13
Stefan
The farm show had arrived, and Stefan had never felt so nervous. What did he know about the event? A huge area had metal fences, wide enclosures, seating near food and drink tents, and paddocks for showing and judging.
A man from the local council, a male vet, and a woman from a family of farmers were head judges and seemed to be an old hand at their tasks, but half of what they told Stefan as they walked around the event was lost on him.
Florence and Lindy were listening to a talk on sheep shearing and waved out to him as he passed them by. It warmed him to see his daughter so happy.
Dr Tully approached, holding a box of rosettes. ‘Off to put these in the winners’ tent. How you getting on?’
Stefan was glad to have a moment to speak to someone else, as it was all animal talk with the others. ‘Not sure why a guest judge is needed, Gilbert.’
‘Oh, I’ve done this plenty of times. No one expects much from you. You’re more the celebrity attraction.’
Stefan muffled his laugh. ‘I’m not a celebrity.’
Dr Tully’s pudgy nose wrinkled at the top. ‘You are to this lot. New doctor at the Windmill Practice. Everyone’s still talking about you.’
‘Not sure there’s much to talk about.’
‘Ah, you know what people are like. Bit of gossip and that.’
Stefan was reminded of the article Florence wrote about him when he’d first arrived. He hoped whatever the locals were saying about him, it was pleasant enough. He hadn’t had any bother from anyone, and all his patients gave good reviews to Rose.
‘Have you seen the alpacas yet?’ added Dr Tully.
‘I think they’re next.’ Stefan gave a nod to the other judges chatting to each other nearby.
‘Just enjoy the day, Stefan. The sun’s out, the sky is blue, there’s some tasty cider on offer. You’ll be expected to comment on that too, hope you know. Ooh, and the pasties and pork pies.’
Stefan’s stomach churned as Dr Tully walked away. Was he really going to be eating and drinking all day as well as sizing up animals?
Lindy came skipping over. ‘Dad, is it alpaca time yet?’
‘Yes, we’re heading that way now.’
She took his hand, then reached for Florence’s.
‘Having fun?’ he asked Florence.
‘It’s educational. I know more about sheep now than I thought possible.’
They shared a laugh, then carried on their way until they met the alpacas being led around an enclosure.
A man called Gordon brought a white one over for a closer inspection, and Stefan told him just how well he thought the animal looked, earning him a hefty pat on the shoulder.
Some of the children were taking the alpacas for a short walk in the next paddock, and Lindy asked Gordon if she could walk one.’
‘Of course,’ he replied, a deep throaty chuckle following. ‘Head over there to the kids, and join in. And make sure you tell all your friends to visit our farm.’ He turned to Stefan. ‘We charge for walks with the alpacas.’
Stefan was concentrating on Lindy, as she had curled to his side at the mention of the kids. ‘I have to judge some more animals, but would it be okay if my daughter has a short walk with this beauty right here?’
‘Ooh, I’ll walk with you,’ said Florence.
Gordon nodded. ‘Open the gate there, and we’ll walk up to the top and back down.’ He waggled a finger at the other judges. ‘You can watch.’
Lindy seemed way happier with doing that.
Stefan leaned on the metal fence as Lindy and Florence went inside to meet Pandora the alpaca.
The other judges started talking and taking notes, but Stefan just watched his daughter happily nattering away to Gordon.
‘We’ll go grab some lunch soon,’ said Florence as soon as they got back.
‘Got to go see Nate Walker’s cows first,’ he told her.
‘We can do that,’ said Lindy, waving Pandora goodbye.
Stefan stepped away from the judges so he could walk and talk with Florence instead, as he preferred her company.
‘Aren’t you supposed to be taking notes?’ she whispered, leaning closer to him.
He focused on Lindy as she whipped out her drawing pad to sketch as she mooched. A talent he wished he had. ‘I’m the celebrity, so no one really cares what notes I take about their animals.’ Florence burst out laughing, so he playfully nudged her arm. ‘Hey, Dr Tully told me,’ he added, grinning. ‘It’s a tough gig being famous. I have to go taste cider later and eat a load of pork pies.’
‘I’m glad I’m not judging.’
‘I’m glad you came.’
She smiled softly. ‘Me too. I was supposed to be here writing an article on the event.’
‘Are you missing your job?’
‘Not really. I’m too busy enjoying my new one.’
Lindy stopped to show Florence her drawing of Pandora, and Stefan got whisked away to look at two cows standing side by side.
Nate Walker started talking about dairy farming whilst pointing out parts of his cows, and Stefan engaged as best he could, even more so when Nate’s wife, Tessie, came over with a plate of their cheese for them to taste.
With the scent of manure stuck to the back of his nostrils, Stefan wasn’t sure he could get the full flavour of Pepper Pot Farm’s cheese, but he offered a small groan of delight as he swallowed and smiled with his eyes.
‘Hello, Lindy,’ came a small voice. ‘I’m Kasey, and this is my stepmother, Belle.’ The girl approached. ‘I’ve seen you at the stables. Rhett said you’re new. Come out riding with me one day.’
Stefan turned to see his daughter shy away behind Florence’s flowery skirt. He glanced at the red-headed girl around Lindy’s age. She seemed friendly enough.
‘Hi,’ replied Florence, placing her arm around Lindy. ‘Enjoying the event?’
Belle nodded as Kasey went over to ask Nate if she could stroke a cow. ‘Yes, we’ve just fallen in love with the piglets, and now Kasey wants one. Not sure how well that will fit in at our hotel.’
Stefan could hear Nate talking to the judges, but his concentration was on Lindy to see if she would come out from behind Florence.
‘I heard you were a childminder now. Come over for a playdate or something,’ said Belle. ‘We can get the floats out for the swimming pool if the weather stays nice. Feel free to pop over.’
Florence’s head bobbed. ‘Perhaps in the school holidays.’
Stefan joined them just as Belle walked over to Kasey and the cows. ‘Everything okay?’
Florence stroked over Lindy’s hair. ‘All good.’ She glanced at the girl peering up at her. ‘Shall we leave your dad to finish his rounds and go check out those piglets Belle mentioned?’
Lindy’s eyes lit up, and she turned the page on her drawing pad, ready for her next sketch.
Florence leaned closer to Stefan. ‘Stop looking so worried. I can see Lindy’s a little shy, but she’s okay. We’ll meet you later in the food tent.’
He gave a brief nod. ‘Okay.’
Lindy glanced his way. ‘We might buy a piglet, Dad.’
He bit his lip as he smiled. ‘We might not.’
‘See you in a bit,’ said Florence, lightly touching his arm.
Stefan was called back over to the cows, wishing he was off with Lindy and Florence instead.
It wasn’t too long before they got to share some lunch together and watch a duck show, which was the most interesting thing Stefan had ever seen. He’d watched dogs performing before, but never ducks. Lindy couldn’t stop laughing, and Florence looked as gobsmacked as him when the ducks took on an agility course as good as any trained dog.
The time had come for the winners to be announced, and Stefan held the important task of pinning on the rosettes, which pleased him no end, as the last thing he wanted was to be the one to call out the winners’ names, as he was sure he would receive glares from those without rosettes.
Pandora the alpaca won an award, and Lindy clapped the hardest at that point.
A bird show came after, as someone had brought over owls to showcase, with an educational talk on birds of prey, capturing a lot of attention.
Lindy started yawning by dinner time, and as Stefan knew he was no longer needed to judge anything or be the local celebrity, he asked her if she was ready to go home.
Lindy grumbled. ‘Oh, but I want to stay here.’
‘The animals are all going home to bed now.’
‘We should get some dinner,’ suggested Florence, blocking a yawn with her fingertips. ‘Excuse me. It’s this heat. I think it’s knocked us all out.’
Stefan shook his head. ‘I really can’t face another pasty or pork pie.’
‘How about fish and chips? We can pick some up on the way home.’
It sounded strange hearing her say home as though they lived together and was heading that way after a family day out.
He agreed, along with Lindy, who waggled her toy piglet Florence had bought her.
‘Do you want me to drop you off first or do you want to come back to ours to eat?’ he asked, hoping she would want to spend some more time with them.
Florence opened up her palm. ‘After all that cider you tasted, I think I’ll be the one driving. Bet you’re glad you added my name to the insurance now.’
‘Yes, so you can take Lindy out and about, not chauffeur me. Besides, I didn’t swallow too much.’
Florence chuckled. ‘I didn’t see you spit much out either.’
He grinned as they headed to the field being used as a car park. ‘It was nice cider.’
‘Which one?’
‘All of them.’
Lindy looked up at Florence. ‘Are you sleeping over at ours tonight?’
Stefan was sure he blushed. ‘Erm, no. Florence has to go home.’
‘But not before I’ve had my fish and chips with you,’ said Florence.
Lindy wasn’t the only one beaming like the Cheshire Cat.
Dinner was eaten outside at the patio table, as the evening was still warm, and it wasn’t long before Lindy was curled on the sofa with her new toy and drawing pad.
‘I’ve noticed Lindy likes alone time,’ said Florence, leaning down to adjust one of the solar rock lamps by the flowerbed.
‘Yes, she likes peace and quiet.’
‘Has she always been a loner?’
‘No, but she can do her own company quite well.’
‘Belle Renshaw invited Lindy over for a swim at their pool with Kasey. That would be nice, don’t you think?’ Before he could reply, she added, ‘Kasey told me how she used to be afraid of the water at one point, but she overcame her fear. I love stories like that. Obviously not the fear part, but when you hear about people conquering them.’
He’d heard many stories like that too and hoped one day Lindy would enjoy the company of other children again.
‘We’ll have to see how things go,’ he said. ‘Lindy doesn’t really have a proper routine yet.’
Florence met his eyes. ‘She does. And it’ll be the summer holidays soon.’
He looked at the empty chip paper, not in the mood to clear up just yet. ‘We’ll see.’
‘What’s wrong, Stefan? I know there’s something going on with Lindy. She won’t even ride out with the other kids at the stables.’
‘One sec.’ He went off to the living room to check on Lindy, only to find her fast asleep. He smiled to himself at how content she looked. He wished so badly he could wipe away her fears. At least now that she was somewhere new and having more therapy, things looked to be improving.
I should tell Florence .
He silently groaned, not wanting to tell anyone. Not wanting to go back to the past, but it wouldn’t help Lindy if he hid the truth from Florence, seeing how Florence seemed to be sticking around for the childminding job, which was such a relief, especially as he couldn’t secure an online teacher until September. Lindy was having the longest summer holiday, but at least Florence was teaching her some things during their trips out.
He went back to the garden and sat down. ‘I guess you should know about Lindy. I wasn’t sure you’d stick around long, if I’m honest, but I can see how close you both are, so it makes sense for you to know what’s going on.’
‘Sounds serious, Stefan. Is she sick?’
‘No. She’s healthy enough. She has some trauma from an incident that happened where we used to live.’
Florence raised her fingers to her lips but didn’t speak.
Stefan steadied his breath. ‘It was last year. Just before Christmas. I came home late one night from work, and her childminder told me Lindy had been in her room all evening, drawing we assumed. She left, and I went to check to see if Lindy fancied a hot chocolate.’ He swallowed hard, reliving the moment, not that it truly ever left him.
‘Do you want to leave this for another time?’ Florence asked, her voice gentle and soothing.
‘No, it’s best you know now.’
‘All right, but take your time. I can see this is hard for you.’
He gave a small nod, but that was mainly to himself. ‘I opened the bedroom door to find Lindy sprawled on the bed. A bottle of my whisky to her side. Half empty.’
‘Oh my God!’
‘We spent the night with her throwing up in the bathroom, and the next day when I asked for an explanation, she wouldn’t speak.’
‘Kids try drinking. Usually when they’re teenagers. Was it just that? Were her friends doing the same?’
He shook his head. ‘No, that wasn’t the reason.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Thanks to a parent, I found out Lindy was being bullied at school by two boys. It had been going on for a while, then her friend spoke about it to her mum one night, and it all came out.’
Florence gasped quietly. ‘That’s why she drank?’
‘She said she’d overheard someone say alcohol blocks out pain. She was trying to forget her pain.’
Florence clenched her fists on the table. ‘Ooh, those rotten boys. I hoped they got kicked out of school.’
‘No, but they got a warning. The headteacher called in the parents of the boys, and the ringleader had one of those mothers who thought him an angel, but Lindy’s friend told the headteacher she had witnessed the bullying, then one of the boys admitted to it.’
‘Oh, poor Lindy. How awful for her.’
‘Lindy wouldn’t go back to school after the Christmas holiday. I got her some therapy to see if it would help, because she was really traumatised, and it did help a little. She started to feel more relaxed, but she still wouldn’t go to school. It didn’t help that the boys lived close to us. She reached a point where she was afraid to leave the house. In the end, I asked her about moving away, and she jumped at the chance.’
‘And you came here.’
He nodded. ‘Yep. We found a therapist here as well, and I’m hoping things will improve. But Lindy’s still wary of children since the bullying, even though she had such lovely friends. I don’t know what to do about it.’
Florence reached over and took his hand. ‘Sounds to me you’re doing everything you can. And if it helps, she does seem happy. Perhaps it’ll take a little time, but maybe seeing kids like Kasey at the stables might encourage her to build trust again.’
‘She stopped talking to her old friends and just locked herself away with her drawing pad. She didn’t really start smiling again till springtime, when I was sorting our move.’
‘I’m so sorry, Stefan.’
‘Thanks.’ He sat back, taking his hand with him.
‘So, do you want me to keep her away from any playdates?’
‘I want Lindy to have friends again, but I won’t force it on her. See how she reacts when these things come up. Like when you’re at the stables. I think she’ll let you know if she wants to go out riding with the others.’
Florence nodded. ‘Sure.’
‘Hopefully, the therapy centre she’s joined will help her build confidence, because she’s lost so much.’
‘It’s scary what happened to her. Did she drink any alcohol again?’
‘No. That was a one-off, thankfully.’
‘That’s a relief.’
He tightened his hands together on his lap. ‘So now you know about Lindy’s trauma, how do you feel? I guess what I mean is, are you still happy to look after her? Has this put you off at all?’
‘No. Not at all. I still want to look after her. Even more now you’ve told me that.’
He could see Florence meant every word. It was written all over her face. ‘Thank you.’
‘But I’m thinking, if you want me to stay looking after Lindy for longer, I’ll need to register as a proper childminder.’
‘I’d like it if you could. She’s so settled with you.’
Florence smiled. ‘Let’s check it out online and see what I need to do.’
Stefan nodded and went to fetch his laptop, feeling so grateful his daughter had someone else caring for her.