Chapter 26

Fortunately, there was still plenty of work for Mick to do. Maintaining the lawns and gardens took up the bulk of Mick’s time. There was now a small orchard at the back of the chicken coop and the vegetable garden had almost doubled in size as Benjamin thought of more vegetables he wanted to grow. The chickens had started laying, though Benjamin insisted he collect the eggs. It was such a simple chore, yet he derived so much pleasure from it. In the privacy of his own thoughts, he’d approach the back of the coop and make a guess at how many eggs he’d find. He was right about half the time.

Mick was spending more time at the main house. And cultivating a moustache. Most weekends he went into town to catch up with his mates and visit his parents. Then, either on Sunday evening or Monday morning, he’d return, usually with a boot full of supplies and various other items Benjamin had asked him to pick up from town.