You know the drill. Standard disclaimer applies. This is for, well, I guess you'd call it Kay's challenge - To write an anniversary FX fic in honor of the one year anniversary of the FX 3rd Season Forum. However, it is not an anniversary for Rollie and Angie. Still, I hope you enjoy it. :-D

Ann-a-verse

Peggy

09/17/1999

Rollie silently watched his mother as she looked out the front window again. He wondered what she was looking for. He wondered why, though her mouth smiled at him, her eyes didn't. What was Mumma looking for? Finally, unable to stand his wondering any longer or her sad eyes, he stood up and moved to her side. "What are you looking for, Mumma?" The little boy looked up at her.

His large brown eyes meet eyes that were so much like his, she had to smile again. "Nothing really, Rollie."

"Then why do you keep looking out the window? And why are your eyes sad?"

Mary looked at her young son in surprise. She thought she'd hidden it so well. How could this little one see so clearly? Her eyes drifted back to the window and the view outside. It was so different from what she was used to, so different from what Rollie was used to. Unlike her though, Rollie had taken to the Bush as if he'd been born here. After going through several moves in his too young life, she'd noticed that he was amazingly adaptable to wherever his Da took them. Rollie simply didn't care where they lived as long as they were together. Or rather, as long as she was with him. He seemed to have become resigned to his father's extended absences. Though, every once in a while, she would happen on a sad little boy wishing for his Da. So young and yet so wise and observant, she decided to be honest with him. "I was wishing for your Da to come home."

"Da?" Rollie screwed his face up in bewilderment. Mumma didn't usually wish for Da unless it was Christmas or his birthday. He knew it wasn't either of those occasions. They were much to special to miss. "Why?"

Mary smiled and gently pushed the soft, unruly chestnut curls from her son's serious face. "It's our anniversary."

"Ann a verse?" Rollie blinked up at her. "What's that?"

"An anniversary is, well, it's a year mark for some special event. In this case, it's our wedding anniversary." Where are you, David? Couldn't you remember this? She shook her head. Why should she expect him to remember when he couldn't remember his only son's birthday half the time?

Rollie bounced slightly. He knew what weddings were. Well, sort of. He remembered going to Aun' Clara's wedding. Mumma had made him dress up in that horrid, hot, stiff suit and he'd had to carry a ring on a pillow in front of all those people. That had been scary, but it had been a very important 'sponsibility! He'd sort of understood, or thought he did, when his new Unca Tom had slipped it on Aun' Clara's finger and kissed her. He was glad he didn't have to kiss somebody too though. "The bir'day of the wedding?"

"Sort of, Rollie."

Rollie climbed up into the window seat and looked out. "Who gave you the ring and kissed you?" He tried to be casual, but he hope it hadn't been just any old body. He hoped it was somebody he liked, at least. A stir of unfamiliar emotion ran through him.

Mary laughed, the sadness leaking out of her eyes just a bit. "Your father, young man."

"Oh." Well, that was alright then. Da could kiss Mumma. He was glad it had been Da. He sighed. He wished he could make Mumma happy though. Why didn't Da ever come when they really wanted him to?

As if she guessed where his thoughts were going, Mary touched her son's shoulder. "He'd be here if he could. Sometimes... Sometimes, adults have to do other things when they'd rather do something else, like be here with us." Why she defended David, she didn't know. Dingo! Ha! Stupid name. Running around all over creation, sharping. You'd think he'd grow up. And yet, she smiled wistfully, she loved him so very, very much just the way he was. "Well, I need to work on lunch. Why don't you go play for a bit, Rollie? I'll call when it's time."

"Yes m'm." Rollie obediently trotted toward the front door.

Mary walked toward the kitchen, waiting for the loud bang she knew was coming. No matter how many times she told Rollie not to slam the door, he forgot. Still, she wasn't going to fuss at him today. Much to her surprise, she heard a gentle click as it closed. Well! Maybe Rollie was learning after all.

Rollie started to let go of the door as he ran outside, but suddenly remembered Mumma didn't like that. He caught the door and very carefully closed it. He wanted to be good today. Maybe it would help make her happy. Besides it was the bir'day of her wedding. That should get some type of attention. He knew he enjoyed all the treats on his bir'day! Door closed, Rollie took off as fast as his short legs would carry him. He needed to do something... Something special. Mumma dserved special for the bir'day of her ann-a-verse and since Da wasn't here to do it, it was up to him. After all, he was the man of the house when Da wasn't here!

The little boy looked around, hoping something would give him an idea, because he really didn't know what you did for ann-a-verses. He turned a stone over with his toes and watched as a lizard look up at him in surprise before it scurried away. It was so funny when it ran! Should he catch it for Mumma? He watched it thoughtfully. It might make her laugh and her eyes would forget to be sad. He turned away when he remembered what happened when he came home with that little snake and Mumma had seen it. No, Mumma wouldn't want a lizard in the house. She made it very clear that such things belonged outside. So what could he do? If he had his colours and a piece of paper he could make a card. He'd done that for last Christmas and she'd really, really liked it. He knew cause it was on the kitchen wall! But, he didn't have them. He glanced back at the house, wondering if he could sneak back inside and get them. He wanted it to be a surprise.

He turned away again and wandered deeper into the spinifex. Maybe not though. He sat down and picked up a stick, idly drawing in the dirt. He thought as hard as he could. He tried to remember what Da did... There had been that time. Oh! Mumma had been so MAD at Da then! Da had come back with flowers and she'd forgotten to be mad. She'd hugged him and kissed him and there had been strange noises from their bedroom that night. Maybe HE could give her flowers? Decided, he stood up and looked around for flowers. Not seeing anything near, he set out, determined to find them. Rollie reached the mark where he wasn't suppose to go past and turned back, searching within the invisible boundary his parents had given him. He wasn't going to cross it today. He was going to be good for Mumma!

Rollie was getting tired and thirsty. He was almost ready to give up. It if hadn't been so important, he might have given up. But he was going to find flowers for Mumma! He WAS! He didn't care how long he had looked or how long he had to look. Just then a flash of colour caught his eye and he turned aside from his quartering to investigate. FLOWERS!!! Rollie smiled happily. Now, he could make Mumma happy, just like Da did. He carefully picked the blooms. When he dropped a couple trying to pick one, he stopped. Now he had FLOWERS! He turned toward the clapboard house with its tin roof. He walked as fast as his tired, little legs would carry him. He didn't care if he was tired or thirsty. He'd gotten something for his Mumma's ann-a-verse bir'day!

Another flash of colour attracted Rollie's attention and he stopped to look. MORE FLOWERS!!! He looked at the large handful he was holding. He had to use both hands to carry them. He looked at the new flowers. He looked at the old flowers. What should he do? He took a step toward the flowers and held the flowers in his hands up to the new flowers. That was pretty. Maybe he should get some of these to go with them. Da's flowers had been more than one type. Rollie plopped on to the ground and sorted through the flowers he had been carrying. Finally satisfied that he'd picked out the bestest, he went to pick some of the new ones. A snake slithered away from a bush, slidding over his dirty, bare foot as it went off to do what snakes do. Rollie watched it curiously. He still hadn't figured out what snakes did... Or how they could move like that. He wiggled his toes. That snake had tickled! Reluctantly, he returned to the flowers, picking just the right blossoms. He walked back to his select stack and placed these on top of them. He frowned thoughtfully. The flowers Da had given Mumma had been mixed together. Maybe he should do that too?

Rollie sat down in front of the two bunches of flowers. Screwing his face up in concentration, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, Rollie carefully picked up first one type flower, then the other. When he was done, he had a big bunch of flowers that seemed to be overflowing from his hands. He tried to stand up while holding the flowers and found he couldn't. Umph! He tried again. Rollie sighed. If he put them down again, he might not be able to pick them all back up. What was he suppose to do now? He blinked rapidly feeling his eyes fill up with tears. He didn't want to cry! Crying was for babies and HE was NOT a baby! He felt like crying. Large hands slipped gently under his arms and, whoosh!, he was on his feet. What?!? Rollie spun around in surprise, almost dropping his precious flowers.

An aborigine from the nearby tribe grinned at him, white teeth flashing in his darker skin. "Wha' you doin', bub?"

"Mangel'! Look! I got flowers for Mumma!" Rollie happily showed his newest friend his prize. He leaned forward to whisper to the man. "It's for her... her ann-a-verse bir'day!" He smiled hugely, very proud of himself.

Mangela blinked. Ann-a-verse? He tried to sort out what the boy was trying to say. What did poetry...? Ah! Anniversary! Bloody hell, Dingo! You should be here for your wedding anniversary! He carefully kept his thoughts off of his face, making a show of examing the bouquet of wild flowers his old friend's young son was holding. Or was trying to hold. He laughed softly. He didn't put much call into anniversarie,. it wasn't part of the way, but white folk did. Surely, pretty Mary did too. The bouquet her son had so painstakingly collected would be a balm on the hurt of Dingo's neglect. "You better hurry on home, Rollie. It's almost lunch time and you're going to need a washing." Somehow, Rollie always collected more than his share of the red dirt of his new home.

Rollie looked tried to look at his hands and feet, but couldn't because the flowers were in the way. Well, if Mangel' said he'd need to wash, his Mumma would certainly think it! "'kay! Bye-bye Mangel!" He started to run toward the house, then remembered his manners. "Would you like to join us for lunch?" He asked it carefully, sounding very much like his mother, though he didn't know it.

"Nah, not me, bub. Still, I'll walk with you. Help you carry those flowers for your Mum."

Rollie looked up stubbornly, his chin raised, his eyes flashing. He didn't need help carrying his Mumma's flowers! He was a big boy! Oops. He felt a straying bloom brush his foot. Maybe he wasn't that big? ... Yet. "Than' you, Mangel'." He answered politely.

"You're very welcome, Rollie. Come on, let's go, before you Mum has to come looking for you." Mangela carefully collected part of the bouquet, making sure that the boy kept the biggest portion. Only dinkum and he just needed a little bit of help. The pair made their way to the house. Mangela opened the door, holding it so the boy could enter first. When Rollie carefully wiped his bare feet on the rubber mat just outside the door first, Mangela made sure to do the same before following him in.

"Mumma! Mumma!" Rollied called excitedly, running for the kitchen.

"Rollie! What in the world?" Mary turned in surprise. Her eyes widened as she took in the big bouquet of Sturt's desert roses and desert daisies. Where had Rollie found them all? She hadn't thought there were any flowers near their homestead. "Where did you get these flowers, Rollie?" She saw Mangela standing in the door to the kitchen, more flowers in his hand. Ah, Mangela must of helped him find them. "G'day, Mangela. Come in. Lunch is almost ready."

"I'll not be stayin', Mar. Just thought I'd help Rollie here, get his flowers home to you."

"Thank you for helping him find them." She bent to take the flowers Rollie was holding up to her. She sniffed them (for more than one reason) and smiled.

"Oh, I didn't help him find 'em. Rollie did it by himself!" Mangela declared.

Rollie beamed proudly. He could see the sadness had left his Mumma's eyes. He had done good! "I found 'em! I found 'em out back of the house, Mumma!"

"You did? Thank you very much, Rollie." She hesitated. What if he gone too far to find the flowers? How could she find out and tell him he'd been bad when he'd been so generous? She got out a cut glass vase and filled it with water. She carefully added the flowers that Rollie and Mangela had brought her.

"Rollie found them in that bushy spot before the gully." He knew the boundary that Rollie was suppose to stay in, that spot where they grew was well within the limits. He didn't want Rollie to find trouble when he hadn't got into any to start with.

Mary blinked. She knew that spot. But she hadn't seen flowers there when David had shown her and Rollie the land they now lived on. But if there were wild flowers there, perhaps she and Rollie could plant some around the house? She would love to have a little garden, but hadn't thought of any sturdy enough for this climate. Wild flowers that already grew here would be perfect! "Perhaps we could move a few to make a flower garden, Rollie?"

Mangela smiled, teeth flashing. "If it's flowers, you want, Mar. I can show you and Rollie where to get all sorts. They'll do just fine with your care."

Mary blushed with pleasure. "That would be grand, Mangela. Thank you."

Rollie nodded enthuisiastically. He knew Mumma loved gardens. "T'ank you!"

"I'll drop by tomorrow and show you. You'll have a beautiful garden!" Far prettier than those he'd seen in Alice with their imported flowers, he thought with satisfaction. This one would belong in the Bush, unlike those.

"All right, Mangela. Thank you." She saw him out and returned to join Rollie in the kitchen. He was standing up in his chair, leaning against the table, looking at the blooms.

"They're pretty," Rollie twisted round to look at his Mumma, "like you!"

Mary felt a slight blush. It was nice to hear someone call her pretty, even if it was her son. "Why, thank you, kind sir." She giggled as she dipped in a curtsey to him. "Now, you go get cleaned up," she shooed him with her hands, "go on. And after lunch, we'll make a cake. Would you like that, Rollie?"

"Yes, Mumma!" Rollie grinned hugely. He loved cake! And bir'days were suppose to have cakes. "Chocolate?" That was his favorite!

"Yes, Rollie, chocolate." Mary smiled as her son exploded into motion. She hummed as she set the table. What a wondeful anniversary! Flowers from her beloved son and tomorrw! Tomorrow they would start work on their flower garden!