Freya's Story

Freya looked up from her shoe. The lace on the right foot had been successfully tied and the one on the left strategically tucked in. Mariella had noticed it was loose and made them stop.

‘Better now?’ Freya asked, shaking her foot towards her nan.

‘Much. Now come on, let’s go we’re going to be late.’

They were later than planned, but that wasn’t Freya’s fault.

‘Your Grandad asked about you again the other day. Bumped into him down at the shop on the corner. I said about the new job, well, a job, I didn’t specify Hamilton and Bruce.’

‘Good. If he wanted to be in the know then he shouldn’t have been such a dick to you.’

‘Or you,’ Mariella added.

‘Or me, OK. Well if he wasn’t such a dick generally, then he’d still get the newsletter.’

‘You have a …  Oh,’ Mariella started then realised it was probably sarcasm. She’d gradually got used to it over the last several years, but it sometimes caught her off guard.

Freya guided them across the road to the front gate of the youth centre. Freya had something to drop off to one of the other youths that attended. The other person wouldn’t be there currently but she’d be able to leave it with Bamini on reception. She’d been attending the youth club for the last 5 years. The ‘senior’ club was from ages 12 – 19 so she would have another year but then she would have to move on. The vigilante group would take over in some capacity, but she planned to stick with the youth group too in some capacity. It had been a great place for her and they were always after volunteers.

  She told Mariella she had to drop something in quickly and left her at the gate. The path heading to the front of the building was slightly overgrown at the edges. She had always found it odd that a place that ran a gardening club would have these sort of issues. The volunteer that led the club had said getting the kids to sort the gardens out felt a bit like slave labour and funds were limited otherwise so they didn’t hire outsiders either.

‘Hey Bamini,’ Freya said as she reached the front desk.

Bamini held up her finger to stop Freya talking, but smiled at her as a welcome. She then pointed to her ear to show she was on a call.

‘They made you work late again?’ Bamini asked. ‘You have to start standing up to…’

She stopped and listened.

‘OK. But still, they cannot force you to volunteer to work late.’

She stopped again. Freya reached into her bag and pulled out the package she had planned to leave for her friend. It didn’t seem like it was going to wrap up quickly so she thought she would just hand it over with a post it note attached.

‘OK. So you worked late because you were in late. OK. Fine. Let me know when you are home then. You need to start getting up earlier Thivy. Goodbye.’

Bamini pressed her ear to end the call, then looked up at Freya.

‘Sorry, my daughter. I usually speak to her on my break, time difference troubles. She was late.’

‘Not a problem. I got this thing for Esther,’ Freya said, handing over the small box, ‘she’ll be in later, can you make sure she gets it?’

‘You won’t be here?’

‘You know I don’t come on Tuesdays.’

‘You sure? Art club is on tonight.’

‘I never do art,’ Freya said, backing away from the desk. ‘Give me the climbing wall or Jiu-Jitsu any day,’

‘I’ve only ever seen you sat in the lobby chatting,’ a voice said from behind her.

She turned to find Jack. A boy who had been coming for the last few years. She’d always been friendly with him.

‘I mastered all the different activities before you joined up actually. I just come along to support others,’ she said, then looked him up and down, at the long basketball shorts, basketball jersey, and the basketball under his arm. ‘You got a pottery class?’

‘No It’s basketba..

She laughed and tried to grab the ball as she stepped past him but he was slightly too quick for her. She said her goodbyes to both and went back to find Mariella at the end of the path.

 

After she had collected Mariella from the gate they had plodded down the road to their next stop off. A planned one to the shop which was already factored into the timings of the day so nothing that added to any lateness.

‘They look good. Fresh. And colourful,’ Mariella said, pointing to some of the flowers on the stand.

Freya agreed and took them to the self service till. Paid. Then they left the shop together.

‘They’d be proud you know?’ Mariella said, after a few more minutes walk to their destination.

‘I’ve not done anything of note, yet.’ Freya replied as she navigated the front entrance of the cemetery.

‘You’ve done plenty. Aced your exams, Got the job recently, all the work with the youth centre, you’re pretty much a member of staff. They would be proud. Don’t doubt that.’

Freya looked across the headstones to where her parents were resting.

‘That was mostly down to you. And Grandad a bit, at first, but mostly you.’

‘OK,’ Mariella said, placing her hand on Freya’s shoulder. ‘They would be proud of me too.’

As usual Freya went ahead on her own for several minutes. Placed the new flowers and tidied away anything that needed it, and spoke for a while before Mariella joined her.

‘Six years ago,’ Mariella stated, looking at the matching dates on the headstones. Birth dates different of course, but only by a few months. Her dad being the toy boy. ‘ Seemed like a lifetime ago.’

Freya stood silently.

‘Did you tell them about…’

‘The job?’ Freya cut in, ‘Yes. And how the first weeks had gone.’

‘OK. I was going to say about the flashing thing actually.’

Freya laughed, then reached down to hold Mariella’s hand. They stood in silence for a few more minutes before heading home.