Page 71 of Versions Of Us

My mother’s house is a good three kilometres away from my apartment and not really nearby any of the places she frequents.

“Yeah. I need to use your bathroom,” she explains. “I decided to take up jogging, but I didn’t realise the toll it would take on my bladder. This body is not what it used to be.”

“Oh,” I say with a small smile. “Okay, Mum. You know where it is.”

I look over at Mackenzie who is leaning on the door frame of her new room, a suspicious expression on her face. “Sorry. That’s just my mother. She can be a little crazy sometimes.”

She nods at me once, folding her arms across her chest.

Another thirty seconds or so pass before Mum appears from the bathroom, dabbing at her cheeks with a tissue.

“Wow. I didnotrealise how hard it would be to take up exercise in your forties.”

“Mum, you’re not that far away from fifty.”

She lets out a loud and dramatic gasp. “That’s blasphemy, my child!”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t stifle the giggle that escapes. This is why I love my mother. Pamela Riley does not do things in halves. She gets these crazy ideas and then dives headfirst into new things without stopping to give them any real thought first.

Mum swings around, following my line of sight to where Mackenzie stands, realising only now that there is another person in the room.

“Oh,” she gasps. “I didn’t realise you had company!”

“Mum, this is Mackenzie. She’s going to be staying with me for a little while.”

“Hi, Mackenzie!” Mum says in a lively tone. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even see you there. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi.” Mackenzie offers a short reply. Her smile is friendly but there’s an edge to her voice.

Mum glances down at her watch. “I’m sorry girls. I can’t stay long. I really need to get back to Ben. He’s taking me out to lunch today and then we’re going into Little Bay to see that new Sandra Bullock movie.”

“Oh, cool,” I say. “You guys have fun. That movie is meant to be amazing.”

When I see the gushy smile that spreads across my mum’s face, I’m once again grateful that she found Ben. Finally, after a string of morons, a guy that will take her for a nice day out every once in a while and treat her like a lady.

Mum lunges at me, smothering me in a hug. When she waves a hand in Mackenzie’s direction, I don’t miss the grimace that Mackenzie quickly masks with a smile.

“I’ll catch up with you soon girls.”

When she leaves, I shut the door behind her and turn to Mackenzie. “Sorry about that. She can be quite the whirlwind.”

“It’s fine,” she replies, bleakly. “She seems cool.”

She says this with a negative tone, as though it’s not cool that my mum is cool.

“Yeah. She can be a lot sometimes. But she has a heart of gold,” I offer. “She’s the local vet here in Cliff Haven. Massive animal lover.”

“Of course, she is,” she replies, her tone laced with bitter sarcasm.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

I’m not sure where this cynicism is coming from, but I’ve decided I don’t like it. This is my mother she’s talking about.

“Yeah. Fine.”

I wonder if she’ll extend her vocabulary much further than these two words today.

“So anyway,” I continue. “I’m meeting up with my friend Chase today to discuss some things we need to sort out for the carnival, so he’ll be picking me up soon. He’s kind of helping me out since my car died.”

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