Young and Hungry - For Life - 27. I Put My Foot In It

Craig and Justin completed the forms from the Department of Child Services as soon as they received them and sent them on to Pamela for her comments. In the meantime Caleb kept coming weekends. He was taken into the restaurant on Saturdays to do some tasks and used Juanito’s office for downtime. Despite Craig’s best efforts to get him to bring his homework to do in the quiet of the office, Caleb always found some excuse, usually ‘I forgot’.” On Sundays he spent the day with Gran and the boy that had previously confessed to being nervous around old people became her regular assistant gardener, doing the heavy digging and other jobs Gran was starting to find were becoming beyond her capabilities.

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“Might I say Caleb, I’m pleased to see you putting those newly grown muscles to work, instead of them just being for show”

He laughed at her comment and replied “You certainly are an observant lady. I know what you mean. When I see all those handsome men at the beach, or exercising in the park, I wonder if they ever flex their muscles for work”

“I think I’m going to like having you around all the time”

“What do you mean all the time?”

“When you’re living here permanently”

“Will I?”

“Have you not heard that Craig has put in an application to foster you?”

“No”

“Then, it looks like I put my foot in it”

“In the manure? Should I get the hose?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said you put your foot in it”

“Oh, that’s an expression meaning, I let the cat out of the bag”

“Now what are you talking about?”

Gran laughed so hard, she lost her balance and was just saved by Caleb’s quick action.

“Ooo, you are strong, Sonny Boy. What I was trying to say is, I didn’t know that you didn’t know about the fostering, so it should remain our secret for now”

“Did Craig tell you?”

“No, I have to admit I was a bit naughty. When I was out of rice a few weeks ago, I went over to get some from the boy’s pantry. They were at work, but that’s alright, I borrow stuff all the time when they’re not there. Anyway, my point is, I saw a completed DOCS fostering application form lying on the kitchen bench and it had your name on it”

“You mean they want me to live with them?”

“Sounds like that. Is that what you want?”

“Oh yes, it would be super, fantastic”

“One might even say, uber”

“That’s not quite how you use the word, but yes, it would be uber cool to have them as housemates and you as my gran”

“Well, just so this uber cool gran doesn’t get into trouble, can we keep this just between us for now?”

“Yeah, that would be alright. How long do you think it will be before I can move out of the refuge?”

“I have no idea how long these things take, but if I hear anything, I might let it slip to you”

“Thanks Gran, and thanks for sharing. I’m so excited, I think I’ll burst”

“Well, just keep cool about it for now”

“Why do you think they didn’t tell me?”

“Maybe didn’t want you getting excited about it until it’s all approved, in case they are not approved as foster carers”

“Those suits in the office must have rocks in their heads if they don’t approve Justin and Craig”

“That’s so nice to hear, makes me very proud of my grandson and his man”

“They are good guys, even though Craig can be a bit uptight some days”

“I know what you mean. He is very disciplined, and expects everyone around him to be the same, but he really is a very caring boy”

Caleb then gave Gran a hug and added “Is it alright to do this?”

“Oh course, hugs are always welcome around here and always on offer. The more the merrier”

“Gran, I’ve got an idea, can you help me?”

“What’s that Sonny Boy?”

***

When Craig and Justin came home, they discovered the house was quiet but laid out in the centre of the dining table were plates of baked goods and the table set with Gran’s best china wear that she had given to Craig when she moved to the garden flat.

“What’s all this?” Justin asked

“Looks like Gran’s been busy baking”

Then as Caleb put his head around the corner, he announced “And I helped, didn’t I Gran?”

“In fact he did most of the baking, under my supervision of course”

“Is this for a special occasion?” asked Craig.

“Yes...that is no... not really. Just wanted to surprise you guys. Isn’t that right Gran?”

“Yes, no special occasion that I know of”

“Now you guys sit down, while I put the kettle on and Gran, tell me again, what I do with the cream to make it thick”

Caleb made tea in Gran’s very old Wedgewood teapot, being sure to warm the pot first, as instructed by his tutor. Meanwhile she whipped the cream till it was so light and fluffy that it stood up in peaks as she ladled it into a matching bowl.

As she did, memories flooded back, of the day she and her late husband Nigel, visited Peter’s of Kensington, on the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary. Gran had suggested they should celebrate their china anniversary appropriately, so Nigel rang his mother and asked what a china anniversary meant. When it was explained to him he suggested they take a trip into town and by a new china teapot. But Gran had heard great things about a store that was growing in popularity and located in the eastern suburb of Kensington.

So they set off with the intention of just purchasing a teapot. However, by the time Gran had checked out every teapot in the store, she had decided that just a teapot on its own would not suffice for this special celebration. What she really wanted was the whole matching thirty piece Wedgewood tea set.

Luckily, Nigel had one of the new fangled, as he called it, Bankcards burning a hole in his wallet so he passed it over to the sales assistant, who put it in the imprinter, overlaid it with a voucher in triplicate and swiped. She then made a phone call, for verification, asked Nigel to sign the voucher, checked his signature against the card and finally handed him the receipt copy of the voucher. While all this was happening, another assistant had plenty of time to pack and wrap the purchase.

“Gran, Gran I’ve made the tea, can we go in now?”

“What...oh yes...all ready”

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They enjoyed their high tea and then took Caleb back to the refuge.

On the drive home, Justin said “Wasn’t that nice of Gran and Caleb to make a special afternoon tea for us?”

“Yes great, I think those two are getting on well, like old mates”

“Maybe a little too well”

“Why do you say that? Don’t you want Caleb to feel at home and Gran to have a new interest?”

“All that’s fine, but I can’t help feeling there’s more than that between them. Didn’t you notice the looks that pass between them sometimes, as if they’re hiding something?”

“Well, the afternoon tea was a surprise and they were co-conspirators. Probably just congratulating themselves”

“Maybe”

***

Hannah wrote to the circus management on Francesco’s behalf. The letter was on official legal practice letterhead, but had a tone of enquiry, rather than theat. Hannah asked for a reply in writing, but indicated she was willing to speak by phone after she received a written reply first.

Jack honoured the request, as he saw it by replying, thus -

Dear Ms Wilson,

How dare you poke your nose into my personal business. Francesco is fostered to my family and as such we are responsible for his welfare. This is none of your business. Also, Francesco is now forbidden from visiting your home again.

Sincerely

Jack Gibson

Startime Circus

This did not go down well with Hannah. She did not want to make things difficult for Francesco, but at the same time, needed to get him treated as a professional performer with proper remuneration.

She called a meeting with Julia, James and Alex to discuss the situation.

“James, I need to know how hard I should push this issue on Francesco’s behalf. I could clearly take Jack to the cleaners over this. There is no doubt he is in breach of industrial law by not paying a wage and also he is in breach of Child Services regulations in regard to care of Francesco. I could have him in the industrial court tomorrow and have Francesco removed from his care, just as fast. However my dilemma is, how will all this affect Francesco? He is not only ignorant of his rights but lacks the will to give consent for our help”

“Mum, I know you’re a great lawyer and could fix all this easily. In fact I want you to, but I’m not sure Francesco wants it fixed as much as we do. Sure he enjoys going out, having the phone and visiting us, but he doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of independence that money can give him”

“I agree with James” added Julia “Francesco has to be fully on board and willingly give his consent for us to intervene. Maybe we could find a more indirect approach. Have you anything to add, Alex? You spend a lot of time around the circus”

“Not really”

“For instance, does Wanda get paid or at the very least, have pocket money?”

“I don’t know if she gets paid wages, but she does have some money in her purse. I pay for most things when we’re together, but she did buy ice cream for me last week”

“While it might seem gentlemanly to always pay for your date, those days are well and truly gone, where the man pays for everything. A woman is expected to pay her way these days”

“I do get free meals sometimes at the circus”

“That’s something I suppose, but where not here to give you dating tips, this is about Francesco”

Hannah then tried an approach “Alex, maybe you could do a bit of undercover work and find out if Wanda gets wages or pocket money and if the other performers get paid”

“How do I do that?”

“Just in conversation. Say you’re interested in how a circus operates”

“James could ask his boyfriend”

“I doubt Francesco knows anything about how the circus operates financially, if he doesn’t think it strange for him not to be paid”

“Good point” concluded Alex

“Hey, here’s a sneaky idea” suggested James “Say it’s a school project for economics class”

“That would be fine except for one thing James. I don’t go to school anymore and haven’t started a uni course either”

“Let me think...”

The other three could almost hear the wheels turning in James’ head, so they waited and were soon rewarded for their patience.

“Got it, I’m just brilliant”

“And?” questioned Alex

“Picture this, you’re going to do economics and financial management at uni next year and you need to submit an application. Part of that application includes a study of a business and how it operates. Brilliant, yes?”

“Has promise” conceded Alex.

***

He didn’t want to alert Jack so he only asked Wanda about the circus’ financial matters.

“Do you want me to pay for lunch today? Is that what this is about?”

“No, I’m just interested in how the business of a circus works. And it seemed like a good place to start by asking you about wages, since you work many jobs, or wear many hats.”

“OK, I do get a small wage since I turned sixteen, but it’s not much more than the pocket money I used to get. Mum says if they pay it as wages then it’s tax deductable for the circus”

“That makes sense, so how do all the other performers and workers get paid?”

“They get paid in cash the day before we pack up and move on rather than regularly”

“Why is that?”

“Dad uses the money from the takings to pay the workers so he doesn’t need to bank it. But it’s getting very tight now that most people don’t pay cash for tickets. Mostly it’s cash for the snack van and souvenirs kiosk. He says the system is forcing him to move to paying by bank transfer. He’s really pissed off about that”

“That’s pretty normal these days, so why is he against it?”

“Because with cash he can keep some of it out of the books, but credit card payments from customers are all banked”

“Oh, I see. Maybe I shouldn’t mention that in my research”

“What research?”

“Ah...I’m supposed to be doing a study of financial operations for a uni application”

“So that’s why some many questions”

“Yes, and I thought the circus would be a really unique business and might get me extra credits”

“In that case, let me be your research assistant”

“Great” Then Alex reached across the table and paced his hand on Wanda’s, but the lie he just told prevented him from looking into her eyes.

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Eventually he summoned up the courage to ask about Francesco.

“Wanda, I’m a bit confused. You say the performers and workers get paid in cash and you get some wages, but Francesco says he doesn’t get paid”

“I don’t know anything about that”

“Haven’t you noticed him not lining up on pay day?”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t. He’s so reclusive I just assumed Mum paid him some other time”

“And that he never goes off the lot to buy anything?”

“He’s always practicing and if he needs anything Mum or I get it for him. That’s how it’s always been”

“And don’t you find that strange and unfair?”

“Is this still part of your research?”

“Not really, my family, especially James, likes Francesco and want me to find out why he doesn’t get paid like everyone else”

“And you want me to do that for you?”

“Yes please, is that asking too much? I don’t want it to be a problem for you...that is for us”

“No, it won’t be a problem. You have made me curious about, and now I want to know why”

“And can you also find out why Francesco is not allowed to visit our home anymore?”

“I didn’t know about that”

“Your dad said he couldn’t”

“Then I’ll ask for you”

“Thanks, so no more talk about it today, let’s just talk about us, a much happier subject”

“OK Mr Researcher, tell me about us”

***

Alex reported to his family about his discussion with Wanda, about Francesco and asked them to wait until he heard from Wanda.