Chapter 20
Stuck inside, waiting for a paparazzi invasion that never arrived, and replaying his last conversation with the warrior queen, Rick realised that he might have overreacted. By the time all the birds had gone, he felt very foolish and felt forced to indulge in another gaming session to take his mind off it. It didn’t help. He’d fallen into bed with a thumping headache and vowed to get outside for some fresh air and exercise the next day.
After a tricky night, tossing and turning, he finally dropped off just before dawn and slept through until mid-afternoon. Kicking himself for wasting the best part of a day, he wrapped up warm and set off to explore the land behind the barn. Climbing over a gate into a field he thought was empty, he soon discovered his mistake. Five long-necked animals careened over in a blur of shaggy coats and dim expressions. They pushed and shoved each other aside to get close to him. Not sure if he was about to be crushed or licked to death, he backed up as far as he could. Pressed up against the hedge, sharp hawthorn needles pricking his backside, Rick cursed his decision to come to the New Forest at all.
The lead animal peered through curly tendrils of hair dangling from an unkempt topknot. Rick blew his own overlong hair out of his eyes and returned the intense stare. A memory stirred. He put a hand out for the animal to sniff, but jerked it back as one of the other creatures lunged at him.
A loud hee-haw filled the air, sending the animals into a confusion of random circles. A tall youth, whose pale face and forearms were a stark contrast to his black hoodie, stood silent and unmoving a few yards away. By his side was the old, grey donkey Rick had seen in Beth’s vegetable garden. After more random jostling, the strange creatures returned their attention to Rick.
The donkey gave another hee-haw, threw his heavy head up and pranced on the spot. The youth shoved his hood back, pulled headphones from his ears and muttered, ‘Give over, Pablo. You’ll do yourself an injury.’
Rick wracked his brain. Beth had mentioned a name. What was it? ‘Are you… Jack?’
‘Yup.’
‘Am I trespassing? If so, I’m sorry. I’m not sure of the boundary.’
‘Nah. It’s your field.’
‘Is it? Oh. Right. Ah…’ One of the creatures nudged Rick’s stomach with its muzzle. He edged back further into the prickles. He covered a yelp of pain with a cough.
‘Relax,’ said Jack. ‘They won’t hurt you.’
Rick tried to move again and one of the animals lunged at him. ‘They seem quite insistent that I stay here.’
‘Stop it!’
‘Stop what? I’m not doing anything.’
‘Not you. Them.’
‘Oh. Right.’
‘Give them a shove – gentle, like – and they’ll back off.’
Rick did as he was told and was rewarded with a little more room to breathe. ‘What are they? Llamas or alpacas or something?’
‘They’re both.’
‘A mixed breed? I didn’t know that was possible.’
Jack shook his head. ‘A mixed herd, not a mixed breed. It’s not common for them to live together, but this lot seem happy enough. The two tall ones are llamas – see their long banana-shaped ears?’
Rick nodded.
‘They’re gelded males – Bert and Ernie.’
‘Is there any chance I might have met one of them before? Out in the forest?’
‘That’ll be Bert.’ Jack’s grin transformed his face, making him look several years younger. ‘Always running off, he is. The three small brown ones, they’re alpacas. Charlie called them his angels after some crummy seventies’ TV show.’ Jack pulled a despairing “What can I say? Adults are weird” expression.
‘Do they bite?’
‘Nah! You’re alright.’ said Jack. ‘The worst they’ll do is push you over by accident. The smaller ones spit when they get grumpy. Then you need to duck, real quick.’
‘If this is my field, why are they here?’
Jack squinted at him as if he’d grown another head. ‘Because they’re yours. They’ve been in our field for the last couple of weeks.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘They were Charlie’s, yeah? Now, they’re yours. They come with the barn. It’s like a “buy one, get one free” thing.’
‘But no one said anything about… Hang on… Llamas and alpacas.’ The penny dropped. ‘Is that what she meant by llampacas?’
‘Beth call them that, did she?’
‘I didn’t know what she meant.’
‘Grace mashed the words together when she was learning to talk. It stuck.’
‘Grace?’
‘Half-sister. Beth’s daughter.’
‘So, Rose is your sister, too?’
‘Yup. And Daisy, except me and Daisy are twins.’
‘That’s a lot of sisters.’ How many people had he potentially pissed off next door? ‘Any brothers?’
Jack shook his head.
‘Wait a sec,’ said Rick. ‘Charlie died months ago. Who’s been looking after this lot?’
‘Me.’
‘All this time?’
‘It’s no biggie. I’ve been doing it for years, anyway. Since Charlie got too old to lift the hay bales.’
Rick groaned, several comments from the previous day’s conversation with Beth started to fall into place. ‘This is what all the hay is for.’
‘Yup. I moved it for you. It’s over there, next to the standpipe.’ Jack indicated an area past the fence where two outbuildings stood, one either side of the boundary fence between the barn and the farmhouse. A large mound was covered by a grubby, grey tarpaulin weighed down with old tyres. ‘There’s enough for the rest of the winter. They’ll need lots of water, too, so keep the trough topped up. The stream at the far edge of the field isn’t enough.’
Rick let out a long sigh. ‘They sound like a lot of work.’
‘Not so much. They’re good company. Pablo, here, will miss them.’ Jack patted the donkey. ‘He’s neurotic at the best of times. On account of being a rescue donkey. He’s better with company. The llampacas remind him to be nice.’
‘Pablo isn’t mine, then?’
‘No, but it’s been easier to look after them all in the same field. I’ve been moving them between your field and ours.’ He swept an arm towards the field next door, separated from Rick’s by the hawthorn hedge. ‘Over there, see? Behind the stable block? It stops the pasture getting cropped too short and makes life more interesting for them.’
Rick examined the half-stone, half-brick stable block next door, not sure what to say.
Jack turned to go. ‘Pablo and me will leave you to it.’
‘Wait a sec. I don’t suppose…’ Rick’s voice cracked. The last thing he needed was to be responsible for other living creatures. He could barely look after himself. ‘Would you consider continuing to look after them for me? I’ll pay you.’
Jack hesitated. ‘Rose said that Beth said we’re to keep away from you.’
Rick felt as if he’d been sucker-punched. People didn’t usually tell their kids to stay away from him. He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I guess me trending as “Doctor Death” on X doesn’t help. Stands to reason she’d want you to keep clear.’
‘Is that why you look familiar?’ Jack pulled out his phone. ‘Let’s see, hashtag what did you say? Doctor Death… Oh, right, yeah. I remember seeing that.’ He glanced from his screen to Rick and back again. ‘Is that you? No way. You’re having a laugh.’ He peered at Rick, tipped his head to one side and back before shrugging and re-pocketing the phone.
Rick felt obliged to say, ‘I didn’t do it.’
‘Didn’t do what?’
‘What they’re saying I did.’
Jack wrinkled his nose. ‘None of my business, is it, mate.’
‘I think that’s why Beth doesn’t like me.’
‘I doubt it. Beth hates social media. Nah! She thinks you’re a tool for scaring the cows. She thought you’d killed me.’
Rick slapped a palm to his forehead. ‘That’s what she meant about me being irresponsible. She said something about me risking a young man’s life. I thought she was talking about Dean, but she meant you.’
‘All I know is, she said you were weird about the hay. Look, if you want me to take care of the llampacas, I’ll do it.’
‘What about Beth?’
‘Who cares what she wants? She’s not my mother.’
Rick suppressed the urge to tell him to show more respect. ‘We should at least consider her feelings.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s the right thing to do. I tell you what, I’ll pop over and speak to Beth and apologise for being weird. Hopefully, she’ll be fine with you helping me out.’
Jack shrugged. ‘Whatever. I’ve got to go.’
Rick watched the lad leave. Reena was right, Beth had a lot on her plate. The last thing she needed was someone with his sort of baggage adding to her troubles. The best thing to do was go and apologise and then make sure to stay the heck away from her.