The next couple of days flew by and pretty soon it was Saturday. Bailey’s only plans for the day, after working his four-hour morning shift, were doing laundry and a few household tasks. Plus he’d picked up a new box of books for sorting. He’d been grateful to get Ryan’s text that morning, wanting to hang out, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have spoken to another soul until later that evening when he was planning to do a quick round of the city. He’d put a load into the washing machine, bought a few groceries, and picked up Ryan on his way home, happy to have someone give him a hand with the books.
“I hope you’re not planning on leaving the van there.”
Bailey stiffened as his landlord’s voice cut across the front yard. He looked at Ryan, who rolled his eyes, before steeling himself and slowly turning around.
Mr Green stood on the top step of the old house, arms folded across his chest, his displeasure obvious even from across the expanse of sparse grass.
“Not for long, Mr Green. Just unloading a few things.”
“You park there too often. That spot’s for visitors. I shouldn’t have to keep telling you.”
“I’ll only be a moment. The boxes are really heavy and I’ve got some groceries. There weren’t any parking spaces nearby on the street and it’s too hard to carry the boxes that far plus the shopping bags. I’ll move the van once we’ve got everything inside.”
Mr Green narrowed his eyes and Bailey prepared for a lecture, but the old man must have changed his mind. “Make sure you do.” With a final glare, he turned and went back into the house.
Bailey exhaled and turned back to the van.
“He’s an arsehole,” Ryan said, as he opened the back of the van.
“He’s just old,” Bailey justified. “He doesn’t have much family, at least no one that cares to spend any time with him, and there’s nothing else in his life so he fusses over stuff like this.”
They both leaned into the back of the van and reached for the large box.
“He may be old, but that’s no reason to get pissed off about everything,” Ryan said. “And no wonder he doesn’t have any close family. I mean, who would want to hang around someone like that?”
“You’ll be old one day.”
“God help me.” Ryan shuddered, his arms full with the heavy box.
Bailey used his hip to slam the van door shut.
They carried the boxes down the side path to the entrance of Bailey’s apartment, the journey made more difficult by the overgrown foliage and the uneven sandstone pavers, but eventually the boxes were sitting on the living room floor.
“No wonder you don’t have to go the gym, what with lugging these boxes around all the time.” Ryan flexed his arm, making exaggerated movements. Bailey laughed at his teasing. Ryan was all about hitting the gym, something Bailey had neither the inclination or time for. Not to mention the money.
“Actually, the donations have been drying up a bit lately so I mightn’t have to lug as many boxes around. You want a beer?”
“Nah. I’ve got to go out later. I’ll take a tea or coffee if you’re offering though?”
“A tea?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“Jesus, what’s happened to my friend Ryan?” Bailey looked around the room. “I thought he was here a moment ago—”
“Dickhead.” Ryan punched Bailey’s upper arm, his smile wide. “I’ll tell you about it later. In the meantime, why don’t you go move the van so arsehole landlord doesn’t key it or something, and I’ll put the kettle on.”
“Cool.”
By the time Bailey got back to the apartment, Ryan had installed himself on the couch with two steaming mugs of tea on the coffee table in front of him. “You took your time.”
Bailey flopped onto the couch. “I had to park three blocks away.”
“Ah, the joys of city living.” The sarcasm in Ryan’s voice was heavy. “Can you ask the landlord from hell for off-street parking?”
“You think I haven’t tried that already?” Bailey reached for the tea. “He’s got the garage full of stuff and according to him, needs the spot out front for his visitors. Not that he ever actually has any guests except for his obnoxious grandson who only visits a couple of times a year. But it’s okay. I knew the situation when I moved in—no parking and having to use a local resident’s pass to park on the street.”
“Maybe you could pay extra for the privilege of parking on the arsehole’s lawn?”
Bailey shook his head. “Even if Mr Green would allow it, I can’t afford it. Relatively low rent was one of the reasons the apartment was so appealing.”
“How are things going in that department?”
“Oh God,” Bailey groaned. “I’m not going to lie. It’s bloody tough. Between rent, living expenses, and keeping the van running, it’s a continuous juggle.”
“I’m sorry about work, or more accurately, the lack thereof,” Ryan said.
When Bailey first started at the energy company, the job was only part-time but with the potential to increase to full-time hours. Unfortunately that potential had never eventuated. With the state of the economy, the company was trying to watch costs and placing more positions offshore, which meant no increased hours. The economy also made hunting for a new job difficult, something Bailey knew from the continued knock-backs to his job applications.
“It is what it is.” Bailey shrugged. “I’ll get through. I always do. So tell me about you, what’s the news you wanted to tell me?”
“Well….” Ryan looked uneasy. He placed his mug on the table and swivelled to face Bailey.
“C’mon. It can’t be that bad.” Or can it? God, I’m sick and tired of hearing bad news all the time. Everyone I know seems to be facing some kind of challenge.
“You know how I mentioned the job offer?” Bailey nodded, and Ryan continued. “I know I said my chances of getting the job were next to nothing, but it came through.”
Bailey grinned at his friend, so relieved. This was good news. Ryan was eager for a promotion and this job was also something Bailey knew his friend needed. Ryan would benefit from a break from Sydney—a fresh start, so to speak. “That’s amazing, Ryan. Fucking unreal. When did you find out? When do you leave?”
“Hold on. Hold on.” Ryan laughed. “They confirmed everything yesterday. I’ll finish up here in Sydney at the end of the month, so not long to go now, and I start the overseas secondment the month after. I’ll have four weeks to pack my stuff up and get my arse to the Philippines.”
“Wow! That’s fast. I’ll miss you. It won’t be the same without you.” Bailey tried not to let his disappointment show, because it really was fabulous for Ryan. “But such a great opportunity for you.”
“I’ll miss you too. But it could be a great opportunity for you as well. I can put in a good word for you.”
Bailey snorted. “For your old job? You’ve got to be kidding. You know me. I’d hate that.”
Ryan looked at him from under raised brows. “It’d mean more money.”
“Even if I was interested, they won’t even employ me full-time on the phones, so what hope would I have of getting a promotion? And aren’t cutbacks still possible?”
“I’m not sure. But until there’s an announcement, it’s BAU. At least think about the position.”
The thought of doing Ryan’s job—managing a team of customer service reps and dealing with escalated customer complaints and upper management—made Bailey’s skin crawl. Think of the money. “I will,” he forced himself to say, knowing Ryan wouldn’t give up on encouraging him otherwise. It was great to have a friend who cared so much about him, but Bailey wasn’t up to discussing his future.
Ryan thankfully dropped the subject. “Plus, just think—you’ll have somewhere to stay when you come over for a holiday.”
As if I could afford that. “Yeah, sounds fun. Seeing all the sights of Manila.”
“We’re going to have to do something big for my farewell. Maybe you’ll let me drag you out for big night on the town? It’s about time you got out more, and I’m worried what’ll happen when I’m not around to push you to test your limits. You’ll become a hermit.”
“Hey, I get out.” As image of Tom filled his mind and Bailey smiled at the thought of their next encounter.
Ryan quirked a brow. “All right. Out with it.”
“What?”
“Don’t you ‘what’ me. You’ve got a smile as wide as the Harbour Bridge on your face.”
Bailey chuckled. “Just thinking about my last date.”
Ryan sat up straight. “Your last what?”
“Date. At least I think it was a date.”
“Was there a man involved?”
Bailey nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“Was there dinner or drinks or a movie or a show involved?’
“Uh-huh. Dinner. At my place.”
“Ohh… definitely sounding like a date then. And why don’t I already know about this? I need details, man.”
“Well, you remember Tom from Take Two?”
Ryan’s eyebrows were nearly to his hairline. “You and hot barista guy? Wow, I didn’t think you had it in you. Well done, Bailey.”
Ryan raised his hand to high-five and Bailey pushed it away with a huff. “I think congratulations are a bit premature. It was only a casual dinner.”
“No sex?” Ryan pouted.
Bailey laughed. “Not yet.”
“But you’d tap that, right?”
Bailey rolled his eyes and ignored the question. “I like him. He’s a good guy.”
“With a cute butt.”
Bailey sighed. “He’s got a cute everything.”
Oh God, he had it bad.
* * *
“Hey, Emma?” She looked around as Bailey neared. He approached cautiously. She was nervous, like a skittish colt who looked ready to bolt at any moment, eyes flitting from Bailey to the van, obviously checking to see where Cassie and Jude were and no doubt making sure she had an escape route. It pulled at Bailey’s heart to see so much fear in someone so young and he wondered what—or more likely who—had put that fear in her eyes.
“What?”
Bailey ignored her curt tone. Over the weeks he’d known her, he’d realised her brusque manner was her defence mechanism. Bailey steeled himself to broach the subject he wanted to talk to her about. “Emma, maybe this is none of my business….” She scowled and Bailey was tempted to change what he was going to say, but backing off so as not to offend Emma wasn’t going to help her, not in the long run. He started again. “Listen, I’ve noticed you looking at the books. I know you’re interested in them—”
“I’m not.”
“And I’m wondering if there’s a reason you don’t want to borrow any of them. I mean there’s no obligation to return them and therefore absolutely no real reason for you not to borrow one.” She bit her lower lip and glanced to the van where her friends were currently congregated. “Emma?” Bailey waited until she was looking at him again. “Do you have trouble reading?”
Her already tense shoulders stiffened further but she didn’t say anything. No denial. Bailey looked to the van where the others were rummaging and paying them no attention. Still, he lowered his voice. “If you can’t read, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Lots of people have difficulty.”
She nodded slowly, the movement hardly noticeable. Her voice was soft when she finally spoke. “I’m not good at reading.”
Bailey nearly shouted with joy that Emma had finally opened up. Her eyes were downcast, and her statement was barely above a whisper, but she had admitted what Bailey had suspected for some time.
“How far did you get with school?”
Emma’s gaze flicked to his before she focused on a non-existent loose thread on her jacket cuff. “I went till year ten.”
“That’s great.”
“But I did shit.”
Bailey wondered if her results were as bad as she was saying, and if they were, was it the outcome of poor teaching, Emma’s own ability or her not putting in any effort, or a combination of the two? But Cassie had told him that Emma was smart, and he got that sense too, so he had a fourth option.
“Emma, do you have a learning disorder? Dyslexia?”
She looked up, but only briefly. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m stupid. I tried really hard but nothing ever made sense at school.”
“Dyslexia doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It just means you need to learn differently to everyone else because you see letters and words differently. Did your family or someone at your school try to help you?”
“Sort of. But it didn’t make any difference.” She shrugged and plucked at that imaginary thread again. “Dad still said I was dumb.”
Damn. How easy is it for a parent’s attitude and actions to impact badly on a kid? Now Bailey felt even more compelled to help.
“Would you like to see if I can help you?” She looked at him, eyes wide. He smiled, grateful that he now had her full attention. Listening was a start. “I mean, I’m not an expert or anything but I’d be willing to try to help.” He didn’t even know how much assistance she’d need. There were different levels of dyslexia, weren’t there? Would it even be something Bailey would be able to do? Maybe it was something that needed specialist training?
Emma glanced towards Cassie and Jude. “I don’t want….”
“They don’t need to know.”
She looked somewhat hopeful. “Maybe.”
“How about I do a bit of research and find out if this is something I can even help with? I can look into specialists, you know, experts in this type of thing. There may be classes you could attend.” Emma appeared to shrink at Bailey’s words so he back-pedalled slightly. “You don’t need to make a decision now. Let me see what I can find out and we can discuss it then.”
Emma nodded, somewhat reluctantly, but it was a start. He wanted to punch the air in celebration of the small step, but satisfied himself with a grin before heading back to the van to hurry things along. He couldn’t wait to get home to start researching.