The Plantation - Di Morrissey [118]
She could now move into the garden, having added French doors and a verandah to her dark cell.
Other times she recited poems she’d learned at school. She sang softly to herself. What she missed most was being able to draw, so she decided to imagine drawing. She sat on the floor and closed her eyes and drew in her mind, using first her right hand and then her left hand. Being right-handed, the challenge of recreating the images in her mind using her left hand added an extra dimension of involvement and forced her to concentrate. She drew the garden at home, the avenues of rubber trees at Utopia, the hidden waterfall she’d visited with Gilbert, the street scenes of Ipoh, and the faces of the rubber tappers. She drew Philip, hunched over his favourite game on the verandah at Utopia, or sitting in the dusty yard of the camp playing with Lumpy. And just for Philip she drew a special picture of his toy blue elephant. Maybe one day she’d write a book, titled, The Story of Lumpy, the Blue Elephant, and illustrate it with pictures of their adventures.
There was a rattle at the door, and the English- speaking guard Corporal Hashimoto appeared, gesturing to her.
‘You come. Major Sakura speak to you.’
Bette had no idea how long she’d been confined. The light hurt her eyes as she staggered out of her cell. She was aware that Corporal Hashimoto was giving her sidelong glances and she knew she smelled, her hair was tangled and matted and that she had lost even more weight. But she wanted everyone to see that she was strong and show them that this punishment had not defeated her.
Once more she bowed low before the major, straightened up slowly, put her hands behind her back, pulled back her shoulders and lifted her chin. She didn’t wish to appear defiant, even if she felt it, but neither was she going to cower.
‘You have been punished. You will now be model prisoner and show other women that they must be humble and obey rules. Go.’
Bette bowed her thanks and backed out of the room. The sunlight burned her eyes and she staggered, throwing her hand across her face. To her surprise, and perhaps his, Corporal Hashimoto reached for her arm and steadied her. As she walked towards her hut, there were shouts and cries as women dropped what they were doing and hurried to her and she was quickly surrounded by the women from the kitchen.
‘Where’s Philip?’ asked Bette.
‘He’s with Marjorie and the other children, he’s fine,’ Evelyn quickly reassured her. She gave Bette a hug. ‘I feel badly that you suffered this because of me. Thank you.’
‘How’s your head?’ asked Bette.
Evelyn nodded. ‘I’m all right. I think that you had better clean up before Philip sees you. I’ve got a little bit of soap left that you can have.’ Evelyn led her gently into the shade behind the kitchen.
‘You do pong a bit,’ said Norma. ‘And you look thinner.’
Bette had barely finished washing, when she saw the small figure of Philip running across the yard towards her as fast as his short legs would carry him.
He flung himself at Bette and they held each other tightly. ‘Don’t go away any more,’ he said, through muffled tears.
‘I promise I won’t. But I had to help Aunty Evelyn. Everything is fine now.’ She unclasped his arms. ‘Let me look at you. Why, I do believe you’ve grown a whole inch.’
He looked at her and touched her face, unable to form the words and express the strong emotions he was feeling. Instead he asked. ‘What did you do? Did you bring me something?’
Bette smiled. ‘There wasn’t anything to bring you. But you know, I missed you and Lumpy so much I made up drawings of you both.’
‘Where are they?’ he asked eagerly.