Educating Harry Ch. 18

Georgie left and Freddy immediately had a fit of the giggles, "Now I know why 'wee Georgie's mam' was bullying you, she was just treating you like one of her family."

"Oh my goodness," Freddy added, "We'll never manage to eat all this, what is it anyway?"

"My guess is that it's steak and kidney pudding, "we had something like it when I travelled to England with dad a few years ago.'

Despite Freddy's doubts, they soon realised that they were both seriously hungry, and half an hour later had finished it all. They then turned their attention to the thankfully more modest portions of apple pie and cream.

"Oh that was good," Freddy stretched out. "I'm going to read for a while and then have an early night."

Things didn't quite go to Freddy's plans; a few minutes later a knock on the door heralded the arrival of Mrs Seagram, "Good, you've eaten well; something inside you always does the trick when you're cold and wet. This sort of rain can chill you, even in summer."

"I hope we didn't deprive your family of their dinner Mrs Seagram."

"Never you mind lassie, what you had would be nobut a wee snack to my boys... not that it would do any of them any harm to go without once in a while," she added severely. "Now make sure you have an early night, and don't worry about getting up early tomorrow, you need the sleep."

"Clarrie called in for a few minutes a while back," Mrs Seagram added turning to Harry, "He told me how ye got the lassie off the mountain and carried her the last of the way... ye did well... for a wee skinny laddie," she finished as she left through the door.

"A wee skinny laddie," sniggered Freddy.

"Go on, hop off to bed, she was right about that, I'll clean up and sort the washing out."

Harry busied himself just tidying up and sorting out the washing from the drier for ten minutes or so. Then realising their friends didn't know where they were he rang Al and told him, Al would have stayed on the phone to chat, but Harry didn't feel like it and rang off on the excuse that it was a bad line. He put the phone down and yawned, 'Might as well have an early night myself' he thought but when he went into the bedroom, Harry was in for a surprise. Freddy was sitting up in bed looking very sombre with tears running steadily down her cheeks.

"What's the matter?"

"Everything," Freddy held out her arms beseechingly.

Harry sat on the bed next to her and she clung closely to him. "Everything's the matter; everybody has been so nice, so damn nice... Clarrie the ranger was nice, his mate, she stood in the pouring rain, just to check my ankle, Mrs Seagram is so kind even if she pretends to be grumpy, and you, you..." but at this point Freddy dissolved in tears again.

Harry didn't have a clue what to say, let alone do, so he decided just to hang on and say nothing, it was probably a good choice because after a loud sniff Freddy continued, "And I have been a total bitch ever since you picked me up from the train." Harry wouldn't have disagreed but thought it best to just give her a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," wailed Freddy, "but it's all because of that asshole, that total bastard."

An older more experienced man might have anticipated what was coming next... and run a mile, but Harry wasn't, and was soon on the listening end of a highly emotional outburst, a combined confession about, and character assassination of Freddy's former lover, an older married man, her former supervising partner at the law firm. In a long and rambling account, the usually incisive Freddy gave vent to every feeling, every frustration, and every piece of invective she could think of. She never mentioned his name but, he had deceived her, seduced her, used her, dumped her, but most of all, a naïve, but brilliant, over confident Freddy, had been humiliated in front of her friends and peers. Freddy clearly did not like humiliation.

She then told Harry, how after it was over she had been called into a meeting with the partner managing staff and it had been suggested that, "It might be in your own interests if you pursued her career elsewhere." Freddy's ex, it was explained, "Had not written up his report yet of her work under his mentorship, but if he did, it would show that her performance had sadly declined, so perhaps it would be in her own best interests if she resigned."

"I never thought," raged Freddy, "That no matter how badly things had ended between us, the bastard would try to destroy my career; after all, I was already working with a different partner."

Harry nodded without really understanding.

"But you know Harry, what saved it for me was the bitch sitting in with the staff partner, she was a junior partner and was gloating, positively smirking over the fix I was in. It made me determined not to just capitulate, but I knew I had to have time to think, so I said I would think about what they had said and talk to them the next day.

"So you got it sorted"

"Yes, Lynn gave me the crucial piece of advice. She said, 'Whether you like it or not, you are finished with that firm, Any Law firm will always back the most inept idiot who brings in fees, over any other employee, however brilliant.' She was right of course, and then she said 'If they want you out, they will be prepared to help you, whether they plan to or not."

Freddy's tears had stopped now as she related the fight she had with her firm. "The next morning I went in and told them I agreed with them I had to go, they liked that well enough, but maybe not the rider. I told them I had written commendations from three major clients which seemed to contradict the Ex's opinion, as did the opinions of the other partners I had worked for. My suggestion was that they should give me a recommendation in the strongest terms to our US corresponding firm in New York: we have a long standing arrangement with them where we swap junior lawyers. Well Harry, they huffed and puffed about that, but when I suggested that I thought that a suitable decision would preclude any thought of a sexual harassment claim, we came to an agreement pretty quickly.

"And the upshot is" asked Harry.

"Three days after I get back from this holiday, I'm off to New York."

"So all's well that ends..."

"No it isn't Harry, that vindictive bastard has got off scot free, I want to see him suffer."

"He'll suffer enough Freddy, but not from you, his partners will be pissed off because of the embarrassment he causes, and you can bet this isn't the first time. My dad was partner in an engineering consulting firm for years, and he says partners quarrel like married couples."

"Maybe, but I'd still like to get my own back."

"Waste of time, just stop thinking of him as 'That bastard,' and think of him as 'that pathetic piece of whatever.' Don't get angry, mock him if you like, but don't take him seriously."

Freddy thought for a while in silence but then she turned over to face Harry "You're right, I know you're right, and that Harry Salt," she added with a smile, and a hint of her usual fire, "Makes you particularly irritating."

Harry grinned.

Freddy snuggled in close, "Now hold me tight and don't talk"

Harry did so, a few minutes later he felt her relax and when he was quite sure she was asleep laid her down, very gently on the pillow.

The next thing Harry knew was that he was waking up; he didn't even remember going to bed himself but reflected that it couldn't have been later than nine o'clock. He glanced at his watch, 'Crikey, I've been asleep for twelve hours.' He got up and dressed quietly, Freddy was still dead to the world and he decided to take a short walk to see what damage the rain might have done. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and but the creeks were still full and flowing rapidly.

It only took half an hour to see what there was of Uki and when Harry got back he found Freddy just getting up.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad, the swelling on my ankle's gone down quite a bit, but my other knee's a bit stiff, from all that hopping I suppose."

"Can you dress yourself?"

"Getting pants or shorts on is a bit tricky with only one leg working properly."

"Come on, I'll give you a hand."

They spent the next few minutes laughing as Harry tried to thread her shorts on her, and neither of them had the time or inclination to reflect on just how much better they felt about each other compared with the day before. It wasn't too long before both were ready to go and Harry put their bag in the ute.

"I'll just pop over and settle up with Mrs Seagram," started Harry, but before he had a chance to move that lady appeared in the doorway.

"Ah good," said Freddy, "I can pay Mrs Seagram without you arguing about it."

"That's the way lassie, young men need a woman about them, to tell them what to do, now" she added turning to Harry, "would ye just pop over to the house and ask one of my sons to come over here for a moment."

Harry did, and returned not with one but all three of her offspring. "Look at that," their mother said, "Ye canna find one when ye want three, and when ye need one they all arrive. This is Angus and Callum," she added, who Freddy observed were out of the same mould as their younger brother, all three over two metres tall and built it seemed, as a living testament to their mother's steak and kidney pudding.

"Callum, Angus, out of the way, Georgie, pick up the wee lassie, and take her out to the ute, and not like a sack of potatoes," she added with a stern glance at Harry. Georgie did as he was asked, cradling Freddy in one massive arm as if she were a baby. Freddy hung on with one arm round his neck to Georgie's slight embarrassment, and his older brothers' ill disguised mirth.

"Try the Smiths Creek road out to Stokers Siding," suggested Angus, "reports are, that it's better than the road into Murwillumbah"

Angus was proved right, a lot of the road verges were washed away and there were broken tree branches and rubbish everywhere, but they weren't held up too much, and got to the Tweed highway in half an hour. Progress on the main highway was slow due to various 'road under repair' signs in place because of the rain, but they arrived in Byron about ninety minutes after leaving Uki.

"Hey, where are you going?" exclaimed Freddy, as Harry took an unexpected turn.

"Byron Hospital emergency." explained Harry, "I rang them to say we were coming before you got up."

"I don't need to go to hospital," protested Freddy.

"Not your call, you need to be checked out," but Freddy was still protesting when they drew up at the entrance.

"Now Freddy, your only choice is, do I get a wheelchair for you, or carry you in fireman style again."

"Oh have it your own way, get me a wheelchair."

They were in luck, the emergency room was surprisingly quiet and the triage nurse told them the Doctor would be no more than half an hour.

"Right then, I'm going to leave you here and go and tell the others what's going on."

"Uh, ok Um, Harry just wait a moment... come closer I want to speak quietly." Harry did so. "You remember last night when I told you."

"Yes why?"

"Don't tell Al will you."

"But I thought he knew already."

"Well he does, not all of it but quite a lot."

"What is it then?"

"Just don't tell him I cried ...please."

"Ok," Harry was mystified.

Freddy explained, "He might laugh at me and I can deal with that ...but he's just as likely to become the protective big brother and that," she concluded firmly, "Would be too much...much too much."

"Freddy, you're priceless."

Only Lynn and Emma were at the house when Harry got back and after some initial alarm when Harry told them Freddy was having a "Precautionary X ray," they decided to go to the hospital themselves, "It's only five minutes walk, we'll get the full story from Freddy," decided Lynn, "men always leave out the interesting bits."

Harry pottered around for half an hour getting himself some lunch before Gary and Al appeared. "Where are the girls?" asked Al.

"They've walked down to the hospital, Freddy's getting her ankle X rayed, she sprained it when we were walking in the rain yesterday."

"I suppose," added Gary, "That you stayed overnight because of the floods."

"That's right," replied Harry, confirming both the minimum facts and Lynn's contention that men left out the interesting bits.

"Do you think I should go down to see how she is?" queried Al.

Harry thought for a moment, "Nah, they would probably prefer some girl talk, anyway, they'll ring for a lift when they're ready."

"Ok, now what's that you're cooking Harry...sardines on toast, looks disgusting, but you can do a few more for me whist you're at it."

It was in fact another hour before the phone rang and Gary suggested that he would pick the women up, because there was only room for three in Harry's ute. Within ten minutes they were back, Freddy came in first on a pair of crutches she had been given by the hospital, "Hi Al," she announced herself smiling, "Nice of you to show concern for your grievously injured sister." Al protested, but not much, because her comment entirely lacked the rancour it would have had only a day or so before.

Lynn was next, she went straight to Harry, "Our hero," she announced melodramatically and gave him a vigorous hug and kiss.

"What's all this about?" asked a bemused Al.

"Don't even go there," suggested Gary, "The girls are going to be reminding us for the next few days, and you and I are going to be found wanting."

"Not just for a few days sweetie," concluded Emma, bringing up the rear.

The rest of the day set the mood for the remainder of their vacation, Freddy was the obvious difference, less preoccupied with herself and much less brittle tempered. The rain cleared away and they had a succession of hot days spent mainly on the beach.

That night when Harry went to bed, the others weren't surprised to see Freddy follow him almost straight away. "I dunno how he did it ..." mused Al, "and I'm not going to ask, don't want to spoil a good thing."

Al would have been even more surprised had he been able to listen in on Harry's and Freddy's conversation. "Harry you know what the others are thinking?" she asked as she slid into bed beside him, "They think," she continued, speaking very quietly, "That we're screwing like a couple of rabbits, but we're not. Do you mind that we are not?"

"Whether I mind," Harry responded, more stoically than he felt, "isn't the point, it's what you want that matters."

"I know," responded Freddy wickedly, "But whilst I don't want to, I would like you to mind ... just a bit."

Harry thought for a moment and grinned... "My head says that I shouldn't but what with you leaning over and pressing your boobs into my chest there's some evidence just beneath the covers that seems to contradict that assertion."

Freddy lifted up the covers and looked, "Oooh yes, that's a pretty formidable body of evidence you have, 'umm, erected there... I suppose it's a compliment, a big compliment she giggled," then she became serious again, "but Harry if we did, then we wouldn't just be friends, and for now, that's what I want, I'm not ready for more just yet."

She put her arms around him and held him close. "Besides I'm almost twenty five, much too old for you."

Harry laughed out loud, and it crossed Freddy's mind for a moment, "Why does he think that's so funny?" but the moment passed, and in a few minutes they were both asleep.

Some three days later and very early in the morning their vacation was over. Harry hadn't been looking forward to the return trip, but he had a passenger, Lynn had grandparents on a property some fifty kilometres from Armidale and as Harry could take her there on his way to Hawksworth, she had arranged to visit them. His good bye to Freddy was rather more passionate than Harry had anticipated; "Got to put on a good show," she giggled in his ear, "our audience expects it."

Harry slapped her butt good naturedly, "I'll give you a call when I get to the States, we might get together sometime."

The journey for Harry and Lynn was uneventful, fairly slow to Grafton, but then much less traffic until they stopped at the Nymboida pub for coffee. They sat outside on the verandah overlooking the river, relaxing for a few minutes in the warm sun. "Harry," Lynn asked thoughtfully, "just what was it that you did when you went to Mount Warning, what was it that changed Freddy so much?"

Harry didn't answer straight away, he sipped his coffee and thought a few moments more, "I don't think it was down to me really, more a combination of events, Freddy was so angry, almost consumed with it, resentful and humiliated. The rain and her injury tired her out, sure, but even more, now I think about it, they made her vulnerable, helpless even. Freddy is normally so combative so competitive it was hard for her to admit she couldn't go on."

Lynn nodded, "She's certainly combative."

"From the point where I had to carry her, to changing her clothes in the ute, she was like a baby," Then the rangers helped us, and Mrs Seagram took charge straight away when we got to Uki; for the whole of that time she was completely dependent on other people. Freddy's not used to that, she could keep up a combative stance almost indefinitely, but when so many people were unremittingly kind to her, it broke down her defences. That evening she started telling me her relationship and job problems, and she just couldn't stop.

"And what did you think?"

"Not a lot at the time, like most guys I'm a bit leary of emotional outbursts but once Freddy had decided to unload, nothing could have stopped her. Eventually she stopped and fell asleep... for fourteen or fifteen hours, did she tell you that."

Lynn nodded, "And what do you think now."

"She'll be ok, a few scars but that anger and resentment seems to have largely gone..." Harry hesitated a moment; "Lynn, I know this bloke of hers was a total asshole... but wasn't Freddy more than a bit naïve?"

"Yes Harry, very naïve, and that's something Freddy is coming to terms with too; because she is so clever and so combative, frankly, she usually scares guys off, especially guys of her own age. Consequently when she fell for this much older married man, she fell big time, and had precious little experience behind her. You have no idea what a fool she made of herself...but she knew and it ate her up."

Half an hour later Harry and Lynn were back on the road, "How long do you reckon it will take us," asked Harry,

"A fraction over two hours to Armidale, then twenty minutes maybe half an hour to my grandparents place, it's just south of Uralla; we'll be just in time for lunch... and Granny's a great cook."

Lynn's assessment and confidence proved accurate, two and a half hours later the ute bumped up the track to a typical high country beef property. Lynn's granny as she called her had a meal on the table within minutes and Harry enjoyed seeing her made a fuss of; she was obviously a great favourite. Country courtesy dictated that Harry couldn't just make a short stop, and it was another two hours before Harry said good bye and started on the last leg. Lynn and her grandparents came out to see him off and as Harry's ute lurched down the track to the road Lynn's granny commented, "Well Lynn, if your Alexander is half as nice as Harry he must be pretty special."

"He is Gran, though I haven't told Al that yet; Harry would be a bit too complex for me...and probably a bit too smart... Al is just right, though both of them can be like big kids from time to time."

"Sounds just like your Granddad, and he hasn't changed in forty years; they never do you know."

Late in the afternoon Harry swung the ute into his Aunt's driveway. "I'm back" he called out; he found his aunt reading in the lounge and after the usual enquiries and assurances that each had enjoyed their break Harry asked, "Any messages for me?"