Chapter Sixteen
1504 Words
Benny’s POV
Eralia perks up, reaching for the door again, ‘oh, yes, I’ll just get out then and go meet them, you can go now . . .’
I growl loudly, stilling her movements, ‘we’ll wait here for them to come out, and then you’ll open the window and call them over. They can climb in the back, and I’ll take you all home, safe and warm.’
‘You are not driving us . .’ Eralia starts hotly.
‘I will take you home, Safe. And. Warm’ I repeat, enunciating each word as I glare back at her.
We stare at each other stubbornly until the bakery assistant finally realises she can’t win, slumping back into the seat with an angry huff.
I glance out of the windscreen, the sidewalk now has various parents huddled under umbrellas as they try to shield themselves from the wind, waiting for the doors to open. Around us, other cars have parked up, all on the shabby side, telling me that this is most likely a less than desirable school.
The doors swing open, and kids rush out, some heading toward the cars and waiting parents, others walking off alone, latch key kid's I surmise, parents working so they have to walk home by themselves.
Eralia suddenly straightens, her eyes on the children, who have peeled off from the others, a little boy and a slightly older girl, holding hands as the female child looks around at the people waiting.
‘Is that them?’ I ask roughly.
Eralia nods quickly, and I lower the window so she can stick her head out and call to them.
‘Libs! Aussie! Over here!’ she calls out, waving wildly until they see her, both kids' faces brightening as they hurry toward us, the little boy waving frantically back, calling out to Eralia, but the wind whips the words away from his lips.
They stop at the edge of the sidewalk, just across from where we are waiting. The little girl’s hair is already plastered to her face, the boy’s thin windbreaker keeping his top half dry as his trousers cling to his legs.
Eralia looks back at me, ‘I have to walk them across the road’ she snaps, pointing at the door.
I stiffen for a fraction of a second before I nod and unlock it, unclipping my belt and opening my own door as she does the same.
She frowns as I round the hood, rain battering down on me relentlessly.
‘What are you doing?’ she hisses as I reach her, smiling widely.
‘Going with you’ I reply, ‘gotta make sure they get to my truck without incident.’
She scowls at me before she stomps across the road to the two children, reaching them in seconds as they both hug her tightly.
She hugs them back before prying them off her and taking their hands, glaring at me as I smile widely and wave toward my truck again. Leading them across the road, she waits for me to open the door before helping the two children into the back seat and clipping them in.
Shutting the door, she glowers at me, if looks could kill, I don’t think I’d be breathing right now.
‘Shall we go?’ I ask, stepping back and pulling open the passenger side door for her.
Eralia glances at the truck before shaking her head, grimacing, ‘I need to get Tanner’ she huffs.
‘Tanner?’ I repeat, frowning, there are three of them? Three kids?
Eralia nods, ‘yeah, he’s at the pre K over there’ she adds, waving a hand a little way away from the school.
I nod, ‘OK, well . . . do you want to go get him? I can stay here with the kids . . . do we need to drive over? How far away is it?’
Eralia looks torn, her gaze swinging from the truck to where I assume the third kid is.
‘It’s only a few feet’ she mutters, ‘but . . . I don’t . . .’
I hold up a hand, ‘Eralia, I’m not going to drive off with your kids’ I tell her firmly. ‘And if I did, you know where I work so it’s not like I’d get far is it?’
Her teeth sink into her lower lip as she slowly shakes her head, ‘no . . .’ she admits reluctantly.
‘Right, so go and get . . Tanner is it? And I’ll look after the other two.’ I watch her as she struggles for a second before pulling the door open on the two wide eyed children in the back.
‘Hey, I’m just going to go over and get Tanner, you both stay here, OK? This is my . . . uh friend . . . his name is Benny and this is his car.’
Libs nods, her hand closing over the little boy’s protectively, ‘OK’ she agrees.
Eralia nods before shutting the door again, giving me one last look before she runs across the road and down toward a gate I hadn’t noticed before. Pushing it open, she disappears up the path as I turn and hurry back toward the driver’s side, climbing in, shaking the water from my hair. Glancing back at the two silent kids, I smile in the most disarming manner I can muster.
‘So . . . you are Libs and Aussie?’ I broach slowly.
The little boy sniggers as the girl rolls her eyes, ‘Liberty’ she states pointing to herself, ‘and this is my little brother Austin.’
I nod quickly, ‘Liberty and Austin, well I’m Benny’ I reply.
The little girl raises an eyebrow at me, ‘we know, Rali just told us’ she reminds me. I silently kick myself, of course she did! f***k me, I’m an i***t.
‘What does that mean?’ Austin pipes up suddenly.
‘What does what mean?’ I ask, frowning.
‘f***k’ the little boy repeats, ‘you said f***k, what does it mean?’
My mouth runs dry as I stare at him in horror, realising I spoke out loud!
‘Uhh . . uhh . . ‘ I stammer, not sure how to fix this.
‘It’s a bad word Aussie, and you must not say it again, OK?’ Liberty interjects, holding her brother’s gaze as he nods solemnly. Turning her attention back to me, Liberty frowns, ‘please, do not teach my brother those words, he’ll get in trouble if he says them’ she tells me, her gaze boring into mine again.
I nod quickly, ‘of course, I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, that was . . . your sister is right Austin, that is not a good word, no one should say it really . . .’
‘Then why did you? Didn’t your mommy tell you not to say it?’ the little boy asks.
‘Uhh yeah she did’ I stumble, ‘but it slipped out . . . I uhh . . .’
Austin shakes his head, ‘your mommy is going to be real mad at you’ he states.
‘How do you know Rali?’ I snap my attention back to Liberty, who is staring at me with suspicion.
My brow creases in confusion, ‘Rali?’ I repeat.
Liberty nods, ‘Eralia, we call her Rali’ she explains.
‘I know her from the bakery’ I reply, thankful that we’ve moved on to a safer topic, ‘I shop there a lot.’
‘You like cake?’ Austin asks curiously making me laugh.
‘Yeah, I like cake’ I agree, ‘doesn’t everyone?’
The little boy shakes his head, ‘Margaret in my class, she doesn’t eat cake, she’s a . . a . . a celery.’
‘Coeliac’ Liberty corrects him patiently, ‘it means she can’t eat cake’ she adds, that uncomfortably astute gaze back on me once again.
I nod, ‘yeah, I had a friend who’s little sister had that, she had to have special biscuits and things.’
‘Rali said we must not share our snacks with her just in case they make her sick’ Liberty continues.
My brow creases in confusion, as the child falls silent in her seat, her solemn, watchful expression a little unnerving.
‘Sorry, but . . . why do you call your mother Rali?’ I finally ask, as this is the third time she’s referred to Eralia by the name.
Liberty stares at me before glancing at her brother, the two of them bursting out laughing. ‘Rali isn’t our Mommy’ he yells as his sister shakes her head, looking at me as though I’m completely stupid.
‘Rali is our big sister’ Liberty sighs finally, ‘why would you think she’s our mom? I’m eight! I’m way too old for Rali to be my Mom!’
My lips part as again I’m left feeling like a complete imbecile, their sister, Eralia is their sister!
- Writer
