A Leisurely Walk Is A Luxury [6/?] | Saving Mr Banks.
When Ralph returned from the kitchen, it looked as though a bomb had exploded. Pamela’s brown tweed jacket had been discarded on the sofa, while Jane’s black satchel had been emptied of its contents. Now, Ralph’s coffee table was covered with Jane’s multi-coloured notebooks, textbooks and sketchpads. From his vantage point, he noticed several of Jane’s poems abandoned in small piles on the floor next to the wheelchair. Most shocking of all? Pamela’s heels had been placed under the table, and she was sitting bare foot on the floor next to Jane’s wheelchair, the silk sleeves of her blouse rolled up to her elbow. It caught him off guard how natural and domestic the scene in front of him looked. Pamela was proof reading and correcting Jane’s literacy homework while the girl attempted to wrap her head around the art of division. Placing the tray of tea cups and a small plate of chocolate and plain biscuits - including Jane’s favorite chocolate fingers - down onto the only free space on the coffee table, a safe distance from Jane’s schoolbooks.
“I see you’ve now been tasked with Jane’s english work” Ralph teased, sitting himself down on the floor beside Pamela. His mind was drawn back to the day he had first made tea for Pamela, when he had sat on the grass beside her and built a small stream. “Don’t listen to daddy, he’s no good at English” Jane protested, faking a glare at her father until she noticed her usual after school snack sitting on the coffee table. “I’m sure your father is much better at mathematics than I am” Pamela pipped in, having hated the subject ever since she was Jane’s age - perhaps even younger than that - with a vengeance. Pulling her well loved reading glasses off her nose, she placed both her glasses and Jane’s book onto the coffee table. “It’s almost perfect - you just made a few little spelling errors” Pamela informed the child, having already penciled the corrections in over the spelling mistakes. It was then that she caught Ralph looking at her with a teasing smirk. “What?” Pamela chuckled as she shook her head, wondering why Ralph was looking at her like she had grown two heads. “I never thought I would see you sitting on the floor” He confessed joyfully from his spot on the floor beside her. It was then that Pamela playfully hit the man on the chest, before shaking her head once more at the man’s comment. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Ralph” Pamela narrowed her eyes as she tried her to best to hide her smirk before turning to pick up the biscuit plate - having spied Jane eyeing up several of the chocolate fingers. It was then that the phone started ringing, the shrilling constant noise filling the room. “I guess I’ll have to get it” Ralph concluded with a heavy sigh as he pushed himself up from the floor, hoping that whoever had interrupted his precious moments with Pamela and Jane had a darn good explanation for it.
“Hello?” Ralph asked curiously, after picking the phone up off its receiver. “This is he...yes...” Pamela glanced up to look at Ralph worriedly as Jane stuffed her face with a second chocolate finger. Ralph looked annoyed - slightly angry almost - like a child who had just been informed that Christmas was canceled. “I understand. I’ll be there in ten minutes” Ralph looked defeated as he placed the phone back down again, turning to look at both of his girls with an apologetic expression. “You have to go, don’t you?” Jane asked in a small voice, her face falling almost. She hated it when her father got called in unexpectedly to work, he had taken a few days off to relax, but they had the nerve to call him in? Pamela rested her hand onto the coffee table before pushing herself up so that she was at her full height as Ralph headed towards them, nodding his head sadly. “It’s just one drive, apparently one of the other drivers is stuck at the airport waiting for someone to come in” He informed the pair, moving to pick his jacket up from the coat rack, taking his tie and stuffing it in his pocket - he could put it on in the car sure. Jane pulled her best attempt at puppy dog eyes, hoping she could somehow convince Pamela to talk her father out of going in to work. “I’ll be home in time for supper” He promised as he bent down to kiss Jane softly on the forehead then Pamela’s cheek, stepping back to look at the pair for a moment, wanting to apologise again when Pamela stopped him. “We’ll have it on the table when you get back” She joked. It caught her off guard how natural and domestic this all was to her. With one last goodbye, he headed towards the front door, glancing back over his shoulder at the pair as he left.
Darkness had replaced the burning sun. The food had since gone cold. The burning fire was already beginning to die out. Still, there was no sign of Ralph. “He’s been gone for ages now, Pamela” Jane admitted fearfully, having seated herself in front of the window, wrapped up in her tartan blanket with her tattered copy of ‘Mary Poppins’ for company. “I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation for it all.” Pamela reassured the child, but also tried her best not to show her own worry. Ralph had left three hours ago, promising he would be back before supper, which was an hour and a half ago. Where was he? Heading back into the kitchen, Pamela decided a strong cup of tea was in order. Perhaps that would calm her nerves.
It was only when the water was beginning to boil that she had heard Jane calling. “Pamela, there’s someone at the door!” Setting the teapot aside, the writer headed from the kitchen, through the living room and to the front door. She would never forget the sight that met her. “Ma’am” The grim expression told Pamela everything she needed to know, suddenly her knees seemed to go weak under her and as if the air had been pushed right out of her ; forcing her to grab onto the side of the door frame. Jane appeared behind her, having wheeled herself from the window. “Yes, officer?” The innocent child failed to pick up on the tension in the air, or the silent crystal tears that had began to fill Pamela’s dark eyes. The middle age man’s expression softened slightly as he glanced from the child to Pamela, waiting until the elder woman nodded her head before he cleared his throat, taking the police hat from his bald head. “I’m afraid there’s been an accident” A sense of sudden realisation filled Jane then, and she gasped aloud in shock, the tears coming to her eyes. “Daddy?” The child whispered, silently praying that it wasn’t true. Her father was fine; he had kissed her on the forehead before walking out the door. He had promised to be home for supper. “We got to him just in time. He’s at the hospital now” The officer informed them both, watching as Jane reached out to grab Pamela’s hand, the woman instantly stepping closer to the child. Grasping her hand, Jane looked up at Pamela then before the woman moved to hug the child in a bid to comfort her. “He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Jane begged, her tiny fingers coming to clasp around Pamela’s blouse as the tears began to coat Pamela’s skin. “I promise” Pamela stroked the girl’s hair in a bid to calm her down, shutting her eyes in the hope of disguising her tears.
She had to be strong for Jane.
She had to be strong for Ralph.
She had to be strong for herself.
“I see you’ve now been tasked with Jane’s english work” Ralph teased, sitting himself down on the floor beside Pamela. His mind was drawn back to the day he had first made tea for Pamela, when he had sat on the grass beside her and built a small stream. “Don’t listen to daddy, he’s no good at English” Jane protested, faking a glare at her father until she noticed her usual after school snack sitting on the coffee table. “I’m sure your father is much better at mathematics than I am” Pamela pipped in, having hated the subject ever since she was Jane’s age - perhaps even younger than that - with a vengeance. Pulling her well loved reading glasses off her nose, she placed both her glasses and Jane’s book onto the coffee table. “It’s almost perfect - you just made a few little spelling errors” Pamela informed the child, having already penciled the corrections in over the spelling mistakes. It was then that she caught Ralph looking at her with a teasing smirk. “What?” Pamela chuckled as she shook her head, wondering why Ralph was looking at her like she had grown two heads. “I never thought I would see you sitting on the floor” He confessed joyfully from his spot on the floor beside her. It was then that Pamela playfully hit the man on the chest, before shaking her head once more at the man’s comment. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Ralph” Pamela narrowed her eyes as she tried her to best to hide her smirk before turning to pick up the biscuit plate - having spied Jane eyeing up several of the chocolate fingers. It was then that the phone started ringing, the shrilling constant noise filling the room. “I guess I’ll have to get it” Ralph concluded with a heavy sigh as he pushed himself up from the floor, hoping that whoever had interrupted his precious moments with Pamela and Jane had a darn good explanation for it.
“Hello?” Ralph asked curiously, after picking the phone up off its receiver. “This is he...yes...” Pamela glanced up to look at Ralph worriedly as Jane stuffed her face with a second chocolate finger. Ralph looked annoyed - slightly angry almost - like a child who had just been informed that Christmas was canceled. “I understand. I’ll be there in ten minutes” Ralph looked defeated as he placed the phone back down again, turning to look at both of his girls with an apologetic expression. “You have to go, don’t you?” Jane asked in a small voice, her face falling almost. She hated it when her father got called in unexpectedly to work, he had taken a few days off to relax, but they had the nerve to call him in? Pamela rested her hand onto the coffee table before pushing herself up so that she was at her full height as Ralph headed towards them, nodding his head sadly. “It’s just one drive, apparently one of the other drivers is stuck at the airport waiting for someone to come in” He informed the pair, moving to pick his jacket up from the coat rack, taking his tie and stuffing it in his pocket - he could put it on in the car sure. Jane pulled her best attempt at puppy dog eyes, hoping she could somehow convince Pamela to talk her father out of going in to work. “I’ll be home in time for supper” He promised as he bent down to kiss Jane softly on the forehead then Pamela’s cheek, stepping back to look at the pair for a moment, wanting to apologise again when Pamela stopped him. “We’ll have it on the table when you get back” She joked. It caught her off guard how natural and domestic this all was to her. With one last goodbye, he headed towards the front door, glancing back over his shoulder at the pair as he left.
Darkness had replaced the burning sun. The food had since gone cold. The burning fire was already beginning to die out. Still, there was no sign of Ralph. “He’s been gone for ages now, Pamela” Jane admitted fearfully, having seated herself in front of the window, wrapped up in her tartan blanket with her tattered copy of ‘Mary Poppins’ for company. “I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation for it all.” Pamela reassured the child, but also tried her best not to show her own worry. Ralph had left three hours ago, promising he would be back before supper, which was an hour and a half ago. Where was he? Heading back into the kitchen, Pamela decided a strong cup of tea was in order. Perhaps that would calm her nerves.
It was only when the water was beginning to boil that she had heard Jane calling. “Pamela, there’s someone at the door!” Setting the teapot aside, the writer headed from the kitchen, through the living room and to the front door. She would never forget the sight that met her. “Ma’am” The grim expression told Pamela everything she needed to know, suddenly her knees seemed to go weak under her and as if the air had been pushed right out of her ; forcing her to grab onto the side of the door frame. Jane appeared behind her, having wheeled herself from the window. “Yes, officer?” The innocent child failed to pick up on the tension in the air, or the silent crystal tears that had began to fill Pamela’s dark eyes. The middle age man’s expression softened slightly as he glanced from the child to Pamela, waiting until the elder woman nodded her head before he cleared his throat, taking the police hat from his bald head. “I’m afraid there’s been an accident” A sense of sudden realisation filled Jane then, and she gasped aloud in shock, the tears coming to her eyes. “Daddy?” The child whispered, silently praying that it wasn’t true. Her father was fine; he had kissed her on the forehead before walking out the door. He had promised to be home for supper. “We got to him just in time. He’s at the hospital now” The officer informed them both, watching as Jane reached out to grab Pamela’s hand, the woman instantly stepping closer to the child. Grasping her hand, Jane looked up at Pamela then before the woman moved to hug the child in a bid to comfort her. “He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Jane begged, her tiny fingers coming to clasp around Pamela’s blouse as the tears began to coat Pamela’s skin. “I promise” Pamela stroked the girl’s hair in a bid to calm her down, shutting her eyes in the hope of disguising her tears.
She had to be strong for Jane.
She had to be strong for Ralph.
She had to be strong for herself.