Jebediah walked with Tamara peacefully through the town. They walked side by side, moving slowly in comfortable silence.

Jebediah walked with his hands in his pockets, and Tamara stared ahead of her, eyes half-open as she blinked tiredly.

‘Are you feeling nervous at all?’ Jebediah asked Tamara then.

‘Nervous?’ Tamara echoed. ‘Hm.’ She frowned to herself. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think so, not yet anyway. I get nervous waiting. The bus…’ she broke off for an instant, thinking. ‘We may have to wait for a short time’ she said to Jebediah. ‘The bus timetables…by the time we get there, we may have to wait. I’m sorry’ she said, hand going to her head. ‘I’m fumbling now.’

‘Its ok’ Jebediah chuckled. ‘I don’t mind.’

Tamara hunched her shoulders then, blushing slightly. ‘We’re almost there’ she mumbled, staring ahead again, before falling silent.

Jebediah looked ahead also, walking in step with Tamara, they moved through the town together, heading towards the edge, there the busses passed,

They reached the bus station a few minutes later, it was only a fifteen-minute walk from the school, and a pleasant day today.

Jebediah and Tamara sat side by side on one of the benches inside the bus station. Tamara was sitting up, appearing to be bored, she stared outwards at the large glass panels before her, watching the buses come and go. The timetables appearing on TV’s hanging above their heads, changing every few moments.

Jebediah leant forward on his knees, sucking on a lolly he held in his mouth, and playing a game on his mobile.

He cursed quietly to himself, having fallen off the ledge in the game and having to start over. Tamara glanced over at him briefly, before looking back at the glass doors before her, rising to her feet then, clutching the bag she carried over her shoulder a little tighter.

Jebediah straightened in his seat and looking up.

The two of them watched as the next bus pulled up. Tamara breathed a slow sigh, calming her nerves. Jebediah glanced up at Tamara briefly, before looking back towards the bus. It was a few minutes before they saw a young woman step off the bus behind some of the other passengers. Following immediately after the woman, was a young girl.

‘How old is she?’ Jebediah asked Tamara then, seeing the girl coming closer, following the young woman.

‘My daughter? She’s six.’

‘When did you have her?’

Tamara glanced back at Jebediah briefly then, before looking ahead. ‘I had her when I was eleven. It was a very difficult time but….I love my daughter, even though she is a stranger to me.’

Tamara stepped forward then to greet the young woman. Jebediah remained where he was by the bench, watching from a distance as Tamara and the woman talked briefly, before turning their attention onto the child.

Jebediah watched as Tamara knelt, embracing the child briefly, before reaching into her own bag and pulling out a small soft toy – it was a little yellow lion. The girl took it, smiling back at her mother.

Tamara rose then, reaching out and taking her daughter by the hand, walking back towards Jebediah as the young woman, the child’s temporary guardian, followed after.

‘This is her’ Tamara said to Jebediah a little uncomfortably. ‘This is my daughter. Her name is Luna.’

‘That’s such a pretty name’ Jebediah smiled down at the girl, who stared silently up at him, she appeared to be a little nervous, a little shy.

‘Who is this?’ Luna’s guardian asked Tamara then, indicating Jebediah.

‘He’s my friend. The only one I have’ Tamara replied. ‘I trust him completely. ‘He’s been so good to me.’

The guardian nodded silently.

‘Luna? Shall we go to the park and feed the ducks? Would you like that?’ Tamara asked her daughter.

Luna didn’t say anything, just continued to hang off her mothers arm, staring down at the ground.

‘She’s still not interacted much with the other children’ the guardian said to Tamara. ‘She’s so shy, preferring to be alone most of the time. We try to encourage her to play with the others.’

‘That’s ok’ Tamara smiled. ‘We can be awkward together.’ She stopped herself suddenly, hand going to her head. ‘That was a really stupid thing to say’ she voiced to no one in particular. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Its ok’ Jebediah laughed, trying to make her feel more at ease. ‘Its all good.’

Tamara’s expression softened then as she stared at him, running her fingers through her hair, brushing her dark hair back.

‘She looks just like you’ Jebediah noted, staring down at Luna.

‘She looks just like her father’ Tamara corrected, watching her daughter silently. ‘She doesn’t know anything about him.’

‘Where is daddy?’ Luna asked then.

‘He’s not here’ Tamara answered simply. ‘Please don’t keep asking that. I told you last time not to ask about him.’

Luna stared at her feet again, bowing her head shyly and hiding her face.

Tamara glanced up at Jebediah, a sorrowful expression on her face. Jebediah only stared back silently at her, his expression passive.