Wandering Girl (11 page)

After we had a few more songs and laughs, our nerves settled down and our voices began to come loud and clear. Then I said to Bill, “I'll play you one of my favourite songs, one I learnt in the mission. It goes, “I love to go a'wandering, along the mountain track...”

After I finished, Bill gave me a clap. I felt very honoured, stood up and curtsied to my one-man audience as I accepted his appreciation, then laughed as I could see the funny side of it all. If the boss knew that we had turned her V.I.P. room into a concert hall while she was in town on business - I shuddered to think what would happen...

We spent the rest of the afternoon just singing and enjoying ourselves. Bill had a couple of goes on the piano. I must say he didn't do too bad. Then I asked him what the time was? He said it was four o'clock! I said, “Gee, doesn't time fly when you are having fun.” I asked Bill if he would like another cup of tea?

He was only too pleased. He jumped up and offered to put the kettle on for me and get our cups ready. I said, ‘There's fruit cake in the pantry on the top shelf, if you want something to eat. I would like some too.”

While Bill was in the kitchen, I was making sure everything was back to normal in the V.I.P. room. I cleaned off any trace of finger marks left on her piano, that might have aroused her suspicions. Now it all looked spick and span again, so I went out to join him in the kitchen.

Bill had the teas poured out. I took a sip of mine, then sat back in the chair. “Oh, this is just what we needed after all that singing. What do you reckon. Bill?” He said, “Sure is, lassie.” Then we both helped ourselves to the fruit cake.

He said the cake tasted wonderful, and asked me if the boss baked them herself? I said, “I can't see her slaving over a hot stove. I think I heard her say that one of her friends or her daughter, Janet, the one that lives in town, bakes them.”

Bill said, “We don't mind who bakes them, hey lassie, as they taste alright to us!” We both sat back and had a good laugh. He asked if there was anything he could do to help me, as he had finished his work in the orchard and still had a spare hour up his sleeve.

I thanked him, and said, ‘The eggs need to be collected and the gardens need watering. Other than that, everything that has to be done is done. Thanks to you, Bill. The jars of fruit are all filled on the shelf and the wood boxes are stacked up with wood. All I have to do for the meal is prepare the vegies. Before we went into the lounge to sing, I put the leg of silverside into the pot to boil. It should be just about done by now.”

“Right-oh, lassie. I'll go and get the eggs for you and water the garden.” I couldn't thank him enough. As he went out the door, I handed him the egg bucket and continued on, setting the table. I made sure the serviette rings were polished, as she had given me a scolding the day before, saying that I didn't clean them, as she could not see her face in them.

While I was just putting the finishing touches to the table, old Bill came in and asked if there was anything else he could do for me as he had finished watering the garden. I said, “Thanks, but everything is done.”

He looked out through the lounge window and remarked, “Gosh lassie, the boss is coming!”

He made a quick dash out the back, as I shouted, “See you later!” I heard the back door slam and casually walked back into the kitchen, pottering around as I waited anxiously for her.

When the front door opened up, it was to her normal manner of speaking, “Oh, there you are. Go out to the car and bring the stores in, and put my shopping on my bed. Did you do all your jobs today?”

I said, “Yes, Mrs Bigelow.”

Having had Bill around all day talking and laughing, made me more confident. I wasn't feeling so withdrawn in myself anymore, and must have shocked her by asking if she had a nice day in town? As expected, I was looked at in a most disdainful manner.

I went out the door to collect the shopping. When I came back inside she was nowhere to be seen, so I put all the groceries away. Thinking she was in her room, I didn't want to go there, as the further I was away from her the better it was for me.

After the evening meal, she came out to me in the kitchen. I stopped sweeping the floor and looked her straight in the face - something I had not done since beginning to work for her. All my work was done and she could really have nothing to complain about.

She was taken aback. I noticed her flinch a bit as she commenced explaining to me, that seeing I had completed all my jobs she was taking me into town with her tomorrow, which was Thursday.

Wondering in my mind why the sudden change, since my town day was Friday, I kept looking at her as she went on. I would have to do my morning jobs, then go and have a shower and put my working clothes on. After breakfast we would be leaving for town. “Is that understood?”

I said, “Yes, Mrs Bigelow.”

She went out, closing the door behind her. I poked my tongue out at her back, then I felt terrible and said a prayer to God, asking Him to forgive me.

As I explained before, my up-bringing was strict, and if you poked your tongue at someone that was what was called a sin, and the nuns would punish us with a hit, if they caught us.

Now that I'd said my prayer, I felt better. I put the broom away and went off to my room, never giving town another thought as I felt pleased inside. I was going to town and that was enough - I'd be able to see my friend, the lady at the comer shop.

THE DAUGHTER'S HOUSE

I fell asleep, only to be awoken by the shrill ringing of the alarm clock. I turned over and groaned, thinking I could stay in my bed for a week.

As I lay flat on my back for a minute to get my brains ticking, it suddenly dawned on me that she was taking me to town. I quickly jumped out of bed, had a wash, got into my working clothes, just skimped through my jobs, then went inside to prepare breakfast.

She came in just as I had finished cooking it, and told me to get the boys' breakfast ready too, as they were also going to town and would be joining their parents at the table.

Seeing her's and her husband's ready, she took the plates of food in. As soon as I had cooked the boys' breakfast, I was to knock on the door and bring it in also. They would be waiting. So I hurried up and made the toast. By that time the bacon and eggs were sizzling, so I served everything out on their plates, put them on the trolley and knocked on the door. She called out to come in.

The boys were there as I pushed the trolley in. As usual, everything was quiet. All eyes were on me. Suddenly the phone rang. To my surprise, she turned to me and told me to answer it. As I said before, I had never used a phone, so I went over feeling very nervous and shy. Everyone was looking at me. I picked the phone up off the hook and said, “Yeah!” I could not hear anything, except a lot of noise from the other end.

She slammed her knife and fork down on the table and came rushing over to me, snatched the phone out of my hand and pushed me out the way. Never had a girl working for her been so stupid and humiliated her so much! She wondered whether I had any sense at all.

Holding her hand over the phone, she pointed out to me that I must speak into the speaking part, not the listening part, then she ushered me out of the room.

As I went back and sat down to eat my weeties, I wondered why I had heard someone talking at the other end of the phone?

When I finished those weeties, I thought I'd go out to the toilet, as I was still feeling a bit shaky from her sudden outburst. Just as I was ready to open the door to go out the back, she rang the bell. I made out I never heard it, snuck out quietly and ran flat out to my own toilet. I just made it.

When I got back to the kitchen, she was standing there fuming. She shouted at me, “Where have you been?” She had given me strict orders never to leave the kitchen while her family was still in the dining room.

I apologized, and told her where I had been. “Next time you want to go to the toilet, come and let me know - and did you wash your hands after?”

I said, “Yes,” and she told me to get a move on, as she wasn't very happy with me or my attitude towards her; and when everything was done, I was to comb my hair and put clean working clothes on, then meet her outside near her car. With that she strutted out the door.

I sat down on the chair to collect myself again. I felt like having a good cry, but I soon rose up, wiped my eyes and got stuck into my work.

After I completed everything I went out, washed myself, put a clean change of clothes on, and wondered - why working clothes? Then I tripped out to her car, which was standing in the driveway.

She wasn't there, so I tried opening the doors, only to find everything locked up. So I waited patiently.

It was a couple of minutes before she came out. She opened her door and gave me her keys to open the back door. I did so, climbed in, then handed the keys to her. We were on our way.

Despite the hurt I was feeling inside, I felt glad to be going to town, although Mrs Bigelow was as usual quiet in the car.

Soon as we reached the outskirts of Ridgeway, she veered off in an unexpected direction. I saw a sign saying
Hospital
and I was thinking, “That's funny, we're not going to the shops,” when she turned to the left, and stopped outside this beautiful home. The gardens were so colourful. Every flower seemed to be in bloom.

I noticed that the house was built high up. And from here I could see all the township as I looked back over my shoulder. I was still sitting in the car waiting for her, as she made her way up the garden path.

A couple of kids ran out to her singing out, “Nanna”, as they grabbed one of her hands on either side and walked with her. It was then that I realized this was her daughter's house. The one that came to see her every now and again.

Then her daughter Janet came out to greet her. They stood talking for a while. I wished that she would hurry up, as I wanted to go to the shops! I felt hot in the car and could have done with a bottle of cool drink.

In the meantime, while they were still talking, her grand-kids were coming down, peeping into the car at me, then running away laughing and sniggering. I felt like a monkey in a cage.

Then I saw them both coming down the path. When they reached the car, she told me to get out and follow her up to the house. I was beginning to get confused, and wondered whether I would go into town at all.

When I reached the house, her daughter asked me inside. It was beautiful, just like her mum's. Then she came over to me with a list of duties to be done. I looked at it, then at her, and it suddenly dawned on me why I'd been brought to town a day early.

Mrs Bigelow explained to me, in front of her daughter, that every fortnight she was bringing me in to clean Janet's house, while they both went shopping.

With those instructions she left me. Janet called for her kids, and they all trooped outside, climbed into their car and drove off.

I sat down on the chair in her kitchen. As I went through the list of jobs her daughter had given, I felt very down-hearted. The chores weren't anything new. They were just what I did for her mum; but where to start, where to begin? The whole house was a mess!