The next day, Jebediah met with Tamara after school.

He met her outside the school gates, and she was standing there watching him, waiting for him.

Jebediah paused for a moment, glancing behind him as the students passed him by.

Carl’s attention lingered on him for several moments, before moving off again, as he made his way away, walking slowly with his hands in his pockets.

Jebediah looked ahead again, and approached Tamara.

‘Are you alright?’ he said to her. ‘You look…worried.’

Tamara averted her gaze then, staring to the floor and hunching her shoulders as she hugged herself. ‘I um….’ She swallowed. ‘I want your company today. Are you able to hang out today?’

‘Of course’ Jebediah said to her. ‘Whats up?’

‘I um….I’m going to meet my daughter today.’

‘Your daughter?’

‘I haven’t told you about her yet’ Tamara replied, straightening and lowering her arms as she looked back at Jebediah again.

‘Why?’

‘Because of who the father is.’

‘Oh’ Jebediah said. ‘I see.’

‘It’s my own father’ Tamara said, though it was clear, she spoke these words anyway. ‘I didn’t want her. She wasn’t planned but…..when I was rescued, she was taken away from me. Into care’ she finished. ‘I moved back to live with my own family and catch up on lost time, I worked for a long time on repairing the damage done to me….I still have nightmares of him hurting me…even now.’

‘I understand.’

‘I visit her from time to time, well….sometimes she is brought to me, but she lives with another family. I hope to maybe one day when I leave school perhaps, live with her and act as a real mother should, though I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. I’ve been reading books and….asking my own mother questions. I’m sure it will be different when it comes down to practice.’

‘Right.’

‘If you don’t mind coming with me’ Tamara said to him, ‘I would love to have you accompany me.’

‘I would love to.’

‘You don’t mind meeting her?’

‘Of course not. Why would I?’

‘I don’t know’ Tamara mumbled. She raised her head at him again. ‘I’m supposed to be meeting her at the bus station. Her carer is bringing her.’

‘Ok.’

‘Can I…hold onto your arm while we walk?’

‘Of course’ Jebediah said, offering his arm for her to take.

‘Thanks’ she mumbled awkwardly, reaching out and holding onto him lightly. ‘Thank you’ she said again, speaking clearer this time. ‘I really appreciate you as a person.’

Jebediah frowned at that, finding it an odd thing to say, though he didn’t question it.

‘No problem’ he simply answered. ‘It’s my pleasure.’