138 Because we can

The Little Red Haired Girl

138 Because We Can

On their daily walks, they often went past the Pumphouse. It made Body shudder but it was good to see it all the same because it made them realise just how far they had come from being stuck in such a dark place. It seemed a long time ago and as if it was yesterday both at the same time, an odd sensation.

In the course of them finishing the house, Body threw away a lot of items that reminded Heart of Noswad. Not that he ever bought her anything, but the things Body had collected with a view to their future life together. Body also threw away a lot of clothes. Clothes that reminded her of the last time she wore them. Going to the beach bar with Noswad, or the club, or the only truly romantic meal they had out together at the Italian restaurant when everything appeared to be so hopeful. Body threw them all out, anything and everything that reminded Heart of Noswad. It was a painful process but needed to be done. Throwing away parts of her past life. She became a stranger to her old self.

Heart got Body to phone her daughter, but try as she might daughter would not accept that there was anything awry or hidden from Body, yet Spirit knew there was. Intuition was telling Body so and she had to act on it. There would be no more communication between them until the truth (whatever it was) came out. It seemed a drastic course of action for a mother to do, but all five of them decided that whatever the hidden truth was, they could not gloss over it and pretend that everything was Ok when intuition was screaming it was not.

The same happened with family members but in a less direct manner as Body phoned them less the less they phoned her, and so it was.
It hurt Heart intensely but there was no point in pretending anymore. Body knew the family had something to hide too but just couldn’t put a finger on what exactly. There was no point in feeling uneasy and uncomfortable with them anymore. They all decided Body was better off on their own and blocked Heart would love the family from a distance and as a matter of self protection and preservation.

Body, Spirit and Soul took pleasure in simpler things nowadays. A particular cloud pattern in the sky, the scent of the Eucalyptus and the calls of the birds sitting amongst it. The sun on her shoulders and the brightly coloured wild flowers that lay in her path on her walks. She had and took the time to appreciate it all.

Throwing the curtains wide every morning and seeing the start of a new day and being grateful to see it, and thanking God, Big voice, the universe, the ancestors, whoever for being a dot on a massive beautiful picture.

With meditation and prayer Body slowly started to feel better as Spirit protected her from the bad vibes still present in the house. Glass jars were still being dug up in the garden, the feeling of being watched was still present. Body’s phone being problematic and possibly hacked and the constant scam calls. At least practical jobs within the house ran smoother and when it didn’t, Body switched jobs and went back to the previous one at a later date. Why it worked Body didn’t know nor did Brain, but it did, almost like they were confusing the enemy whoever that was, by switching the job and the energy it required from Body. Pain management? Yes, it helped Body to use different muscle groups too but there was something more to it. Who knows what?

Body kept up with the salt baths, burning sage and lighting a white candle at night time. All of which comforted her and became a habit along with prayer and meditation.
Brain and Body worked hard on preparing the court papers and evidence for prosecuting the builder in advance of their final decision whether to proceed to court or not. They gathered it all together and organised what they might need and hoped that the justice system would have their back. They had recently found out it did not. Now it was a civil court action not a criminal one apparently. It is not a criminal offense to defraud the government of tax on earnings, defraud the client or to provide substandard and unsafe work as a service for the customer. So be it. Integrity would appear to be a dirty word. They would consider Soul’s suggestion of writing a letter to the builder once the house was sold and see if what (if any) reaction it provoked from the builder.

Body watched collective Tarot readings on Facebook to see if any predictions about where their life was heading could be gleaned. Body listened for signs and clues within them to see if they resonated with her life. Some did, some didn’t. Numbers and dates could be relevant and descriptions of people. She tried to find the hidden information that she felt sure was being kept from her but also tried to remain objective about whether the reading may apply to her. They were general readings after all. She found and liked a couple of readers she liked and understood well and stuck with them, and Brain also learnt as she watched and listened about the subject itself which Brain had never been interested in before. Body found comfort amongst it as she spent time alone, and some readers described her life with astounding accuracy involving real dates and characters.

Body watched TV occasionally but it became less and less as Heart struggled with the news it heard. Heart could not cope with what was happening in the world and its disasters. It made Body cry. So live TV was avoided and films were chosen instead.

Time inched by but Body really didn’t notice it. They got used to not looking for the clock face, or the digital numbers, within the Pumphouse, so now the alarm was never set, the clock not wound, the watch never worn. An appointment, a shop or bank opening times was the only ‘time’ they needed to know.
“Never had the time to go to work” stated Brain “is what most retired people say. It’s common with retired people.”
“Is it?” Body asked. “It feels strange to me. I was always in such a hellfire rush all my life.”
“Like I said, it’s called retirement” Brain reinstated.
“No, I feel different. Like I’m a different person. I don’t recognise myself in the mirror anymore.”
“That’s old age. You are seeing your Body age that’s all.”
“No I expect and know that. That’s not it. I don’t recognise the person I see behind the eyes. Eyes don’t age or change that much. I don’t recognise what’s behind them.”

“You mean we have changed” called Spirit.
“Maybe that’s it, I don’t know” Body admitted.
“We actually like us better. We see all of us and like us better. We don’t have to fight with ourselves anymore which makes us more content” Spirit assessed.
“It could be that” stated Brain “although it can’t be proven of course.”
Body rolled its eyes to the heavens, some things obviously hadn’t changed.

“I object to that” Brain argued “I am far more open minded about ‘things’ than I used to be and when we have finished this house, I would suggest a learning course of some type. In what exactly I don’t know. I don’t know what questions to even ask? If we are all interested in doing a course of some type that is?”
“A good call” enthused Spirit.
“If we have some money left it would be good” agreed Body.
“I would love to” cried Heart.
“What do you say Soul?” Brain asked.
“Yes I agree. But what direction? What are we talking about? Do we want religious studies? Spiritual learning? Astrology? I don’t know our path” Soul sighed and they were all silent. It was not often Soul had no particular path in mind.

“We could draw and paint like at Art class” the Little Red Haired Girl suggested.
“Oh hello littleun” cried Heart “is that what you would like?”
“Cannot be a ballet dancer anymore” she stated as she looked at Body “so we can try something else pretty”
“She means creative” stated Brain.
“We could” cried Heart “something just for us to do for ourselves. Just because we enjoy it.”

“Can my brother and sisters do it too?” the child asked.
“Not at the moment” Body replied “they won’t want to for now but maybe one day they will want to join us.”
“But that’s not fair. We have to make everything fair especially nice stuff like Dandelion and Burdock and sweets at the end of a school week don’t we? Don’t we have to make it fair Heart?”
“Yes child, when we can but they have to want to, it’s there choice too.”

“Can our friends come?”
“If they like” called Spirit “we may even make some new friends.”
“So we can have a better playtime? Like on holidays? We can play bigger games like footy and rounders.”
“Yes like on holidays” Soul sighed at the childs endeavour to make a happier path.

“A permanent holiday is what retirement is or so they say” stuttered Brain as it got Body to survey all the gruelling work on the house and totted up instantly what there was still to do.
“Will Miss tell us off and say we are no good at painting?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore child. We can do it just for fun” called Spirit.

“Because we can?”
“Yes child” cried Heart “just because we can and there is no one it can harm and no one to tell us otherwise.”