Another Today, Another Tomorrow - C5

5

Kitty was first to wake at a little past six o’clock.  Though she was still feeling a bit sad at leaving her cats- especially her beloved Mr Boots- mom had promised to feed and look after the whole cat family as if they were her own.
She checked her bags carefully and made sure all her drawing books and pencils were together.  Kitty had gone through a whole range of emotions since Sunday, but she was no longer upset at going away.  In fact, it was quite the opposite; she was very excited about the upcoming adventure, and she’d even stopped having nightmares.  With each passing day she thought about new things she would be able to do at Aunt Mary’s, and she constantly asked mom about the cottage where they’d be staying and the surrounding village.  Kitty had decided to make a picture book filled with lots of drawings and to start a journal with a diary entry for each day of all the things she got up to.  She might even take it to school to show the class if mom said it was ok.
‘Get up sleepyhead!’ Kitty hollowed on the landing outside Michael’s room.  ‘The sooner we have breakfast the sooner we can get there.’
‘Oh what joy,’ came the muffled reply.
Julie cooked a big breakfast of eggs, beans, bacon and toast.  They scoffed it down quickly and had seconds.
‘Better go get your bags,’ said Julie after everything was cleaned away.  ‘Put them in the boot so you have plenty of room inside the car.  It might be a long drive if we get caught in the traffic.  I know what you two are like just going to the shops.’
Once the car was packed up and Michael and Kitty had their seat-belts on, Julie ducked back into the house and went upstairs.  Michael’s laptop was exactly where she’d seen it the night before, and she smiled to himself.
‘Did you forget something, mom?’ Kitty asked when she came back to the car.
‘No.  I thought maybe one of you had though.’
Michael smiled inwardly.  He could now start to relax.

The drive to Badderly took an hour and a half.  The main roads out of London were slower than normal because of some weekend road works and the wet weather, but things cleared up once they were off the motorway and the sun came out.
Kitty was in awe with the green fields and winding roads.  It had been ages since she had travelled out of the city, and her face was pressed up to the window most of the way.  She studied the passing houses and farms, and tried to count all the cows and horses as they went about their morning strolls in the surrounding meadows.  If Badderly looked as scenic as this, then her picture book would be filled in no time.
Michael was also staring out the window, but he wasn’t taking in any of the views.  He was more concerned with how long it would be before he’d be playing computer games.  The drive felt agonisingly long; five minutes seemed like an hour.  But with each turn on the road, they were getting closer.  The roads got narrower and they passed less and less traffic going the other way.  Big new petrol stations gave way to run down old stations with just the one pump and sometimes an adjoining mechanic’s.  Stretches of road between towns and villages seemed longer as they moved further away from the city and into the isolation of the countryside.
Julie started to slow the car down.  ‘Sign up ahead kids, look.’
Kitty craned her head over Michael’s shoulder to see.  There was one with an aircraft and arrow image pointing to the left, and another one that said, ‘Badderly.  Three miles.’
‘Cool!’ she exclaimed.
Michael was just as enthusiastic, but for different reasons.  ‘Badderly, eh?  Bet this place is real bad,’ he said to himself.
Badderly seemed to sneak up on them.  A few minutes later they came to a small roundabout and turned right.  No sooner had they done so when another sign announced, ‘Welcome to Badderly’.  There were a few scattered farms and cottages before the fields gave way to a row of houses along the side of the road followed by some shops and a pub.  Next they drove over an old bridge with a fast running river below and Kitty caught sight of a mill in the distance.
‘It doesn’t operate anymore,’ Julie said, noticing Kitty’s eagle eye.  ‘But Aunt Mary lives only a half a mile away from it and I’m sure you can go for a nice walk to see it up close one of the days.’
The road curved around a hill towards the back of the mill, and the landscape went back to more farms and cottages.
‘Not much here,’ Michael said.  ‘Blink and you miss it.’
‘Nearly there,’ said Julie, turning down a long windy gravel road.
Moments later they arrived.  The cottage was an old stone building with a thatched roof.  It was set back from the road slightly behind a well kept rose garden.  On one side was a wooden shed with a broken window and to the other a small area with vegetables and fruits was fenced off.
The view was spectacular.  Two hills were connected in the background by the same river they’d driven over only a few minutes ago.
‘Like it?’ Julie asked.
Kitty nodded excitedly while Michael gave his trademark shrug of the shoulders.
‘Lets go see if Aunt Mary’s awake,’ said Kitty.
‘Oh she will be,’ said Julie.  ‘Aunt Mary gets up at five o’clock every morning.  And she’ll probably expect the same of you two.  No exceptions.’
Michael groaned.  The sooner he could be alone, the better.

Aunt Mary opened the front door just before Kitty was about to knock it.  ‘I’ve been looking forward to today all week!’ she exclaimed, and gave Kitty and Michael a big hug.  Kitty returned the hug, but Michael kept his hands thrust down deep in his pockets.  If she noticed his lack of enthusiasms, she didn’t make a fuss of it.  ‘How are you all?  I bet you hardly remember me!’
‘Just a tiny bit,’ said Kitty.  ‘I think I saw you at a Christmas party once.’
‘And what about you, Michael?’ said Aunt Mary.  ‘Do you remember your old auntie?’
‘Guess,’ said Michael with a grimace.
‘Well, do come inside.  It’s still early and a bit chilly out here.  Julie dear- are you going to stop for a cup of tea before you go?’
‘Love to,’ Julie said.

Michael and Kitty took their bags to their rooms and unpacked.  Michael made sure the door was closed and hid the laptop under the bed.  He threw one of his jumpers over the top then covered it with one of the bed pillows for good measure.  Satisfied it was well hidden and safe from prying eyes, he returned to the lounge room where his mom was finishing her tea with Aunt Mary in front of a roaring fire.  Kitty was sitting cross-legged on the floor staring into the flames.
‘Now are you absolutely sure this is ok,’ Julie said.  ‘I don’t want them being a handful for you.’
Aunt Mary waved the thought away and her green eyes sparkled.  ‘They will be just fine, Julie.  Please stop worrying.’
Michael looked around the lounge room, taking in all the photo frames and ornaments.  He counted at least thirty, and was surprised to see a couple of photos were of him and Kitty when they were younger.  There was even one of his mom and dad, taken just before they were married.  As he scanned the room looking for any other photos that might be of interest, a strange looking object caught his eye.  It wasn’t a photo of all, but a twisted piece of metal almost a metre long in a glass frame with a wooden frame.  There was nothing to indicate what it was or its significance.
‘Aunt Mary was just telling me that she’s been having a bit of a problem with the phone of late,’ Julie said, turning to Michael.  ‘So don’t worry if you can’t call out or I can’t call in.  I’ll try and phone about seven o’clock each night to have a chat though, ok?’
‘Sure mom,’ said Michael, smiling.  This was a bonus- if Kitty caught him using the laptop, she’d be bound to rat on him.  But if the phone wasn’t working, he wouldn’t have to worry until it was time to go home.  By then maybe she’d have forgotten about it.  Coming out to the country was having its benefits after all.  Michael picked up the TV remote and pressed the main button.  The TV came to life but the image was all blurred and fuzzy.
‘The TV’s been on the blink too,’ said Aunt Mary with a wry grin.  ‘That’s about the best picture I’ve seen all week actually.  Maybe if you wouldn’t mind Michael, you can have a look at it for me when your mom’s gone.’