Awake and Dreaming - Kit Pearson [28]
“Isn’t this great?” panted John. He pointed out an island with a lighthouse, downtown Victoria and the Lieutenant-Governor’s mansion. Gulls rose and fell from the water and a tug that looked like a toy boat plodded along the horizon. The sky was clearing and distant tips of mountains floated above the clouds. Theo could see the cemetery far below.
The Kaldors had their own park—the cemetery—their own beach, and their own mountain! Not really theirs—but it seemed so.
But now all these wonders belonged to Theo too! She feasted her eyes on the expanse of rock, water, trees and houses. She could come up here whenever she wanted and look again.
Then the sun streamed out of the sky in shimmering columns.
“Wow,” said Anna.
“Do you like it, Theo?” said Lisbeth proudly, as if she had ordered the glowing scene herself.
“It’s … beautiful,” said Theo. So beautiful it hurt. She wished she could find a better word to express how the sun made purple-green canyons of the remaining clouds and how the silvery sea seemed to stretch on forever. She thought of the dreary streets and buildings she had always known and felt like Heidi coming to the Alps. “It’s like magic,” she whispered.
Then she couldn’t help blurting out the question that kept nagging at her. “Is this magic?” she asked them. “Did I really come here because I wished on the moon?”
But none of them seemed to hear. “Let’s go back,” said John. “I have a music lesson at four-thirty.”
“John’s really good at piano,” said Anna, as they made their way down. “And I sing in a choir. What do you like to do, Theo?”
This was the first time anyone had asked about herself. “I don’t know,” said Theo.
“Maybe you could take ballet with me,” said Lisbeth. “This year I’m going to be a bumble-bee in our spring concert.”
“I don’t like dancing,” said Theo quickly.
“What about soccer?” said Anna. “My best friend, Grace, and I are on the same team. Do you want to try it?”
“Maybe,” said Theo. “But I’ve never played soccer before.”
“It’s easy,” said Anna. “You just run around and try to kick the ball whenever it comes near you.”
When they reached their backyard, John left on his bike for his lesson and Anna went in to do her homework. Lisbeth and Ben showed Theo how to climb a tree that towered over the house.
She’d never climbed a tree before. Ben scrambled to the top like a monkey, while Theo perched shakily on a branch. She touched its strange, peeling bark.
“What kind of a tree is this?” she asked them.
“An arbutus,” said Lisbeth. “There are lots of them here. Grannie tried to grow one in Vancouver but it died.”
“Arbutus,” said Theo carefully. She stored the word in her packed mind, along with Emily Carr, Olympic Mountains and Harlequin ducks. She pressed her cheek against the smooth orange trunk of the tree. Even it seemed to welcome her.
THE EVENING was as full of delights as the day had been. Theo, Lisbeth and Ben were watching TV when they heard a whistle—two high notes and a low one.
“Daddy!” shouted Ben, running into the hall. Lisbeth dashed after him and Theo followed slowly, recalling his name—Dan.
Bingo hurtled into the hall and threw himself at Dan, his mouth slack with worship—as if he were saying, “I love all of you very much but this is my master!”
“Hello there, Theo,” said Dan, hanging up his raincoat. Theo hung her head; she didn’t know what you were supposed to say to fathers. She remembered that she’d told Mum she’d call him “Dad,” but maybe Dan didn’t know that yet.
The whole family congregated in the kitchen, the adults trying to put together dinner while the children got in the way. When they were finally sitting down, Dan turned to Theo and said, “Laura phoned and told me you wanted to call us Mum and Dad, Theo. I’m so pleased.”
He had such a comfortable voice and his eyes twinkled behind their glasses. Theo shyly returned his smile and gulped down delicious mouthfuls of pasta.
After dinner Theo sat in the living-room and watched Dan—Dad—carefully start