tea. Won’t that be nice?’
Jessie rolled
her eyes, away from Nanna.
‘Yep,’ she
said, wishing the surprise had been something else, anything else in fact.’
‘But there’s
something else, Jessie. Fleur has a daughter and she’s about your age.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. Her name
is Harmony and she lives with Fleur some of the time and with her dad at other
times. But Harmony is here this week and we thought perhaps you two might like
to spend some time together.’
‘Yeah, I
guess.’ Great! Someone to talk to.
‘Fleur is an
artist, Jessie. She moved here from the city – she says it helps her creativity
to be away from all of that.’
‘What sort of
artist?’ Jessie asked.
‘She paints …
well, interesting things really. Very bright colours; I’m sure you’ll enjoy
seeing them.’
Fleur was
seated in front of an easel in her front garden when Jessie and Nanna arrived.
She wore a white coat, like a doctor’s uniform, only it was covered in
splotches of different coloured paints. And underneath Jessie could see a long
purple dress which flowed out all around her. Fleur had really long blonde hair
that fell all the way to her hips. Maybe all artists look like this, Jessie
thought. After all, she’d never met one before.
‘Fleur, this
is my granddaughter Jessie.’ There was a deafening squeal as Nanna fiddled
quickly with her right ear.
‘It’s lovely
to meet you Jessie,’ Fleur said, smiling as she ignored the noise from Nanna’s
hearing aid. ‘I’m afraid my daughter Harmony is glued to her computer, but I’m
sure she’ll be out soon.’
‘You have a
computer?’
‘Yes. Would
you like to see it?’
‘That’d be great .’
Fleur put down
her paints, wiped her hands on a towel and led Jessie and Nanna through the
house. As she walked, her purple dress flicked from side to side and her long
blonde hair swung across her back like a pendulum.
Jessie made a
quick study of the paintings that seemed to cover every wall. They were
interesting, and the colours were amazing – splashes of bright blues, and
greens, and yellows and pinks. But she couldn’t really decide what they were
all about.
Harmony was
sitting at the computer with her back to the door.
‘You stupid,
stupid machine!’ she said, ‘Why can’t you just do what I ask?’
‘Harmony?’
Fleur interrupted, ‘This is Jessie.’
Harmony turned
around slowly, a frown on her face. Jessie thought she looked maybe a year or
so older than herself. Harmony’s hair was black, short and in a bob. She wore a
black shirt over jeans and she had dark makeup around her eyes. Jessie saw her
nails were also painted black.
‘Hello,’ she
said.
CHAPTER 4
‘Hi,’ said Jessie.
‘Harmony,
Jessie would like to have a look at your computer. How about you two get to know
each other while Nanna and I make some tea.’
‘All right,’
said Harmony, looking back to the computer as Jessie looked around for a chair.
‘There’s one
here,’ Harmony said as she struggled to lift a pile of hard covered art books
off a green velvet arm chair. Jessie helped Harmony put them on the floor and
then sat down.
‘Computers can
be a pain, can’t they?’ Jessie said as she made herself comfortable.
‘Always. Do you know anything about them?’
Jessie thought
back to all the lessons she had had at school, ‘A little,’ she said.
‘I’m sending
an email to my friend Kurt and I can’t attach the photos I want to send him. Do
you know how to do that?’
‘Sure. Which
folder are the photos in?’
Harmony
searched around in ‘My Computer’ and then double-clicked on a folder. ‘It’s
these ones –just three of them.’
Jessie saw
they were photos of Harmony with a boy, presumably Kurt, sliding down a long
slippery slide with water spraying all over them. Harmony had her mouth open
and looked like she was screaming. Kurt appeared to be laughing.
‘Is Kurt your
boyfriend?’ Jessie asked as she took the mouse from
Jessie rolled
her eyes, away from Nanna.
‘Yep,’ she
said, wishing the surprise had been something else, anything else in fact.’
‘But there’s
something else, Jessie. Fleur has a daughter and she’s about your age.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. Her name
is Harmony and she lives with Fleur some of the time and with her dad at other
times. But Harmony is here this week and we thought perhaps you two might like
to spend some time together.’
‘Yeah, I
guess.’ Great! Someone to talk to.
‘Fleur is an
artist, Jessie. She moved here from the city – she says it helps her creativity
to be away from all of that.’
‘What sort of
artist?’ Jessie asked.
‘She paints …
well, interesting things really. Very bright colours; I’m sure you’ll enjoy
seeing them.’
Fleur was
seated in front of an easel in her front garden when Jessie and Nanna arrived.
She wore a white coat, like a doctor’s uniform, only it was covered in
splotches of different coloured paints. And underneath Jessie could see a long
purple dress which flowed out all around her. Fleur had really long blonde hair
that fell all the way to her hips. Maybe all artists look like this, Jessie
thought. After all, she’d never met one before.
‘Fleur, this
is my granddaughter Jessie.’ There was a deafening squeal as Nanna fiddled
quickly with her right ear.
‘It’s lovely
to meet you Jessie,’ Fleur said, smiling as she ignored the noise from Nanna’s
hearing aid. ‘I’m afraid my daughter Harmony is glued to her computer, but I’m
sure she’ll be out soon.’
‘You have a
computer?’
‘Yes. Would
you like to see it?’
‘That’d be great .’
Fleur put down
her paints, wiped her hands on a towel and led Jessie and Nanna through the
house. As she walked, her purple dress flicked from side to side and her long
blonde hair swung across her back like a pendulum.
Jessie made a
quick study of the paintings that seemed to cover every wall. They were
interesting, and the colours were amazing – splashes of bright blues, and
greens, and yellows and pinks. But she couldn’t really decide what they were
all about.
Harmony was
sitting at the computer with her back to the door.
‘You stupid,
stupid machine!’ she said, ‘Why can’t you just do what I ask?’
‘Harmony?’
Fleur interrupted, ‘This is Jessie.’
Harmony turned
around slowly, a frown on her face. Jessie thought she looked maybe a year or
so older than herself. Harmony’s hair was black, short and in a bob. She wore a
black shirt over jeans and she had dark makeup around her eyes. Jessie saw her
nails were also painted black.
‘Hello,’ she
said.
CHAPTER 4
‘Hi,’ said Jessie.
‘Harmony,
Jessie would like to have a look at your computer. How about you two get to know
each other while Nanna and I make some tea.’
‘All right,’
said Harmony, looking back to the computer as Jessie looked around for a chair.
‘There’s one
here,’ Harmony said as she struggled to lift a pile of hard covered art books
off a green velvet arm chair. Jessie helped Harmony put them on the floor and
then sat down.
‘Computers can
be a pain, can’t they?’ Jessie said as she made herself comfortable.
‘Always. Do you know anything about them?’
Jessie thought
back to all the lessons she had had at school, ‘A little,’ she said.
‘I’m sending
an email to my friend Kurt and I can’t attach the photos I want to send him. Do
you know how to do that?’
‘Sure. Which
folder are the photos in?’
Harmony
searched around in ‘My Computer’ and then double-clicked on a folder. ‘It’s
these ones –just three of them.’
Jessie saw
they were photos of Harmony with a boy, presumably Kurt, sliding down a long
slippery slide with water spraying all over them. Harmony had her mouth open
and looked like she was screaming. Kurt appeared to be laughing.
‘Is Kurt your
boyfriend?’ Jessie asked as she took the mouse from