Chapter Fifteen

"Are you done?", Caro asked, looking at his notebook.

"Almost," the boy replied, scribbling furiously.

"What about you?", she asked, turning to his brother. "Are you done, I... you're Ian, right?"

"No. Moses."

"Okay. Ian, Moses... Ian, Moses... Ian, Moses," she recited in a bid to remember who was on her left and who was on her right. "So how can I tell who's who after you both leave here?"

"He's the stupid one," Moses said, pointing at his twin.

"He's the crazy one," Ian shot back.

"Okay, okay! It's okay. Just go back to your works."

"I'm done," Moses announced, triumphantly slamming his pen down on his book.

"I finished first!", Ian countered.

"That's a lie! I finished first!"

"You finished second!"

"That was you, liar!"

As they quarreled and called each other names, Caro sighed and shook her head in frustration. Fighting children was not something she was unused to, but children fighting without fists was certainly not familiar to her. She knew that talking would do no good, so she simply looked at their books.

"Hey Moses, where's your full stop?"

As that twin added the full stop in defeat, the other one was beginning to mock him. So Caro turned to him.

"Ian, why didn't you dot that i?"

"But it's dotted!"

"Are you sayin I'm blind?"

He went back to the i and dotted it properly. And peace reigned.

"Is there anything else to be done?", Caro demanded.

"No", the boys chorused, packing their books. "Thank you, Aunty Carol."

"You're welcome," Caro beamed, almost blushing.

It was the first time she had ever been called 'Aunty' and it sounded nice.

"What was that about?", Trisha asked from behind Caro, positively startling her. The boys had gone and she had been sitting alone at the table, smiling to herself.

"Um... Good Morning, m... Trisha. Um... I was just helping them with their homework."

"Oh. Thanks. You seem good with them. You did this with your siblings, I guess?"

That struck a chord. She had actually been the one coaching her younger ones. Now that she had left them, what would they become if not illiterates? The schools did little to nothing for them.

"Umm... ye... yes. I did."

"Is everything okay?", Trisha asked, noticing the change in her demeanor. "Did I say anything wrong?"

"No, no, you didn't. I just... I just... miss my younger ones."

"Oh! Sorry about that. Where are they, by the way?"

Oops! She really had never thought this far when forging her fake history. Oh God, where should her siblings be? Her heart pounded wildly as her mind raced, frantically searching for a suitable place to deposit her younger ones.

"It's okay," Trisha sighed. "You really don't have to tell me everything about your family. I was only cur..."

"No, no. It's not like that. It's just that... it's been a long time since I saw them and..."

"It's fine, Carol. Just forget about it. Forget I ever asked. Now, guess what? Your books are on their way here!"

"Oh thank you! I..."

"It's okay. You can hug me," Trisha smiled as Caro suddenly recognized her error and withdrew just before she could touch her. When the girl still did not move an inch, she moved in herself and hugged her tight. "Hmm. You smell nice, Carolina."

"You smell nicer, m... Trisha," Caro replied quietly as she tentatively put her hands on the older woman's back. They remained like that for a while until Trisha broke it slowly, drying her eyes with her hand.

"My mom used to hug me like that," she croaked. For fear of sounding wrong, Caro did not utter a word. Never before had she been hugged and confessed to in this way by an older woman, so she had no idea what to say. She just stared as Trisha sniffed and dried her eyes.

"See you later, Carol," her host said, hurrying away.

Later that evening, at supper, everyone was present at the table except Mabel whose visit had ended and had gone back to school.

"So what do you think of your books, Carol?", Trisha asked between mouthfulls.

"They are fine, m... Thank you very much... Trisha."

"Have you started working on the topic I marked out for you?"

"Yes, ma... Yes, Trisha," she quickly corrected.

"Then you'll have your test next week. Mind you, it will be tough."

"Okay."

And silence reigned till the end. It was when Rennie and the twins had taken away the plates that Trisha decided to comment on Caro's discomfort and lack of ease.

"Wanna tell me something?", she asked, predicting correctly.

"Um... ye... yes," Caro stuttered, scratching her hair nervously.

"Okay. Shoot."

"Please, don't be angry with me over what I want to say. Em... while I'm studying, can you please allow me to also learn a trade? I'm really not used to being idle."

There was a few seconds of silence and Caro wondered if she would get a scolding. She was already beginning to regret making the request when Trisha suddenly sighed and slumped down on a chair, her hands under her chin.

"Fine. So what trade would that be?"

"Em... I would like to learn how to sew."

"Tailoring? Okay then. I'll see what I can do. Now, let's go watch some TV."

*****

Caro was on her bed, deeply engrossed in one of the novels that Trisha had bought along with the textbooks. Like the ones her favourite teacher used to lend her, it was a very interesting read - a far cry from the JSS reader boosters they had read in school. Not that those weren't also interesting, but she disliked the fact that there was so much focus on morals. She was not one to believe in such things. She reasoned that there was neither bad nor good, there was only right or wrong. Bad could be right depending on the circumstances. The only exception was rape.

"Carol," Rennie knocked and peeped into the room.

"I think I've told you not to call me carole again?", Caro demanded, sitting up immediately.

"Carol," Rennie repeated, walking into the room to confront her.

"This girl, you're looking for my trouble o."

"Really? Where did you keep your trouble?"

"I kept it with you and now, you have lost it. Abeg comot for my room."

"Madam Trisha is looking for you o, Mrs. Comota," Rennie sneered and sashayed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Caro sent an angry long hiss after her.

"Stupid girl," she cursed beneath her breath as she jumped off the bed to get into her slippers.

No matter how she disliked Rennie, the fact that she had delivered a message from a very important person could not be overlooked.

Leaving her room, Caro went down the stairs at a brisk run and landed in the dining room. But she was immediately taken aback by what she saw: Trisha was seated at the table with a well-dressed middle aged man.

At the sight of her, they both smiled, reducing the tension in the dining room. Caro was still a little wary though. Who was this man? Why was he smiling and why did Trisha send for her?

"Come on, Carol. Sit down," Trisha urged smilingly, patting a chair beside her.

Caro slipped quietly into the chair and folded her hands in front of her, staring straight at the still smiling man.

"Ahem," Trisha coughed and Caro dropped her eyes to focus on the table. "Sorry to take you unawares, Carol. This is Mr. Andrews. He's here for your math test."

On hearing this, Caro's rigid shoulders slumped in relief. She had thought he was here to take her back to her parents. How she would have fought! But since it was just the test, she could relax now. She even managed a smile as the man made a light comment about something or the other. One shake of her head to clear away all her previous fears and Caro was ready for the moment. But it seemed they had misinterpreted that action of hers.

"Okay then. We'll do it the other way," the man said in response to her head shake.

Since she had not been paying attention, Caro did not know what the other way was. But she was ready either way.

As the man flipped through the pages of the math textbook in front of him, Trisha reached out to hold her hand.

"You don't have to try too hard, dear. You're going back to school regardless of whether you pass the test or not, okay?"

"Okay," Caro nodded and squared her shoulders, ready for whatever would come.

"And by the way, Andrews is our next door neighbor, so I'm sure he'll take it easy on you."

"Don't be so sure about that," Andrews chuckled.

"Either way, I'm rooting strongly for my girl. You'll do me proud, won't you?"

Caro nodded, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Here we go," Andrews announced. "Ready?"

Caro nodded again. He passed the textbook across the table to her along with a new notebook and a pen. Caro took all three items and started work immediately. The test questions had been marked out on the textbook and all she had to do was copy them out and start solving.

"Good luck," Trisha whispered before relapsing into silence, giving her ward the freedom to do her best.

Caro worked fast but carefully. She wrote neatly and solved smartly. As far as she was concerned, the questions were easy. Simultaneous equations had never posed a problem for her before. She had taken to the topic like a duck takes to water and had been the authority on it during her time in school.

Trisha watched with a calm but curious expression on her face as she saw Caro go steadily about her business. She really had not known anyone to be this calm, sure and quick when it came to math, but the end would tell the whole story. And she knew that at this rate, the end would not be far off. But she was stunned, when few seconds later, Caro announced that she was done.

"A... are you sure? Did you crosscheck everything?"

"Yes, ma."

"Trisha," she quickly corrected, eliciting a smile from Andrews.

"Can I have it now?", he asked, reaching for the notebook and Caro let him take it. He threw on his glasses once again and scrutinized her work as he reached into his pocket for a red pen. But just as he finished uncovering the pen, he slowly covered it back and returned it to his pocket.

Oh dear, Trisha thought. Carol had probably failed everything! But the horse soon spoke from its own mouth.

"Ah," Andrews sighed, shaking his head. "Nothing to mark here. She finished everything perfectly."

"Really?", Trisha almost shrieked in disbelief peeping at the notebook in his hands. "She really got everything right?"

"See for yourself," Andrews said, handing the book over to her.

"Oh, don't bother. I know nothing about math. But she solved all the problems correctly?"

"She did. Every single one of them."

"Wow. You really are a genius, Carol."

"Thank you," Caro beamed shyly.

"The exams are over, aren't they?", Trisha asked of Andrews.

"No, no. But they'll soon be."

"Then you'll resume school the very day the next session begins. I wish I could make you get into the next class by then... but no worries. I'll make make sure you write your final exams in SS2. I'm so proud of you, Carol. Go have fun!"

"Thank you, ma. Thank you, sir," Caro curtsied to both of them, not minding Trisha's mock anger, and promptly darted up the stairs.

**

The day after the math test was a Saturday and Caro was looking forward to a free weekend. Since she neither worked nor attended school, everyday was a weekend for her, but not so for other members of the house, especially the boys.

She always looked forward to the weekends when she would be able to play with them, teach them new things, help them with their housework and be the umpire during their rough-housing moments. All these in the absence of their mother. The boys would be angels in her presence, which was the one flaw Caro noticed in her benefactor.

She was a staunch advocate for letting kids play to their satisfaction, perhaps that was one of the few good things she could attribute to her parents. Because they had let her play with total abandon, she had learned more about the world than anyone could teach her.

From age 10, she had learnt how to manage her own affairs and that of her siblings without any intervention from her parents. For as long as she could remember, she had been able to get into and out of fights, deceive and avoid getting deceived, and stand up for what she wanted. Her environment had made her strong and she knew her place in the world. It wasn't just to be where life wanted her to be, but where she wanted herself to be.

"Carol," Trisha called as she knocked on the closed door.

"Ma!", Caro promptly answered, jumping off her bed and rushing to the door. She opened it and found a frowning Trisa staring at her. Then she remembered.

"Trisha," she contritely corrected herself.

Trisha sighed in exasperation. "Look, I'm going somewhere and I'd like you to accompany me."

"Okay. Let me go and change."

"No, no," she stopped her, "you're fine the way you are. Fash... Oh well, let's keep the cat in the bag for now. So... yeah, let's go."

And she led the way with Caro following behind.

Trisha's goings-out were normally long in duration and Caro would have loved to remain at home to rough-house with the boys, but this was her first opportunity to leave the compound since she first came into it. And also, there was that cat that was hiding in the bag. What on earth could it be?

"So, I take it you're enjoying those novels I bought for you?", Trisha asked as they sat in the car on their way to where only she knew.

"Very much, ma... Trisha."

"I've learned to ignore you. Anyway, I knew you'd like them. I guess I'd have to buy one each time I go out."

"I would love that, m...", Caro said, clasping her hands in earnestness.

In response, Trisha only smiled and nodded, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.

It took over two hours to get to their destination which was not so far away. Difficult traffic hold-ups was their biggest problem, but Trisha took as much shortcuts as she could get away with, which surprised Caro since she saw her host as someone who was a stickler to rules and good behavior.

When they finally arrived at their destination: a large business-like building that emitted certain sounds that were a little familiar, she was eager to get in and see what was going on inside, but still she allowed Trisha to precede her.

"Immaculata, where are ye hiding?", Trisha called as she stepped in just at the same time Caro discovered that it was a cloth-making shop.

She quickly surveyed her surroundings, taking in all the sounds and sights of the machinery and young men and women who were hard at work making various types and colors of wears.

"There you are!", a tall dark woman shouted as she made her way down the aisle toward Trisha who was inspecting a baby cap one of the young women was working on. "It seems you're on time as usual."

"Traffic, my dear," Trisha sighed.

"Always traffic."

"Yes. And it's true. Ask her. By the way, this is Carolina... the girl."

"Oh! The girl, huh?", Immaculate asked, eyeing Caro with a critical eye.

"Good Morning, ma," Caro greeted, managing not to curtsy.

"Good Morning, my dear. How do you do?"

"Very fine, ma. And you?"

Immaculate's eyebrows shot up in surprise before she replied, "I'm good. Thanks for asking. So... what's your experience with fashion and..."

"Why would you ask such a question?", Trisha interrupted. "Or rather, why ask it in my presence?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I humbly seek Your Ladyship's forgiveness," Immaculate said, raising both hands in mock surrender.

"So what do you think, Carol? Like what you see?", Trisha questioned, turning to her ward.

"Yes. Very much. Thank you," Caro answered in a low tone, clearly trying hard to suppress her glee.

"Then it's a deal, right?"

"Sure is," Immaculate concurred.

"She'll come sometime later, perhaps on Monday, to answer your twenty questions."

"Good. Hopefully, she won't adopt the traffic excuse template from you," she shot back.

"Whatever. Come on, Carol. Let's head home before afternoon traffic sets in. See you later, Lata."

"Sure thing. Here Carol, have this one. Fits you nicely," she said as she fitted a face cap on Caro's head.

"Oh thank you, Ma. I'm very grateful," Caro beamed.

"It's okay. Go catch your Auntie before she zooms off now."

With one last word of thanks and a promise to be back, Caro clutched her new gift with both hands as she ran to Trisha's jeep. Only when she had stopped running did she realize how stupid she must have looked holding her head like a madwoman as she ran.

After she had climbed into the front passenger seat, she looked toward the building and found Immaculate smiling at them. Maybe she had found the head-holding funny. But Caro could not fault herself that much. It was her first ever face cap after all.