Donna was born in Edinburgh and has lived
and worked in Hong Kong, London, Johannesburg and Auckland. Donna vividly
remembers waking up early to eat biscuits and read Enid Blyton stories when she
was a youngster. English language and literature has been a constant love in
her life and recently Donna has started to create stories of her own. She is a Story Mint member.
He’d slept for 12 hours, and when he woke
the tiredness in his limbs was gone and the late morning sun was spilling
through the cracks in the curtains and onto the faded carpet. Somewhere on the drive to the hotel, he’d
decided to stay in Rawene. He didn’t know if it would be for a week, a month or
even longer, the decision was enough for the moment.
The rage he’d felt at his cancelled
contract had caught him off guard. All that money spent on therapy had really
paid off, he thought wryly. His anger
was still ready to pour through the smallest chink in the armour he’d created,
threatening to plunge him into the darkness again. He sighed out his
defeat. Nothing had changed but he knew
that it was a gift being in a place like this where no one knew what he’d done.
His
life had become reduced to this hotel room and the bright red Boat Shed cafe.
Every morning the girl behind the counter tilted her head. “The usual?” she asked, and every morning he
smiled his answer. He’d ordered eggs and coffee for seven days now and he
couldn’t disappoint her. He didn’t know her name but the odd familiarity
between them was comforting. So was ‘his’ table in the corner where he watched
the ferry disgorging several times a day its load of squabbling children and
worn out parents, and cars filled with body boards, chilly bins and sand.
He’d
become accustomed to the cafe. The scraping of chairs on the bare floor and the
clatter of the coffee machine were soothing and he liked watching the people
come and go from the safety of his corner. But today there was a difference. He
noticed it as soon as he took his position. Above the chaos there was a new
disturbance and automatically his attention focused there, a table within
eavesdropping distance.
The
three men looked out of place in fluoro jackets, hard hats and boots. They were
sitting awkwardly drinking tea. One was
tapping stubby fingers on the table top while the others spoke. He caught
snatches of conversation……. bloody
idiot………..a kid……… trouble”.
There was something urgent in their voices that made him uncomfortable
and suddenly he thought of Hinewehi and her chattering. He’d forgotten his
promise to visit her but he hadn't forgotten their strange talk. Why had her
mother not wanted the little girl to see her father or uncle?
Grant finished his coffee and walked outside
into the sunshine needing to shake off his unease. Across the street, people
were crowding into the Four Square for ice-creams and cold drinks before
heading to more glamorous destinations. His mood lifted and he resolved to find
out where Hinewehi lived. I’ll bring her into town for an ice-cream, he
thought.
Relieved to have reached one decision, he
started to cross the road.
“It’s Grant, isn’t it? I’m Sandra. Sandra
Richter. Can I have a word?”
copyright Donna McTavish 2014
Follow this current serial - http://www.thestorymint.com/serials/kauri-jewel
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