Henry didn’t seem to notice, intent as he was on pouring tea for the two of them and generally fussing around after both of us. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him so attentive. He was like an old woman. I took a quick swallow of coffee from my takeaway cup, trying not to choke. He’d have killed me if I’d said that out loud. It made me feel like a rebel.
“Have you seen much of this beautiful country of ours?” Maia asked, deftly turning the conversation around to him. She certainly had a knack for it. Watching her now, as an outsider looking in, I was full of admiration, although the reason she was so good at this made my heart ache.
“I was born and bred here,” he said proudly, sitting down at the table finally. “I spent four years overseas during the war, and when I came back home, I didn’t want to leave ever again.”
Maia smiled, glancing over at me. She was enjoying his company, that much was obvious.
“When I got back, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I toyed with the idea of going into my father’s business,” he continued.
“What business was that?” Maia asked, taking a sip of her tea.
“He was a mechanic, he had a small firm here. I fancied myself as a mechanic – I was good with machinery.”
I’d never heard this story before. I took a bite of my éclair as Henry continued.
“Dad was looking at expanding, opening a workshop in Auckland, where his brother was. He offered me a job there, helping to set it up.” He took a sip of tea and sat back in his chair. “But then I met my Glenda. A real beauty she was – swept me off my feet. She was happy here, and she didn’t fancy living in the big smoke. It came down to a choice – the business in Auckland, or stay here with Glenda. So I stayed here, and instead of being a mechanic, I got a job selling farm machinery.” He winked at Maia. “At least my hands weren’t greasy. Women don’t like greasy mechanic’s hands.”
Maia laughed and Henry looked like he was actually glowing. I’d never seen him this way before. The gruff exterior was gone, replaced by a charming tongue and a peaceful countenance that really surprised me. Maybe it was talking about Glenda. I know he missed her, but he didn’t talk about her, and I never felt comfortable bringing her up, in case it was too painful. Maybe I should’ve.
After we’d finished our tea and chocolate eclairs, Maia asked Henry for a tour around his garden. He was only too happy to oblige. I watched her with him, attentive and interested. Henry was in his element, explaining about the roses, the camellias, the hibiscus and the abundance of fruit trees planted in neat rows in the yard behind the house.
Henry wasn’t the only one glowing. Maia looked the most relaxed I’d seen her in days. They seemed to click, and it made my heart soar to see it. He was completely enamoured with her, and it was clear the feeling was mutual. Her skin glowed, she smiled almost continually, and when he gave her a plum off his tree near the back door, she shined it on her shirt and bit into it immediately. Eyes closed in ecstasy, the juice dribbled off her chin and it was all I could do to stop myself from licking it off. When she told him it was the best plum she’d ever had, I thought he was going to burst with pride.
She probably thought I was lying about his gruff exterior. It certainly wasn’t evident today. What was evident was that they got on like a house on fire. It was incredible to see his whole demeanour change, but at the same time, it raised so many questions. He and Em had been so close. Was he connecting with Maia because she reminded him of Em, because she was Em, or because he was charmed by Maia?
I suppose I could ask the same questions of myself.
When we left a couple of hours later, it was with a bag of fresh fruit and a promise to come back and visit soon. Just as I was backing out of his driveway, Henry waved me back.
“Hang on, I’ll just be a minute – he probably forgot to give us a tonne of mandarins or something,” I smiled, getting out of the car and jogging barefoot up the driveway towards him.
“What’s up?” I asked, slowing down as I closed in on him.
He took my arm and turned me around so we had our backs to the truck. Then he turned deadly serious. I knew that look. My heartbeat doubled back on itself as I waited for the bombshell.
“She’s special, boy,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “I have a feeling you know that, too – I can see it when you look at her. Just be sure you hang onto her. Girls like that don’t come along every day. Don’t do anything to mess this up, or so help me, you’ll have me to answer to.”
I nodded, speechless. He glanced back over my shoulder again.
“She reminds me of my Glenda,” he said absentmindedly, as if talking to himself.