Page 26 of Nothing Without You

‘It seems like Mum and you are doing what you want to do. It might be time I do my own thing too.’ Her voice was raised, and she surprised herself at how angry she was. She couldn’t remember ever yelling at her father before. Her mother had also caught the end of her response, and Evie stared at her curiously as she stumbled back into the room and collapsed in a chair, her hands pressed against her forehead.

She held her hand up to stop Evie saying more. ‘Stop. Stop. No more.’

Father stood up and looked at her mother. For a moment their eyes locked, and Evie was reminded that they were supposed to be husband and wife, neither of them truly being either. Liars, she thought—both of them.

‘That was David on the phone,’ Mother said. ‘Our plans have been cancelled. Bettina, his wife, has just found out she has cancer. Breast cancer, and it’s bad. He’s not going to leave her.’

Evie looked from one to the other, waiting for one of them to speak. When they didn’t, she stood up and pushed her chair noisily back under the table. ‘Great. This is just great. So, what are you going to do? Stay here and we’ll all play happy families?’

Father’s voice was stern. ‘Evie, don’t speak to your mother like that. This is no one’s fault.’

‘Good. I’ll leave you two to work it out.’ Her voice was sarcastic. ‘You can fill me in when you’ve both sorted out your lives. Seeing that neither of your plans include me, I couldn’t care less what either of you do.’

With that, she strode out of the room, slamming her bedroom door so hard behind her that the walls of the house shook.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The phone rang several times after that, but no one answered it. Evie heard it ring and put her pillow over her head, pressing it tighter around her ears, so that the noise was muted. Who cared if it was Chris? She was no longer speaking to him. He was probably getting ready to meet her at eight o’clock as organised. She wanted to ring Layla to tell her what had happened and ask her what she should do, but there was no way she could repeat either of her parents’ stories. Both were disgusting. Her life was finished.

Chris tried to ring Evie several times. There had been a long family meeting before dinner that night, and the news about his mother was terrible. She had not held back any of the details, and from what she told them, the outlook for her survival was not hopeful. Their father was going to take time off work to look after her, and take her to the hospital visits. Lily and Rose were to be responsible for meals and cleaning, while he was to make sure the yard was mowed and the animals fed. They all had to pull their weight and help out. Their mum needed to be looked after and, as she said, she had always looked after them; now it was their turn.

He thought his mother might have taken a softer approach, maybe spoken more kindly when she told them what the doctor had said. But, as usual, her words were harsh and cold as she lay down the law about what she expected. No warm and fuzzy emotional thoughts or words about how much she loved them. It was just a run of expectations and rules about what was needed over the next few months.

The news was terrible, the worst anyone could imagine, and his father’s face had paled. He sat silently in his chair for the entire time she spoke, and then disappeared for a while. Chris thought he heard him talking on the phone in the hallway. Maybe he had rung someone at work to organise time off because, when he returned, he told the family he could take as much time off as needed. He would be there to take their mother to her appointments, run the household, and ensure she was comfortable.

The doctors had said that, even with treatment, she would probably only live for one to two years. She hadn’t shed a tear, just given them the facts, saying the disease would not beat her. She was not going to die or go anywhere anytime soon, so they weren’t to worry. They just needed to do everything she expected them to.

Chris tried not to look at his watch when she was telling them about her illness. But she talked for nearly an hour non-stop. At a quarter to eight, he stood up and excused himself. He diligently went to his mother and put an arm around her shoulders. Squeezing gently, he said, ‘We’ll look after you, Mum. Just write on the lists what you want done, and we’ll do it.’

‘Thank you, Chris. I knew I could count on all of you. After all, I do everything around here, so now it’s your turn.’

The two girls and his father sat looking at each other, without saying too much. Lily was tearful, and tried to say how sorry she was about the cancer and that they would do anything to help. But his mum waved her hand in the air and berated her. ‘The last thing I need is hysterics or emotional displays. We will get through this, and I will not be beaten.’

No one asked any questions as Chris left the room, grabbed his backpack and went out through the front door. He had ten minutes to make it to the clearing in the bush on time. Checking his pocket, he made sure he had his torch and some condoms. He had promised Evie he would look after that side of the plan. The news about his mother was upsetting, but she seemed to think the treatment was going to save her. He would make sure he did extra around the house and help her as much as possible. It was strange how his father seemed to be able to organise leave so quickly, but at least his mother seemed happy about that.

As he neared the end of his street and approached the track that led into the bush, his body twitched with excitement. For a moment, he felt guilty about still going ahead with their plan, even after the news of his mother. But Evie was his girl and they had talked about this moment for so long. He was not going to let her down.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chris waited for over an hour. When Evie didn’t show, he walked back up the street and stood in front of her house. It was only nine o’clock, but all her house lights were off. Either everyone was asleep or they had gone out. When he got home, he tried ringing, but no one answered. Why hadn’t she turned up? She could have rung him and explained why she couldn’t come. Not only was he looking forward to having sex with her for the first time, but he also needed to tell her about his mum.

Evie wasn’t just his girlfriend, she was his best friend, and tonight he needed her more than ever.

As he lay on his bed, looking up at his bedroom ceiling, he thought about how messed up the night had been. First the news about his mum, and then Evie not showing up. His father’s reaction to the situation had been strange; there had been no crying or huddling together for support. Tonight, which was supposed to have been the best night of his life, had been turned upside down.

Chapter Twenty-Four

‘Your father and I have had a long discussion early this morning, and now we want to sit down with you, to try and explain some things.’ Evie’s mother was trying to sound calm, despite her eyes looking puffy and her face showing signs of very little sleep.

Evie tried to eat her cornflakes, her stomach churning and tears close to the surface as she pushed a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. She chewed for a long time. Never speak with your mouth full, she thought. It was an excellent way to delay the conversation. Her mother waited patiently, and Evie didn’t look up as her father came and sat at the table beside her.

‘Cup of tea, Carlo?’ her mother asked.

‘Sure. Sure. Make it strong.’

‘Do you want a piece of toast?’

‘Thanks. Two.’

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