The Home Girls (27 page)
Hector leapt to life as if shot and went through the gate with his navy blue suit coat flying behind him. Horrie jumped to the ground bypassing the steps and went after him.
The Went children rose from the verandah edge and watched the old car rock about and swoop to the right and left then straighten up and move not too fast and with a certain air of sedation with Hector running hard behind and Horrie running too and not quite keeping up.
The Wents on the verandah were speechless until a bend took the car and the pursuers out of their view.
Seven year old Tommy spoke first.
“Our Dad's gone to the sea on a Sunday,” he said and there was a little sorrow, some amazement and a lot of reverence in his voice.
But while they stared at the road trying to digest this and wondering why it all looked so empty without the Henrys Horrie came around the bend trotting towards home as if he was a brumby broken away from the mob and aware of the best place to be after all.
He came through the gate looping the wire over the post.
“Gate swingin' open as usual,” he said.
He looked up at Bertha.
“Must be our dinner time,” he said.
“Not too long, love,” said Bertha on the trot to the kitchen.
At the table Horrie helped himself to Bertha's tomatoes, lettuce and shallots and she passed him the vinegar and bread. When he had eaten some he held his knife and fork and shook his head several times while everyone waited.
“It's a wicked, wicked practice,” he said swooping on his food again.
“A fine man like Hector Henry,” he said, an emotional tremor in his voice. “Treated like that.”
Errol sitting by his mother looking up at her. “But our Dad nearly went to the sea on a Sunday, didn't he Mum?” he said.
He was only five. No one paid much attention to him.
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