Summer

by Michelle Zoetemeyer

  Only two and a half weeks to go, thought Maggie. She couldn’t wait.

  ***

  Maggie considered ignoring the wretched phone that insisted on disturbing her peaceful afternoon, but decided against it in case it was Peter or Stephen. On hearing Michelle’s familiar voice, Maggie was glad she had decided to answer it after all. “Hi love, how’s everything?”

  “Good, how are you and Dad?”

  It didn’t take Maggie long to work out that Michelle had something on her mind. “What’s up love, you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she sighed loudly before changing her mind. “No, not really, I had a call from Marjorie.”

  Maggie was surprised to hear Michelle call Marjorie by her Christian name. She supposed it was better than calling her mum, and she wasn’t really sure what else she should call her, but it sounded strange nonetheless. “I’m not surprised,” said Maggie, “she’s been around here to see you and Stephen. I told her you were living in Newcastle, but she never asked me for your address. I think Stephen must have given her your number when she spoke with him.”

  “Yeah, that’s what she said. She also told me that he didn’t want to see her.”

  “He didn’t, that’s right.”

  The line went silent. “You still there?” Maggie asked.

  Michelle didn’t answer Maggie’s question. Instead, she asked one of her own. “Would you mind if I saw her?” Then, without giving Maggie time to respond, she blurted, “If you don’t want me to, I won’t. I don’t want to upset you or anything, but I think she owes me an explanation and I don’t want to let her off the hook as easily as Stephen did.”

  Maggie couldn’t help but laugh. It was so typical of Michelle to say something like that. Even though they never really discussed Marjorie much, Maggie knew that Michelle had not forgiven her mother for leaving without a word. “Look love, you have every right to see her if you want. You don’t need my permission.”

  “Yes I do, you’re my mum and I don’t want to offend you. I wouldn’t even blame you for being angry or hurt about it. I know I would be.”

  Maggie was touched by Michelle’s concern, but she understood her need to see Marjorie. “That’s very sweet of you Michelle, but I understand how you might need to see her after all this time, and you have my blessing. Besides, you’re a big girl and I know you can look after yourself.”

  “Thanks Mum, you’re the best. By the way, Bea wants to know when you and Dad are going to the cottage again.”

  “We’ll be coming up as soon as school finishes. We have my works’ Christmas Party on the fourteenth so it’ll be sometime after that. It’ll also depend on when your dad’s new car’s going to be delivered. They told him it would be sometime in the next couple of weeks. With a bit of luck it’ll be here by then. If all goes well, we should be in Martinsville by the Monday or Tuesday after my party. Either way, we’ll give you or Bea a call and let you know when we arrive. We’ll probably come and get you the day after we get there if that’s okay, that way we can spend the whole day with Bea before driving back to Martinsville.”

  “Um…yeah…about that,” Maggie sensed reluctance in Michelle’s voice. “I hope you don’t mind, but I don’t think I’ll be staying for Christmas.”

  Maggie was stunned. It would be the first Christmas that they hadn’t spent together. “What do you mean? Why not?”

  “Well, I was getting to that. I’ve been invited to spend Christmas with a friend whose family lives in Taree, so we’ll be gone for a few days.”

  “Oh, I see.” Maggie knew without Michelle saying so that the friend must have been someone special and she didn’t know whether she should have been happy for her daughter or upset with her that she wasn’t coming home for Christmas.

  Michelle heard the disappointment in her mother’s voice and tried hard to make amends. “We’ll be back in time for New Year’s and I’ll come and spend some time with you then. I might even bring my friend with me if that’s okay. Unless of course you want me to come alone, I can catch a train to Morisset and you can drop me back at the station on your way back to Sydney.”

  “Don’t be a duffer. Of course your friend’s welcome to join us.” Maggie knew that the time would come eventually when the kids would no longer be satisfied to spend Christmas with just the four of them, but she hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

  “Thanks Mum, I knew you’d understand.”

  “May I ask what his name is; this friend of yours?” Maggie enquired.

  Michelle laughed. “How do you know it’s a he?”

  “Have you forgotten already? Parents know everything, remember?”

  Michelle scoffed. “You can say that again.”

  “Well then, tell me I’m wrong?”

  “His name is Paul,” she confessed. “We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months. I didn’t want to tell you about him until I was sure about what kind of relationship we were having.”

  “And what kind of relationship are you having, if it’s not a rude question.”

  Michelle didn’t need much encouragement to confide in her mum. “A serious one,” she offered.

  “That’s great,” encouraged Maggie, “you better tell me all about him. And don’t leave anything out.”

  Michelle laughed again. This time she sounded significantly less tense. “Mum, are you sure you want to know everything?” she teased.

  “Oh, I see. That serious is it?”

  “Well I said it was, didn’t I?”

  “You did,” Maggie conceded, then realised the implications of what Michelle was telling her. “You are being sensible about things I hope?”

  “Mum! Of course I am. What do you take me for, an idiot?”

  Maggie knew that Michelle was not an idiot, but she also knew that many doctors would not prescribe the contraceptive pill for unmarried women and hoped that she was sensible enough to take other precautions.

  After reassuring her mum again, Michelle told her all about her new boyfriend. Maggie had to admit that he sounded like a nice fellow. Given that Michelle thought so highly of him, Maggie was satisfied he must be alright. Michelle was notorious for the unrealistic expectations she set with regard to potential suitors. Unlike most people Michelle’s age, she wanted nothing to do with the abundance of free love currently on offer. Before any man could win his way into Michelle’s heart, he had to jump through a few hoops. Not only did he have to have a job, he had to be accepting of Michelle also wanting a career. He had to be willing to treat her as an equal and not as “the old girl” that many of her friends were turning out to be. Michelle demanded respect and intelligence from her boyfriends and she would never allow herself to be anyone’s “missus”.

  Thinking about how different things were now compared to when she was Michelle’s age, Maggie was reminded of an article that had appeared in one of her mother’s Women’s Weekly magazines. From memory, the article explained the types of girls that men should beware of. It explained the many faults that women have, and how, if a girl should be unfortunate enough to possess any of them, she should be left to a braver man. Independence and wanting a career were amongst the many unfavourable qualities that a pretty face could not compensate for and Maggie concluded that Paul must be a brave man indeed.

  By the time she had finished her conversation with Michelle, Maggie was comfortable that she had no cause for concern. From what Michelle had told her, Paul seemed like the perfect match for her daughter. He possessed all the right qualities and thought very highly of Michelle.

  Maggie hung up the phone and returned to her book. As usual, she could no longer concentrate on the text before her. Admittedly, as fascinating as she found the topic of reincarnation, Ducasse was not easy reading. Unlike like Looking for Bridey Murphy, which she had recently finished and had thoroughly enjoyed, this one did not entertain. Rather, it presented a well-informed but clinical assessment of its subject.

  Maggie was not really in the mood for something quite so he
avy. So, instead of continuing with her book, she sat and silently processed the information Michelle had shared with her. She liked the fact the kids told her things. She listened to so many of her colleagues complain about how their children never told them anything and how they had to snoop through their stuff to find out what they were up to. Maggie and Peter believed that if you were honest with your kids and treated them like people rather than possessions, they would be honest and open about their lives in return. Especially if they knew you were not the kind of parents to overreact at the smallest transgression. After all, kids had to learn about things and experience life for themselves. Being a parent was not about controlling your kids’ lives so tightly that they would resent you for it. It was about being supportive and being there for them when they get into trouble.

  At least, that was Maggie’s philosophy. And so far, it was one that had served her well.

  Chapter 20

  Tuesday, 18 December 1979

  Ed’s dad opened the door. “Jennefah! How are you today? You looking beautiful as usual. Come inside, I will get Eduardo for you.” He went to the back door and called to Ed to come in. “Hurry up, you lazy boy. It’s not polite to leave a beautiful lady waitink.” He turned and gave me a wink.

  “When are you going to marry my boy and have twelve bambinos?” he asked.

  “I’m too young to get married Mr Ricci, you know that.”

  I’ve already decided that I’m going to marry Tom anyway, so there’s no way I would marry Ed even if I wasn’t too young. Of course, I didn’t tell Mr Ricci that. That would be a bit silly now, wouldn’t it? Especially since I hadn’t even told Tom yet.

  Mrs Ricci came out and offered me a cold drink, which I gladly accepted. Mrs Ricci’s punch is the most delicious drink I’ve ever tasted. Even better than Fanta. Ed came to the back door and said that he couldn’t come in because he was dripping wet, so I went out the back instead. Trevor Preston and Mick Austin were in the pool. Both Trevor and Mick are kids from my neighbourhood. Ed climbed over the side of the pool and lowered himself into the water. “Go and get your swimmers and come for a dip,” he suggested.

  The pool wasn’t very big, but it looked especially inviting. It was only about two feet high and six feet wide. The walls looked like they were made from some kind of tin and the inside lining was blue rubber. It even had plastic steps to climb up, but the boys didn’t look like they needed them. They just stepped over the wall.

  “Sure,” I said, “I’ll be back in a tick.” I ran all the way down the hill to my place. I could tell Mrs O’Reilly was there already because her shoes were on the front veranda and no one else ever takes their shoes off before coming into our house, except her.

  Sure enough, Mum and Mrs O’Reilly were sitting in the dining room when I walked in. I could hear the jug boiling in the background. I don’t know how they can drink tea on such a hot day. I walked straight past them and into my bedroom.

  “That didn’t take long.” Mum commented as I walked past. “Isn’t Ed home?”

  “Ed? I thought Tom was your boyfriend,” asked Mrs O’Reilly.

  I rolled my eyes and grabbed my swimmers. I walked outside and took my towel off the veranda railing where I’d hung it to dry. “Ed asked me to go for a swim in his pool.”

  “You just missed Tom,” said Mum.

  “Was he here? I thought he wasn’t allowed out today.”

  “No, he phoned. He wanted to know if you would like to go to Newcastle with him tomorrow. Jim’s taking him to see Star Trek for his birthday.”

  “What’d you tell him?”

  Mrs O’Reilly butted in as usual. “She told him that you’d rather stay home and help her tidy up.”

  I wish she’d just mind her own business. I looked hopefully at Mum. “You didn’t really say that, did you?”

  “Of course I didn’t. I said you’d love to go, but only if Jim supervises and doesn’t let you out of his sight.” Jim turned twenty-five last year, so I’m sure he’s responsible enough for Mum’s liking. “They’ll pick you up at nine thirty tomorrow morning,” she added.

  “Do I need any money?” It’d be just my luck Mum won’t have any and I won’t be able to go after all.

  “Jim’s said he’d pay for you since it was your birthday too.”

  I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. I couldn’t wait. I’ve only been to the pictures once before and that was two years ago. Mum took us to see Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. We caught the train to Newcastle because Dad was at work. At first, Mum was too scared to take us on the train because of the big train crash in Sydney, but Dad said she was just being silly. I think she was too embarrassed not to go after he said that, so we caught the train after all.

  “Can I wear my new dress?”

  “I don’t see why not,” she said. “You may as well get your money’s worth.”

  “Don’t you mean your money’s worth?” I corrected.

  Mum laughed and told me to go and play while she and Mrs O’Reilly were talking.

  ***

  I knocked on Ed’s front door for the second time in half an hour.

  “Jennefah, you came back! I was worried you had left for good and we would never see your beautiful face again.”

  “Vincenzo, you leave that poor girl alone,” Mrs Ricci called from the kitchen. I went through the house and into the back yard.

  “Quick, hop in, we’re making a whirlpool, you can help,” said Mick.

  I took my shorts and top off and threw them on the veranda with my towel. I climbed into the pool and was immediately swept around by the water. Ed and Trevor splashed each other from opposite sides of the pool.

  “Hey,” said Trevor, “now that Jenny’s here we can make teams.”

  I was happy for the chance to stop walking around in circles. “What do we need teams for?” I asked.

  The three of them screamed at once. “Shoulder fights!”

  Since I was the lightest, I got up on Trevor’s shoulders. Mick was the second lightest so he climbed up onto Ed’s.

  “Right,” Ed said, “these are the rules. We start at opposite sides of the pool and come together on the count of three. The first team to knock the other team over wins. No punching, scratching or biting allowed. Everyone ready?”

  We all nodded.

  “One, two, three, go!”

  Trevor and Ed lunged at each other. Mick howled like a banshee. While Trevor and Ed tried to knock each other over, Mick and I tried to do the same, only from a greater height. “Gotcha.” I knocked Mick off balance. Both Mick and Ed fell backwards with a splash. They came up from the water with their hair plastered to their scalps.

  “We have a winner!” Trevor held up my arm like a prizefighter.

  Mick pointed at Ed. “Snot face! Snot face!”

  We all looked to see what he was pointing at and cracked up laughing. Ed had a big gob of snot sliding across his face like a garden slug.

  “Any greener and you’d look like the Incredible Hulk,” said Trevor.

  “Only punier,” I added.

  Ed wiped his face with the back of his hand and pretended to fling it at Mick. Mick tackled him. “Rack off, hairy legs.” They both fell back into the water laughing.

  We played shoulder fights until Ed’s mum came out with a tray of drinks and some iceblocks. Boy is she good to have around. She always brings us food and drinks without being asked. I don’t know how Ed stays so skinny.

  We got out of the pool and sat on the veranda slurping our iceblocks. “Guess who’s moving out,” Trevor asked.

  “Dunno,” I said, “who?” It’s always a big deal when someone moves in or out of our neighbourhood. We know almost everyone in our area. There aren’t many families around who don’t have kids, so it’s not surprising, really.

  Trevor waited until he had everyone’s attention before answering. “The Dumbrells.”

  “Get outa here,” Mick sounded surprised, “they are not.” />
  “They are so. Jason Morley said he saw them loading their furniture into their Dad’s Ute with a whole heap of boxes. He asked them where they were going, but Duncan just told him to nick off and mind his own business.”

  Trevor’s news made me feel both relieved and angry. I was relieved because I still believed that they’d come after me and Tom, and angry because if they moved out now then how would they pay for what they did to Shortie?

  “Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Ed said.

  We all agreed.

  ***

  By the time I got back, Mrs O’Reilly had gone and Dad was home. I walked down to the shed to say hello. “Hey Blondie, how’s your day been?” he asked.

  “Good. Dianne fell out of a tree and had an asthma attack and her mum pulled one of the palings off our fence so that she could fit through.”

  Dad laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing, I was just imagining Mrs Cowan getting stuck in our fence. What a sight that must have been; one bum cheek either side.”

  We both burst out laughing. It’s just like Dad to see the funny side of things. I wasn’t game to tell him how frightened I was at the time. I was sure he would’ve handled everything just fine.

  I quickly changed the subject. “Guess where I’m going tomorrow?”

  “Let me think about that for a minute.” Dad pretended to be deep in thought. “Is it somewhere close by?”

  “Nope.”

  “Does it involve running away with the circus?”

  “Of course not,” I laughed.

  “Are you going to elope with Tom?”

  “Dad!”

  “Then I give up. Where are you going tomorrow?”

  “To the pictures with Tom.”

  “I was close. What are you going to see?”

  “We’re going to see Star Trek. Jim’s taking Tom for his birthday and said that I could come. He’s even paying and everything.”

  “Wow,” Dad sounded impressed. “I thought Star Trek was on the telly.”

  “It is, but they made it into a movie too.”

  Dad reached into his pocket and handed me a crumpled one-dollar note. “Here,” he said, “it was only going into my cunning kitty anyway.”

  “Gee, thanks!”