did you see me Dad!”
“I saw you.”
“Dad that was amazing.”  David smiled and nodded.
“And I think lunch is ready.  Everyone dying of starvation or not yet?”  David chuckled.  They walked in to the house and followed Amanda in to the kitchen.
“Right.  I hope you don’t mind eating in the kitchen.”
“Not at all.”  Amanda opened the oven and took out the roast.  David got up.
“Let me do the honors.  Gosh I didn’t expect this.”
“Uncle David we always eat like this.”
“Well Nicola we are being spoilt.  The only time we eat like this is when we go and visit Victoria’s Gran.  My Mom.” Amanda chuckled and nodded.
“Generally the other way around.  The folks pitch on my door step.”
“But not today Amanda.”
“Not today sweetheart.  Because I hi jacked you.”  Nicola chuckled. 

David stood and carved the roast.
“Oh this looks divine.  Can’t say I have had one of these.”
“Pork belly.  I love the fatty bit.”
“Is that why there are these little grooves cut in the crackling?  Otherwise you have to saw.  I love crackling.”  Amanda smiled.
“You will have to excuse me.  I enjoy it so much I have to eat the crackling in my fingers.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“Ooh serviettes.”  Nicola got up and fetched the serviettes.  David carried the roast to the table and sat down.  Amanda smiled.
“If you don’t mind.  I would like to say grace.”  David smiled and nodded.
“I would prefer to do that.”  He closed his eyes and said grace.  Amanda smiled and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“People forget.”
“They do.  The city seems to remove all the goodness.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“Please help yourselves.”  David smiled as he dished his food on to his plate.  Everyone helped themselves.

“And what are you going to be doing over the school holidays Victo
ria?”
“I am going to Gran.”
“And what will you be doing with Gran?”
“Gran things.”  Amanda chuckled.
“Meaning you will be having a nice quiet and peaceful holiday.”  Victoria smiled.
“Gran goes to Bingo.  And she goes to town once a week.  And then she goes to the garden club.”
“Exciting times ahead for you.”  Victoria chuckled.
“Amanda.  Why can’t Victoria come here for the holidays?”
“Can you see Uncle David sitting here with a huge smile?”
“Uhm.  That would be a no.”
“Now that means these things get discussed by adults.  And not by little ladies who go off on horses and discuss matters.”  Nicola roared with laughter.
“Strategizing.”
“One up on you.  Uncle David said it is fine if you go back with them and spend the holidays with Victoria and her Gran.  Now that sounds like fun.”  David roared with laughter.
“And I said with pleasure.” 

Victoria chuckled.
“Dad!”  David grinned.  Amanda smiled and looked at David.
“There are pig sties to clean you know.”
“Really?  As in get in there and get all the old veggies and things out.”
“And such a smelly job.  You have to wear wellies.”
“Sounds like a whole lot of fun.”  Victoria let out a little groan.
“For that you can clean out the chicken coop too.”  David grinned.
“But Amanda.”
“What did you say about the peace and quiet David?”
“Thing of the past.”  Amanda chuckled.
“But Amanda.”
“Nicola.  How is your meal?”
“Lovely.”
“Now do it justice and eat the spinach.”  Nicola grinned.
“Is this your spinach?”
“Yes.  And I made loads for the entire week.  You can take it with when you join Victoria and Uncle David.”  Victoria grinned.  David smiled as he ate.

“Do you have a veggie patch?”
“Fields.  We supply a lot of the shops around here.  And a lot of it goes to the market.”
“Vegetable farming?”  Amanda nodded.
“Oh this week it is carrots.  A lot to be unearthed.”
“Picked.”
“Pulled out of the soil.  Amanda I think you should become a talk show host.  Without the guests.  I think you would do a swell job.”  Amanda grinned.  David looked at Victoria who had such a big smile.  He could see the pleasure on her face. 

“What about?”
“Oh I am sure the Muppets need another.”  Nicola gurgled with laughter.
“I would not like to have to compete with Miss Piggy.”
“No her fan club is a lot bigger than most.”  They all chuckled and nodded. 

“And how busy is your week David?”
“I have a job that I am busy with at the moment.  Waiting for a few more quotes to come through.”
“Good to be busy like that.  Do you do all your own admin? Who does that for you?”
“No I do it myself.  I don’t really need someone to do it for me.  At the end of the day I get the Invoices off.  That kind of thing.  Keep up to date on a daily basis.”  Amanda nodded.
“And your week?”
“Hectic.  I have quite a few appointments.  And things tend to get rather busy when the lambs arrive.”
“You have lambs!”  Amanda chuckled and nodded.
“We do.  Quite a few.  And I need to prepare some of them for.  Uhm.”  She looked at Victoria.
“Are you squeamish?”  Victoria shook her head.
“Some of the lambs are destined for the table.  So they have to be neutered.  But all the lambs have to have their tails docked.  Otherwise it can lead to all sorts of problems.”  David nodded.
“And do you do that?”
“I do.  Not only mine.  I work on the ranches and farms as well.  So I go out to their land.”  David nodded.
“And this week?”
“This week I will be here.  But next week I will be working off my ranch.” 

“And do you only work with farm animals?”
“Gosh no.  Many people come from town to have their animals seen to.  Cats and dogs.  Birds and bees.  You name it.”  David smiled and looked at Victoria.
“You know.”  David looked at Amanda.
“When the flappy ears are out of earshot we can have a good old chat.”  David grinned.
“Victoria will love the company when she goes to her Gran.”
“I think we agreed on that.”  David nodded.
“Do you enjoy Bingo Nicola?”  Nicola chuckled.  David smiled and carried on eating.

They finished their meal and Nicola
and Victoria cleared the table.  Nicola took their puddings out of the fridge.  She put one in front of David and Amanda.
“Thank you Nicola.”  The girls sat down and ate their pudding.
“Can we go for a ride this afternoon?”
“Sure you can.  Not too far Nicola.  The hands are rather busy today.”  Nicola nodded.
“And not too much riding for Victoria because it can be rather sore in the morning.”  Nicola smiled and nodded.