Alison kept her eyes on Regan, and monitored Regan's eyes while she asked Mairie, "So, Mairie, if you told him, why is he still being mean to Regan?" Alison asked gently. That was puzzling. He wasn't a mean person by nature. Alison looked around, searching for Gray, but he had disappeared from view.
"Because I don't think he believed me." Mairie said as she resumed her position. "He's a nasty, unpleasant termite!"
Regan snorted at that statement. It was so untrue. But she was surprised to find him trying to goad her earlier today. She was convinced at that time that he was spoiling for a fight. Almost as if he wanted her to drop her smile and argue back. But she had her wall in place. Securely place. She recognised his subtly jabs and those were promptly deflected by her wall. Amazing what you remember from your childhood experience, how to dodge emotional bullets.
Regan looked over at Mairie and said softly. "He isn't. You know that!" Regan knew that she was standing up for Gray despite knowing that he didn't like her. She knew he was not happy with her because he believed she had taken advantage of him. Which was true, well, not exactly! More a mixture of pride and circumstances. "He's just not happy at being taken for a ride, that's all." She lifted her shoulders and offered a tepid smile, "You would feel the same, if someone took advantage of you." She did feel guilty. He did so much for her and her farm, with so little resource and his accomplishment and work was not recognised in his wage packets.
"You didn't take him for a ride." Jenny pointed out quietly and again wished she had never recommend this route. Jenny murmured, "You housed him and his family when they had nothing. You gave him a job." Jenny watched Regan's eyes and could see sadness in her eyes, laced with shame. "I suggested that. This is my fault."
"That is not true, Jen! He's a horrible man! He took advantage of Regan!" Mairie threw in her two cents.
Shamefaced, Regan corrected, "Mairie, that is rubbish! You know he did a fantastic job with my farm." Mairie huffed, but Regan was uncomfortable with leaving the blame at Gray's door, so she continued, "He took it from dilapidated to functional, in just over six months." Embarrassed she said, "Without my help, without access to money, to decent equipment. No help at all!" Still humiliated by the fact that she did take advantage of Gray. "Honestly, he worked every hour, and he just had to do that without any real resources. No money and old equipment. It is not in his character to beg for anything. And I am pretty sure he was not happy that he had to ask me for money when he wanted to fixed things on the farm." She looked around at Jen, Lucy, Mairie and Alison, "Just imagine being an independent, proud, man who has to beg for money, to fix things for someone else. And he really had to beg, because I never offered cash. He left me notes, asking for equipment and I ignored his notes! I knew the farm needed help, but ..."
"Maybe, but he is horrible!" Mairie interrupted as she watched Regan's eyes, saw that the sadness in Regan's eyes was replaced by humiliation. "He really is!"
Regan shook her head. "I know you are trying to cheer me up and want to support me. But he isn't horrible. I know he is good man. A fair man. It is just that I paid him a pittance and at that time he didn't know. That's the truth of the matter. Of course he was going to be mad when he found out. I would, if I was in his shoes. You too. You wouldn't be happy if someone took advantage."
"You paid him what you could." Alison gently reminded Regan.
Lucy said quietly. "He got a wage." They all knew it was the minimum wage, but they also knew that it was all that Regan could afford.
"Which was a pittance." Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, "You know that." She mumbled.
"Well, yeah, but..." Mairie tried to rein in her approach, given her approach was making things worse. Regan looked embarrassed.
"But, "Regan interrupted, "that wasn't fair. He practically ran the farm, managed it, did a wonderful job with the available equipment, in essence, he rescued my farm and I rewarded him with the minimum wage." She sighed. "Not even a manager's pay, and no bonus at all. Most farms reward their manager when they do a great job." Regan firmly, "And you know he was amazing. I should have taken AG and BG photos."
"AG and BG photos?" Mairie frowned and looked at the sister for an explanation.
Regan smiled before Lucy or Jenny spoke, and chuckled, "Before Gray and after Gray." Mairie and Lucy rolled their eyes, but Alison narrowed her eyes as her mind started to consider whether Regan was in love with the man. Regan was defending him in earnest. Not a token defence.
"He was lucky! And his wage was fair!" Lucy shuffled to make herself more comfortable knowing that this discussion had more miles to run.
Alison said gently, "Regan, I am sure, if you could have paid him more, you would have. I am pretty sure, if you had the money, you would give him a bonus."
"You took his family in, you..." Lucy carried on with her side of the story.
"I know, I know, but I took advantage. Well, at least that is what he thought." Regan sighed, "And I can understand, and accept, his views," maybe on the outside, but on the inside she felt guilty, "because, well, I did take advantage of his experience, his skills, his attitude to work, well, actually everything! You all know that. You know that the town knows he has pulled up one farm from the brink of insolvency, mine and his management of that new place, has generated profits, unexpected profits so soon." Her pride. Her stupid pride. She often thought she should have told him about her circumstances, should have give him options, give him the information, offer him the job knowing the circumstances and leave him to make a decision about working on her farm. He could have approached local farms, apply for jobs, instead, she basically tied him and his family to her farm, by offering housing, emotional blackmail, really. She could have offered them accommodation without strings. From benefactor to a tyrant.
"Come on..."
Regan interrupted Lucy, something she would never do with other people, but with this family, her adopted family, she felt she could be candid and blunt "From his standpoint, I took advantage. He cut and polished a diamond and I took it, without me paying for it. " She looked at Alison. "Why didn't I offer them accommodation without strings? That is not charitable, at all. I took advantage of their situation." Alison wasn't sure whether to smile or panic. Despite everything she just heard about Gray's attitude to Regan, she was sure that Regan was in love with that man.
"Their situation? Well, he needs to open his eyes! And look at the bigger picture!" Lucy said firmly. "Anyway, Regan, you don't know how to take advantage!"
Jenny and Mairie nodded. Alison smiled at her daughters and Mairie. Alison was pleased to see that the friends would stand up for their friends.
"I do too!" Regan pouted. Alison banked her smile and she realised that it had always struck her as interesting, that Regan only ever argued with members of the Jones family and really close friends!
"Like when?" Jenny challenged quietly and her eyebrows rose. "Come on, Regan, when was the last time you took advantage of anyone?" Alison could not stop her smile, because her daughter was right, Regan did not have those genes.
"I learnt to take advantage of your family ages ago, actually for years, from the start!" Regan snapped, rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Rubbish." Jenny and Lucy said loudly which resulted in chuckles.
Regan ignored their words. "I took advantage of Gray and his family to get cheap labour." Regan pointed out glibly. "My farm is amazing! Because of him."
"Rubbish!" Lucy challenged again, with a snort. "I know for a fact that Jenny laid a guilt trip on you to take them on. Because dad thought they needed a goal or something like that in their life. A real goal." Lucy looked across at her sister, who nodded instantly. "Something that would forced them to deal with the world and use their experiences and skills." Lucy looked across at her sister and hoped that Jenny would pick up the hint.
"Yeah, I did." Jenny nodded and said ruefully, "Sorry about that, Regan." Regan shook her head. Jenny continued, "It shows who took advantage. I did! Dad and I took advantage of you! I, and dad, foisted Gray and his family on you. We forced you to take them on! And that family took advantage of you! And now, here you are, defending him despite the fact he is snipping at you!"
Lucy warmed to her theme. "Yes, you are fighting for Gray's corner. You need to fight for your corner! Remember you housing them. Allowed them to stay with you. No rent."
"You gave Gray a goal." Jenny and Lucy had a tandem on this conversation.
"A purpose in life. " Lucy threw in. "And you give him something to aim for."
"That's what dad said." Jenny added.
Lucy looked directly at Regan, "So, again, when was the last time you took advantage?"
Regan pouted, "Well, if you aren't going to take my word for when I think I'm taking advantage, then there's no point me attempting to tell you both...."
Lucy started laughing. "That is so lame!"
"It isn't!" Regan stared angrily at Lucy.
"Yes it is! Really lame." Lucy retorted in a sing-a-long.
"No, it isn't!" Regan huffed and poked at her shoulder, tipping Lucy over.
"Stop!" Jenny warned with a smile ghosting her lips.
"Well, she started it." Regan crossed her arms and glared at Lucy.
"Oh, how childish is that?" Lucy taunted as she resumed her seat on the ground, mimicking Regan's arm movement.
Alison smiled. She loved watching the interactions between these four. Almost as if they had not got older! The way they discuss and settle their adults- arguments has the ghosts of their teenagers-life's interactions. But Alison thought she should intervene before things escalated, "Lucy! Regan!" Alison remonstrated with a twinkle in her eyes. And again, she recognise that Regan would let these discords and quarrels to wash over her head! She avoids rows with strangers, even acquaintances. With Lucy, Jenny and Mairie she would handled rows. With acquaintances she would not share her opinions. She kept her opinions to herself. But with Lucy, Jenny and Mairie, Regan would happily have heated discussions! Squabbles. That is why Alison smiled. The young girl who had arrived at her house, two decades ago, now has confidence and self-esteem. And she had the wisdom to walk away from arguments with strangers.
Jenny chuckled. "How old are you two?" The number of times she had intervened in arguments between Regan and Lucy were legion. Nearly twenty-five years on and she was still running interference between Regan and Lucy. The young women looked at each other and then dissolved into fits of laughter.
Happy, Alison smiled at the group. "You know I am really proud of you all. But I hope you will stop arguing like toddlers!" The young women looked at each other and their giggles escalated to hilarity.