Kaimoana Tales, Ashton 54

Mrs. de Groot woke them in the morning with a tray of tea and toast. “Good morning, Boys. It is time that you were awake. Did you sleep well, Ashton?”

“Umm, yes, I did, thanks. Thanks for the tea.”

“Enjoy it. Peter, you need to get the fire going please. I will have scrambled eggs for you when you are ready.”

“Thanks, Mother. We’ll be there soon.” Peter sat up and took toast in one hand and tea in the other. “Are you okay, Ashton?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for letting me stay.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Ashton sat there, feeling awkward. Nobody had said anything, but he felt a bit strange being in bed with Peter when his mother was in the same room. He was sure glad that he’d worn the pj’s.

“Do you, ah, do you have friends staying over often?”

“Friends?” Peter smiled. “What friends? No, I’ve never had anyone stay the night before. Ever. It’s a whole new experience for me. Thanks, Ashton.”

“Thank you. I really didn’t want to go home last night. I still don’t, but I’d better.”

“Will your parents be worried about you?”

“Not likely! They won’t even know I’m not there. They don’t give a damm about me; as long as the work’s done, they don’t care.”

“They’re mad! Maybe things will change now that they’ve lost a son?”

“I can’t see it. They won’t change, but I bloody will!”

“That is good,” Peter nodded. “It’ll be good if something good comes out of your poor brother’s dying.”

“Yeah? I think something good has already happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve got you for a friend, haven’t I? That’s good.”

“It is! Very good. You could’ve always had me, you just didn’t know.”

“No, I didn’t. I was blind. You’re a good one, Peter.”

“I’m just me,” he blushed. “You are the special one. Our worlds are so different, we just didn’t come together.”

“Now they have. I’ve got to go home, there’ll be a mess to clean up, but I’ll be back if I can.”

“You can come back any time you want to. You’ll always be more than welcome here.”

“Thank you, My Friend.”

“Now I’d better get up and light the fire. Your clothes are on the chair, I folded them and Mother has left a towel for you. You could get dressed in the bathroom and have a shower if you want to.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that.”

They cleaned up, and then sat at the table and Mrs. de Groot served up big plates of scrambled eggs on toast. They were light and fluffy, but they were almost like omelets, they had chopped onions, tomatoes and herbs in them.

“This is great, Mrs. de Groot. I’ll be as big as a house if you keep feeding me like this.”

“Nonsense. Growing boys need their food. Enjoy it, Ashton. I like to see people eating good food.”

“This is very good food. The eggs are a rich colour.”

“Of course they are, they’re free range and organic fed. We have our own hens, on the hill out at the back. Now, I’m going to clean-up my bedroom. There’s a box of food there. Take it home to your mother when you go. The poor woman won’t be feeling like cooking.”

“She never does, but thanks. That’s nice of you.”

(He’d take it home all right. Suzanne could have some, but the parents wouldn’t – stuff ‘em. It was too good for them.)

When he left, Peter walked out to the car with him. “You’re not going to school today?”

“No. I couldn’t stand that. I’m having the rest of the week off. How come you never go to school?”

“I’m home-schooled, I don’t even have to leave the room. I do my schooling on the desk by my bed.”

“That’d be nice on a wet day.”

“It is nice. I get a bit lonely though.”

“Wrong! Maybe you used to, but not any more. I’ll be back so often you’ll get sick of the sight of me.”

“That is never going to happen. You’ve made me very happy, thanks, Ashton.”

“Thank you, Peter. I’m sad for my brother, but you’ve made me happier than I’ve been for a long time, maybe forever. Thanks for coming and finding me yesterday. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there.”

“I don’t even want to think about that. I’ll always be there for you.”

“Yeah? I think you would too, and that’s good!”

Ashton hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. He got into his car and left before he started crying. Peter went back inside, grinning from ear to ear. Riley was so not going to believe this! His impossible dream had come true – wicked!

Peter hung around home all day, which was not unusual. He did have some errands that he should’ve been doing, but they could wait. It was more important for him to be there if Ashton came back. However, he didn’t.

He was disappointed, but decided that that was just being selfish. He wanted to see him, but Ashton was probably busy. They’d just buried his brother and his family probably needed him there. The Woods would, wouldn’t they? Yes, of course they would.

Even so, he couldn’t help looking up hopefully ever time a car went past. He didn’t show.

After dark, he was lying on his bed, reading a book – on it not in it as he usually did. He had still not quite stopped hoping that Ashton would come back. There was a knock on the door and he flew across the room and opened it before his mother was halfway there.

“Oh. It’s you.”

It was only Riley. Only? Any other time he would’ve been delighted to see his friend.

“Sorry. I was expecting . . .someone else. Hello Riley, how’re you?”

“I’m good. Nice that you’re so pleased to see us. Can we come in for a minute?”

“Of course. I am pleased to see you, I always am. Please come in.”

“Okay. Come on, Jake! Shake a leg or whatever!” He grinned at Peter. “He’s in the toilet.”

“I don’t want to think about that. Come and sit by the fire.”

Riley stepped in the room, Mrs. de Groot looked up and beamed. “Riley! How nice. Come and sit down and I will make us some tea.”

“Hey, Mrs. de Groot. No tea, thanks. We’re not stopping, we just called in for a minute to say hello.”

“Nonsense. It’s chilly out there. Some nice hot tea will warm you up. I’ve got cake.”

“You’ve always got cake. Really, thanks but we don’t want anything. We haven’t got time.”

“Yes you have. There’s always time for tea. Sit down and talk, it won’t take a minute.”

“Well, umm, yeah. Maybe just a taste then.”

“Good boy! Boys need to eat.”

“Mother!” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Shush, Peter. Talk to your friend.”

Jacob appeared out of the dark. “Hey Guys. Sorry about that, I was busting!”

“That’s okay, Jacob. When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. At least you didn’t do it on the vege garden.”

“I thought I was going to have to do it out in the street! We just got here in time. Hey, Mrs. de Groot, how are you?”

“I am very well, thank you Jacob. Thank you for asking. Take a seat by the fire; I am just getting tea.”

“There’s a surprise! No, sorry. Tea would be great, thanks, but we’re really not hungry.”

“Of course you are. Of course you are. Boys are always hungry.”

“Not around here, they’re not.”

“Don’t be cheeky, Jacob.”

“Cheeky? Who, me?”

“Yes you, you scamp. Go away before I have to smack you.”

They exchanged grins and Jacob joined the others by the fire.

“So, Peter, who were you expecting if not us? Is your father due home? No, he wouldn’t knock, would he?”

“No, not Father. I thought that you were Ashton actually.”

“Ashton? Not likely! We don’t even look like him; and we haven’t got a Beamer.”

“I had noticed that.”

“Everyone’s smart tonight. Peter, my friend, why would you think that it was Ashton knocking on your door? Seriously, you’ve really got to get over this obsession with Ashton Woods. He’s got his world and you’ve got yours, and there’s no way that he’s going to come knocking on your door.”

“Don’t you believe it, Riley,” Peter grinned. “Ashton was here yesterday. He gave me a ride home in the Beamer.”

“No! Really?”

“Yes, really. He stayed the night here too; he slept with me.”

“He did not!”

“He did so. Ask Mother, she woke us up this morning.”

“She did? Really?? Damm, Peter, that’s fantastic! How did that happen?”

“Ashton has a place where he goes when he’s feeling down and needs to be by himself. I thought he’d go there after Damian’s funeral and I was worried about him, so I waited there for him. We talked, he brought me home, he didn’t want to go back to his house, so he stayed here. He slept in my bed. Nothing happened, we just slept. He went home this morning; he said that he’d be back, but he hasn’t yet. He’s probably busy with family stuff.”

“Wow! Just wow. That’s great, Peter, really great. Ashton Woods and Peter de Groot!” Riley beamed his approval.

Jacob agreed. “It is great. You’re a fantastic kid, Peter. Ashton is a lucky boy. If I didn’t have my Riley, I’d be chasing you too.”

“Oi!!” Riley protested.

“Shut up, Riley. I’m all yours and you know it, but who wouldn’t want a love like Peter has for that kid?”

“Yeah, you’re right, and Ashton is very lucky. So he hasn’t come back yet? He’s an idiot if he doesn’t. Has he got a big dick?”

“Eww! Shut up, Riley – really shut up! I don’t know and I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

“Fair enough, I suppose. Dammit. Can I be your Best Man?”

“Yeah, right! I can’t see that ever happening, but if I ever need a Best Man, of course it would be you.”

“Yeah, we love you too, don’t we, Jake?”

“Sure we do. You’re our mate, Peter, and we love you.”

“As you should, as you should.” Mrs. de Groot came over with the dreaded tea-trolley, but this time there was surprisingly little on it. She handed them each a small plate with a single, large and round, cookie on it.

“Now, Boys, as you all insist that you are not hungry, I want you to try these and tell me what you think of them. Don’t say that they are nice to be polite. Tell me what you really think. The tea is in the pot, help yourself when you are ready.”

They watched each other as they all took a taste and chewed thoughtfully. They all bit bigger mouthfuls. Jacob swallowed, looked at what was left, and looked up. “Wow!”

“Definitely,” Riley agreed. “You’ve got it, Jake. Wow says it all. Mrs. de Groot, these are fantastic – incredible! You always make good food, but these are something else. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

“Yes, wow,” Jacob grinned. “Got any more? I never want to eat anything else again.”

“It’s wonderful, Mother. Really wonderful. Is this the recipe that Father emailed to me?”

“Yes, it is. Thank you, Boys. It is a recipe that Father and Uncle developed together. Would you like another one?”

Jacob held up his empty plate. “Does a bear shit in the woods? No, sorry, but yes! Please, more!”

“Seriously.” Riley held his plate up as well.

“Just one more then.” She replenished their plates. “If you are still hungry, there is fruit-loaf on the sink-bench.”

“Mrs. de Groot, would you consider selling these in Mum’s café?”

“I don’t think so, Riley, but thank you for asking.”

“But, well, why not then? If people get a taste of these, they’d buy all that you could make. You could make a lot of money.”

“I hope that we do. That is the Plan. You know.”

“The Plan? I hope it works for you.”

“So do we all. If all goes well, we hope to sell thousands of these every week.”

“Thousands?” said Jacob. “How do you plan to do that?”

“Ah, that is for me to know,” she smiled. “Thank you, Boys. I am going to bed now; have a nice visit.”

“’Night, Mrs. de Groot.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Mother.”