Northern Spirit (14 page)

Barry Fitzgerald enjoyed quizzing the young people. He knew that David
had a good knowledge of the animals, not just from his time at agricultural
college, but he was taught well by his father. Yes, George Keldas, despite
being a bad husband was a good farmer. He’d always kept the place tidy and
looked after his livestock well and David was now doing the same.

Barry noticed Hannah was listening carefully to his short lecture. She
was a good student, conscientious, and enjoyed her work. She was probably one
of the most promising students he’d had in a long while. When she’d first
arrived from Durham, much like David, Barry thought her too small to ever be a
good vet but soon realised that, although she was small in stature, she was strong
willed. But he knew precious little else about her, apart from that she had
lost her mother to cancer and that she rarely spoke of her father. Hannah did
travel back home regularly to County Durham, but seemed to want to keep her
private life to herself, and Barry was diplomatic enough not to intrude.

Nevertheless, she had come with good recommendations and Barry had
begun to like her in the few weeks she’d been with him, knowing when she
finally left he would miss her, and have to get used to a new student all over
again.

Barry could have a joke with Hannah and he loved to tease her. She
always fell for his tricks and managed to wind herself up, as she’d just done
with David. But Hannah could never leave things and would usually try to get
her own back.

Yet Hannah’s main weakness continued to be her communication skills.
She had continued to show a dislike for some of the Lakeland farmers. Barry
knew they could be an awkward breed, but Hannah’s obvious disinterest was
something she would have to work on. And he told her several times that she may
not get enough work just treating small animals; she would need the custom of
farmers like these for her bread and butter.

This problem wasn’t entirely her fault, and Barry knew that. On the
last visit to the Keldas farm, David had been rude to her, but he’d hoped with
David’s change in spirit, Hannah might have felt a bit better about him. That
was until David worsened the matter by flirting with her and making his
impudent comment.

When David invited them in for coffee, Barry decided to accept,
thinking this might help her. But Hannah was vexed.
Why go in for coffee
here? We never go in for coffee
, she thought, and hoped that David wouldn’t
join them.

As for David, he was pleased his diagnosis had been right, and when
Barry questioned him on what treatment to give, he was also correct. ‘Molasses
and plenty of roughage?’ David said.

‘Yes, and give her a bit of exercise as well. Cut down on the
concentrates and build her feed up gradually.’ Barry suggested. ‘And if you get
time, walk her around the yard, and if there’s no improvement in a few days
give me another call.’

David took them to the farmhouse kitchen and politely introduced Hannah
to his mother and then left.

As Hannah shook Kathy’s hand she couldn’t believe the contrast, that
this beautiful blonde-haired woman could possibly be David’s mother. Kathy just
wasn’t what she’d expected. The farmhouse was also a surprise as it was
immaculate.

Kathy was keenly interested in Hannah when she discovered she was from
Durham. And a conversation quickly started about Linzi, who was at the
university there.

Barry was pleased to see Kathy looking well and was happy to shake her
hand. He hadn’t just known the Keldas family through the veterinary work, but
his wife, Eleanor, had been a close childhood friend of Kathy’s. And they’d
spent much of their teenage years together, going out as couples.

Hannah sat quietly taking in the atmosphere of the farmhouse while
Barry chatted to Kathy. She noticed the furniture was mostly of antique pine
and the soft furnishings were of blue and white gingham. The heat coming from
the Aga was welcoming; a little black cat was curled up on the clip rug on the
floor in front of it. This was a clean house and the smell of home baking and
the pleasant manner of Kathy Keldas softened Keld Head’s brash exterior.

On the wall hanging above the fireplace Hannah noticed a large portrait
photograph of a man, about thirty or forty years old, who was holding a silver
trophy. She was struck by how handsome he was; dark hair, piercing eyes, a
strong jawbone and an attractive, sculptured mouth. She was saddened when she
realised this was probably Kathy’s husband and David’s father.

She then had a feeling of foreboding and had to look away. But soon
became tempted by her own imagination and had to look at him again. She was
feeling bewildered, when a little girl ran in, delicate and fairylike, and
unconcerned, thrust a colouring book on Hannah’s lap.

‘Sarah. Don’t pester Hannah; she’s come in for a rest.’

‘I don’t mind,’ Hannah replied, glad of the intrusion. ‘Let me look at
your book.’

The little girl promptly ran back to her room to bring her crayons.

‘Oh, Sarah, you’re supposed to be ill.’

‘Well, I was sick last night Mummy, but I feel better now.’

Hannah took some of Sarah’s crayons and started to help her draw and
momentarily forgot where she was. The kitchen door was opened and David
returned, he too was ready for a break; he was hungry and it was getting close
to lunchtime. He was amused to see Sarah sitting at the table with Hannah, but
his amusement became embarrassment as Sarah dragged him across the room to see
her colouring.

‘Now, Sarah. Hannah and Barry will have to leave soon; they’ve got lots
more sick animals to see to.’ Kathy intervened.

Barry didn’t like to leave just as David returned but they’d already
stayed longer than he anticipated. He looked at David and said, ‘If you like,
Davey, I’ll take those stitches out for you.’

‘You’re not going to manhandle me like you do my cattle!’

‘Then we’ll let Hannah do it.’ Barry knew this would annoy her. ‘She
does a good job in the surgery - stitching up and the like.’

Just as Barry assumed, Hannah was annoyed at his suggestion - almost
repulsed, and she looked at him sternly, hoping once more they could leave.

‘When are you coming again?’ Sarah said, tugging at Hannah’s pullover
to give her one of the drawings; it was of a weird looking pony.

Hannah pushed it into her pocket, knowing she couldn’t answer the
girl’s question, but hoping that it wouldn’t be too soon.

When they finally drove away it was Barry who was quiet this time. He
was pleased to see them all well, and wasn’t worried at all about Silver. But
he was thinking of Kathy, wondering how she managed living there alone, looking
after this young family. He assumed David hadn’t given a lot of emotional help
recently, perhaps he’d even added to her worries.

Hannah was the one to break the silence. ‘What a lovely farmhouse. I
was quite surprised.’

‘What did you expect? Wuthering Height’s! A little, fat farmer’s wife
with a pinny on and chickens walking on the kitchen table?’

‘All right. I get the message. Don’t be sarcastic.’

They were both silent for a while. Hannah recalled the image of the man
in the photograph; it was hard for her to forget. She tried to put it at the
back of her memory but, again, it wouldn’t go away. She felt so sad.

Barry was thinking of David and was bewildered. He was like two
different people at the moment. He knew David could be shy sometimes and that
shy people can often appear aloof, but this condescending attitude with Hannah
was unlike him. David didn’t know her well enough to speak in the way he did.
He’d gone from the sublime to the ridiculous!

*       
*        *

David sat at the dinner table, where Hannah had sat only moments ago.
It had struck him how comfortable she seemed with Sarah and his mother. Hannah
looked so different and he was all the more attracted to her femininity and
felt embarrassed once again of how he’d treated her. But her dislike of him was
more apparent today; her eyes had made it clear, and David wasn’t used to this.
It was only his father, and him alone, that had hated him.

He thought of how he’d treated Joanne, teasing her with a kiss like it
was some kind of sport and was appalled at his own chauvinism. David was sure
he didn’t used to be like this. Yet, he knew that was just the way his father
treated his mother at times. The young men in Blackpool were protective of
their women and David knew it was foolish to think the way they did:
Even if
I don’t want them, you can’t have them
! Why should he spoil everyone else’s
aspirations just because of his own? Like a child that’s been naughty and told
it can’t play with its building blocks anymore, so it knocks them down and
says:
If I can’t play with them, no one else can!
And
David was
just the same: he wanted it all.

Kathy watched him for some time sitting quietly daydreaming, and
putting his lunch in front of him said, ‘Penny for them?’

‘You’ll need more than a penny for these, they’re priceless.’ David
mused as he started to eat his meal. ‘I don’t really understand what I’m
thinking; it’s all a bit beyond me.’

‘What’s beyond you?’

‘Oh, just stuff,’ and he wouldn’t commit himself.

‘Does your face hurt today, love?’

‘No, it’s okay. I think it probably feels better than it looks.’

‘I think YOU feel better than you look, don’t you?’

‘I suppose I do. Do I look a mess?’

‘Well, sort of.’

‘You mean my hair, don’t you?’

‘Er, well, amongst other things.’

David looked at his mother standing in front of him, her arms folded.
Her blonde hair tied neatly up on her head, with just a few stray curls hanging
loosely down. Her pale blue eyes weren’t cold like his, but soft and warm. She
looked beautiful today. He felt proud she was his mother and realised she
wanted to be equally proud of him.

David got up to look at himself in the mirror and said, ‘I never get
time to get my hair cut anymore.’

‘Then let me trim it for you after dinner?’

Sarah immediately ran across to the kitchen drawer to get the scissors.
‘Yes, Mummy. Let’s cut Davey’s hair!’

‘Only a trim, mind. . . .’ he reluctantly agreed. ‘I’ll maybe go to the
barber’s on Friday when I get my stitches taken out.’

‘And maybe you won’t!’ she said.

*       
*        *

After they’d finished lunch, Kathy put a towel over David’s shoulders
and started to cut. She didn’t really know what she was doing but trimmed large
chunks off David’s hair. She hid some in her apron pocket, not for a keepsake,
but afraid he would complain if he saw how much she’d really cut.

As soon as she was finished, David went upstairs to the bathroom to
wash his hair and see the results. He combed the curls back off his face to
reveal his strong forehead. His dark eyebrows were visible and lay in a
peculiar curve that looked neither angry nor happy.

David had had this expression from childhood and it could get him into
trouble with his schoolteachers because, unlike his family who knew him well,
they never knew if he was scowling or smirking. And as he looked in the mirror,
his long black sideboards became more prominent, so he took a razor and trimmed
them, just long enough to finish below his ear.

He felt happier with his new appearance and although his hair still
wasn’t short, Kathy had succeeded in making him look presentable.

When he came back downstairs to the kitchen Tony was there sitting in
the makeshift barber’s chair. His ginger locks falling to the floor and
mingling with some of David’s hair.

‘I want to look like him, Barber.’ Tony pointed at David watching them
from the doorway.

Kathy looked up and saw David standing there. Her heart swelled with
pride. With most of his long curls now gone, his striking features were more
apparent. His whole countenance had changed since his visit to Blackpool. His
face was less drawn and almost plump in appearance; his deep blue eyes were
clearer and shone with some vibrancy; they looked stunning. Even despite his
swollen cheek and surgical sutures, he looked more becoming. ‘You want to look
like me, eh.’ And David wandered across to Tony sitting in the chair and
clenching his hand into a fist, made a playful attempt to punch him.

Sarah shrieked. ‘Hit him, Davey. . . . Hit him.’

‘Sarah. . . .We’ll have none of that! And David, you should know
better.’ But no one was listening, so she backed away, delighted at the
horseplay in the kitchen once again. Memories of their childhood antics came
flooding back to her: two little boys playing on the kitchen floor with their
toys.

Kathy’s love for David grew at this point to a dimension she hadn’t
known before, and it would soon become almost obsessive. She’d always indulged
David more than her other children, and all the more so as George showed his
intolerance of him, and maybe this would cause an anxiety that she couldn’t
possibly anticipate.

When the scene in the kitchen began to settle once again, Kathy asked
after Joanne.

‘She’s a bit miserable at the moment,’ Tony said as he winced with
every snip of the scissors.

‘She didn’t reckon much to Dave - er - I mean us, going off to
Blackpool without her.’

Kathy found this reasoning of Tony’s strange and thought Joanne
wouldn’t usually have expected to go on a trip with the two lads. She also
wondered why Tony had chosen his words carefully. ‘Yes, Tom didn’t think much
to it either, did he, Davey?’ She looked across to David to see his reaction,
but he was one step ahead of her and leaving the house.

*        *
      *

Silver struggled when David tried to put the halter on and attempted to
lead her out to the yard. Tony was soon to follow and was now leaning on the
wall watching them. ‘What are you trying to do?’