Dreams Come True (9 page)

David drove home and Victoria packed her bag for the week.  Nicola looked around.
“Hey you have such a neat home.  It is bigger than our house.”  David frowned.  She nodded.
“We had to share bedrooms.”
“Really?”  Nicola nodded.
“I shared with Amanda.”  David smiled.
“She was always studying.  For years and years.  Every time you looked at Amanda she had her nose in her books.”
“And singing?”
“Only when we went to church.  Then she sang.  And the school choir.”
“She has come a long way.”  Nicola nodded and smiled.
“Have you ever seen her perform?”
“Not allowed in a nightclub.  Not yet.”  David smiled and nodded.

Victoria flew do
wn the passage.
“All done.”
“Good.”  They all turned as Mary and Tom walked in.
“Mister and Miss MacGuire.  Are you going somewhere?”  Nicola grinned.
“And?”
“Miss Nicola Rosendale.”  Mary smiled.
“Good to meet you.  Aren’t you in Victoria’s class?”
“I was.  School is out.”  Tom chuckled and nodded.
“Now we have just been to see Charles.  Penny tells us.”

David nodded.
“That broad is one fat gossip!”  Nicola roared with laughter and suddenly stopped.
“Sorry.  Oh sorry.  Don’t tell.”  David grinned.  Mary chuckled.  Tom roared with laughter.
“Yes my darling.  I can totally agree with that comment.”  Nicola looked at Mary.
“I am sorry Mrs. MacGuire.  That kind of slipped out.”  Mary smiled.
“I could add a few little things to that comment.”  David grinned.
“She was a little on the bitchy side Mom.”
“Yes I can believe that.  I believe Charles paid for your services.”
“He did.  I charged him my rate.  For two hours.”
“Good!”  Victoria nodded.
“Dad has now done three jobs in two days.  The bucks are rolling in.”  David chuckled. 

Mary smiled.
“Now.  I have come to make sure that you have everything that you need.”
“I have Gran.  Everything.”
“Well I hope you have a wonderful week.  Now do you need some pocket money?”
“No thanks Gran.”  Nicola smiled.
“We have everything.  We don’t really shop.”  Mary smiled and nodded.
“Your sister did a swell job on Friday evening.”  Nicola smiled and nodded.
“She had to rush off.  She has an appointment every Friday evening.  She sings.”  Mary smiled.
“And beautifully.  Are you going to stay over this evening?”  David smiled and nodded.
“It takes an hour to get there Mom.”
“Yes the gossiping fat broad did tell me it is a ranch.”  Nicola roared with laughter and pointed at Mary.
“You wicked woman!”  Mary roared with laughter.  David laughed and shook his head. 

“I will leave early in the morning.  I have a job this week.”
“And what time do you normally finish?”
“Four.  That is when the wife gets home.  She doesn’t like workers around when she is there.”  Tom nodded.
“So what is the matter with you?  Spend the night at the ranch.”
“Fuel Dad.”  Tom nodded and smiled.  He took something out of his pocket and stuffed it in David’s back pocket.
“Takes care of that.” 

Mary smiled.
“Are we ready?”  Nicola nodded.
“Age before beauty.”  Mary grinned.
“And I hope you do not know the other little wise crack.”  Nicola chuckled.
“I like you Nicola Rosendale.  You and Victoria will get on well.”  David chuckled.
“Mmmmmhhh.”  Nicola roared with laughter.
“Oh heck I need clothes!”  David sprinted down the passage.
“You know Victoria.  I think his head is in the clouds.  That job could have taken fifteen minutes.  But he was up there for more than an hour.  What say you?”  Victoria roared with laughter.
“I think so Nicola.  I think he was buffing up the geyser and checking out his very close shave that he had just before lunch.”
“Who shaves twice in a day?”  Tom and Mary stood and chuckled.  David ran down the passage.
“I have not shaved twice today.  And their geyser does not reflect.”  Tom grinned.
“Not arguing about your head in the clouds then son?”  David chuckled.
“Hoi!  My feet are planted firmly on the ground.”  Mary chuckled as they walked out.  David pulled the door shut.

“Uhm.  Dad.  Do you have your spare key?”  Mary roared with laughter.
“Lock yourself out David?”  David grinned.  Tom opened the house.  David took the van keys and the house keys.
“Thanks Dad.”  Victoria stood giggling.  Mary whispered.
“Victoria!”  They all roared with laughter.  David grinned.
“One wise crack from you Victoria.  And you Nicola.  And you will be very sorry.  You will be put to bed without supper and grounded for a week.”  Tom grinned.  They waved them off.  Mary stood and looked at Tom.
“Why are we waiting?”
“Because David didn’t pack his overnight bag in the van.”

They both smiled as David came driving around the corner.  He
hopped out of the van and whistled as he walked to the front door.  He opened the house and picked up his overnight bag.  Victoria and Nicola roared with laughter.  David grinned.  Tom nodded and smiled.

“Check.  Keys?”
“Car keys.  House keys.  Overnight bag.  Overnight bag.  Victoria and Nicole.  Got it all.  I will pop in.”  Mary smiled and nodded.  She waved as they drove off.  Mary looked at Tom.
“Our son has met the woman for him.”
“He has.  Penny had no right to say those cutting things.”
“What did she say?”
“Nicola and Victoria pulled me to one side and told me.  My daughter in law is a very bitter little lady.  And I don’t like it one bit.  Sure if you have something to say, say it.  But with reason.  And not in front of my granddaughters.”  Tom smiled.
“I like her a lot.  She feels like one of us.  I keep thinking she is Amanda’s.”
“I know.  But nevertheless.  Our two grandchildren.”  Tom nodded. 

David smiled as he started driving to the ranch.
“Is there anything else we need?”
“Nope.  We have everything.”
“Does Amanda like plants or flowers?”
“Plants.”  David smiled and nodded.
“Does she like chocolates?”
“Nuts coated with chocolate preferably.  Or those chocolate balls with the honeycomb inside.”  David smiled and nodded.  He pulled over at the shop.
“Get what you need for the week.”  He ran inside and bought a bottle of grape juice.  He bought a little box of nuts coated in chocolate.  He bought the tiniest little palm in a pot.  He waited for the girls who added chips and chocolates.  He took out his wallet and smiled proudly as he paid.  They smiled as they walked out of the shop and walked back to the van.
“Keys on the counter.”  Nicola chuckled as she ran and fetched the keys.  They hopped in to the van.
“I am never ever forgetful.  Just a little lack of concentration.  That is all.”  They all chuckled. 

David smiled as he drove.
“So what do you have planned for the week?”  Nicola smiled and nodded.
“We are going to teach Victoria how to ride a horse.”  Victoria nodded and smiled.
“And we have the lambs that are going to be neutered and their tails docked.  That takes hours.  But it is nice to help.  And we will help feeding the animals in the evenings.”
“Good.”  Victoria smiled.
“Thanks for letting me stay Dad.”
“Oh sweetheart.  When were you ever away on a holiday?”  Victoria smiled and nodded.
“Thanks.”  He nodded and smiled.

They pulled up to the ranch and everyone helped to carry.  David felt for the car keys and the house keys and his wallet.  He smiled as he carried things.
“Hello honey we are home.  Dum, dum, dummmmm.”  Amanda chuckled as she came down the stairs.
“Goodness.  What on earth did you bring?”  David smiled.
“We promised you supper.  But we have to heat it up.”  Amanda chuckled as she got to the bottom of the stairs.  David leaned forward and kissed her.

“And did you manage to fix the geyser?”
“I did.  It took a little longer than I had anticipated.  And.”
“Charles paid you and winged like a little stuffed pig?”  David roared with laughter.
“Oh I got it in the neck.  A little comment from Charles and then the wife had her little stir.”
“I can just imagine.”  Amanda looked at all the packets.
“Heavens what did you buy?”  David smiled as he took the chocolates and the bottle of grape juice.
“These are for you.”  Amanda smiled.
“Thank you.”
“And this is specially for you.”  Amanda took the little plant.
“Oh David.”  She hugged him.
“And this little person is going straight to where she belongs.”  She ran up the stairs and walked to the bedroom and put the plant next to her bed.  David walked in.  She smiled and hugged David.
“Thank you.”
“It signifies what you have done in a day or two.”
“And what is that?”
“Growth.”
“Oh David.  Were you grilled?”  He nodded.
“The girls heard.”  She ran her hand down his cheek.
“Laugh it off.”  David nodded.
“I have.”

He pulled Amanda in to his arms.
“She said some really nasty things.  She said I was a gold digger.”
“Which you are not.”
“She ran my business down.”
“You haven’t stopped over the weekend.  And you drove for an hour to help someone out.”
“I know.”
“David don’t let them get to you.  You can imagine what people said about me.  I was running away.  Hiding from the world.  But I used the comments as positive motivation.  I worked even harder.  And many of them can swallow their words.”  David smiled and looked down at Amanda.
“You are something else.”
“But I hope it is a good something.”
“That it definitely is.  Her words really stung.  And the girls heard every word.”  Amanda smiled and reached up and kissed David.
“Come.  Supper.”  David smiled and nodded.

They ran down the stairs.
“I moved Patsy.  I brought her in to our boot room.”
“Boot room?”  Nicola chuckled.
“It is the sun room.  But it isn’t as neat and tidy as Aunty Megan’s.  We leave our wellingtons and jackets and raincoats in there.”  Victoria smiled.
“I am glad.  I was a little worried with her out there with all our babies.”  Amanda chuckled.
“Please do not look at that room.  It is the next room that will get a face lift.”
“You mean there is a disorderly room in this house?”  Amanda groaned and nodded.
“I brought her in.  I can smell the rain.”  Nicola chuckled.
“We need a bit of rain.  Uncle Jimmy said.”  David nodded and smiled.

Nicola heated up all the burgers and they all sat down.
“Oh this is so nice.  Now this is my favorite.  And chips.  Hello hips.  But I will walk you off tomorrow.”  David chuckled as she took a knife and fork and flipped the top of the burger off.  She started eating.  She looked over at Victoria.
“I don’t mind if you eat in your hands.  It is a burger.  But I am so messy I get it everywhere.”  David chuckled as he took his burger in his hands and took a bite.  He nodded. 

Nicola grinned.
“We had a very busy afternoon.  Victoria’s Gran stopped by.  At Uncle David’s house.”
“Oh nice.  Did you tell your Gran you are going to be away?”  Victoria nodded and chuckled.  David’s phone rang and he quickly took it out of his pocket.
“Excuse me.”  He got up and walked away from the table.

“Mister MacGuire.  Timothy Wood here.”
“Yes.  Hi Mister Wood.”
“I do apologize for this.  We need to call off the work this week.  The kids are going to be on holiday.  We totally forgot.”
“Sure.  When would it suit you then?”
“We can leave it for now.  But I do need the repairs and renovations done.  We will have to make it in the new year.”
“No problem.”
“Do you work over a weekend?”
“I do.  In the evenings as well.  My daughter has decided to ditch me for the week and go on holiday.”  Victoria smiled and nodded.
“Well what about Friday evening.  And Saturday.  Finish up on Sunday.”
“That would suit me.  Friday from seven?”  He looked at Amanda and she nodded.
“I can work from seven till ten.  See how far I get.”
“That would suit.  I will get the family out over the weekend.”
“That will be great.”
“I am going to do the transfer David.  I know you are going out on a limb here.  But I will pay as per your quote.”
“Thanks Mister Wood.”
“Well see you Friday.”
“See you then.”  David cut his call.
“Sorry about that.” 

“Well that is good.  I find that you can do a whole lot more in the odd hours.”  David chuckled and nodded.
“There is not really that much to do.  I could wrap it up on Saturday.  So on Friday we can all go home.  My home.  I can drop the little ladies off with my Mom.  Then drop you off.  Go and do my job.  And pick you all up again and sleep at home.”  Amanda chuckled.
“We could do that.  Or rather drop us all off at Mom’s.  Sorry.  My Mom.  Dad can take me and then you pick us up when you are done.”
“That could work.”
“I think.”
“Shhhhh.”  Nicola gurgled with laughter.  David chuckled.
“I will send you to Bingo if you are not careful.”  Victoria sniggered.  David looked at her and grinned.
“Or the book review thing.”  Victoria roared with laughter.
“The book club Dad.”