He’d taken Gretchen’s advice and spent part of the day with his prosthesis off, so he reattached it and then quickly threw some clothes into his backpack and grabbed an apple from the fridge. The work he’d done on trying to decipher the meaning behind the extra names still lay on the table. Easy for someone to see if they broke in. He bundled it together, careful not to get anything out of order, and added it to his backpack before heading outside.
A dry heat sapped any moisture from his skin as he left the house. He checked the time. Not enough to go back and look for sun cream. He’d make do and stick to the shaded paths where he could. No way would he be late.
Arthur considered jogging, but he hadn’t tested his leg at any fast pace. Definitely something he needed to do, but he’d do it later when Jordan was with him.
The first kids were walking towards him as he reached the school’s street. Arthur picked up his pace, scanning the faces for Jordan or Cody. Gretchen had mentioned Cody walked with his sisters as well.
As he reached the gates, Jordan and Cody crossed the yard together. Behind them, a young, female teacher watched all the kids from near the classrooms.
“Hurry up, Cody,” a girl who was maybe thirteen yelled from nearby.
She had the same dark hair as Cody and similar facial features. She had to be his sister. Sure enough, Cody ignored her as he walked up to Arthur. “Jordan said you’re going to show us army drills this afternoon.”
The older girl studied Arthur.
“I’m Arthur. I’m a friend of Jordan’s and his mum.”
She gave a slight smile and said to Cody, “Come on.” A girl younger than Jordan followed her, and the boys fell in step with Arthur.
“Is that your teacher?” Arthur nodded back to the building.
The boys turned. “Yeah, it’s Miss Simpson,” Jordan said. He screwed up his face. “She asked me heaps of questions about why I was in later today.”
Arthur started walking, his interest piqued. “Like what?”
“Whether Mum was sick, and how I got to school.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I said you walked me to school.”
“Did she ask who I was?”
“Yeah. I told her you were my friend.”
Was Miss Simpson just being nosy? She might be a gossip, but he made a mental note to ask Gretchen about her.
“So, are you going to show us some drills?” Cody asked.
Arthur smiled at the boy’s impatience. “Let’s ask your mum first.”
As they walked, the boys asked him questions about the army. He kept his attention on them as much as possible while also being aware of his surroundings, but no one looked out of place.
When they arrived at Cody’s place, Arthur waited at the door while Cody fetched his mum. Arthur didn’t want to startle Holly by being a strange man in her house. She walked down the corridor, smiling at him. “You must be Arthur.”
He nodded. “Did Gretchen call you?”
“Yes, she explained everything.”
Great.
“Mum, can we go to the oval with Arthur?” Cody asked. “He’s going to teach us army stuff.”
At Holly’s concerned expression, Arthur explained, “The boys wanted to learn my fitness drills. But I can do it in the backyard, either here or at Gretchen’s.” He preferred the privacy, so anyone watching didn’t know what he was capable of. Far better if they saw him as a cripple.
“We can go to my place,” Jordan said. “Then the girls won’t get in the way.”
Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Girls are quite capable.”
