Chapter 21
JED
Inspired by Anastasia’s painting of the bluebell woods outside Little Sandby, Tara and I took Doris for a walk there on Sunday morning before lunch with my parents.
Bluebell season was a couple of months away but there were clumps of snowdrops, patches of yellow, purple and white crocuses and the early shoots of daffodils.
‘It’s beautiful here,’ Tara said as we meandered along the well-worn track between the trees, sunlight filtering through the branches. ‘I can’t believe I’ve never been here although, to be fair, I’m realising how little of the area I’ve visited.’
‘Then we’ll make it our mission to explore. We can aim for somewhere new a couple of times a month. I bet there are loads of places I’ve never visited either, or haven’t been to since I was a kid.’
The path rose then dipped down towards a lake. There was a wooden bench beneath a giant oak tree so we sat on that while Doris sniffed through the undergrowth.
‘The area between the bench and the lake becomes a carpet of bluebells,’ I told Tara as a childhood memory surfaced.
‘We’ll have to come back to see that. Will you draw it?’
‘Definitely. I’m imagining a collection capturing the different seasons. There might need to be a couple of spring versions – daffodils in one and bluebells in another – instead of summer. There’ll be lots of different greens in the summer but maybe not much else.’
‘Autumn’ll be gorgeous,’ Tara said.
‘Yeah. I love using autumnal colours. They’re so rich. And I can imagine a snow-covered scene with a frozen lake and an owl perched on a branch.’
I loved it when inspiration hit like this. I was currently working on a collection featuring Whitsborough Bay Castle and I was really enjoying it, but I’d pause it briefly to do rough sketches of the woods, capturing my thoughts while they were fresh in my mind.
‘How was the careers evening?’ Tara asked when we set off again, deeper into the woods.
I’d joined Lucy at the TEC on Thursday night where there’d been stalls representing a range of options for after college – going to university, applying for an apprenticeship or working for a local employer.
‘Lucy spoke to several universities but she’s not convinced about that route.
She says all she wants to do is paint and she doesn’t see how she can learn anything from university tutors that she isn’t already learning at the TEC, from the artists she follows on YouTube, and from me.
I thought she’d love the university experience – a chance to live away from home and get some independence – but she said she’s already spent too long living away from me and is in no rush to leave. ’
‘Aw, that’s so sweet, but not what I expected from her either. She’s so outgoing that I assumed she’d be chomping at the bit to get to university.’
‘Exactly! But it got me thinking and I realised she’s more of a homebody than Erin.
Erin wants to travel the world, see the wonders, learn about different cultures whereas Lucy’s travel bucket list is Florida’s Disney World and New York at Christmas.
My girls are so different. Anyway, Lucy asked me if I’d let her do an apprenticeship with me.
I don’t know what being an official apprenticeship provider would involve or if it’s possible for such a small business but, if she wants to work part time in the gallery and spend the rest of her time painting, I’m happy to support that.
She’s got plenty of time to decide, though. ’
We discussed whether I could ever see either of the girls returning to Australia.
I could see Erin going back as part of her travels, exploring the territories we’d never visited, but I couldn’t see Lucy returning at all.
Neither of them had friends there to draw them back.
Lucy had had a huge circle of friends at secondary school but no best friend as such and she’d felt increasingly as though she was heading in a different direction to them as school came to an end, although I couldn’t help wonder if that had been a deliberate detaching on her part, knowing that she was emigrating.
Erin had progressed through senior school with a small circle of friends and one best friend who’d left Aus at the same time as her to move to New Zealand with her family.
Of course, Ingrid would be returning to Sydney in April and she should have been a pull for them but their relationship was so broken that the girls weren’t going to miss her and certainly wouldn’t be rushing to visit.
It saddened me deeply but I wasn’t sure what more I could do.
I was exhausted from playing the mediator when Ingrid seemed unwilling to change.
‘I’ve missed having you around these past few days,’ Tara said as we reached the edge of the woods and turned back. ‘I’d got used to seeing you at least every other evening so it’s been weird having so long apart.’
‘Same here. Just typical that everything came together.’
We’d had plans to see each other on Friday night but I’d received a concerned call from Zack.
A bad case of the flu had been making its way round the halls of residence and, after contracting it for the first time ever, Erin had been really tearful and asking for me.
Lucy had no classes on a Friday afternoon so she’d joined Anastasia while I drove up to Newcastle with some supplies, returning late last night at Erin’s insistence.
She was through the worst of it and a bit embarrassed that she’d asked Zack to call me.
I actually thought it was sweet that she still wanted me when she was poorly.
With being at the careers event on Thursday, I hadn’t had a chance to tell Tara about Aaron’s second art lesson with me and I hadn’t heard the full story about the incident with Zoe so Tara filled me in on that.
‘I was hoping she’d drop her leggings off for repair yesterday but she never came.
’ Tara’s concern for Zoe was evident in her weary tone.
‘I’m hoping it means she was keeping off her bad ankle although, if that’s the case, it means she is properly hurt and I don’t want that either.
I gave Jim a quick call and sounded him out about this Griff woman.
He knew who I meant. Said he’d spotted some bad behaviour at The Hope Centre which he’d nipped in the bud. ’
‘Could Jim have a word with staff at the hostel?’
‘I asked him that. They do work closely together but he says it’s a delicate balance and Zoe’s right that complaints can make things worse instead of better.
He’s going to keep a close eye on her at the centre and, if he has to have words with her again, he’ll tell her he’s going to inform the hostel so at least she’ll know it’s coming from him.
Nothing much else we can do in the meantime. ’
‘That’s frustrating.’
‘It is. I feel so helpless but what can I do? On a different note, I’ve had an idea for how I can help someone else or hopefully several people.
I was thinking about what Anastasia said about struggling to make friends when you move to a new place where you don’t have any family or friendship connections already.
It’s something I can relate to myself and there must be loads of people in the same boat living here.
Add in those who are from the area but, for whatever reason, don’t have friendships and that’s a lot of lonely people out there.
I’d been toying with running craft classes but I’ve realised that what I love doing the most is anything that benefits the community so, if I’m going to work extra hours, I’d like them to be meaningful.
What if I set up a friendship club for people like Anastasia?
It’d run on a weekly basis and each week would have a different focus like books, crafts, cooking, art… ’
She gave me a meaningful look on that last example and I laughed. ‘The art tuition provided by me, I presume?’
‘Only if you’d like to be involved.’
‘I’d love to be involved and it sounds like a brilliant idea.’
She smiled at me and linked her arm with mine.
‘We’d need to get the wording right on the adverts to make it clear that it’s not about coming along with a friend or partner – it’s about coming on your own and meeting other likeminded people and hopefully forging friendships and alleviating some loneliness. ’
‘I love it. The addition of the activities should give it a broad appeal and draw a good mix of attendees. Someone might not be interested in cooking but could be all over the book chat.’ I turned to her with a smile as something clicked. ‘Zoe loves books. Are you thinking you can involve her?’
Tara rubbed my arm. ‘You already know me too well. I’ve had no luck in tempting her with paid shifts at the café but maybe some voluntary work around one of her passions will entice her.
Who knows? Also, I have another ulterior motive.
Although the aim would be to forge friendships and ease loneliness, I’m hoping that it might lead to a spot of romance too.
I’ve already got somebody in mind for Anastasia. ’
She told me about Colin and I couldn’t help agreeing that he did sound like someone whose company Anastasia would enjoy.
‘Even if they just end up as friends, it’s a win,’ Tara said, ‘but I have a feeling about those two so I’m willing for something more. I’ll be subtle, though. I’m so glad you like the idea of the club. In my head, it sounded good but I needed another perspective.’
‘Big thumbs up from me. I’ll help in whatever way I can. I can run art sessions, obviously, but I’m happy to help with the cooking side too, and with the general running of the evenings.’
She slipped her arms round my waist and kissed me. ‘You’re the best. Thank you.’
‘You’re the best, Tara, and you have two awards to prove it.’
She laughed and rolled her eyes at me.
‘I often think about how upset you were after winning the Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award. You believed you were a fraud and that you didn’t deserve it but you absolutely did. Helping others seems to come as naturally to you as breathing.’
‘I was in a tricky headspace then but I can see what others see now and that’s thanks to you. You reminded me of the magic I’d forgotten was there.’
I held her tightly and kissed the top of her head, loving that she believed in herself again and that she could see her own magic.
When I first said I loved her, I’d told her about a picture I’d seen in a shop window with a quote which captivated me: ‘To see a person – to really see them – is to notice all of their magic. To love a person – to really love them – is to remind them of their magic when they’ve forgotten it’s there.
’ I’d seen it shortly after I found out about Aaron not being my biological son and I’d realised that Ingrid had no magic in her and wasn’t somebody I wanted to fight for, but I’d found in Tara somebody who encapsulated it and I’d promised to keep reminding her that her magic was there.
Doris kept nudging into us, evidently wanting attention, so I reluctantly released Tara and we walked back to my parents’ house.
When I’d returned to Whitsborough Bay, finding love hadn’t crossed my mind.
All I’d been focused on was getting Erin and Lucy settled, making up for lost time with my parents and setting up the gallery.
But love had found me and I could barely remember my life without Tara in it.
I loved the routine we were establishing.
We went to Pilates every Tuesday evening and spent Sundays together.
I’d been invited to join Bay Trade – the business club Tara attended monthly.
They only allowed one member from each type of business and I was flattered to be the first gallery owner.
A lot of the Castle Street traders attended but I was conscious that many of them were close friends of Tara’s and it would be good to make a few friends of my own.
Much as I loved spending time with Tara and would happily spend every hour of every day with her, I could probably do with forging some friendships of my own.
I’d reconnected with some old friends when I returned in the summer and, while it had been a one-off uncomfortable experience with a few of them, others had been a good catch-up.
We’d said we’d stay in touch and meet up again but we hadn’t.
People were busy with their own lives and I understood that.
I had my family and Tara so, even without any close friends of my own, I wasn’t lonely but there were plenty of people who weren’t so fortunate and it was amazing that Tara recognised that and had a brilliant idea to do something about it.
If we could make a difference to just a few people, the time invested in planning and running the club would be more than worth it.