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Diary of a Telepathic Family

Chapter 17, A New Dress for Elisha

 
 
Harla and Darth were waiting for the teacher to come around. A night when parents were asked to come to school with the student and the teachers would come around and talk over how a student was doing. Like all their children, Harla's marks were always close to the top of the class. Lana had long ago handed this chore to her husband. Whenever Darth was available, Lana would find some reason why she did not need to come along. She became tired of hearing the same thing for everyone of their children "your daughter behaves beautifully and her marks are at the top of her class."

"Hello." A Miss Daniels came around with a big smile and sat down next to Harla and Darth. "What can I say about Harla? A pleasure to teach, she listens, always, asks very proper questions, and her marks are at the top of the class. Her behaviour is always lovely."

"Can we go home now, dad?" Harla turned to her father.

"My only disappointment is that Harla has not entered the coming athletics competition. I know how fast she can run. She would win a medal I am certain." Miss Daniels continued.

"A medal?" Harla turned to her teacher.

"Oh yes, a lovely medal, a gold one," Miss Daniels explained, "you are still not very tall, but you will catch up, I promise, but your legs can carry you like the wind.”

"Oh...well...maybe I will." Harla decided.

"I hope you do." Miss Daniels smiled and said good-bye.

The teachers had done this in alphabetical order. With a surname starting with "V,” Harla was the last one to be attended to. The wait was relieved by a student coming around with biscuits and cups of tea or coffee or soda. Darth had two cups of coffee already. Harla had two sodas. This large class room was now empty and the teachers were walking out. As Harla and Darth left through the door, a doorman locked it straight away.

In their car Darth turned the key while Harla put her seat belt on. The car refused to start. Again and again.

"Oh no." Darth gave up. "We need to call the NRMA. If there is no NRMA car about in town, it will have to come from Kowra."

"Stupid car." Harla decided.

Darth used his mobile, after Harla found the card with the NRMA number in the glove box. He rang and was told to wait. As he held the mobile to his ear he explained to Harla, "the bank replaces my car every year...normally the car manufacturer provides a support service in the field and that is the number most people would ring...except my bank has so many shares in NRMA it insists if we ever need to, we call them direct."

Eventually someone was on line and Darth explained the situation and they said a field service car would be there in less than an hour.

"Less than an hour, not bad." Darth turned to Harla, "want me to call mum so she can pick you up?"

"No, no need." Harla shook her head. "I will keep you company."

Darth called Lana, explained they would be late, and that Harla wanted to stay.

They waited. It was now after ten o'clock and both were tired and not talking much.

"I need to go to the toilet dad." Harla said and looked at the school. "But I don't think I can get in. The gates have been closed."

"Bush?" Darth mused, only to receive a very stern look from Harla, then Harla glanced behind the seat at the very bushy area of the school grounds.

"As if!" She said in a most indignant way as she turned her head back.

They waited. After ten minutes Harla said much the same.

"I don't know what to do," Darth said, "unless I call mum to pick you...,” he did not finish because a car with strong lights came into the school yard, with a well lit sign on top "NRMA.” Soon it was by their car.

Darth got out. The mechanic took one look at the top of the range, barely a few months old, white limousine-like car, and said, "I know what it is...bet ya anything...someone tried to break in...this top of the range luxury unit has a delay switch inside the engine compartment...I know the code to unlock it...open the bonnet please."

In a few moments they were on their way. Harla telling her father to hurry up because she really needed to go. It was only a fifteen minute drive and the moment the car pulled into the driveway Harla was out of the door and rushing up the stairs, then banging on the door until she was let in. Darth drove the car inside the garage and stepped out, looking around for signs of scratches.

"What happened?" Lana was next to him in a nightgown, gave him a kiss, stood with her hand around her husband’s upper arm and brushing her long black hair back with the other hand.

"Someone tried to break in, apparently." Darth said. The two walked around the car. Neither could see any outward sign.

"If I knew Harla was that desperate, I would have opened the basement door." Lana glanced to the wooden door that led to the lower "basement" part of the house.

"Harla hates that toilet," Darth said, "and it’s hard to get through."

"That's true, I parked poorly." Lana smiled.

Their garage could accommodate almost four cars. Almost, because Darth's car was too long to allow another behind it and still allow the garage door to be pulled down. Their family Van was also long but not as long as Darth's white car. Lana's car was small, and it fitted nicely behind the Van. However, the Van was not quite parked far enough and Lana's car was right behind and there was little room to walk through the cars and into the basement.

They walked upstairs. In the bedroom Darth took of his tie and jacket, tossed it on the chair. He sat down on the bed. Lana made him stand. "Shower, please, love, the sheets are clean, changed today, and you have been out all day, since six."

Not long after Darth was snuggling against his wife. He was rapidly falling asleep. Lana pushed him away. "If you just want to sleep, you get heavy, give me some room."

"Oh, love your body," Darth turned around then sat up, listening, "what's that noise?"

"Noise?" Lana considered. "Oh, its Elisha. She messed up her project. It’s due tomorrow. She had it finished last week, but after dinner when she was preparing her bag for tomorrow, she realised she misunderstood the instructions and answered the wrong question. It’s an essay she has to write and has to have so many words. So she panicked and began to work on a new project."

Lana closed her eyes and turned to the side. Darth sat up for a while then stood up, found his dressing robe, and walked along the long corridor and knocked on Elisha's bedroom door. She came to the door, opened it, "hi dad, heard you had to wait for NRMA,” she whispered as she returned to her desk.

Darth sat down on the edge of her bed, "will you make it? What if I give you a note saying you are sick tomorrow? You'll have all day to work on it."

"Oh, did not think of that," Elisha glanced up, "and thanks dad but no. I am finished, am counting the words to make sure I have the minimum. Such a silly mistake of mine. Must have been half asleep when I read the question."

"All right, goodnight then." Darth smiled and walked out, back to his bedroom, and laid down. Lana was already asleep. Unlike her husband, who rarely could get to sleep quickly unless he was tired out from a long bicycle ride or having seen too many clients during the day, she could get to sleep ever so quickly.

In the morning Darth awoke to Harla shaking his shoulder, "dad, wake up, need to remind you, you said I had to...so don't forget, I have net ball practice at 4 o'clock...want you to take me instead of walking...you said you could," she was off to the kitchen to eat her breakfast the moment she felt her father had understood.

Darth did not try to get out of bed. In his job he dealt with wealthy business clients, many of whom insisted on appointments very early in the morning, with seven o'clock being popular. Almost all of the bank's clients that Darth dealt with were in Kowra which was a good hour away down the coast. Hence he often had to leave by six at the latest, which meant waking up after five and getting ready and breakfast. For this reason long ago in their marriage Lana made it a habit to let her husband sleep in for as long as he needed to.

Outside through the closed louvre doors he could hear Sara and Lisa telling Elisha how well her assignment turned out. Elisha had asked both to read, to give her a second opinion. Both were impressed.

By the time he showered and was dressed and in the kitchen, Lana was busy in the laundry. Fridays were her main washing day - often in fact "Friday" started late on Thursday. With six children in the family, this was an all day task that had to begin early in order to finish by the end of the day. Darth could hear Omar faintly. The laundry was quite far away from the kitchen. Omar may have been asking his mother questions and she replying. The two, Darth knew, were selecting the white and colours and putting each on a distinct pile and Sam, that Darth knew too, would be sitting amid the dirty piles and happily play on Omar's nerves by grabbing an item from one pile and tossing it onto the incorrect pile.

Darth made himself breakfast and after devoted much time to brushing his teeth. In his line of work, talking to clients as needed and often for a very long time, he could not afford not to have clean teeth and breath. Consequently brushing the teeth routine in the morning before he went to see a client, also included using a strong mouth wash, dental floss, a bacterial agent, and another special mouth wash with a minty taste, and an electric toothbrush. As he was ready to leave Lana came out with a basket of clothes to hang and gave him a kiss, then turned and walked back where she came from to go outside and hang the clothes.

"Don't forgot your lunch, I packed it." She said as she walked off. Omar peered around the corner of where the hall turned at ninety degrees and yelled "bye dad.”

An hour later he was reaching the outskirts of Kowra. The display in the car beeped. A message advising his client had delayed the meeting. Not unusual. The clients he dealt with were mostly wealthy business people and such were always busy and when something came up, it was always "urgent" in their mind and demanded their immediate attention. His car had a computer display which came with the car. It included a satellite navigation system and all the statistics one would want about how the car was performing, how much petrol it had left, and even where the nearest petrol station was if the car wanted fuel. Harla had taken to the satellite navigation system and named it "Danielle.” The company had also added to the computer so it could display messages. Most of these were the latest financial details to do with a client he was going to see.  Some clients were a touch "suspicious.” If a business venture was not working out, some would try to negotiate a different loan structure even signing over assets to relatives. Rarely would a client be open and honest about such things, but the bank had legal obligations and the reason Darth's secretary in Sydney always wired him the latest information about a client if she felt there was something "unusual.” Her hunches were good, not perfect, but good.

Darth pulled up the car at a local council parking spot. Two young parking officers, or council inspectors, immediately looked the car up and down. It was an expensive luxury car. It did attract attention from young men in particular. It was touch of a pain as far as Darth was concerned. The window wipers would come on automatically at a sniff of a raindrop on the windscreen. The headlights would come on the moment it began to be dim. When parking, the computer display would make silly beeps from sensors on the front and side and back and even one hidden in the roof. The purpose of the sensor on the roof, this Darth had never worked out. The seat, its exact position, could be adjusted with a touch of a button. The computer memorised the preferred position for each driver. Lana liked this, she like many women preferring the seat closer to the steering wheel. When it was close to empty, a pleasant female voice would continually remind him, and the more urgent the need for petrol the more frequent the reminders. The same voice would warn him of any speed radar or camera on the road ahead. It somehow identified a police car, even an unmarked one, and would tell him if such was behind or approaching. Whether this was a feature that came with the car, or whether this was one of those "specials" his bank put into place, either way it was a clever trick. According to the book the car was impossible to steal. Only the one correct key with the correct magnetic strip could start the engine. The car came with two keys which was just as well because to replace such a key, as Darth found out, cost a small fortune. It was great to drive and very quiet. It used considerable petrol but the bank paid for this, he just handed over the bank’s credit card when he needed fuel. The car also had a special protective coat which meant it rarely needed to be washed. Simply driving had the effect of removing spots and dirt. That aspect of this car Darth approved of very much.

It was an extremely clever car, yes, and Darth's only objection was that he had not gotten used to it yet, in particular when he was reversing and all the sensors started beeping away, the significance of the beeps escaped him. They did not seem to be quicker when closer to another car behind and hence a danger of bumping the car behind, they seemed to vary in how they made this "beep" noise but not in a way Darth could clearly identify which sensor exactly was "complaining" and what the reason for this was. The display itself was better, it showed which sensor was detecting what, but how does one look at the display when one is reverse parking with one's head turned behind? Consequently he usually ignored these sensors and his personal opinion was they were a total waste. Lana actually liked the reverse parking sensors and had worked out how to listen to know exactly how far the back of the car was from the front of another. She did try to explain to her husband, but by then Darth had made up his mind they were totally useless and refused to understand what she explained.

Perhaps the most likeable feature was that it could close doors. If Darth stepped out and pressed the lock key, the car would check if its lights were on and if all the doors were closed properly. If not, it would close it. Even if a part of the seat belt was stuck in the door, it could open the door enough, wind the seat belt in, and close the door. This all worked providing no one was in the car, this too it somehow sensed. If someone was in the car, it would not do this. The automatic gearbox also had some ingenious features. When rounding a sharp bend in the road, the car would adjust itself how best to tackle this depending on the speed it was doing. It was a great car, and very expensive, and it had style and elegance. It looked like a limousine but not as "box like" or long or plain as one.

"Bet you that cost a packet, mate.” One of the council inspectors said as Darth stepped out, took of his tie and jacket and put these on the back seat, and closed the door.

"Sure it did, but its not mine exactly, owned by the bank I work for," Darth explained as he began to walk past, "I don't know how much it cost but I suspect an awful lot."

"You bet! Lucky you!” The other inspector said.

Darth glanced at his wristwatch. The next appointment was at 12:30 pm. What to do? Driving back would take too much time, there and back, and would tire him. He had a few hours to kill now. He rang Lana on his mobile, explaining his situation, asking if there was any special shopping she wanted.

"Actually, love," Lana replied, "there is that special dress shop....Elisha has been...asking...I am not happy about this but...for a new dress for the coming social night at school...she saw this one just a few days ago when their school excursion bus stopped in Kowra and all the girls rushed to that shop across the road...the dress costs $400...this is the point at which I almost lost it, asking her who does she think she is, asking for such a dress...then she told me that, well, her father would get it for her if I was so...I forget the word she used....anyway, check it out."

"What am I supposed to look for?" Darth asked after Lana explained which shop.

"Just look at it, it’s on display in the window, dark red, small bright specks of some sort, great style so Elisha said, most elegant evening dress." Lana explained.

Darth said bye and closed his mobile, then scratched his head, not at all understanding what exactly was he supposed to look for? He made his way to the shop which was at the other end of town. He found it, and saw what looked like the dress in the window. He stood, wondering, "so what am I supposed to see?" The dress looked great, this he could see. Perhaps the colour a touch too dark but Elisha rather liked such colours. He could see Elisha would look lovely. But what to look for exactly?

A young woman came to look also. The two stood next to one another, looking at the dress.

The shop owner must have seen him and came out. "Hello. I know you, or seen you, and your wife, and your many daughters, now and then. Let me guess - one of your daughters likes this dress?"

"Yes, and I had to see a client but he cancelled, so I rang my wife, she suggested if I have time to kill to look at the dress Elisha has her eye on...I don't know exactly what I am supposed to look for though,” Darth explained.

"Oh...just if it would suit her, you are her father, you would know." The shop owner suggested.

"How many do you have?" The young woman asked.

"Only one, dear, this one, and quite a few young ladies had been in yesterday looking it over," the shop owner explained.

"Eh...all right," Darth reached for his bank credit card, "I will take it with me...if it needs adjustment, can we come back?" He did not have enough money on him to purchase, and he rarely carried his personal credit card. If he needed to use a credit card, he used the bank's card then transferred the money across from his account.

"Certainly, I was going to...all right, if you want to take it, its the only one we have, I will have to clean it some, brush of dust...would you be able to pick up a parcel on your way back?” she asked.

"Sure, but I will pay for it now." Darth replied and the two ventured inside.

On the way back to the centre of town Darth stopped at an automatic teller machine. For what he wanted to do he needed to use the ATM that belonged to his bank. There was only one of those in Kowra. He wanted to transfer the cost of the dress from his account to the bank's credit card account. To his surprise after he entered all the information the ATM display came back with the words, "on the house, go away, whatever it was.”

"Honestly," Darth pulled out his ATM card, "what will they think of next?"


(end of extract)