Found, ... at last

Chapter 4

Bronwyn had that swim she spoke about; she needed it to cool down.  Even with the car windows down all the way; it was still a scorching day.  An hour before they were going to be leaving for dinner; her mother sent her up to her room to get dressed.  Indecisively standing in front of her wardrobe; she ran her hand over a few outfits.  Tonight was going to be smart casual.  Surely that meant she could wear her dark blue jeans with a pretty blouse and some nice sandals?

Eventually she had two blouses to choose from and she decided to have her shower first; perhaps she will be able to make a decision by then.  After a relaxing shower she was still hot; so she decided on the red blouse.  The material breathed a lot more than the pale yellow one did; and although it fit more snugly about her body, it showed less skin just in case the evening turned out colder than expected.

Thinking about the evening ahead; Bronwyn wished she knew what to expect.  Mr. Simmons was nice enough at school and at hospital today as well.  A bit bossy; but what else can you expect from teachers; it is their job to boss kids around.  Eventually she came to the conclusion that as long as he doesn’t think he can boss her around when they are not at school; they would get along fine.

Soon she could hear her father rush in and change for the evening; he sounded very excited about the prospect of teaming up with Simmons and Simons.  Bronwyn hoped that everything would work out alright; and if it didn’t; she hoped that there would not be any awkward moments.

As soon as her mother finished; they all got into the car.  Her dad had a grin on his face stretching a mile wide when not five minutes later they turned into a long driveway that led up to a small mansion.

Her mother laughed.  “Are you telling me they lived this close all the time?”

“I was just as shocked when I got the address from Gerald Simmons when we spoke.  It is going to be a good thing though; he said that they almost did not take up this project because they are so busy right now.  Fortunately for me; he remembered that we had all that new equipment installed six months ago so he decided to at least chat with me before declining the offer to participate.”

“So they are not definitely doing this project then?”  Bronwyn asked skeptically; afraid that her dad would get his hopes up for nothing.  He has really been dying to work with them for so long.

“They were given first choice and Gerald and his board would like to do this; but as he said; they have got a lot of things going on at the moment.  If, if he decides to do this with us; we will end up doing most of the menial work while they get to do most of the field work.  That is their field of expertise after all.”

“What exactly does this project involve?”  Bronwyn’s mom asked as they stopped in front of the house.  As soon as the engine switched off; the front door was opened by a young boy; about eleven or twelve.

“The numbers of lions in one of the African countries are dropping drastically due to some or other disease; and Simmons and Simons have been contacted to help determine the cause.”

“Well; that’s just up your alley then isn’t it?”  Rhoda smiled at her husband as he opened the door for her.

“Yes it is.”  Barry was nearly bursting at the seams with excitement as they walked up the few stairs to the front door where the young boy was waiting for them.

“Welcome to our home.”  He said in a well rehearsed tone.  It was clear that he had been told exactly what to say and they smiled at him.

“Thank you young man.”  Barry said seriously while his mouth twitched as he extended his hand to the boy.  The boy shook his hand with a remarkably strong grip for such a young boy.  “I am Barry Sutherland; this is my wife Rhoda and my daughter Bronwyn.”