Puppy Pie (17 page)

‘Now?' the gang chorus.

‘Now!' Shirley repeats. ‘And don't worry about Helen. I'll tell her what she's doing for the next few weeks when she wakes up. Anyway, I've brought plenty of Ted's mending with me. Should keep me going for a week at least. Now, shoo!'

Early that evening when the gang arrives back exhausted, they notice a suitcase sitting near the kitchen door.

‘Dad running away from home?' Tom asks cheekily.

‘No, not your father. Your mother! And she's not running away. Quickly now, go and say goodbye to Helen,' Shirley says as they file into the kitchen. ‘She feels as if she's deserting you.

A few minutes later, Helen and the gang walk out of the bedroom.

‘Do you feel better about going now?' Shirley asks.

Helen laughs, ‘Well, since Tom has told me how boring it is watching me sleep every day …'

‘Oh, Tom, that's not what I meant,' Shirley says grabbing him by the shoulders. ‘You're supposed to say things like, “Gee, I'll miss you Mum but don't worry. We'll be alright.' Then Shirley pokes her tongue out at him. Tom looks up at her and grins.

‘Just go,' Shirley says. ‘After all, you're wearing out the mattress. And the lounge room chair,' she teases. ‘You're sleeping all the night and half the day: it's not natural. And you haven't had any exciting dreams or mumbled any predictions for almost a week. Just go. Your sister needs you. Now, hop into my car and I'll drive you over because you want to be there in time to make a delicious dinner for your sister and her husband, don't you? So, forget about us and concentrate on the imminent arrival of the latest clan member.'

‘Well, I'll ring you every night to see how you're doing,' Helen says as she hugs each one of them in turn. ‘I'll be back in no time. Well, in a few weeks' time, I suppose. So, bye for now,' she says sadly. ‘And be good. And helpful.'

Going out to Shirley's car, the gang waves Helen off until she disappears through the top gate.

‘Right,' Lucy says, taking charge. ‘Let's have an early dinner and then we can relax for a change before falling into bed plum tuckered out, as Dad says. Speaking of Dad, I'd better wake him up and give him a sandwich. And I'll tell him where Mum's gone'. As she quickly makes a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich, Lucy then pours some apple juice into a glass. In no time, she's by her father's bedside and shaking him firmly, Useless by her side and eyeing the succulent sandwich.

‘Uh? Lucy? Lunch already?'

‘No, Dad,' she says wearily. ‘You missed that meal. Eat up. And by the way, Mum's over at Aunty Jane's because Gran'pa's got the measles and…'

As she prattles on, Harry eats the sandwich hungrily, leaving the crusts for Useless who is ever ready for a meal. ‘Your mum needs a break,' Harry says yawning. ‘Working flat out all day looking after you kids, and organising the CWA. I don't know how she does it.'

Lucy raises her eyebrows but says nothing. Taking the empty plate and glass, Useless follows her back to the kitchen where the trio has been working. Once Lucy had disappeared with the tray, the trio swings into action, setting the table, finding plates and cutlery and raiding the fridge.

Finally, the gang sits down to eat. ‘Feels funny without Helen here,' Gull murmurs as she finishes off her green salad.

‘I heard Shirley say she'll be keeping an eye on us,' Jake says. ‘Anyway, we know what to do: eat, sleep, work, work, and more work. And then do it all again.'

‘So now, our only problem is bringing in the hemp and trying to find out why it's falling over and stop it,' Tom sighs. ‘Oh, and saving the farm. And getting Dad to wake up more often and stay awake longer. Have I forgotten anything?' Nobody answers. ‘Well, we should be able to do all that before breakfast, I don't think.'

‘We've still got time before the end of the month to solve this mystery,' Jake says, ‘so, we might get lucky. Anyway, we've got Gull on our side, so we'll be more than alright. And then we can have a big party with lots of singing and dancing.'

‘Oh! Dancing! I've just remembered something,' Gull says suddenly.

‘What?' Tom asks.

‘Well, when the bank manager was out here, he did a funny little dance in front of the photo I hung in the hallway, singing ‘Not long now. Not long now.'

Her cousins look at Gull quizzically. ‘Weird,' Tom shrugs.

‘Probably gloating about the Bank trying to steal the Folly, Jake says.

‘Mmm, could be… but… I don't know,' Gull says indecisively.

For several minutes, the room is quiet. Finally, Jake breaks the heavy silence. ‘Well, I don't know about anyone else but I'm going to be first in the shower,' he says jumping up suddenly and running up the stairs. Tom jumps up too, determined to beat his brother.

‘What about the dishes?' Lucy yells after them.

‘Coming back,' the twins call back in unison.

Gull and Lucy look at each other and shake their heads. ‘Sure!' they say together and laugh. Then, they get up and quickly put the leftover food away and stack and wash the dishes, leaving them to dry on the rack.

‘Leave some hot water for Gull and me,' Lucy shouts as she turns off the kitchen light.

Playfully pushing Gull up the stairs in front of her, Lucy mumbles, ‘Although, I thought we were in enough hot water.'

Chapter 9

Up first to shower
Saturday morning, Lucy ambles downstairs and sets the table for breakfast. By 6 o'clock, she's ready for the day.
Hope Shirley comes over
, she thinks. Lucy gazes at the kitchen clock and sighs heavily.
Now I have to try and wake up Dad: he just has to go out with Ted today. Anyway, he's slept for over fourteen hours each day for the past two days. That's way too much for him: lucky if he gets six hours a night when things are normal.

Walking into the bedroom, Lucy looks down at her sleeping father and sighs. Bending down and shaking his shoulder gently at first and then more firmly, Lucy sees one eye open slowly.

‘Wha's up? House on fire?'

‘In a way,' she says briskly. ‘We'll be having a fire sale if you don't get up Dad. Ted's arriving in half an hour and you need to be out there working with the rest of them.'

Harry groans. ‘But I was having such a lovely dream,' he says blinking hard.

‘A dream?' Lucy repeats suddenly alert. ‘What was it? Tell me.'

Harry smiles sleepily, ‘I dreamed I was the captain of a fiery red ship. And the sea all around was a deep emerald green.' He yawns. ‘And underneath the water, I could see mermaids and they were talking to me. But I couldn't understand their words because they were speaking in Spanish.' He stretches. ‘I wonder what they were saying?'

‘“Help!” more than likely,' Shirley says propping herself up against the bedroom door.

Lucy gasps. ‘Where did you spring from, Shirley?'

‘Thought I'd wander over early, seeing I couldn't sleep,' she says. She looks over at the prone figure in the bed. ‘Getting up today, Harry? You need to lead the troops you know,' she adds looking at him keenly. ‘Ted's in the kitchen. Thought I'd catch a ride over with him, spend the day commiserating.'

‘What about?' Harry asks, clambering out of bed half-heartedly.

‘Well, like you, the Bank has decided to call in our overdraft.' Lucy signals furiously to Shirley who doesn't notice.

Harry stops his walk towards the bathroom. ‘You? They can't do that,' he says only half awake.' He takes another step towards the bathroom and stops suddenly. ‘What do you mean, “like you”?'

Too late, Shirley looks across at Lucy. ‘Oh, sorry, I thought you knew,' she says belatedly.

Blearily, Harry turns to look at Shirley, trying to focus. ‘Are you saying that the bank manager, what's-his-name, is calling in my overdraft too?' She nods. ‘Why didn't he tell me? Why did he tell you?'

Shirley and Lucy look at each other and shake their heads.

‘Mum didn't want to worry you,' Lucy replies quickly. ‘She's left you a long note I was to give you. When you were really awake, she says. Anyway, you were exhausted: you needed your sleep. But she had to leave before she could tell you.'
Before you were awake
, Lucy thinks to herself. ‘So now, we're all trying to find a way to save the Folly.'

‘How strange,' Harry says as he stumbles into the bathroom.

Together, they wait for Harry to come barrelling out yelling as the penny finally drops.

‘Lucy,' Shirley says suddenly concerned, ‘does Harry realise you could lose the Folly?'

‘It doesn't seem to be registering, does it?' They continue to stare at the bathroom door, waiting for an explosion but nothing happens.

‘Well, maybe Ted can get through to him,' Lucy sighs downcast. ‘I don't really feel like breakfast any more anyway. I'd better ring Mum and tell her that Dad knows about the overdraft. Not that it seems to be making any difference.'

Together, they walk back to the kitchen. Gull and the boys are already hoeing into bacon and eggs. Shirley and Lucy quickly explain the situation to Ted, and he promises to “work on Harry”.

‘At least you know you don't have Norah Sprogg's “blight”,' Ted says. ‘Now that the smaller crops are falling over as well.'

‘Norah Sprogg,' Tom says vehemently. ‘She should be boiled in cold tea.'

Ted throws back his head and laughs just before everybody else but Tom bursts out laughing.

‘What?' Tom says looking from one face to the other.

‘You're funniest when you don't mean to be,' Shirley says wiping away tears.

‘Boiled in cold tea?' Jake repeats. ‘I'd like to see that miracle.'

‘Well,' Ted chuckles, ‘it's good in a way. Now we've got everyone coming around to Harry's side. I don't mind telling you Norah Sprogg and her cronies split the farmers for a while there. But now I reckon, as we're all in the same boat, we'll be rowing in the same direction from now on. Oh, by the way,' he says casually, ‘has Shirley told you the good news?'

‘No. What?' Lucy asks. ‘I'm sure we'd like some.'

‘Well, those CWA Amazons, er, women, have rung up everyone within a hundred kilometre radius. And, as most of the other farmers have finished harvesting, they've got them coming in by the truckload with their swags, to work like Trojans. So, you'll be cooking up a double storm today as they'll be eating everyone out of house and home. Just as well you've got a big vegie patch.'

‘And I can use those new ideas of mine. You know, substituting damper for bread, and rice for flour,' Jake smiles. ‘Hey, maybe I could even publish my own cookbook. I could call it, ‘Jake's er, Joyous er …'

‘Jokes?' Tom suggests airily. Automatically, Jake elbows him in the ribs.

‘Enough, you two,' Lucy says quickly. ‘There's work to be done. No plans for anything until after the hemp is in.'

Lucy looks over at Ted. ‘How much do you think can be saved?' Just then, Harry walks in and sits down at the table, grabbing some toast and a boiled egg. He doesn't seem to be listening: he's so intent on keeping awake and eating.

‘Oh, probably more than we hoped, what with the scything,' Ted says lightly. He puts his finger to his lips as he looks over at Harry. ‘Hurry up Harry. Jimmy's picking the gang up soon. So, it's just you and me.' He gets up from the kitchen table. ‘And so off to work we go.'

‘Heigh ho,' Harry says dolefully. Draining his cup, Harry takes another piece of toast and follows Ted out.

As soon as they're gone, Lucy says, ‘Poor Dad. He looks so weary all the time. We just get in front with good news like the two extra Harvesters… '

‘And get Mum out of the way,' Tom continues. He glances at the shocked faces around him. ‘Er, get Mum away from her mysterious sleeping problem.'

Lucy shakes her head and smiles to herself.
Brothers!
Then she turns to Shirley. ‘I know Ted didn't want to upset Dad … But how much of the crop can be saved, do you think?' Lucy asks.

‘It may be more but at least two-thirds at this stage,' Shirley replies quietly.

‘Two-thirds?' Lucy gasps. ‘Is that all? For all that effort? And planning?'

‘Afraid so,' she sighs. ‘And unfortunately, the hemp is only one of our many, many worries.'

‘What do you mean, Shirley?' Jake asks.

‘Well, now, we've got to save the farms,' Shirley answers.

‘Yeah, yours and ours,' Jake sighs.

‘No,' she says heavily. ‘The three farms along this road: yours, Jimmy's and ours. We've all been given notice by the Bank now. Either pay up or get out.'

‘What is going on? This is mad,' Gull says startled. ‘That bank manager needs to be hung, drawn and quartered, for his own good.'

The others laugh despite themselves: Gull looks so furious.

‘Why, Gull, how can you speak like that about my new boss?'

‘New boss?' Lucy laughs. ‘I thought you were the boss at home. Ted always says so.'

‘And he's right,' she says winking, ‘but not at my new job.'

‘But you don't work anywhere else,' Jake frowns.

‘I will be as from tomorrow. I decided I needed a new challenge. And as I don't need to help babysit Helen, I've got more time on my hands. For the last fortnight, I've been helping out at the Bank when I'm not over here. And, as from tomorrow, they've offered me a whole week. So, the bank manager is my new boss. Not that he's ever there much. He seems to be either ringing in or out on farms.'

‘But why would he be visiting farmers?'

‘Well,' Lucy says quietly, ‘he was out here recently, remember?'

In unison, the gang stops eating. Each of them can visualise the bank manager: Lucy pictures him arriving on the back of a vulture hurling a cloud of eviction notices onto the farms below. Tom sees himself in a white hat confronting Cyril Sprogg who's wearing a black hat and grinning. Jake imagines squirting honey and maple syrup over Cyril to glue him to the spot. And Gull is busy riding Velvet, expertly lassoing the bank manager and tying him to a stake.