Page 109 of The Vet from Snowy River
He was knee-deep in rubble, smashed gyprock and self-loathing when Poppy found him.
‘Hey, Dad, where did you go?’
He pulled the dust mask off his face. ‘Sorry, Poppy. I needed some time out.’
‘Did the funeral make you sad?’
‘Not the funeral as such, no.’ He shrugged. ‘We were there for Vera, not because we knew her aunt. No, it was afterwards. I got mad, then sad, and now I can’t decide what I am.’
Poppy hoisted herself up onto his workbench. ‘Girl trouble, huh.’
Wow. His fifteen-year-old daughter was getting ready to workshop his relationship with him. Parenthood was not for the faint-hearted. He swung a crowbar into a charred mass of chipboard shelving and hauled until the whole unit ripped free and crashed to the ground. ‘Your dad may have been an idiot, Pop.’
‘Mmm. Tell me everything.’
He frowned at her. ‘Are you psychoanalysing me?’
‘Dad, I’ve watched a lot of daytime television, and I’ve been scrolling through angsty teenage social media messages for years. I’ve got this. Why have you been an idiot?’
‘Because Vera told me she didn’t want to have a relationship with anyone, but I kept thinking if I was nice enough, and patient enough, she’d change her mind.’
Poppy nodded. ‘You thought you knew best.’
‘No! I … well, yes, I guess I did. But she did agree to get, um, involved …’ He cleared his throat and hurried over the images in his head. ‘But I don’t think she meant it. I don’t think she waslying,but maybe she just meant it in the moment, not for real.’
‘Just a gentle heads up, Dad: I can give advice without hearing all the gory details.’
Bloody hell. Why, oh why, had he started this conversation?
Poppy crossed her legs. ‘Did she tell youwhyshe didn’t want to have a boyfriend?’
He dropped the crowbar to the floor and turned to face his daughter. ‘Well, that’s the thing. She did tell me, but then today, after the funeral, I found out that she’d only told me half of it. She had another reason which is kind of a doozy.’
‘Oh? What?’
‘She has another guy in her life. He showed up after the funeral, and that’s what made me go—’
‘Apeshit?’ Poppy said helpfully.
‘I’m pretty sure your mum doesn’t like you saying that.’
‘Let’s not change the subject, Dad. Maybe you should let Vera decide what she wants.’
He sighed. ‘Yeah. That’s what I was trying to tell her today, before Mr City showed up.’ He planted a dusty hand on his daughter’s knee and squeezed. ‘You’re smarter than you look, Poptart.’
‘I know. You think it’s too early for pizza?’
‘It’s never too early for pizza.’
‘Just give me a minute to get out of Hannah’s dress.’
He laughed, and it felt like the first time he’d truly enjoyed himself in days. ‘Oh, honey, that’s not Hannah’s dress.’
‘What! She got it out of her cupboard.’
‘That’s your grandma’s dress.’
‘No way. I mean I knew it was ugly, but I’ve never been to a funeral before that I remember. I wanted to look the part.’
