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Kate and Jo soon established a routine. Jo’s writing and arithmetic continued to improve and Kate decided that it was time to investigate school options for him. There were several schools, both public and private in the area, and although Kate could have afforded private schooling, she decided to focus her initial search on public schools. She was doubtful that Julie could have afforded private schooling. That Friday morning, Kate and Jo visited local schools and met with the principals. The principal at West Beach Primary was particularly helpful. Kate showed her several examples of Jo’s current work, “he’s definitely up to grade one standard,” the principal noted as she looked over Jo’s work, “even close to grade two, though I would recommend grade one at this stage to take into account his social difficulties.” Kate appreciated the principal’s tactful choice of words. The school wasn’t overly large and Kate declared her intentions to enrol Jo for the new school year. The principal was pleased and introduced Kate and Jo to the grade one teacher. Kate felt like she had made a good choice as they caught the bus home and had lunch.

While Jo was working on his writing after lunch, Kate wrote to her mother and told her all about the school, as well as other recent happenings. She hadn’t written to her mother for a few weeks and she felt a little guilty. Lydia had really filled the void Kate felt at the separation from her parents, especially her mother. Kate could smell dinner cooking and her stomach grumbled. There were many benefits to living with the Morovas; even her relationship with Peter had improved a little. She still wasn’t sure that she trusted him, but he had done his best to win her and Jo over. Jo loved spending time and playing with him, particularly at the beach. The weather was really beginning to warm up now and Kate wanted to revisit swimming. She took Jo to the pool a number of times with Lydia. He would sit with Lydia while Kate swam laps. He was content to watch and Kate didn’t want to push him into anything he wasn’t ready for. Slowly, he began to approach the water, cautiously at first, perhaps just sitting on the edge of the pool or standing in the shallow water on the steps leading down into the wading pool. Kate let him do it his way and in his own time. He hadn’t experienced another nightmare for two weeks now and she wanted to keep it that way. She began fitting Jo with floaties when they visited the pool now. She sensed that he was almost ready to explore further and she didn’t want anything to happen to him. She continued to swim laps. It would take Jo about twenty minutes to approach the water after they arrived, and he tended to be more comfortable when the pool was quiet. Kate found out at what times the pool was quietest and they aimed to visit then. Jo began wading in the shallow pool and Kate would join him after she had swum her laps, by which time Jo would have ventured from the safety of the steps. She began pulling him along with a kickboard and teaching him how to kick. Little by little his confidence began to build until Kate was able to gently coax him into the adult pool. After three weeks he was able to propel himself with the kickboard and Kate swimming alongside him. He wouldn’t venture without her by his side. Kate enrolled him in a summer swim school for beginners. It didn’t begin until the New Year, so she still had a few weeks to work up his skills and confidence. The pool manager had assured her that they wouldn’t push Jo into anything that he wasn’t comfortable with and Kate was free to participate in the classes. Parent participation was encouraged for the beginners. This reassured Kate and she was confident that Jo would enjoy the classes. She continued to marvel at the gains he made each week, both in the pool and with his work and social skills. He was so good at expressing himself without words now that Kate barely noticed that he didn’t speak.

It was now only two weeks till Christmas and Kate couldn’t believe how fast time was flying. Jo was gaining independence daily and Kate was so proud of him. She was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Alex and Bess for Christmas. They would be in Adelaide for three weeks and both Kate and Jo were looking forward to spending time with them. The Morova business closed for three weeks over Christmas and New Year and Kate was looking forward to the break. She felt like she hadn’t had a holiday for ages. Of course there had been the long weekend in November, but that felt so long ago and it was so brief and there had been a lot of water under the bridge since then. Julie was now well established at Morova Enterprises and was regularly catching up with Phoebe for a drink after work on Thursdays. They had even been to the movies together last week. It was the first time that Kate had been to the cinema since leaving Melbourne and she really enjoyed it. She liked Phoebe and it was good to spend time with someone her own age. The office Christmas Party was coming up next week and they had both been involved in preparing it. Everyone was invited, including spouses and children, and it was apparently the highlight of the work year. Phoebe had been involved in organising it for years and guided Julie through the process. It was really quite simple, though Kate hadn’t done anything like it before. The social committee at her old job coordinated the social events and Kate had never been a member of it. She was enjoying her work at Morova Enterprises, though it wasn’t particularly challenging, but this just gave Kate plenty of time to think. She had begun to decorate her desk a bit now and had a picture of Jo was proudly displayed. She had also customised the desktop on her computer, so that a bible verse scrolled across the screen when it went into screen saver mode. She hadn’t been to church yet, but she had heard about a good one in Kensington. She thought she’d try it out for Christmas, they held a family service on Christmas Eve. Julie’s immediate boss had also noticed that she was good with figures and increased her book keeping duties. Kate was glad, as it relieved the tedium of her other duties.

The evening of the Christmas party had arrived. Julie, Phoebe and a few other workers, had spent the afternoon decorating the Russian Club. It was still light at six o’clock when everyone began arriving. Kate had brought a change of clothes and had got ready with Phoebe in the rest rooms. Lydia had brought Jo along and he looked so cute in his new suit that Julie and Lydia had purchased for Christmas. He ran to Kate as soon as they arrived and she lifted him up, paying no attention to her new suit, as it didn’t crease easily. She put Jo down and kept hold of his hand. She led him in the direction of Phoebe, who had been eagerly waiting to meet the little boy that Julie constantly talked about. “Isn’t he sweet?” Phoebe cooed, “He has your good looks!” Kate smiled; people often commented that Jo looked like her, even though they weren’t remotely related. The evening began with a short speech from Mr Morova and the awarding of prizes to the staff. Everyone’s hands were red and raw from clapping when they finally sat down to dinner. Almost every employee received an award for something or other. Even Julie received an award for most efficient mail delivery! Dinner was traditional Russian fare. It was the same every year. After dinner they enjoyed a concert. A group of talented staff members had been working on a variety performance for weeks. The highlight was their hilarious caricature of the office, and it practically had everyone rolling on the floor with laughter. The evening ended with another short speech from Mr Morova, thanking everyone for all their hard work and wishing them all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year. The night air was still warm when they all stepped outside and made their way home. Julie and Phoebe promised to keep in touch over the break. They wouldn’t see each other next week as the office closed on Wednesday, ahead of Christmas. It had been an enjoyable evening at the end of a long day and Kate slept well.