BAALEN Way by John Helder

Author:John Helder [Helder, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PublishNation
Published: 2016-11-23T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

Hearts

“Are you sure you want to do this Honey? I can’t protect you out there you know.”

“I know but I want to help.”

“It’s a fact you do girl but we have to think this thing through real careful. You’re good here an’ you’re better placed here than you were in the medi-centre. It’s easier to get the stuff to people here and no-one’s the wiser.

Now if you go out there to a STIR centre again who’s gonna do what you do here?”

“There’ll be someone.”

Bernice Fox backed away and continued to arrange small containers of pills in a shallow tray on a bench beside her.

“Girl you are just too old for your age. Do you know that?”

She finished the tray and placed it on the neat stack of similar trays that rested against the wall.

“Alright, I’ll get you out there. Truth is we need someone out there with your kind of sense. Someone who can think and girl that’s one thing you can do.

It won’t be easy mind and like as not it won’t be pretty neither.

Them boys that work the mines get pretty messed up when things go wrong. I know. I’ve seen it!”

Ayala was unmoved and simply smiled a half smile.

“I’ll be alright. Your man Spanks will look after me.”

“Yes he will. He’s a good man if a might robust in his work an’ by the way he ain’t my man! He’ll be your trainer out there so you mind his words. You hear?”

Ayala Cogan nodded.

“Ol’ Doc Spanks and I go back a long way child. He was the first man I ever …”

She caught the gleam in Ayala’s eye and stopped short of revealing a personal truth.

“That is he was my first Trainer too. Now come over here Honey.”

Obediently and willingly Ayala moved towards the all embracing arms of Bernice Fox.

“I’m gonna miss you girl. You know that don’t you?”

She felt the young girl’s head nod and move against her ample bosom.

“We’ll be in touch regular of course but I’ll just miss seein’ them freckles of yours and all that smile.”

The hug that was already making breathing difficult tightened and Ayala felt sure that she would feint through lack of oxygen. Fortunately Bernice released her before that happened.

“Go on then. Get your things and report to Transfers. They’ll have all your details ready.”

Suddenly the young girl looked so much more grown up and independent.

“Ayala Honey.”

Prospect Cogan stopped at the door of the now spotless consulting room.

“You take care now. You hear?”

Ayala Cogan’s feet were barely across the threshold when her resolve faltered. She turned and ran without looking up back into the strength of her mentor’s arms. There she clung to the uniform of Bernice Fox and sobbed into her warm ampleness.

“There, there Honey. It’s alright. It ain’t nothin’ but the fear of growin’ an’ we all of us have to deal with that.”

She rocked the girl gently and stroked her neatly bunched hair. Poor creature she, like all the Baalen children, was given up to STIR at the age of three and rarely saw her own mother now.

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