Page 38 of Return to the Waratah Inn

“Hello. This is Reeda.”

“Hi, Reeda. It’s Noreen here. I have good news.” Noreen’s voice was filled with promise.

Reeda’s heart stood still. “Oh? What is it?”

“There’s a family of three children who need an emergency placement. Are you up for it?”

Reeda held her breath for a moment, eyes wide. Was she? Could she do this? She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m up for it.”

Noreen gave her the details as Reeda sat in her sweltering car. She turned the keys in the ignition and dialled up the air-conditioning as she absorbed what Noreen was saying. When she hung up the phone, she sat there a few minutes longer, staring unblinking at the gum trees in front of her vehicle as they swayed with the ocean breeze.

Three children. The youngest was six. It was more than she’d planned for. But she’d agreed to do this. If they couldn’t have children of their own, they wanted to give that love to kids who needed it. And these three clearly needed someone to love and care for them, even if it was only for a short while. Noreen told her that the parents had moved to Australia from Burma after ongoing violence had forced them into homeless. But that the children’s father had left home not long after their arrival in Australia, their mother had turned to drugs and alcohol to escape her own reality, and as a result, had lost the children repeatedly over the years to the foster system. Every time she pulled herself back together and won custody again, she would inevitably return to her addiction within months and the cycle would repeat itself.

Reeda wanted to give these children a period of calm, however long it might last, within the stormy waters of their life. With a new resolve, she drove to the shops and picked out items she thought they’d need. Three toothbrushes, some toothpaste for kids, three soft toys, three brightly coloured towels. She wasn’t sure what else to get at this stage, so she picked out some pyjamas that she thought might be about the right sizes and then bought groceries for a child-friendly dinner of sausages and mashed potatoes with peas and gravy. She took it all home and got to work preparing the guest room and guest bathroom for the impending arrivals.

Before long, Duncan pulled into the garage and hurried to meet her in the kitchen where she had begun making dinner. He kissed her cheek. “When do they arrive?”

“In about an hour,” she replied, her stomach twisting into a knot. She was so nervous, she couldn’t think straight. “I’m worried I’ve forgotten something they’ll need.”

“Whatever it is, we can get it later. It’s going to be okay. No, it’s going to be great.” He cupped her cheek with one hand. “We can do this.”

“I know you’re right.” His encouragement calmed her anxiety.

As soon as dinner was made and set in the fridge on covered plates, the doorbell rang. Reeda exchanged an anxious look with Duncan, smoothed both palms down the front of her slacks, and they walked together to the front door to answer it.

When the door opened, Noreen shook their hands and ushered three children into the house. She made introductions and then left before Reeda had a chance to thank her or process what was happening. The door shut behind her and Reeda looked at the three kids, all sporting wary expressions on tired faces.

“Hi,” Reeda said.

Duncan added, “I’m Duncan, and this is Reeda. We’re going to take care of you.”

“Yeah, we know,” said the oldest child. Noreen had introduced her as Simone. She had a shock of straight black hair and dark brown eyes and a button nose. Noreen had told them she was twelve years old.

“You must be tired, so I’ll show you to your room. You’re sharing. I hope that’s okay. I thought you might like to be together.”

“Whatever,” Simone replied.

The other two children remained silent. A boy called Marc who was eight years old, and a six-year-old girl named Carly. All three of them followed Reeda meekly to the bedroom. She’d decorated it in bright colours and pushed a set of bunkbeds against one wall, with a double bed on the other. There was a rug on the floor, and several sets of toy boxes. She hadn’t known what age of children they’d get when she’d set up the space, but she was happy with how it’d come together.

“So, here’s your room. Simone, yours is the double bed. Marc, would you mind taking the top bunk? And Carly, you can have this bottom one. There are towels on the end of the bed, and the bathroom is down the hall if you’d like to take a shower. I’ve made tea, so as soon as you’re ready, wash your hands and come on out for a hot meal.”

She waited for a response, but the children avoided eye contact and stood quietly. Each held a plastic shopping bag clutched close to their bodies. Reeda’s heart squeezed. She wanted so badly to tell them everything would be okay, that they were safe here, but she knew it wouldn’t mean anything to them in that moment. It would take time for them to build trust.

“Okay, well, I’ll be in the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything.”

She left them alone, her thoughts in a jumble. Should she have said more? What could she do to make them feel at home?

Duncan stood in the kitchen, staring into the open refrigerator with a blank expression. She touched his arm, and he startled. “Oh, sorry. I was off with the fairies.”

“I’m going to heat up tea. Do you want some?”

“Yes, please. How did they go? I didn’t want to crowd them, so I stayed back. Do you think I should’ve come in there as well?”

She shook her head. “No, you did the right thing. They’re clearly struggling to come to terms with whatever they’ve been through. I don’t know what we should do, to be honest. But giving them some space is probably a good start.”

“This is so surreal,” Duncan said as he helped Reeda pull the plates out of the fridge.

“I know. I can’t believe there are three children in our house.”