Ultimate Justice (17 page)

“I'll phone her. But she won't mind. In fact she'd love to see you. I'll phone her now.”

“You must tell me about your children. Only,” he said glancing out of his office window towards the red post, “I had better go now as I have a group waiting to be conducted around.”

“Tell us where you live and what time,” said Jack, “and we'll come to you.”

“Just hold on…” Bandi took out his phone and held it to his ear. “Pammy, you'll never guess. I've got Jallaxanya Rarga here… I know, a real surprise… Yes. I can't talk now, I've got a group waiting, but can they come to us for dinner…? Sure.” He turned to Jack and Jalli, “Is there anything you don't eat?” They shook their heads. “No… that's fine… seven?” he looked up and Jalli nodded, “seven it is… sure. And, Pammy, they haven't booked in anywhere yet… I agree… the room is made up? Great, Pammy. Must rush… love you… bye.”

“OK, we eat at seven, and the room is already made up. So that's settled. Where are you going now?”

“Back to where I used to live,” stated Jalli. Jack concurred. He had half expected her to want to go there straight from the municipal park.

The number of the bus from Parmanda Park to where Jalli and Momori had lived for so long hadn't changed. It took them through the middle of the city and on to the road leading west past Momori's old house. This same road continued on into the countryside, eventually leading to the village of Zonga where Jalli was born – a village that had never been rebuilt after the devastating deluge that destroyed it and so many of its population.

They got off the bus at the stop nearest the house and traced the same few metres that Jalli had done so many times as a youngster. She stood and looked at the house. It had changed. Subsequent owners had added an extension and put in new windows. Windows that Momori would not have liked. The curtains were chunky and bold and there was a big vase on the windowsill that Momori would have considered grotesque. The garden had been re-designed and there were little brightly coloured statues all over the grass. It was not at all Momori's thing. (
Her
garden had been neat but soft.) In those days the house had been painted a pale cream. Now it was a vivid pink.

“Not home?” asked Jack, as he stood next to his silent wife.

“No,” she said. “It's a house. A strange house with no Grandma.”

“Grandma's gone to her real home,” said Jack.

“Yes. Pastor Ruk was right. I half thought of bringing her ashes here. But I'm glad I didn't. When we get back I'm going to take them on a boat, and when we are out of sight of land, I'm going to tip them into the ocean.”

“Beyond the horizon.”

“Yes. She's not in her ashes of course, but it will be a kind of sign that she has journeyed on. No-where in Wanulka, or Planet Joh, or anywhere in this universe can hold her any more.”

“She's dancing with God.”

“Yes. She's at home.”

***

They found the Bandi's house at a-quarter-to-seven. They thought they would walk on and come back nearer seven, but before they could do so, a little girl of nine years came bounding down the path that led to the front door.

“Hi! Are you Jallaxanya?”

“Yes. And
you
must be Jallaxanya too.”

“Yay! You're the lady that Daddy named me after.”

“You were named after
me
?”

“Yes. Daddy said you were his favourite student, and you were very brave, and very clever, and… and you liked insects like him. All except worms!”

“Worms?”

“I hate worms too. They're so wriggly when you tread on them, because they come out when it rains and go on the path and you can't always see them. Anyway, Daddy says that the lady I was named after didn't like worms either – not like parmandas.
The
y are my favourite insect. You went to Parmanda Park today. Daddy said… he likes ants too… and beetles…” Little Jallaxanya was swinging on the front of the gate facing outwards with her hands over the top behind her.
She is clearly not a shy little girl,
thought Jalli. She wondered if little Jallaxanya ever stopped talking.

“…And …and,” she continued trying to think of something else to say.

“Jalli, don't keep our guests outside the gate! Let them come in,” called Mr Bandi. “Sorry, my little girl has really been looking forward to meeting you ever since she heard you were here in Wanulka. Do come in.”

“Mummy, Mummy,” shouted the girl as she rushed ahead of them. “Mummy, they're here!”

“So I see,” said her mummy.

“Hello Miss Falminta. It is nice to meet you again. I do remember you – just. You came as a teacher around my final year but you never actually taught me.”

“I do remember you. Call me Pammy. And it's Bandi now. I stopped being called Miss Falminta a long time ago.”

“Pleased to meet you, Pammy,” said Jack extending his hand. “I'm Jack.”

Pammy took his hand. “You are very welcome. Come on in.” Pammy ushered them into the sitting room and offered them a comfortable upholstered settee. “Paadi tells me you have children.”

‘Paadi'.
Jalli reflected that she had never really heard Mr Bandi being called by his first name.

“Yes, three… the youngest we named after your husband.”

“Did you? What a remarkable coincidence!”

“If it weren't for your husband we may never have got married,” explained Jack. “he is very dear to us.”

“I was having a… well, a bad time,” explained Jalli, “…and he came round to my house and told me not to be stupid.”

“It wasn't quite like that,” said Paadi Bandi. “I don't think you would have listened if I had said that.”

“No, you were much more subtle. But it boils down to the same thing. I was not thinking straight. I didn't think Jack wanted me…”

“And
I
thought it was
she
who didn't want me,” added Jack.

“So God sent us both a wise person to put us right,” went on Jalli, “and for me it was Mr Bandi. So you see, we named our first son after Jack's dad and our second one after you.”

“But you have three children?” said Pammy.

“Yes. The eldest is a girl – Kakko.”

“Who is just like you?”

“Hardly,” said Jack. “She is very impulsive.”

“
Something
of her mother in her then!” exclaimed Mr Bandi.

Jalli rolled her eyes at him.

“But she finds studying tedious,” added Jack, “and is quick to jump in. Quite extrovert.”

“So only
some
of her mother. You were an excellent student, Jalli.”

“But Kakko is very caring,” said Jack. “She has brought us much joy.”

“I am sure,” said Pammy. “So tell us about Bandi, and Shaun.”

Kakko, Shaun and Bandi would probably not have approved of being the subject of conversation, even with people on another world. But all parents want to talk about their children. The conversation that evening covered the present day and the past. Their families, the school, the biology department, the new head teacher set on change, the way things were with young people, what Jack and Jalli were involved in in Woodglade, the church they belonged to…

Pammy went to see to the cooking. After a few minutes she reappeared.

“Paadi, would you watch the vegetables while I show our guests the spare room?”

Pammy led them upstairs pointing out the bathroom on the way. “I hope you will be comfortable here,” she said. “I hope you don't mind a double bed?”

“Not in the least, we use one at home,” said Jalli. Seeing herself in a mirror and becoming aware that not only did shorts not seem the right thing for an evening indoors but that there was a brown smudge on the side of them (and perhaps more round the back she couldn't see), she added: “I am sorry we haven't brought anything to change into.”

“I can lend you something. We are about the same height I guess. Come on, let's see what we can find.” Without time to object, Jalli followed her host into her bedroom.

“What would you like? A dress might be easier. My trousers might be a bit baggy on you. Let me see.”

She pulled out three and laid them on the bed, then added two more. Jalli was taken with the colour of a green dress, not dissimilar in style to what she used to wear. It was sleeveless with a fitted bust but then flared free from a high waist. Jalli picked it up and put it against her. It was shorter than she originally thought, quite a bit above her knees. Yet Jalli had good legs. If she could get away with shorts she would have no problem with this, she surmised. But perhaps she should wear something longer. Pammy smiled.

“That suits you. You would look good in that. It's a good colour.”

“Perhaps something longer,” ventured Jalli. She picked out a couple of the others.

“Not as good as the green,” suggested Pammy. “Why don't you try it on?” Jalli slid out of her shorts. When she saw them off, she felt ashamed. The back was marked by the brown dust from Parmanda Park. How could she have sat on Pammy's settee! She should have guessed, she thought, as she remembered sitting on that log watching the parmandas; the Wanulka dust got everywhere anyway.

“Sorry,” she said, “about your chair. I had no idea I was quite so dirty!”

“No problem. Paadi comes home covered in dust every time he goes out. I sometimes think he crawls inside the insects' holes after them! Give the shorts to me.
And
your top. I'll put them in the washing machine. They'll dry overnight.” Then Pammy held out the green dress for Jalli to put on. It fitted nicely. “Perfect! It was made for you!”

“It's lovely. Are you sure?”

“Of course. Go and show Jack… oh, sorry, I forgot!”

“Don't worry. Jack has his own way of looking,” Jalli laughed. She walked out onto the landing and called Jack.

“Jack. Check this out on me.” Little Jallaxanya came bounding up the stairs to look too.

Jack coloured a little at being watched. He glided his hand lightly down the sides and back, then her front and to the hem.”

“It fits well,” he said. “But you haven't worn anything this short in years.”

“I went into longer stuff when I was carrying Bandi and never reverted,” explained Jalli.

“But I like it,” said Jack. “What colour is it?”

“Leaf green, with bits of pink.”

“Nice.”

“You look very pretty!” exclaimed Jallaxanya.

“You keep it,” said Pammy. “It's yours.”

“But I couldn't possibly…”

“I haven't worn it for years. It was never quite my thing. I don't know why I kept it. It must have been for you.”

“I don't know what to say.”

“No need to say anything. It gives me pleasure to give it to you.”

“Hello-o,” shouted Bandi up the stairs. “Are you people coming? The veggies are about done!”

“Coming!” replied Pammy. She ushered her daughter down the stairs leaving Jack and Jalli to follow.

“She's so kind,” said Jack. “Happy?”

“I love this dress, but…”

“You've made her day just by being happy in it. What about me? Am I scruffy?”

“No. Your jeans don't pick up the dust like my cotton shorts.” She patted his bottom. “You'll do.”

“And my top?”

“No. Not dirty,” Jalli giggled.

“What's up?”

“Just thinking of you borrowing something from Mr Bandi's wardrobe. He's one third shorter and two thirds wider than you!”

“You make him sound square!”

“Well, no. He's not exactly fat. Just well made.”

“While I'm skinny!”

“Tall and slim and quite gorgeous,” she said pressing up to him and kissing him firmly.

***

“Tell our guests about what you do at school and church,” said Mr Bandi to his daughter. At the age of nine she was happy to oblige and kept them amused throughout the first course.

“Our daughter Kakko likes climbing,” said Jack, “do you like climbing?”

“You mean mountains?”

“Yes. Eventually. At the moment she likes climbing walls in the gym.”

Little Jalli gave a sideways look as if to say that that sounded like a stupid thing to do. “Doesn't she fall off sometimes?”

“Often, but she has a rope round her waist.”

“
I
can do the hula-hoop in the gym,” said the girl.

“Your daughter is very sporty then?” Mr Bandi returned to the subject of Kakko.

“Yes. She plays football too. If it's physical, count her in, if it's mental, she loses patience.”

“Is she not clever like you?”

“I'm not really clever, sir!” laughed Jalli, “It's only you who thinks that because I like insects… Kakko's OK, but she's not academic. It's Bandi who is the studious one.”

“Biology?”

“Not really. He's more into arts than science.”

“I like science!” declared little Jalli. “I am going to be a biologism when I grow up.”

“A biologist,” corrected her father. “She is my little helper.”

“But I don't like
worms
!”

Jalli laughed.

There was so much to catch up on. After little Jalli had gone to bed (reluctantly), they talked of their adventures and of how they never knew when the gates would appear. And they spoke of Momori and how they were just about coping without her.

Then the phone rang.

“That's rather late. I wonder who that could be?” queried Mr Bandi. Pammy picked up.

“Yes, they are… Really…? I'm sure… I'll put him on. Just let me explain… Jack, it's a consultant from the hospital, an eye specialist. He got wind that you were here – his brother works in Parmanda Park.” She passed the phone to Jack who wore a look of surprise.

“Hello. Yes…yesterday…we plan to leave tomorrow… I don't understand…that was more than twenty years ago… really…? I see…tomorrow…? Well, it would have to be early… OK. Nine o'clock in the ophthalmology department…” he reached out to Jalli, “got a pen?” he whispered. Mr Bandi passed her a pen and a notepad. “OK. Mr. Barn, Department of Ophthalmology, Wanulka General Hospital. Nine o'clock…thank you…yes, I'll be there… thank you.” he held the phone out and Mr Bandi took it.”

“Jack?” said Jalli, intrigued.

“He's an ophthalmic consultant. He heard that I was in town. (He was a junior at the time I was in Wanulka Hospital and remembers my case.) They are trying out a series of new cutting edge procedures and he says he has been trying to find me for a month. He'd just about given up when his brother saw us yesterday. He says I might benefit.”

“What, see again?” exclaimed Jalli.

“Well, perhaps a little bit. He can't promise anything, and I wouldn't have to mind being a bit of a – I didn't get this bit – a striped mouse.”

“He means he wants to experiment on you,” explained Mr. Bandi.