Broken City

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

 “How many more trays do we have?” asks Dec over his shoulder.

“Three sixty plug, four twelve plug,” Carris’s head appears from under the table, “and five medium pots.”

She waits expectantly for Dec to finish his mathematical calculations. I don’t usually bring them all down here but Tom didn’t come back until half past five and I didn’t want the children to wake him up. Dec is still thinking, a small furrow between his brows, absently he holds his arm out towards Roydon who promptly rolls up Dec’s sleeve.

“Give me the sixty plug,” he commands at last, reaching an imperative hand out behind him.

Carris immediately thrusts the tray into his hand and he begins to fill the plugs with soil from the sieve he is shaking above the tray, finishing with the sieve he passes it to a waiting Roydon.

“Water!”

The command is scarcely out of his mouth before the watering can is placed into his hand; he measures the water carefully into the plugs his eyes half closed.

“Seeds!”

Is the next order and Roydon passes him the container of seeds. Carefully one by one Dec places them into the plugs.

“Soil!”

He shakes the soil over the seeds and steps back to view his handy work, one hand held in a gesture of silence.

“Say nothing, words are inadequate.”

“Just remember to label your trays this time—you remember what happened last year,” I warn.

The greenhouses are, as usual, very bright and humid. Denny and Jan are watering at one end and Tarri is on the floor digging in some soil; she loves the greenhouses and often comes down with professor Jepsjon.

“You look absolutely filthy, Dec!”

Dec looks up at Ralph Clark and wiggles his fingers in the air.

“Self sacrifice and all that jazz, Uncle Ralph!”

The children have always called Ralph ‘Uncle’ even though he is no relation but as he is a close friend of Tom’s they seem to feel as though they have a strong claim on him. Ralph I know is rather proud of the title.

“Ricky seems to have been self sacrificing in an entirely clean way though.”

“Huh—he used his fingers I used—”

“Everything else?” asks Ralph with a grin. “How are you Deeta?”

“I too am sacrificing myself Ralph; I didn’t know you were on greenhouse duty too?”

Ralph shakes his dark blonde head.

“I’m not, I’m on farm duty.”

“We aren’t exactly on the way,” I comment raising my eyebrows.

“No but,” Ralph grins, “I thought the boys might want to come along.”

“I bet you did,” I laugh.

“Why only the boys?” ask Carris indignantly.

Ralph swings her up easily into his arms.

“Because, Carry, I can’t half inch the lot of you from Deet, can I?”

Carris sees the logic of this statement and agrees seriously.

“Well, how about it boys?” asks Ralph.