The Mimosa Tree

by Antonella Preto

  ‘What could I do? Benito and I had spoken of marriage. I wasn’t going to leave him because I enjoyed a conversation with someone else. I’m not that kind of girl.’

  We keep staring at her, and she tugs her jumper closer around her, sits up straight and pulls her knees in together like she’s been caught naked. Rich, smart and with a developed sense of hygiene. That was her alternative? If being a nice girl means having to settle for cracked heels and halitosis then I vow always to be bad. I reach for another chocolate but they finally catch on and my hand gets slapped from both sides. I am about to launch into a lengthy protest when there’s a knock on the door. We all turn to see Siena standing there, hands on hips and smiling like a Halloween pumpkin. It’s so odd for her to knock instead of just coming in that it takes us all a moment to realise that even stranger is the fact that she has turned up here without the aid of Via and Bambi.

  ‘Come in stupid,’ shouts Via.

  Still grinning, she slides open the door. ‘Isn’t anyone going to ask me how I got here?’

  ‘Broom?’ says Via. And Siena laughs spiritedly.

  ‘That’s very funny, Via. But last time I looked, a broom didn’t need one of these to start it.’ And she whips out a set of keys on a big fluffy dice key ring.

  ‘You bought a car?’ I say getting up so quickly that I bang my knees hard on the table. Mum also tries to jump up, but with her nausea and pain it’s more like a stiff shuffle forward then a strained push up from the table. Only Via stays seated, sliding another cigarette from its packet and looking completely disinterested.

  Siena stands aside and I rush outside to take a look. There in the driveway is a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser.

  ‘So what do you think?’

  ‘What on earth are you going to do with such a huge car?’ I say. Siena with a Land Cruiser is like a toddler with a great dane.

  ‘I’m going to need it when I start my business. I’m going to be expanding into catering work so I need a big car to carry all the stuff.’

  ‘Now I know you have completely lost your mind,’ says Via appearing at the door, cigarette in hand.

  ‘What do you think, Sofia?’

  ‘Is it really yours?’ she says, eyeing the street as though the real owner is going to run up and claim it.

  ‘Technically, it’s Robert’s. He bought it for me.’

  ‘Have you checked the brake cable?’ says Via. And Siena laughs loudly again.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking, Via, but Robert is really very supportive of my new business. He’s agreed to help me out in any way he can.’

  ‘You’re going to ask him for advice?’

  ‘He made a mistake, that’s true, but before that he was very successful in his business dealings.’

  ‘I thought Robert’s things made you unhappy?’ she says sucking deeply on her cigarette. ‘Isn’t that why you left with only a handbag?’

  ‘I was pretty upset then, but I’m not stupid enough to let my pride get in the way of an excellent business opportunity. That would be crazy.’

  ‘Oh you’re crazy all right,’ says Via.

  ‘Can we go for a drive?’ I say.

  ‘I was hoping I could give you a lift to dinner tonight?’

  ‘ I am driving Mira tonight,’ says Via, interrupting what was going to be a resounding yes from me. ‘I always drive Mira.’

  ‘I’m not trying to step on your toes,’ says Siena. ‘You work so hard looking after us all, I thought you’d like a nice, quiet night home with Zito.’

  ‘Why would I want to stay home with my husband? I’m not an old lady yet, you know!’

  ‘Okay, whatever,’ says Siena. ‘Look, I’m going out to visit a friend tonight and they live right around the corner from the restaurant. Seems silly for both of us to drive all that way, don’t you think?’

  ‘It does seem silly to take two cars,’ says Mum.

  ‘Well that’s sorted then,’ I say, ignoring Via’s sulky silence. What’s she got to be so upset about anyway? She’s always complaining about driving me everywhere. She should be happy someone else is offering to do it for once.

  ‘I’ll pick you up at eight, okay?’

  ‘Great!’

  ‘Well, I have to go,’ says Siena slipping on her sunglasses. ‘There’s a lot to organise. Can I get you something while I’m out Sofia? I’m doing some shopping later anyway.’

  Mum opens her mouth like she can think of a few things to get, but when she sees the look on Via’s face she shuts it again. ‘No I don’t need anything. There is nothing I need, nothing at all. Via takes good care of me.’

  Via shakes her head in disgust and heads inside. ‘Don’t run anyone over,’ she says slamming the door behind her.

  ‘Be careful,’ says Mum eyeing the Land Cruiser nervously.

  Siena reassures her with a kiss on the forehead then skips out to the car. She opens the door and uses both hands to hoist herself up the step and into the driver’s seat. She smiles and waves, head barely above the steering wheel, then looks down at the gears as she backs down the driveway. She drives into the garden bed and only narrowly misses the letterbox before reversing onto the road. She honks the horn and takes off with a grinding gear crunch. Mum looks anxiously at the squashed daisy bush she has left behind.

  ‘I think your father has a helmet in the garage. It will look lovely with your boots.’

  ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine,’ I say, taking her by the shoulders and leading her back inside. ‘She’s got all afternoon to practise.’

  ***

  It’s strange. I don’t think there has ever been an important occasion in my life that Via has not been a part of. Not that this dinner is important to me, but usually, on such occasions, I am grinding my teeth through the scrutiny, defending myself against barbs and holding fort on points of fashion, but tonight, with Siena and Mum presiding, the atmosphere is relaxed and happy.

  ‘Is this okay?’ I say, twirling around them, intrigued that neither seems interested in what I am wearing.

  ‘You look good,’ says Siena, and Mum nods.

  ‘Beautiful,’ she says.

  ‘You guys are pretty easy to please.’

  ‘You always look beautiful,’ says Mum smiling.

  ‘Like your mother’ says Siena, smoothing down a crest of loose hair for her. Mum blushes and turns away.

  ‘ You were always the beauty of the family,’ she says. ‘We had to keep the boys away with a stick.’

  ‘She’s lying,’ says Siena laughing. ‘I always felt awkward and shy around other kids, especially guys.’

  ‘I can’t believe that,’ I say. ‘I think Mum is right and you’re just being modest.’

  ‘I wish that were true. Maybe my life would have turned out different if I felt like I had more choices.’

  ‘There were plenty of choices,’ says Mum flicking her lightly on the hand. ‘You just never knew it. Everyone could see how beautiful you were except you, that was the problem. I remember how it really was.’

  ‘All I remember is crying a lot. Around about the time I turned fifteen, I reckon. Anyway,’ she says, smoothing out her dress and brushing a hand through her hair. ‘That’s the old days. Tonight we look to the future. You ready to go, Mira?’

  ‘Yup,’ I say, shoving fifty dollars into my jeans pocket and giving my hair a final shake. ‘Let’s get this over with.’

  ‘Which friend you seeing tonight?’ Mum asks Siena. ‘Do I know her?’

  ‘Alistair? I don’t think so. I only met him a couple of weeks ago.’

  ‘You’re seeing a man? You’re going to his house?’ Mum looks around like she’s trying to find something to tie Siena down with.

  ‘Relax, Sofia. This isn’t a date, it’s a business meeting. Alistair’s an old friend of Robert’s. He’s interested in investing in a restaurant. We are going to talk and see if maybe it’s something we could be partners in.’

  Mum takes Siena’s face in her palms. ‘Oh Siena,’ she says looking
miserable. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’

  ‘I’m very sure.’

  ‘Maybe Via is right. What if something goes wrong? What if you lose all your money again?’

  ‘I’ve never been happier in my life,’ says Siena taking Mum’s hands in her own and holding them tightly in her lap. ‘If I lose all the money it will have been worth it just to know what that feels like.’

  ‘Come on,’ I say pulling them apart as I realise they are in danger of descending rapidly into a hugging tear-fest. ‘Let’s get going.’

  ‘Great,’ says Siena, holding her belly as she walks out of the room. ‘Because I’m starving. I think I could eat a horse.’

  As she bounces out of the room, Mum and I look at each other, knowing we are both thinking the same thing. Mum makes a zipping motion at her lips as she pushes me out of the room.

  ‘Don’t say anything,’ she says. ‘Whatever is happening to Siena, I don’t want to jinx it.’ She looks to our ceiling god and makes the sign of the cross before pulling my face to her lips and smothering me in wet kisses. She holds my face in her hands and looks deeply at me for a while before giving me a final squeeze. ‘You be a good girl tonight,’ she says.

  ‘Sure Mum.’

  She wags her finger at me warningly. ‘Don’t have sex.’

  ‘MUM!’ I say, pulling away.

  ‘I see the TV,’ she says looking wide-eyed and innocent. ‘Teenagers these days have no morals. I don’t want you coming home pregnant.’ She grabs me by my collar and pulls my face closer to hers. ‘Or a drug addict,’ she hisses.

  ‘You understand I’m just going out to dinner don’t you?’

  ‘Give me your word, Mira,’ she says eyeing me seriously. I put my hand up to take my oath.

  ‘Mother, I give you my word that I will not have sex or take drugs tonight. Okay?’

  She gives me a satisfied nod and pats my cheek.

  Outside, Siena is waiting for me by her car. Black and sleek under the moonlight, the Land Cruiser has the dangerous aura of a sleeping bear. Feeling special, I climb up to my seat, and peer out across the bonnet to the driveway below. Mum waves at us from the veranda, shouts some more goodbyes, but from within this sealed cabin she is a picture without sound.

  ‘Buckle up,’ says Siena as she pushes the gear stick into reverse and propels us backwards down the driveway. There’s a small bump and I look at Siena to see if she noticed it too.

  ‘What was that?’ she says.

  ‘I think we ran something over.’

  She shrugs, throws the car into forward and drives off. I look back to the house and see our letterbox flattened to the ground.

  ‘Did you see what it was?’ she says as she adjusts a setting on the dash and the car pulls blindly to the left.

  ‘Nah,’ I say. ‘Probably just a stick or something.’

  ‘Oh good,’ she says looking up just before we run off the road. ‘I’m still getting used to how big this car is. I’m sure you could run over a dog in this thing and not notice it.’

  ‘Or a letterbox.’

  ‘Or anything. It makes me a bit nervous actually. I keep getting this weird feeling that I’ve left a trail of destruction behind me. Guess I’m just being paranoid.’

  ‘That’s probably it,’ I say gripping tightly to my seat as she shows no sign of slowing down for the approaching stop sign. ‘So you really going to buy a restaurant?’ I say, trying to distract myself from visions of my imminent death.

  ‘Yep,’ she says. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Via isn’t happy about it.’

  ‘She worries about me, about things going wrong.’

  ‘She’s a control freak. You should tell her to mind her own business.’

  She looks at me through the dark. ‘She’s been good to me, Mira. I couldn’t have got through these last few months without her. She’s been good to all of us, don’t you think?’

  ‘Sure, as long as we do everything her way. She doesn’t always know what’s best for us.’

  ‘That’s true,’ she says. ‘And she will fight for what she believes in, but it just means you have to be much braver, and much firmer about what you want. When all the arguing is done, Via will move mountains to help you.’

  ‘Like Robert?’ I say, rubbing my knuckles against my thigh. I’m still pretty angry at her about Robert, but I’m trying not to show it. When I think about it, I don’t really have anything to be angry about, except that I thought things were one way and then they turned out to be another. ‘He’s doing a lot for you lately too. It sounds like you guys are getting kinda close again.’

  ‘We’ve been talking,’ she concedes. ‘Better than we ever have I think. Sometimes, really bad things have to happen before people remember how they really feel about each other.’

  ‘So you are getting back together?’

  ‘It’s not that simple, Mira. We need to take our time, you know? So we can be sure how we really feel. I don’t want to make another mistake, and neither does he.’

  ‘So you’re just going to relax and see what happens?’ I say and Siena nods like I’ve said something really wise.

  ‘Sometimes it’s better to take things slowly. You never know how things will unfold. I think for now it’s probably better that we just stay friends.’

  Friends. Just like me and Harm. Seems I am not the only one that has problems with blurred boundaries. More than once I have wondered if I made the right decision that day at the protest. What was it I needed to be so certain about? Wasn’t it enough that he was willing to stick around for a while? I mean, it’s not like I’ve got a lot of options in this area, it’s not like I can afford to be choosy. I lean back, fold my arms and look at Siena through the darkness. My aunt the chameleon. Every time I look at her I see something new. She is still skinny, but there is a new glow in her face, and it’s not just coming from the dashboard. Her eyes are on fire when she looks at you, and her mouth is constantly tweaked up at the corners.

  ‘Can I come and work for you?’ I say.

  ‘I was counting on it, actually. I want you out the front, serving the customers. And I was hoping your mum would be out the back cooking her fabulous food.’

  ‘And you?’

  ‘I’ll do a bit of both,’ she says with a serious nod. ‘As manager I need to oversee everything that’s going on.’

  ‘And Via?’ I say, and suddenly I am picturing Via’s globular form pushing her way through red checked tables and beating confused customers over the head with a floury rolling pin.

  ‘It’s early days, yet,’ she says laughing. ‘Let’s just wait until I get the restaurant, then we can work out who’s doing what.’

  ‘This is it,’ she says, driving up onto the kerb, and from within the Land Cruiser it feels about as significant as running over a shoe. I wind down the window and Siena leans over to take a closer look at the restaurant. I watch her study the details carefully, wondering how it sizes up against the one she imagines owning. There is a small alfresco area at the front that features a red and white striped awning, white tablecloths and Italian music crackling through speakers. What really stands out and advertises what this place is all about is the oversized cardboard cut-out of a chef with a twirly moustache and a rounded belly swinging pizza dough over his head.

  ‘This the kind of place you had in mind?’ I say.

  ‘I was thinking something a bit more, umm, subtle.’

  ‘Yours will be much better,’ I say as I give her a goodbye kiss.

  She laughs and pulls me into a bony hug. ‘I’ll pick you up at eleven.’

  ‘It’s Okay, Felicia will drop me home.’

  ‘You sure? Won’t that disturb her date?’

  ‘Nah, she’ll be fine about it. She loves driving me around.’

  Siena pulls the door closed after me. Only her eyes and hair are visible above the window line. ‘Keep an open mind, Mira. You never know what life is going to bring you.’

  ‘That’s a nice thought,’ I say.
‘But unfortunately my expectations usually turn out to be right.’

  ‘Well, try to have fun anyway,’ she says winding up the window. ‘And wish me luck.’

  ‘Good luck. Hope the business stuff works out for you.’

  ‘You made it!’ says Felicia coming out of the door in a blast of light and sound. She’s looking more dressed up than I have ever seen her, blond hair burning like a halo around her bright blue eyes and perfect full lips. She walks towards me, and I’m sure she’s putting a bit more swish in her hips than usual. ‘The boys are already here,’ she says, taking me by the arm. She smells heavily of perfume and nail polish. ‘And your date is very excited to meet you.’

  ‘I thought I made myself clear,’ I say standing firm so that she can’t whisk me inside. ‘I’m happy to meet your new boyfriend but whoever else you have in there is not my date, got that?’

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ she says, completely undeterred and still trying to tug me inside. ‘But he’s really cute. And smart. I think you will actually like him.’

  Even if there is a slight possibility that what she is saying is true, the fact that I have to be set up to meet someone leaves me determined not to find anything to like about tonight. It’s clear, however, that Felicia is not going to be easily pushed off her cloud nine. With a sigh I relent slightly, offer a little less resistance so that she is finally able to manoeuvre me.

  ‘Let’s just get this over with,’ I say, and together we push through the swinging doors.

  Inside the restaurant is about as inspiring as out. There’s more red and white, louder music, and green and orange wallpaper which seems to be left over from another era and sadly overlooked when it came to redecorating. Felicia leads me through the busy room towards a quiet corner where two guys are sitting at a candlelit table. They look equally uninteresting to me, and neither are my type. Short hair, tucked in shirts and the overpowering smell of Blue Stratos aftershave. It’s clear that Felicia and I have wildly different taste in men.

  ‘Mira, I would like you to meet Guido. And this is Julio,’ she says, pushing me forward like she is presenting me for purchase.