Previously

All she could say was “Wow she looks just like you and was wearing the most beautiful gown I have ever seen, and she said in my mind, ''Hello Rita'' and then she just faded away. That's when I woke up with the shakes and thought I had better wake you up and see if you had see her too.”

“I saw her before she appeared to you in your dream; It will get stronger every time it happens.” I said, “Wait till you can actually hear her talking Rita, because that will freak you out! She sounds just like me.”

Rita said, “I sort of heard her in my mind, but not her voice.”

I said “You will in time.”

It was time to have a shower and start a new week.

It was only six thirty, and we decided to quickly have have a shower, get dressed, and make a cooked breakfast and surprise Mummy and Daddy with breakfast in bed.

Rita said, “Carla you go and start the shower and I'll get our clothes ready and I'll come and join you in a minute.”

I 'scarped' down and got into the shower. Rita was there five minutes later with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. She dropped the towel and stepped into the shower with me, so I soaped up her back and gave her a rub with a bath sponge.

She said “I wish Peter was doing that, it feels really nice.”

“Yeah well it's only me.”I replied, and I began to tickle her on the back of her neck.

She turned around and started to do the same to me. Well! I am ''super ticklish'' and once I start laughing I usually end up with the hiccups, but she stopped pretty quick when I started to make a lot of noise because we didn't want to wake up Mummy and Daddy till we had breakfast ready. We finished in the bathroom and wrapped towels around us and ran back to our bedroom to get dressed.

I wore my pink denim skirt and the white puffy sleeved blouse that had red roses embroidered onto it. I had a pair of pink thongs on my feet; and brushed out my hair which was getting so long that Mummy said it would have to have a trim and tidy up very soon. I put a red barrette in it to hold the hair out of my face. Rita put on a pair of jeans and a blue polo shirt with the Restaurant logo sewed onto the pocket. It read 'Donna's Carvery'.

I said “When did you get that!!and do I get one too?”

Rita said “Carla why do you want one? I don’t think it is legal to have someone as young as you are working in a restaurant in any case.”

“I can do stuff.” I said with a pout.

Rita said, “I know you can Sis, but I don't think Mummy will let you actually work in the restaurant apart from after hours.”

Before I could whine any more Rita said “Look we'll talk to Mum about it later alright? Come on we had better get this breakfast cooked before they wake up.”

Rita finished getting dressed and we went to the kitchen and got out the ingredients for a full English breakfast with all the trimmings, beef sausages, eggs, bacon, and fried tomatoes with a piece of toast on the side. Also a pot of tea and cream and milk on a separate tray. We put it all on a tea trolley on wheels.

Before we went to serve it to Mummy and Daddy, we put on some rolled oats to boil up for me and Rita to make porridge with cream and strawberries. 'Yummy!' it's our favourite. This was all done on the big old coke burning stove that never went out; it just got stirred up every four or five hours.

Anyway that done, so off we went with the trolley loaded up with all the goodies. We didn't knock on the door of their bedroom but opened it very gently and pushed the trolley up close to to bed and started to sing very softly the song "Oh what a beautiful morning." I think that they were already awake but pretended to be asleep, because they had a smile on their faces and I don't think you can smile when you're asleep can you?

Mummy and Daddy both sat up and said, “Come here you two and give us both a great big hug.”

Daddy said, “And people asked me why I would adopt a ready made family like you lot.” and had damp eyes as he said it.

Mummy said “Alright you two what are you to up to or shouldn't I ask?”

Both me and Rita said in unison “Mummy, Daddy, 'wedding'?”

“What's that got to do with this lovely breakfast you bestowed on us?” replied Mummy. “You two will be the first to know when all the paper work is sorted out and completed, so stop stressing out Ok?”

Daddy said, “God I love my three girls. I never thought I would ever be this happy again.” He looked at Mummy and said, “Donna sweetheart, I love you.” and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.

Rita said, “Get a room you two.” and we ran out of the room with two pillows following us as we had a fit of the giggles.

We got back to the kitchen just in time to stop the porridge from boiling over the top of the saucepan, so while Rita got the saucepan off the stove I got the strawberries and cream out of the fridge and cut up the strawberries to put on top of the porridge once the milk and cream was added. We were chatting away when Mummy came into the kitchen with the trolley and put all the dirty things into the sink to be washed up by me and Rita “of course'' what else? But we don't mind helping Mummy, she does so much for Rita and me.

Mummy said she was going to have a shower and get ready to go to work with Rita at the restaurant. Daddy was already in the shower when we heard Mummy get in with him and of course we were waiting for the normal squealing to start, but Daddy must be behaving himself this morning as there was no tickling going on. We cleaned up the kitchen and Rita got her stuff ready to go with Mummy and Daddy. I settled down in my school work room. It was all set up with a desk and the two way radio so I could talk to the teachers at the School of the Air if I needed help with the work that Mummy had set out for me to do for the day. I would be so glad to be able to attend a regular school the following year or sooner if I could pressure Mummy into it. There were two schools in town, the Catholic one and the state school. Ricky went to the state school because his dad was the principal there, but I thought the following year Helen wanted to send Ricky to the Catholic school and leave Peter at the state school or send him to a Brisbane boarding school. Rita wouldn't like that at all; because they were all lovey dovey when they were together.

They all went off, leaving me by myself and the kelpie dingo cross. She was a really quiet dog. and Daddy got her about ten years previously as a pup from a truck driver that had two pups given to him by a station owner. So Daddy ended up with a pup that he named Ginger because of her colouring. Me and Ginger got on really well because I used to let her come inside the house, and she wasn’t supposed be inside. She would just lay down beside me in my school work room and just look at me with those sad brown eyes. Did I tell you my eyes are brown?

I had to get on the radio to ask some questions about a maths problem that I couldn't understand. I switched on the the radio and pressed the button on the mike and said “This is Carla in Quilpie. Do you receive me? Over.” There was a bit of crackling, and then Mrs Dickson answered and said, “Good morning Carla It's nice to hear your voice again. I've missed talking with you, What can I do for you this morning?”--- “Over”.

I replied “I have a problem with some maths Mummy wants me to do and I didn't want to disturb her at the restaurant. Over.”

After that was sorted that out we spoke for another ten minutes, and I brought her up to date on everything that had happened since we left left River Downs, a two hundred and fifty thousand acre sheep station. (I made a mistake and said it was fifty thousand acres in my first chapter. --Well I hate maths!)

I was finished with my lessons for the day and it was close to lunch time, so I packed all my school stuff up on the desk for tomorrow and was about to go to the kitchen when Daddy walked into the room. He had come to get some paperwork for the garage that Henry needed. Oh no me and Ginger were busted. Of course the first thing I did was start to cry, and Ginger came and licked my hand.

Daddy being the soft Jellybean that he is put his arm around me and said “What am I going to do with you Carla?”

I replied in between sobs, “I'm sorry Daddy. Ginger looks so lonely when she is out in the yard and she just lays at my feet when I let her inside.”

Well, Daddy can't stand it when I cry so he said, “Ok brown eyes dry those tears, She can be inside when you're inside but not when there’s nobody in the house ok?”

I said, “Yes Daddy! thank you. You're the best Daddy I've ever had.”

Daddy walked away saying something to himself that sounded like 'I must be going soft in the head, that kid has just conned me I think.'

I asked Daddy if I could make him some lunch before he had to go back to work. And he said “Well Carla if your offering, yeah thanks.” I got some eggs and sausages out of the fridge to make lunch for us both. I also gave Ginger a sausage on an old plate. Daddy just smiled and said, “Carla I’m glad your going to be my daughter. You make me happy just to be around you.”

We had lunch and Daddy went back to work, so I decided to take Ginger for a run on a long lead riding my bike. The bike is a Malvern Star and it has three gears in the hub and hand brakes. It is a twenty six inch girls bike. Rita's bike is a twenty eight inch which is too big for me.

Ginger loved running behind me, but I made sure I wasn't going too fast for her to keep up. It took twenty minutes to get to the restaurant and by this time Ginger was panting, so I got her some water in a bucket and tied her up under the tree beside the shop.

I opened the door and announced myself and said, “G'day everybody I’m here.”

Rita replied “Out in the kitchen Carla.”

There were no customers at the counter, but there was a two way mirror between the kitchen and the Restaurant so they could see if anyone was there to be served.

I walked through to the kitchen and Mummy, Rita and Linda were all chopping up food for tonight’s menu for the evening meal. The kitchen part closed at eight pm. Most people that came to eat at the restaurant were happy to be able to have meals served from six pm. It meant Mummy could put some food in sealed containers to bring home for me to heat up for my supper. because Rita and Mummy wouldn't be home till after nine pm at night and they would eat before they came home. Sometimes Daddy would come home early but not always. It would depend on how busy the restaurant was on the night.

I said, “Ok, where is Alice?”

“She'll be back in a minute. I sent her down to the shop to get me some more flour.” replied Mummy. Just as she said that, in walked this very pretty girl with light brown skin and hair tied in a long ponytail with a white ribbon to hold it there. She was only a bit taller than me but had a perfect figure. She was wearing the same clothes as Rita with the logo of the restaurant on the pocket.

She gave Mummy the flour and came over to me and said, “G'day Carla. Wow! You are as pretty as they said you were.” Then she gave me a great big hug. I think I’m going to like her.

Mummy said, “You had better take Ginger home before Daddy sees her tied up out there all by herself Carla.”

“It’s alright Mummy, Daddy already knows I’ve taken her out for a run to get her weight down a bit.”

“Yes Carla you have been over-feeding her.” replied Mummy.

I said “Yeah and Daddy is letting me have her inside the house too.”

“Carla you haven't been wrapping Bill around your little finger again have you?”

“No Mummy” I said rolling my eyes.

Alice looked at me and giggled.

Mummy said to Alice “See? I told you she is a little monkey.”

Alice said “Mrs White, I like Carla she is really cute.”

Mummy said “Yeah I suppose so.”

I went before I outstayed my welcome and untied Ginger and started to ride home. It was just after three pm so the school kids were already starting to walk home from school. As I was riding my bike past the state school I was looking out to see if I could see Ricky, but I think he was playing football. He wouldn't be out for awhile so I kept going.

As I got to the park just down the road from the school, I saw the three girls that I met a couple of weeks ago, and I pulled in to give Ginger another drink of water. I got off my bike and walked over to where the girls were sitting on a bench talking about their home work and said, “Hi girls remember me? I met you a couple of weeks ago outside your school.”

“G'day” said the girl named Jenny, “Yeah we remember you. You're the girl that doesn’t go to school aren’t you?”

I replied, “ Well I do sort of go to school at home and on the two way radio, but I hope to be at a proper school at the beginning of the new year.”

“Gee” said Brenda, “that would be great wouldn't it?” to the other girl named June.

June replied, “Wouldn’t you get lonely not being able to gossip and talk to other girls?”

I said, “Um no. I am used to that because there were no other kids except my older sister to talk to on the sheep station we came from.”

I was thinking to myself 'What if these girls found out about my little plumbing problem, but my willy is that small that it is really not a problem to just tuck it up; and there is not even a bulge to see as long as I don’t take my panties off nobody will know. I hope that the doctors can do something about it not getting any bigger, or I will have to do something about it myself.'

I said 'bye to the girls and made my way home with Ginger running behind me without the lead on. We got home and she laid down on the verandah all puffed out. I decide to have some food now. It was only five pm, but I was hungry after riding my bike and besides there was plenty of food in the fridge to be heated up. I chose the spaghetti bolognese it is my favourite that Mummy makes. I put it on the stove to heat up.

I had just finished eating when the phone rang. I picked it up and said “Bill Croft's residence.”

It was Ricky and he said, “Carla, is that you?”

I replied, “Yeah it's me Ricky, what's up?”

I was told that you were on your bike with with your dog Ginger going past the school. You should have come down to the footy field and watched me play a game of footy against the Catholic school football team .

“Well I didn't know that the football ground was behind the school. Anyway how was your day?” I asked.

Ricky replied, “It would have been better if I could have talked to you for a bit Carla.”

I said “Ricky, you know about my little problem. Are you sure you want me to be your girlfriend?”

Ricky replied, “Carla! Dad explained everything to me and Peter and said that it is a medical problem, and it will get sorted out in time and that you are definitely a girl -- so yeah of course you are my girlfriend, unless you don’t want to be?”

I replied “Mummy said we are a bit too young to be any more then good friends, but what does she know?”

“Yeah my Mum said the same thing.” said Ricky.

Anyway we talked for about half an hour and hung up. Just then Mummy, Daddy, and Rita came into the kitchen and and Daddy called out “Carla we are home. Put the kettle on luv.”

I came out of the office and went to fill the kettle with water, when Mummy said, “You have been talking to Ricky haven't you sweetheart?”

“Um yes Mummy, but he rang me and just wanted to talk.”

“Look that's fine Carla. He is a nice boy, but friends only ok?” said Mummy.

“Yes Mummy I know, and he knows all about my little problem and still wants to be my friend.”

Rita was tired and said she was going to bed, get an early night and read a bit, and she'd see us in the morning. We said goodnight and she was gone. This was my chance to ask Mummy about going to the state school next term, because I have made friends with three girls and they asked me when I was coming to their school.

“Oh Carla that reminds me, Doctor Jim Ryan rang me today and he wants you to come and see him tomorrow at ten o'clock to ask you some questions for Rose in Brisbane and do a physical examination. Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be there with you.”

I said “Mummy you didn't answer me about my question about going to school next term.”

“Carla we will have to sort out a few more of your appointments in Brisbane, and it will make it easier if you are home schooled till that gets sorted out a bit more ok?”

Yes Mummy I didn't think of that” I replied. I said good night to Mummy and Daddy and went to bed next to a sleeping Rita. It didn't take me long to go to sleep. but I woke up to someone calling my name, and thought it at first it must have been Rita trying to wake me to get up, but when I looked at the clock beside our bed; it said it was four am in the morning. It was Jean who was calling me, and I closed my eyes and in my mind saw her sitting on my bed as she had done before.

She said “Carla open your eyes and you will see me.”

I said in a whisper so I didn't wake Rita up, “Jean I can see you and hear you as though you are solid.

She said “Carla I am in a different dimension to you. You can hear and see me but you can not touch me because I am an illusion. I am real only on the other side.”

I asked “Are you always there when I need you Jean?”

She replied “I am with you till you are old and grey and come to me when your time comes.”

Rita was awake by this time and was listening to a one side conversation, and said “Wow Carla is she going to come and talk to me again too?” Jean seemed to fade when Rita started to talk.

I said, “I don't know Rita, but she seems to be getting more clear every time she communicates with me. Maybe it will happen like that with you too.”

Later that morning me and Mummy went to see Doctor Ryan, and he asked me all sorts of questions about what I feel about girls and boys and about my twin sister Jean and how I can see and hear her, and he then said that I was very lucky to have Rose as my doctor in Brisbane because she has helped a few girls like me to become complete. Dr Ryan then spoke with Mummy about when my next trip to Brisbane was, and he would ring Mummy as soon as he found out.

Mummy took me home so she could go to work, but when we got back to the house there was a new car in the driveway that I did not recognise.

Mummy got out of the car and said “You stay in the car Carla, till I see who it is.”

I thought, 'Oh no, it couldn't be James and John come to hurt Mummy.' and started to panic.

Then Mummy sang out “Carla come and see who is here to see you.”

To be continued.

Next time: Visitors, another trip to Brisbane, and my ninth Birthday.