Mai Griffin
The early evening paper clattered through the letterbox a
few minutes later and, as the last batch of jam tarts had just gone
into the oven, she decided to put the kettle on. She would read it
and enjoy a cup of tea in the fresh air with Katy. The paperboy,
Ozzy, often baby-sat for the children, much to the disgust of tenyear-old Tommy who considered himself quite capable of doing
the job himself, especially if they paid him!
Kate adored Ozzy and greeted him eagerly.
Surprised to see her at the front of the house he asked, “What
are you doing out here young lady?”
“I have waps in my garden,” Kate explained. “Waps hurt
people! Pease don’t go,” she called after him accusingly as,
without pausing, he hurried away down the path. Kate pursed her
lips in consternation. “Naughty Rothebud fell off daddy’th
ladder. Her head ith hurted,” she lisped, wanting to show him.
Ozzy had taken the delivery job to keep fit and had no
intention of being trapped, so hastily pulling the gate behind him
he continued jogging along the lane, ignoring the dull thump as
the heavy gate swung open again. Eagerly scrambling to her feet,
Kate grabbed her doll and ran after him.
It took only a few minutes to wash up and add Kate’s orange
juice to the tray, so while the kettle boiled Ethel collected the
paper. Sunlight streaming through the tinted glass door panel in
the front door reminded her to pull the curtains over the side
windows – the hall carpet was fading badly and they couldn’t
afford a new one yet. As she did so, her glance strayed beyond
the frilled edge. The gate gaped wide – the faulty latch had stuck
again! Where was Kate? …Kate had gone!
Throwing open the door Ethel rushed out and down the path,
panic-stricken, praying that her baby hadn’t wandered into the
road. Then, looking sideways over the low hedge, she saw Ozzy
returning, holding Kate’s hand – bringing her back. Ethel sighed
with relief and stopped to catch her breath as a car, scarcely
noticed, flashed past the gateway ahead of her.
There was no way she could have known how desperate she
would soon be, to recall anything and everything about that
fleeting moment!
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