Page 16 of Nothing Without You

‘Sunbaking. We were sunbaking.’ Lily put her fingers to her lips to let Evie know that all of this was top secret. ‘Remember you two. No dobbing.’

‘As if she’d come to the beach. There’s sand on it. Maybe she’ll bring her broom and sweep,’ Rose added.

‘Or she might fly away on her broom,’ Lily laughed, before doing a cartwheel, her hands firmly pressed in the sand, her long legs whirring through the air. When she landed, she did a little jig, picking her T-shirt up from the sand where it had landed and pulling it over her head. ‘C’mon then, Rose. Let’s go see what she wants.’

Evie watched the girls until they disappeared up the beach track and out of view. It was as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Next year they would be in years eleven and twelve and have to do way more schoolwork. ‘What are they going to do at uni?’ she asked Chris, who was concentrating on doing up his line.

‘They reckon they’re not going. Dad said they are, but they say they’re not. They just want to work and get money, and then go backpacking overseas. Mum says they’re not allowed, but they’ve told me they’ve already saved money from their weekend jobs, and they’ll go as soon as they finish school.’

The conversation came to a halt, and Evie was happy just to fish. Chris seemed to need some time to himself. He wanted to fish with her and stand nearby, but he didn’t want to talk. She could understand that. After a few hours, she suggested that maybe they should head back home. The bucket was full of bream and dart, which meant plenty of fish for dinner for both families.

Chapter Twelve

Chris’s sisters walked into a huge argument when they arrived home. Neither was in the mood for taking their mother’s angry insults; and when she launched into a tirade of how useless and lazy they were, they linked arms and threw insults back. It did not help their mother’s cause that their father had not intervened, and instead, even backed their arguments. ‘Leave them be. They’re on holiday and deserve a break too,’ he said.

Even though everyone’s tempers cooled down after a while, his mother had suffered enough. ‘If I get moving and pack quickly, I can make that last passenger ferry to the mainland this afternoon. No one appreciates me here, and that way I’ll make my bridge class tomorrow morning.’ She threw out more instructions. ‘You can all have the rest of the time to relax. Just clean the place before you leave. David, we’ll leave for Dunwich in half an hour.’

The car was backing out of the yard when Chris arrived home with the bucket of fish. ‘Where are you going?’ he asked, looking his mother up and down when he noticed she was wearing a good dress and sandals. She had makeup on her face, and her hair was brushed and sitting stiff. He hated the smell of the hairspray she used.

She must have cooled down a little, as her voice showed no anger. ‘I’m just leaving a few days early. You’ll all be fine. I can have a few days to myself at home. I need it.’

He leaned in through the car window and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Seeya, Mum.’

‘Goodbye, Chris.’

A weight lifted from the house with his mother gone, however while his father was out, he told his sisters exactly what he thought about them hanging around the boys from the camp. ‘They’ve got drink and drugs there. You’ll get yourselves in trouble.’

Lily ruffled his hair. ‘Wait ‘til you’re sixteen. Then we’ll see.’

He knew it was no use saying any more, and he certainly wasn’t about to tell on them.

Together the three of them tidied the house, made sure the dishes were done, and ensured everything was clean. ‘Poor Dad,’ Rose said. He does everything around the house and tries all the time to please Mum. She’s a bitch.’

Chris was horrified. ‘Rose! Don’t say that. She’s our mum.’

Rose ruffled his hair and playfully punched him in the arm. ‘She’s still a bitch.’

Evie was lying in the hammock reading a book, when Chris and his father called out. ‘Anyone home?’ Mr McIntosh called, as he carried the bucket and a container full of fillets towards her. She swung herself out of the hammock.

‘Hello. Yes, we’re here.’

Her mother appeared on the porch, a book also in her hand. ‘Hello, Chris.’ She nodded her head. ‘Mr McIntosh.’

‘We’ve got your fish here,’ Chris’s father replied. ‘These two are doing a great job feeding all of us.’

‘They certainly are. Come in. Come in. Can I offer you a cold drink? I was just about to have a shandy.’

Chris’s father sat down on the step. ‘You know what? Yes. I will have one. Suddenly I feel like I’m on holiday.’

They left her mum and Mr McIntosh sitting on the steps. The adults’ conversation was interesting at first, when they talked about fish and the different ways of cooking them. However, it soon became boring when they moved on to all the things adults talked about, like jobs, houses and the state of the world.

It was good to see her mum happy and talking to someone. It must have been lonely for her not to have Dad around. Chris tricked Evie, walking slowly towards the beach before calling out, ‘Race you to the water.’

Her legs moved fast, but he was taller and stronger than she was, so it really wasn’t a competition. After splashing at the water’s edge, they moved up to the edge of the bushes, a sandy shady area providing respite from the summer heat.

‘My mum’s gone home to have some time to herself,’ Chris told her. ‘There was a huge argument, but I think she’d calmed down by the time Dad drove her to the ferry. My sisters are out of control, though. They don’t listen to her at all.’

Evie frowned and pulled her knees up under her chin, her fingers drawing circles in the sand. ‘I didn’t like the boys at the camp. They’re all older. I hope high school isn’t full of kids like that.’

---