Amber was already onto her though. ‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Okay. There’s one tiny, teeny hitch.’
‘Oh no. What’s the problem?’
‘He has this obsessive ex who isn’t over him yet, and umm . . . they still live together.’
‘GEORGIA! NO!’
Rick, another nurse they often hung out with, wandered over with a coffee and sat down to join them. ‘What’s Amber screeching about?’ he asked, leaning back in his chair and sipping his coffee.
‘Georgia has a new boyfriend who still lives with an ex who isn’t over him,’ Amber replied.
Rick sucked in his breath through his teeth.
‘Honestly, it’s not a big deal,’ Georgia argued. Her phone buzzed on the table and Amber reached across to snatch it up before Georgia could. ‘Ooh, is this your new lover boy right now?’
‘Oy, give it back.’ Georgia held out her hand.
Amber relented and passed it over. Georgia unlocked her phone, unable to hide her smile, but then frowned. ‘Oh.’
‘What’s up?’ Rick asked.
‘It’s not him. It’s this other guy. The one who actually stood me up the night I met Luke.’
‘Brett?’ said Amber. ‘Why the hell is he still texting you?’
‘I have no idea. I ignored the last one he sent me.’
‘What’s it say?’
‘“Can you please give me another chance,”’ Georgia read out.
‘Tell him to go fuck himself,’ Amber ordered.
Rick shook his head. ‘Don’t bother. Ignore, delete, block. Contrary to Amber’s life philosophy, not everything needs to involve the F-word.’
‘Prude,’ said Amber.
‘Potty mouth,’ Rick retorted.
‘Stop bickering, you two. I swear sometimes you act like an old married couple.’
‘We do not!’ Amber looked scandalised.
‘If the shoe fits,’ said Georgia, locking her phone. ‘I gotta get back upstairs. Dr H is on; someone has to keep an eye on him and I don’t trust Victor or Ally to say anything if they see him screw up.’
‘I know,’ Amber said. ‘Victor stayed quiet yesterday when he tried to give Aspirin to a patient who was on ten milligrams of Warfarin. Thank God I was doing obs on the next bed over. I sidled over and was like, “Ah, you sure about that, doctor?” And Victor knew. He bloody knew. He’s just too much of a soft cock to say anything.’
‘Amber!’
‘What? I say it like it is.’
‘She’s not wrong,’ said Rick, running his fingers through his short dark hair and spiking it up. ‘I’ve never heard her not say it like it is.’
‘Anyway, I’m not having him send the old duck in 318 back downhill again,’ Georgia said as she pushed her chair back and stood. ‘She’s only just starting to come out the other side after the complications she had with her pneumonia and she’s desperate to get back home. She’s really missing Leo and Fergie.’
‘Her kids?’
‘No, her cats.’
Amber rolled her eyes. ‘Why do you know the names of this woman’s cats?’
‘Because I like to get to know my patients.’
‘Yeah, all right. Go kick arse, lady. I’ll see you up there soon.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘Muesli with berries and a big brekkie with scrambled.’
Georgia sat back as the waitress placed the muesli in front of her without waiting to hear who had what. She pointedly swapped it with the large plate of food that had been put in front of Luke.
‘Waiters always do that,’ she commented once the waitress had walked away.
‘What?’
‘They assume the bigger meal is for the guy.’
Luke shrugged. ‘Take it as a compliment. They think you’re too small to put away food the way you do.’
‘That’s not a compliment. That’s patronising.’
‘Maybe you’re reading too much into it.’ He smiled.
Georgia had been on night shifts for the last week and all she wanted to do Saturday was sleep, so Sunday brunch was the best option for their fifth date. They were seated outdoor at a cafe in Rouse Hill and despite the winter chill in the air, the sun was warm on Georgia’s back.
‘You want any bacon?’
‘Too late.’ Luke spooned in his first mouthful of muesli. ‘Can’t go back to bacon now.’
‘All right,’ she said, leaning back in her chair. ‘The last few dates we’ve been on you’ve picked super healthy options, like the grilled chicken salad or the egg-white omelette or whatever. Is this a new health kick, or your normal state of being and you were hiding it from me before because you were too embarrassed to order a salad while I was ordering burgers and burritos?’
‘A guy, pretending to be something he’s not, to impress a girl? That’s unheard of!’
Georgia laughed. ‘No, seriously. I could tell on our first date that you were shocked when I powered my way through that massive T-bone steak and fries. Did you think then and there, I’ve gotta keep up with this girl or something like that?’
He shook his head. ‘Not at all. I’m always going in and out of health kicks. You want to know a secret?’ He leaned in and Georgia did the same. ‘I was a fat kid.’
‘You weren’t!’
‘I was. And I mean fat. My parents had to take me to the doctor and put me on a diet and buy me a treadmill so they could run me on it like I was a hamster.’
Georgia stopped smiling. ‘Oh shit, I’m sorry. That sounds awful.’
‘Don’t be sorry. It’s not like I’m traumatised or anything. It was what it was. I lost the weight, and I kept it off.’
‘Well, you look pretty damn fit now.’ Georgia paused then said carefully, ‘You don’t talk about your parents much.’
‘No, I guess I don’t.’ He didn’t elaborate and Georgia hesitated, wondering if she should push a little further. Even from the beginning, he’d always been so easy to chat to and she was loving getting to know him. He made her feel so comfortable, so confident. ‘Did that affect your relationship with them, the way they dealt with your weight problems?’
‘I don’t know . . . I guess they were just looking out for my health.’
‘Yeah, but it’s the way you said they ran you like a hamster, it doesn’t sound very . . . nice.’
‘Are you psychoanalysing me?’
Georgia held up her hands. ‘Me? No way, my medical expertise doesn’t go beyond the body. Like I said, you don’t really ever mention your family. What made you move to Sydney when your whole family is back in Perth?’
‘To be honest, it was a bit of a whim. A job came up and it seemed like a good opportunity for a change. I love Sydney now though.’
‘And have you seen them much since you came over?’
‘Nope, not a lot.’
‘How come?’ Georgia wondered how she’d cope if she moved away from her family. Not very well, she decided.
‘It’s not really anything . . . I mean, we didn’t have any big falling-out or anything like that, we’re just not a close family.’
‘I always thought my family was really close, but lately I’m not so sure. I don’t really know my mum and dad anymore. Does that make sense? I mean they’ve changed so much. And then my older brothers are in a different stage of life. They’re married with kids and I don’t get the kinds of things they’re going through. The only one I’m close to is Marcus, but he’s down in Melbourne.’
‘That’s tough.’
‘Speaking of Marcus —’ Georgia began, but Luke’s phone started vibrating on the table. She stopped as he picked it up, glanced at the screen, frowned and declined the call.
‘Who was that?’
Luke sighed. ‘You don’t want to know.’
‘You know that makes me want to know more.’
‘Fair point. It was Cadence.’
‘Ah. So she’s still hassling you?’
‘Unfortunately, yes.’
�
�Does she know that you’re . . .’ Georgia paused, unsure how to word it ‘… seeing someone?’
‘Yep. I told her right away. It was difficult because I was trying not to upset her too much. But she could clearly tell how into you I am.’
Georgia felt her skin flush. She took a large sip of water.
‘That mustn’t have gone down too well then.’ She was trying to feel bad for Cadence, but she couldn’t help feeling secretly happy.
‘You’re right, it didn’t go well at all. I didn’t want to say anything, because I didn’t want to worry you but . . .’ He stopped and chewed on his lip.
Georgia reached across the table and touched his hand. ‘It’s okay, you can tell me.’
‘Truth is, she’s got worse since I told her about you.’
‘Oh no, I’m so sorry!’
‘What? Why are you sorry? Trust me, none of this is your fault. Anyway, it’s nothing I can’t handle.’ He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. ‘This is her problem, not ours. What were you going to say before, something about Marcus?’
‘Oh,’ Georgia hesitated. She’d been about to say that Marcus’s wedding was coming up, but she was very quickly losing her nerve. Surely it was far too early to invite him to a family wedding, wasn’t it? ‘It was nothing . . .’ she began, but they were both distracted then as a tall, wiry, bearded waiter stepped up to their table to offer them coffees.
‘Long black, please,’ said Georgia.
‘Weak skim soy latte,’ said Luke. Then he cringed. ‘Shit,’ he said as the waiter left, ‘I can’t believe I just ordered that in front of you.’
She laughed. ‘You haven’t asked for that any of the other times we’ve had coffee. Luke Kauffman, have you been hiding your coffee order from me all this time?’
‘Yes! Of course I have. It’s the most embarrassing thing ever. You’re going to break up with me on the spot.’
Georgia leaned forward. ‘Does that mean we’re officially . . . an item?’
Luke leaned forward too. ‘Well . . . let’s see, how many dates have we been on?’ He started counting on his fingers then stopped. ‘Actually, I don’t care, I just want to keep seeing you. So if that means we’re official . . . then yes, let’s call it what it is. Unless, of course, my coffee order is unforgivable.’
‘You know what? I reckon I could forgive it this once.’
CHAPTER FIVE
Georgia pulled up out the front of her parents’ home and sat still in the car for a minute. Get-togethers with her large family could often be a bit overwhelming. She stared out the window at their house. It was such a contradiction to their personalities. A two-storey, sleek, contemporary home in Castle Hill with views of the Blue Mountains. If you were a door-to-door salesperson in the area and you knocked on their door, you’d probably expect to see an elegantly dressed middle-aged couple who looked just as slick as the house. Instead you’d be greeted by two barefoot hippies. They’d always had free-spirit type personalities but since all their children had grown up and left home, they’d really embraced their inner flower-children. Georgia was pretty sure that if they hadn’t had grandchildren they wanted to spend time with, they’d have sold up their house and spent the rest of their lives travelling around Australia in a caravan.
The year after Georgia completed her Higher School Certificate and her parents took off to travel around Eastern Europe had been the beginning of a difficult stage in Georgia’s life. She knew they had every right to head off and do something for themselves for a change — they’d just got five kids through to adulthood. Her older brothers had all moved out and Georgia was going to live on campus while she started studying an Arts degree at university. So, it was the perfect opportunity for her parents to rent out their home and go exploring.
But Georgia hadn’t anticipated how much she’d miss them. How hard it would be knowing she couldn’t pop home on the weekends for a visit. And her brothers were all living on their own, getting caught up in new relationships or their jobs or running their own businesses. They had their own lives. It was Marcus moving away that had been the biggest shock though. He was only one year older than her and had always been her built-in best friend. So, when he announced he was moving down to Melbourne to be an apprentice chef, Georgia had felt abandoned.
Maybe if she’d sought help sooner it wouldn’t have got as bad as it did. But her parents caught the travel bug and turned into fly-in, fly-out nomads, and with Marcus down in Melbourne there was no one around to really notice the change in her.
Georgia climbed out of the car and headed for the front door. As usual it was unlocked, because for some bizarre reason her parents seemed to think they lived in a sleepy little village rather than a Sydney suburb. She let herself in, kicked off her shoes and walked through to the kitchen and living area at the back. It was a hive of activity. Her three eldest brothers and their wives were all buzzing about, pouring drinks and chatting noisily while the kids darted between them playing a game of hide and seek. Her parents were gliding through the chaos like serene sailboats. Her mum, Susan, was wearing yoga pants that faded from orange to yellow and a turquoise top with silver and gold beads hanging from the sleeves. The clash of vibrant colours had quite an effect, and Georgia realised that her mum’s hair — which had been auburn when she saw her just one week ago — was now silvery grey.
‘Holy shit, Mum, what have you done to your hair?’ she said as she dumped her bag on a couch and wandered over to give her a hug.
‘I’m letting it go natural.’
‘Is it different?’ interrupted her eldest brother, Aaron, squinting and turning his head side-on.
‘Seriously? It was red last week. Mum, silver’s not natural.’ Georgia pulled away from her mother and gave her dad a hug. Graham was wearing yoga pants as well, though his outfit wasn’t quite so colourful. ‘It’s certainly a change,’ he said quietly to Georgia as he gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
‘It’s natural, it’s grey,’ said her mum.
‘You’ve clearly dyed it.’
‘I’m embracing my senior years. Have a samosa.’ Susan picked up a plate and held it out to Georgia.
‘What’s with the samosas?’ Georgia said, taking one.
‘Don’t ask,’ said Aaron.
‘What do you mean, what’s with the samosas?’ asked Susan. ‘This is our cuisine.’
Georgia leaned in to Aaron and his wife Kate, who were standing at the kitchen bench with their beers. ‘What’s she on about?’
‘Apparently, it’s a travesty that we never embraced Dad’s Indian culture when we were growing up,’ Aaron explained. ‘Dinner tonight is an all-out Indian feast. Dad said Mum’s been googling recipes all day.’
‘But Dad’s not Indian,’ Georgia whispered back.
‘Yes, but Grandad was Anglo-Indian. Look, just be happy Mum’s not in a sari tonight. Apparently, she’s thinking about wearing one to the wedding.’
Kate snorted and choked on her beer. ‘Jesus, isn’t that cultural appropriation or something?’
‘Quite possibly,’ said Georgia.
‘Are we talking about Mum’s new obsession?’ asked Troy, wandering over to join them. ‘She’s actually done a pretty good job with the samosas.’
‘They’re frozen ones. I saw her stash the empty box,’ Aaron said.
Troy laughed. ‘Find out the brand. I want to buy them.’
Aaron shook his head. ‘Don’t ask her. She’ll get all upset if she realises anyone knows they’re not homemade.’
‘I thought she didn’t get upset about anything anymore. Part of her new ultra-calm Buddhist attitude. Wait, how does being Buddhist fit in with also being Hindu?’ Georgia asked.
‘Unsure,’ said Aaron.
‘Shit. Hattie has Max in a headlock again.’ Troy strode away from them, his voice booming across the room as he approached his four-year-old daughter. ‘What did I tell you about using the chokeslam on your cousins?’
‘What’s the
deal with Hattie?’ Georgia said to Aaron.
‘Troy put her in a wrestling club; apparently she has some serious talent.’
‘I can see that.’
‘Watch Pete’s face. He hates that Max is getting taken down by Hattie.’
‘Oh my God, you’re right. He’s got the twitch happening under his right eye.’
Kate snorted yet again and Aaron passed her a tissue for the beer she’d spat out. ‘She’s so classy, my wife. You haven’t got a drink yet, Georgie. You want a beer?’
‘Yes, please.
A huge clang sounded, making them all jump. They turned around to see Susan holding a large mallet, which she’d just smashed against an oversized gong. ‘Dinner!’ she called happily.
‘Who the hell bought that woman a gong?’ Georgia asked.
‘She bought it for herself,’ said Aaron as he handed Georgia a beer from the fridge. ‘Mum and Dad do morning meditation and they hit the gong every time they have an epiphany during their meditation.’
‘Of course they do.’
*
Georgia had almost made it. Dinner was finished and cleared away. The butter chicken had been the favourite, with Susan clicking her tongue every time her family reached for the more unadventurous choice instead of the goat curry or dhokla she’d cooked. Luckily Hattie was like a small vacuum cleaner, hoovering up bowl after bowl of anything her parents put in front of her. Dessert was almost done and Georgia had flown under the radar the entire time, letting the conversation weave its way around the table, sliding past her and remaining on the edges as her brothers and sisters-in-law dealt with their kids and talked about which school Joshua was going to next year or how well Emma was sleeping through the night or how many trophies Hattie had already picked up at wrestling club. Sometimes it was easy to be invisible when you were in the middle of a table full of people.
And then the inevitable happened. ‘So, are you bringing a date to the wedding, Georgia?’ Pete’s wife Aimee asked.
‘Yeah, Mum said you’re seeing some bloke you met through Tinder,’ Troy added.
Georgia felt her cheeks redden. She hated the way her family discussed her love life. Always with this glint in their eyes, a slight smirk on their lips, as though just because she hadn’t settled down yet her dating life was fodder for their entertainment.
Ex, The Page 4