Page 80 of Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon
She rubs Josie’s back and Josie closes her eyes and thinks that it’s the loveliest, kindest thing anyone has ever done for her. Then the vomit really does rise and she is grateful for the tray and the hand still on her back.
‘It’s so unpleasant,’ the nurse murmurs. ‘You’ll settle.’
Josie nods and takes the tissue the nurse hands her, wiping her mouth. She glances up and sees her parents. They look so worried. A flash of irritation – of anger, it might be – strikes her. They’re only worried now because something’s happened that they can’t control. All they’re interested in is controlling her.
After a minute or so has passed, she feels strong enough to do something about it.
‘Would Brett know I’m here?’
Her parents exchange glances and she sees only how complicit they are in keeping him away from her. This feels worse than the pain in her body. This pain is in all of her. This painisher.
She cries harder, and they likely think it’s because of the accident, and she decides to let them, because lying in this bed, with everything that is wrong with her, there’s nothing else she can do and no one to come to her rescue.
Brett was the one she hoped would save her from her life. He’s not here. And any strength she feels to do it herself ebbs away as she decides to succumb to her misery.
So she closes her eyes and lets the tears silently flow down her face, not caring if her parents stay or go.
JULY 1986
The feature filmAliens, starring Sigourney Weaver, is released.
Convicted Australian drug smugglers Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers are executed in Malaysia.
The movieTop Gun, starring Tom Cruise, is released.
HRH Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson in Westminster Abbey.
Billy Joel releases his albumThe Bridge.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
The rain is coming down hard as Trudy flicks on the blinker to turn left out of Evie’s street and head in the direction of Gosford Hospital, where they’re going to visit Josie. It’s taken Josie being in such a bad way to get her back behind the wheel; she was surprised by how upset she was about it, given that Josie hasn’t been with her that long. There’s something about the girl, though, that has burrowed its way into Trudy’s heart.
Trudy has been on the phone to Josie’s mum every day since Erin called to tell her that Josie had been in an accident. Well, Trudy couldn’t believe it. Especially since the road Josie was on wasn’t the road that takes her home from the salon, nor anywhere else she usually travels, it seems. Erin was baffled. Said her husband was a mess. Paolo, his name is.
Josie’s last name is Martin so Trudy had presumed she had an English background, like a lot of people round here, but it turns out the name is Spanish – Paolo is from Madrid – not that Josie ever said anything about it. Which made Trudy wonder if Josie thought she couldn’t tell her things about her life.
Except that boy comes around for her and she doesn’t try to hide him. Brett. Nice lad. Trudy won’t mention him to the parents, though, because the fact Josie meets him after work in Terrigal suggests he’s not seeing her at home in Gosford.
Today’s the first day Josie is having visitors who aren’t family, Erin told her yesterday. So Trudy asked Evie if she’d like to come with her, since it’s Sunday and they’re both not working. Shealso asked Evie if Sam should come too and almost got her head bitten off.
Something’s going on there. That is, somethingelse. Trudy has been able to see that something is going on between Evie and Sam for a while – mainly on Evie’s part, although she has thought that Sam leads Evie on, with all the chatting and flirting. Evie’s had a sheltered life and she wouldn’t realise that some flirty men aren’t actually, you know,interested.
Not that Trudy’s had a wildly unsheltered life but she’s older, and with age comes a lot more experience with human behaviour.
‘Everything all right, pet?’ she asks. Evie is staring out the window, saying nothing. She didn’t even put up a fight when Trudy offered to drive her to the hospital instead of the other way around.
‘Sure,’ Evie replies, but it has a tone to it which suggests she’s definitely not sure.
‘That was convincing.’ Trudy peers through the windscreen. ‘Geez, it’s bucketing down. Hard to see anything. And I’ve got these wipers on full,’ she goes on, not that Evie’s likely to care. She’s obviously wrapped up in something. Or someone.
‘Yep.’
‘Evelyn, I don’t know what’s got your goat but I wish you’d just spit it out.’ Trudy grips the steering wheel tighter. She’d rather not have to be driving in such awful weather while she’s doing the agony-aunt thing but you can’t pick your timing.
‘Why?’
Trudy senses Evie’s head turning in her direction but she’s not going to look at her because she has to look at the road.
