The Tree
Page 14
In the beginning we compared him to Dad, not bit by bit, but in the mere fact of his presence. He knew and he was gracious. He let us be cruel to him and ignore him when we visited our mother and he was there. He never demanded anything. He is still and certain looking, but there is a side to his silence that is the result of repression rather than the hush of wisdom, which means he is great fun to tease.
And he allows Mum her grief and there is still a pull, I see it on Dad’s anniversary and his birthday when we go to the grave. George doesn’t go, he accepts that Mum’s relationship with Dad has to go on and that their life together isn’t finished and that he is still with her.
The drama returned to my mother’s life, it was a joy to see it, but in a different way or maybe a way I could accept. She learned to shoot and that was a turning point in her life. The power of the gun and the potential destruction, it was a comfort to her and it put her madness in perspective. She became an excellent markswoman. She began to compete. She was so herself wherever she went that she stunned people. She would be invited to stalk deer in Scotland or shoot pheasant in England or cull kangaroos in central Australia. It didn’t matter where she went, people always commented that they had never met anyone so clearly free to be themselves. It was the perfect balance for her, shooting and fishing and her hunk. She had finally found a flatter path for a while.
Outside her new house is a poincianna tree, not as big and grand as the one in the yard of her old house. It’s a miniature, not yet matured, but its branches hang to the ground. There is a row of them, they stretch all the way down both sides of the street to the bay at the end of the road. I sometimes imagine the dead in all of them, stepping across from tree to tree, playing and laughing, whinging and moaning and chattering on to each other like a bunch of mad galahs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Judy Pascoe was born in Brisbane and completed a degree in Journalism and Media Communications there before moving to Melbourne to join Circus Oz. She jumped ship in the UK and has since worked as a stand-up comedian, television presenter, script writer and author.
For more information about the author,
visit www.judypascoe.com.