“No,” I said, feeling quite proud of my efforts.
“Good,” he replied. “Now get a move on and I’ll see you after church.” Without another word, he wandered off back down the hill to the farmhouse and I looked around the perimeter of the field counting eighteen fallen planks.
“This will take me no time,” I said, reaching for the bucket to begin my task.
“Glad to see they’ve got you working hard.” I turned to see Mair making her way across the field towards me. The morning sun highlighted her red hair making it look like flames in the distance and she walked with her arms folded tightly across her chest.
It had been, at a guess, around an hour since Mr Hopkin had left me to mend the fences and I was getting through it in record time. Having finished in the field he’d set me to work in I thought I would buy into his good graces by continuing on into the next one and had almost mended every broken post I could see. Despite the cold air I was sweating from the tiring work and was glad for the distraction and company.
“You not going to church?” I asked, reaching into the bucket for another nail.
“Ah, it’s too stuffy for me,” she said, coming up beside me and resting her arms on the fence I’d just fixed. She stared off over the farmland and smiled. “I make peace with God in my own ways.”
“I want to say thank you again for helping me yesterday. I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn't come along.”
“Everyone needs a friend, Tom,” she said, turning to face me with a smile. “And besides, now you owe me a favour.”
“I sure do,” I said. “Need a friend and owe you a favour, I mean. But I’ll probably need more help from you before you find any use for me.”
“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?” she nudged me on the arm and laughed. Mair had a way about her that made me feel at ease. The Hopkin’s had all been kind and polite but Mair was less formal and rigid and reminded me of my friends from back home. I had a feeling we would get on well.
“It’s a fine job you’re doing here,” she said, gesturing to the fence.
“Just doing my bit to keep Mr Hopkin on side. Got to earn my dinner.”
“And I’m sure Mr Hughes will love it,” she replied.
“Yeah? Who’s that then?”.
“He’s the man who owns this paddock,” she said, shaking her head at me with a massive grin.
I looked around the field and the twenty or so panels I’d already fixed and Mair burst out laughing. “Please tell me you're joking!” I said, raising my palms to my face.
“You’re on the wrong farm, you fool. I saw you from down the bottom and wondered what the hell you were doing up here. Thought I better come and rescue you again!”
I plonked myself down onto the wet grass, exhausted and embarrassed. My hands were beginning to crack and blister from the cold wind and the twisting of the hammer in my palms so I was at least glad I could stop.
“Come on, twp, let’s go have a break,” she said, extending a hand to me.
“Twp?” I asked. “What's that?”
“Stupid,” she said, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I definitely felt ‘twp’.
We’d only been back at the farmhouse long enough for Mair to boil some water when the family bundled back through the door. Teddy, absent from breakfast, was with the family this time, though he only stayed in the kitchen long enough to say hello to Mair and then disappeared into another part of the house, once again ignoring me.
“Straight to get changed,” Betty directed at the youngest two children as she followed them into the house. She glanced over at me and dashed straight through the door into the main part of the house, her cheeks flushing red again. I remembered going through a similar phase when I was about her age, not being able to talk to anyone unless I knew them and immediately losing my voice when faced with a stranger. If it weren’t for Lee, who always had enough confidence for the both of us, I'd never have gotten to know anyone.
“What a lovely surprise,” Mrs Hopkin beamed as she ambled through the door and spotted Mair at the table. “Are you staying for your dinner?”
“What’re we having?” Mair asked, confirming her place at the table. She was obviously very close with the family.
“Mutton,” Mrs Hopkin replied, “but it won’t be ready for a while yet.”
“How did it go at the church?” I asked Nellie as she entered the room in her Sunday best, the question making her face light up.
“Oh, it was perfect,” she replied, filled with excitement. She untied the lace veil from around her head and set it down in her lap. Though freed, her tightly styled hair didn’t move and it stood in stark contrast to Mair’s whose wavy red curls seemed to have a mind of their own despite being held up in a similar style.
“It won’t be long now and yo-” I began, but I was interrupted by a bang at the door that sounded as though someone was trying to batter their way inside. Mr Hopkin shot to his feet and marched straight through the door to confront whoever was outside and for a second I thought Mair was going to march right on out behind him.