The Return Home

Part 6

I sighed as I walked Storm to the barn and undid his saddle.

Dustin followed me, waiting for me to answer.

"Yes." I told him as I lifted the saddle off Storm. I rubbed his nose and filled up his food tray and water before doing Chocolates'.

"You know, I was asking around in town. No one recognises me."

I shrugged. "It's been what, twelve years?" I answered him. "The townies are weary of city folk. They only come out here to propose a shopping centre or make a mine."

"I asked if you were still around. No one knew who you were. But you've lived here your whole life."

I brushed my hands and smiled. "The townies are very loyal to the residents here. Besides, no one here knows me as Nora. If I remember correctly, you were the only one that called me that."

"I know."

I feed the cows as I stood on top of a hay bale and kicked one down. I climbed down and sat on one of the bales.

"Nora is too girly. I'm sorry, but after that night, Nora died. The girl you knew is gone." I shook my head as I took off my riding boots.

Ava came in to the barn, an old dress on as she carried her basket. She had gone to collect whatever eggs the birds lay through the day.

"Ava honey," I called to her. Ava placed the basket down and ran up to me.

"Yes, mum?" She asked so innocently.

I knelt down beside her. "This is a very old friend of mine. This is Dustin. He is going to help me around here for a couple weeks." I looked up at Dustin, his facial expression was one of weirdness. "Dustin, this is Ava, my daughter."

Ava stuck her hand out for a shake. "How do you do?" She said as Dustin took her hand. Dustin smiled then I let Ava finish her jobs.

"We have a lot of catching up to do. Come inside, I'll make you a drink and we'll talk while I do dinner."

I placed my boots on as I went through the barn to the house. Dustin followed me and copied my actions, kicking shoes off at the door.

I saw him look around my small house as he went straight to the kitchen.

"This place hasn't changed." Dustin mumbled as I opened the fridge.

"What would you like to drink?" I asked him. "I have tea, coffee, home made juice, water?"

"Water will do."

I poured him a glass and handed it to him before setting up a chopping board and placed some vegetables in front of him.

I sat on the stool in front of Dustin, the small island bench between us as I started dinner.

"So, you've been with your dad?" I asked him. "How did you come about that? I thought you didn't know who he was."

Dustin placed the glass down. "Yeah. He was my next of kin after mum. The police contacted him and he flew in. I was in hospital for a week and then I went to his house. He didn't even know I had existed."

I nodded as I listened.

"So where are you now?"

"I'm a good eight hours away, really."

My eyes widened. "Really? What brings you to this corner of the state?"

Dustin shrugged. "I'm on holidays right now. Work is getting stressful, it's demanding and the only place I could think of was here."

"What do you do for work?" I asked as I went and scrapped the chopped potatoes in to the pot.

"I'm project manager of a building firm."

Okay, no idea what that meant.

"What happened to the house next door?" Dustin asked and my eyes widened. His old house. The house his mother was murdered in, the house he nearly died in, the house that had his step fathers brains all through a room.

"It burnt down about four years ago." I answered. Ava walked in with her basket and went straight to the fridge and took out the needed egg cartoons.

"Here mum. This one is full."

"Thanks." I took it off her and wrote a name on it in large black letters before placing it in the fridge.

"Ava, you forgot your shoes." I said as I saw the mud.

"I'm sorry Mummy." Ava sulked as she went for the mop.

"You run a tight ship here." Dustin muttered to me.

"I have to." I looked up at him. "I have no choice but to."

After dinner and helping Ava with her homework, I wasn't letting Dustin break my routine. He had offered to do the dishes as soon as we had finished so I assumed he was done. I was wrong.

"What happened?" I laughed at him. "Don't tell me that your father over spoilt you?"

Dustin raised an eyebrow and it told me everything. He wasn't the country kid that was my best friend. He wasn't the helpful kid that lent everyone a hand.

Dustin had been molded in to a city man.

"I haven't done dishes in years." He complained. "I never needed to. Dad had maids."

I was gobsmacked. "Really?" I laughed at him. "Look at the rich boy."

I helped Dustin with the dishes and hung the tea towel up to dry for tomorrow.

"So this is what I will have you doing." I told Dustin as I handed him the list. "There is a little room in the barn with a cot bed in there."

Dustin took the list and went out the front door. I sighed at where he was standing minutes ago.

This was all too uncanny. For 12 years, I believed him to be dead. Why wasn't I corrected?