Chapter 15

They decided to go see Mr Carson first.

Gazza had gotten his address from Linda and had written to him back when they were fixing the electricity grid in their block. Mr Carson had written back telling him to go see his agent and supplied his name. The agent had said that if it cost any money, then Mr Carson wouldn’t approve the repairs. Gazza had given up and Bette had just fixed the problem.

Redel kindly agreed to act as navigator and picked a spot just off Mr Carson’s driveway as a safe place to blink to. They landed without any issues and walked up the unkempt driveway. This house didn’t look in a lot better repair than the one in Avilla that they wanted to buy.

They knocked and waited. After a minute, Gazza knocked again. He heard a faint sound and frowned. He then called out, “Mr Carson? Are you alright?”

After a short wait, Bette said, “Open the door, Gazza.”

“Mr Carson, we are coming in,” Gazza yelled out as he tapped the lock with his new wand. He pulled the door open and called out again. “Mr Carson, where are you? Are you hurt?” This time the moan was audible and Gazza hurried in. There was no one in the lounge room, so he kept going.

“Mr Carson?” he called again. He turned at the next moan and found an old man lying in a huge bed. The smell hit them as they entered the room. “Bette, he is very sick,” Gazza stated. “Touch him with me.” They both touched the old man as Gazza examined him with his magic. “Damn, Mr Carson I can’t make you better but I can ease the pain and clear your lungs so you can breathe a bit better.”

Gazza shifted his hands and splayed his fingers over the chest of the old man, who was of the Pix race. Bette watched as his hands glowed very brightly for a full minute and then the glow dulled and he pulled back from the man. Gazza was breathing deeply and sweat beaded his forehead from his efforts.

“I’m sorry but that’s the best I can do. There is too much to fix,” Gazza told Bette sadly.

“I know I’m dying son,” the old man croaked and then coughed.

“Is there someone looking after you?” Bette asked.

“No, I sent the senile old biddy they sent me away,” he grumbled.

“What about your family?” Bette persisted.

He laughed roughly and then coughed several times. “My granddaughter would put a pillow over my face and help me die if she knew I was this sick,” he spat out. “She has been waiting for me to die for years. I put her and her useless husband in charge of looking after my properties and what do they do, spend my money and let them go to rack and ruin.”

“My bank manager said they wanted to mortgage one of my properties. They tried to tell him they had my permission but he came and saw me and I soon put a stop to that nonsense. I also cut off all access to my accounts, not that there is much left. I can’t even afford to keep a carer.”

“Damn, now I feel bad, we came here to ask you if you wish to sell the property on University Drive in Avilla,” Gazza told him.

Mr Carson went to pull himself up so he could look at the young couple better. Gazza quickly helped him sit forward, while Bette shifted the pillows so that he was comfortable. Once he was, she filled a glass with water and held it out to him.

Gratefully he took it. His hand shook, so she held it steady so he could take several good sips from it. He sat back and she put the glass back on the little table. “What a sad indictment, two complete strangers have done more for me in the last five minutes than my family has done for years. Why do you want that property, son?” he asked.

“We currently live next door to the property, upstairs of Professor Linda Jewel’s. We have flickers and they have babies. She isn’t getting any younger either, and we are worried about her trying to take care of them and us. We need a bigger home for the flickers but don’t wish to move away from her as she has been a wonderful friend to us,” Gazza told him.

Carson chuckled, “I bet you two have been just as wonderful as friends to her too. I bet she just loves having you near. She is one wily old bird and I still hold a soft spot for her. Well, I can’t deprive her of family.”

“Son, I know I don’t have long but thanks to you I should at least be more comfortable for the time I have left. That house is a wreck. The land is worth more. If I sell it to you for the value of the land, that way I’ll still be able to afford a new carer,” Carson said.

“No deal, the house is fixable because we are Wizards. It is worth more than just the price of the land, as I know what that is worth,” Gazza said.

Carson chuckled, “Son, you got the bargaining business back to front. Tell you what, if you fix a few things around here for me, it will still only cost you the price of the land.”

Gazza looked at Bette and she beamed at him. “Now that is a deal we are happy with. Did you use some sort of agency to organise a carer?”

“Yes, but the better nurses cost more and like I said, I ran out of money,” Carson replied grumpily and with some embarrassment for having been put in the sad position he was in.

“Well, my little fix should have you strong enough that we can get you out of bed and cleaned up. Then Bette will stay with you while I go sort out a nurse,” Gazza replied.

Carson told them of the people he had dealt with before, as they got him out of bed. Gazza got him to the bathroom, stripped, washed and into clean PJs, while Bette dealt with finding him clean sheets and making his bed. She put some crystals in his room and in several other rooms and activated her favourite spells.

By the time Gazza got Carson back to bed, the room now looked clean, was in better repair and smelt a lot better. No sooner was Carson settled that Bette put a tray on his bed and he happily slurped up the hot camla and tomato soup and the soaked bread. He was feeling a lot better afterwards.

He even managed to write two notes, one for the bank manager and one to the Carers Agency. He nearly had a heart-attack when Gazza blinked away. “How did he do that?” he asked Bette.

“We did say we were Wizards, didn’t we?” she smiled at him.

Carson frowned. “We don’t have any Wizards,” he stated emphatically.

“We do now,” Bette said. “Do you want to hear what we have been up to the last couple of days?” Carson nodded and listened avidly to Bette’s story. She did tell him that he had to keep it secret but then he didn’t think anyone would believe him without meeting the young couple anyway.

Meanwhile, Gazza was walking into the agency that hired out help. “I need a full-time carer for a very sick friend of mine,” he told the woman, whom he thought was the receptionist.

“How long do you need one for? And do they need a live-in?” she asked in a businesslike manner.

Sadly, Gazza said, “Not more than a year. Unfortunately, there is little more I can do for him. His age is against him and the deterioration is past my ability. He will need live-in care.”

“Oh, that’s so sad, doctor. Well, Tiffany happens to be available. She requested a live-in arrangement if one became available. Are there any medicines she needs to give to the patient?”

“No, I have eased his pain. He will still be very weak at times and will need help with bathing and toileting, as well as feeding. He did well earlier, so she will just need to sit with him when he eats until he gets worse again.”

“Yes, this sounds like Tiffany’s sort of job. I assume you want her to start immediately?”

“Yes. However, if neither Mr Carson nor I like her, we will send her back to you. His last carer was not a pleasant woman and left him alone for two days without informing anyone that she had left,” Gazza informed the woman.

She gasped, “Well that is not a good indictment on my business. I know of whom you are speaking and she has claimed to be caring for Mr Carson. The only issue is who is paying his bills?”

“I am, I shall give you an account and you can draw out the weekly amount, until such time as Mr Carson passes,” Gazza replied.

“Oh well then, I shall contact Tiffany straight away. Your bankbook please,” she requested.

Gazza grimaced at her mercenary behaviour but handed the book over and then countersigned the agreement for payment. He’d found Mr Carson’s bankbook and had transferred a sum of money in it so that the old Pix had money for food and essentials. He felt it was the least he could do.

“Please make sure Mr Carson is well taken care of. I will be checking up on him at least every week or so, and I will know if he is not getting the care I’m paying for,” Gazza said sternly.

The woman blinked at him several times. She was darn sure this guy would do exactly as he promised. He might look very young but she felt the steel of his convictions. She had better warn Tiffany that this was one job they had better do right. She was also going to have words with another woman about her theft and lies. She certainly wouldn’t be working for her any more.

Gazza nodded and left. His next stop was the bank. He finally got in to see the manager and explained why he was there. The manager was most concerned to hear that Mr Carson wasn’t doing so well. He agreed to pop in that afternoon after lunch to sort out the sale of the property and check on his friend.

Gazza walked out of the bank and a very pleasant smell hit his nostrils. He followed his nose and found a cafe that also did business as a bakery. He was soon loaded up with lots of goodies and had to walk to a quiet spot to blink.

Bluey took him straight to the kitchen in Carson’s house.

Gazza opened the rattly old icebox.

He grimaced and did a ‘Clean me’ spell and then a ‘Repair’ spell. He then added the ‘Preservation’ spell for good measure. Once happy, he loaded the excess food into it. He then took the kaffes and warm pies to Carson’s room.

The three of them were soon having a wonderful feast. Carson had to chuckle at how much of the feast his two guests ate. Gazza did assure him there was more for later. They were just cleaning up when the doorbell rang.

Bette went to get it, while Gazza dealt with the crumbs and rubbish. She let the middle-aged woman in and then did something she had never done before; she scanned the woman.

Tiffany shivered and then looked at Bette. “You should ask for permission,” she said tritely.

Bette blushed, “Sorry, but we have been very concerned for Mr Carson. The last carer left a bedridden man to fend for himself for several days.”

Tiffany nodded, “Yes, I heard. I can assure you that will not happen on my watch. Flora will relieve me for two hours each morning and two nights each week to ensure that Mr Carson has the best care and that we, the carers, are also at our best. She should be here shortly, so Dr White knows who he is paying for.”

Betty had to chuckle. She was quite sure Gazza planned to foot the bill no matter what Carson said or did. She wasn’t sure how he got promoted to Doctor White. She took Tiffany to meet Mr Carson. They both chuckled as they realised they knew each other. Bette and Gazza were delighted that Carson was comfortable with Tiffany.

They got to meet Flora ten minutes later. She was, in fact, Tiffany’s mother. Shock, delight and surprise, she was also an old flame of Carson’s and didn’t know that he had moved back to Mt Fire. Bette and Gazza were relieved to know the old man was in good hands.

The last visitor was Marty, the bank manager. “Oh my!” he exclaimed as he entered the house. “Did Mr Carson come into some money I don’t know about?” he asked as he looked around.

“Why is that?” Betty asked warily.

“I was here only two weeks ago and the place didn’t look like this. I wonder how he afforded the tradespeople to fix it in such a short time,” he answered.

“Well when you acquire a couple of magicians as friends, they like to do nice things in return and it was part of the deal we did with him,” Bette replied.

“Part of the deal!” exclaimed Carson, who had gotten out of bed to come and see Marty. “I asked them to fix a few things up, not the whole bloody house. Marty, make out a bill of sale for the house they want. It will cost them nothing. If you want to make it for something, make it for the costs this young man has already spent on me without being asked to.”

“The little blighter fully intended to pay for my care and the house after saving my life, just so I could live just a bit longer. Son, when I’m gone, the repairs you have done here will more than pay for what you owed me. So we are even. Give that saucy Linda a big kiss from me too, when you go home,” Carson told Gazza.

Bette chuckled and told him that she would make sure Gazza did as he asked. Gazza reminded him that he hadn’t seen the last of them as they promised to visit regularly. Carson couldn’t say no to this, as he was sure he was going to look forward to their visits. Fiona and Tiffany made him get back into bed once Marty had sorted out the paperwork.

Gazza and Bette decided to go have an early dinner to celebrate buying their first house.

The young couple spent some time wandering around the shops in Mt Fire.

“It seems like it was a different life that I lived when I was last here,” said Bette as she pointed at interesting things she remembered to Gazza.

“Life has a funny way of distorting our memories,” Gazza replied. “I turned up to school to start a new year after a long summer spent out in the bush, and learning to fly with my dad. I headed off to the assembly to join the other grade nine kids to get my class timetable.”

“Mr Grey said to me, ‘Why are you over here Master White?’ I explained, and he frowned and asked me what year it was and how old I was. I told him it was nineteen eighty-four and I was now fourteen. He then told me that no, it was eighty-five and I was now fifteen. I had done year nine the year before and I was now in year ten.”

“He then pointed me to the teachers that I needed to go talk to. I pondered as to why I had thought it was eighty-four. My mother had died on New Year’s Eve the year before and it was also my birthday. I tried to remember what I had done that year but other than learning to fly the helicopter, not much else seemed to come to me.”

“I knew I attended school but it was like I didn’t have any memories of school past grade eight. I often wonder if the horror of my mother leaving me at that age was too much to bear and I shunted the whole year out of my head. When I spoke to my father about my weird first day, he chuckled and asked me if I’d used any of my textbooks.”