A Hot Cold Summer

by Nova Weetman

  When we came to the beach, Dad and I stopped to kick off our thongs. He pushed them down into the sand so just the toes were peeping out.

  Jan must have seen us, because she said, ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Leaving our thongs,’ said Dad, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. It was to us.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ she said. ‘They might get stolen.’

  I laughed. ‘Why would anyone want to steal two pairs of manky old thongs?’

  But clearly Jan was serious. ‘John, please,’ she said to Dad. I hadn’t really heard her use this tone before, like she was quietly making her point known. And I couldn’t believe it when Dad actually picked up the thongs. Both pairs of them!

  ‘Here you go, kiddo,’ he said holding mine out. ‘Jan’s probably right.’

  I didn’t care if Jan was right. I didn’t care if my thongs got stolen. I cared about the fact that Dad had just let her boss him around. I snatched them from him and threw them back near the path.

  ‘Frankie,’ said Dad sharply.

  ‘They’re my thongs,’ I said, walking off down the beach, furious with Dad.

  As if it wasn’t bad enough having Jan crash my beach walk with Dad, now she was telling me what to do like she was my mum. And the worst thing was that Dad was letting her do it.

  If I hadn’t been in such a bad mood, I would have loved walking along the beach. It was a clear night, the stars were out and the air was warm. Dad and I always went for night walks. It was the thing we did in summer when we couldn’t sleep. We wouldn’t talk much, just walk our way around the streets, or along the beach if we were on holidays. But with Jan clutching Dad’s hand the whole time, I didn’t want to walk near them. Instead I traced along the edge of the water, my feet sinking in the cool wet sand. I looked up at the stars and thought about Mum, on the other side of the planet. I wished I could be there with her instead of here with Dad and Jan.

  By the time we got to the little row of shops, the icecream place was closing up. I watched the man dragging in the tables and chairs from outside, and folding up the umbrellas, and I knew we were too late. Jan just shrugged like it didn’t matter, but Dad took one look at my face, and ran across the road to the shop.

  ‘John, we’ve got ice-cream in the fridge,’ Jan called after him.

  I waited for Dad to turn round and walk back, but this time he didn’t. This time he ignored her and went up to the man in the shop. He must have done some fast talking because the next thing I knew a giant ice-cream was being placed in my hand.

  ‘Thanks, Dad.’ I gave it a big lick, then held it out to him for a taste. He never bought himself an ice-cream, but the deal was that he could always try mine.

  ‘Strawberry’s good,’ he said. ‘It’s always better in a cone, Jan.’

  For some reason, Dad buying the ice-cream made all the difference to my mood, like he was his old self again. We started back along the beach, and this time Jan was behind us. Dad pointed out some of the constellations like he always did, and started singing snatches of a song he knew about a starry night on the beach. Dad and I had really similar music tastes. We liked playing guitar together and often swapped old vinyl we’d bought. We launched into a conversation about music then and I was having such a good time I’d almost forgotten that Jan was with us. But after a few minutes, she called out, ‘Hey, you two, wait for me.’

  I was halfway through saying something, but Dad just spun round and walked back to her. ‘Come on, slow coach,’ I heard him say. It was so annoying, the way he ditched me in the middle of a conversation to go running back to her. Maybe Ellie was right after all about him not having time for me now he was with her mum.

  At the entrance to the beach, I made a big deal of finding my thongs right where I’d thrown them, and then stalked off towards the house, with Dad and Jan behind me. I decided to pin Dad down about surf lessons before we got home. If I was going to be ignored by Ellie and left by myself, I wanted to at least get something out of the rest of the holiday.

  I turned around to face them. ‘Dad, can you sort out the surf lessons tomorrow?’ I asked.

  ‘Sure, honey,’ said Dad with a smile.

  ‘Actually, John,’ said Jan. ‘I think we should look into it a bit more. A girl drowned at one of those surf schools last year.’

  I waited at least three seconds for Dad to say something, but when it was clear he had no idea how to answer her, I couldn’t help myself.

  ‘No offence, Jan, but it’s nothing to do with you,’ I said, steaming.

  ‘Frankie, that’s enough,’ said Dad.

  Jan didn’t have to say anything because Dad had just taken her side, and made it very clear where his loyalties were. I raced off, thongs in hand, my feet hating the rough ground. I wished, for the second time that night, that there was some way I could still catch a plane to London and escape this horrible holiday.

  ‘You missed a top party,’ said Ellie the next morning.

  ‘I told them you were sick,’ I said.

  ‘Ta,’ she said as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

  I don’t know why I bothered covering for her if she didn’t even appreciate it. I lay on my bed counting my new freckles because I didn’t want to face Jan, but after a while I was so hungry that I knew I couldn’t hold out much longer. I’d have to make a run for the kitchen and hope Jan wasn’t there.

  But it was Dad who was making coffee when I walked into the kitchen. He gave me a smile and I thought for a second all would be forgotten. No such luck.

  ‘Frankie, about last night. You can’t speak to Jan like that. This is her house and you’re a guest. I expect you to apologise,’ he said firmly.

  I frowned. I had been rude to her, but only because Dad hadn’t stood up to her. He was my dad. Surely it was up to him whether I did surfing lessons, not Jan.

  ‘I know all this is hard, and that we’re all just working it out as it comes but you have to be a bit more understanding,’ he said.

  I really didn’t know what to say. He’d already hurt me by siding with Jan, but this was even worse. He really expected me to put up with whatever she threw at me.

  ‘Fine. I’ll apologise,’ I said, feeling disappointed in myself. ‘But, Dad, you have to see that she has no right to tell me what to do. She’s not my mum. She hardly knows me. I’m only here because you guys invited me. Partly I think to hang out with Ellie so you two could go off and have fun without feeling guilty.’

  There. I’d said it. By the look on Dad’s face, I might have just upset him quite a bit, but he’d upset me, too, and he was the grown-up, after all.

  ‘Aw, Frankie. Is that really how you feel?’ asked Dad.

  ‘Yeah. She kept telling me what to do last night. And telling you what to do. Since when did anyone tell you what to do?’ I asked, sort of wishing I could stop talking because I sensed it was making it worse.

  ‘Sorry, kiddo. I had no idea you felt like that,’ said Dad.

  ‘Well, I do,’ I said, sounding like a spoilt little kid. ‘You promised I could have surf lessons,’ I added. ‘I know you have strict rules about things like parties, but you usually let me do sport! You said I could learn to surf on this holiday. It was the whole reason I agreed to come.’

  ‘Actually, maybe Jan had a good point about that,’ said Dad.

  I sighed, feeling cross. It didn’t matter what I said, he’d still defend her. He must have seen I was unhappy with his answer, because he put down his cup of coffee and walked up for a big hug. I let him hug me but I didn’t feel like hugging him back, even though I knew I was being childish.

  ‘All right, I’ll talk to Jan. Okay? No more going off and leaving you and Ellie. And I’ll ask her to stop telling you what to do. And me,’ he said.

  I started to hug him. Then he added, ‘But I’m still not sure about the surf lessons. Okay?’

  He let me go and looked me in the eyes. Then he smiled. ‘Okay?’ he asked again.

  I nodded.
It wasn’t okay. The deal on this holiday was that I’d get surf lessons. And now they were suddenly off the table. But I knew better than to argue with Dad. It wouldn’t get me anywhere, and at least now I felt like he wasn’t angry with me anymore.

  I took my breakfast back to the bedroom and Ellie was dressed and lying on her bed texting. I didn’t say anything to her, but she looked over as I started eating my toast.

  ‘Did you make some for me?’ she asked.

  ‘No,’ I said.

  ‘Meany,’ she said, smiling. ‘What are you doing today?’ she asked, sitting up on her bed and tossing her phone down.

  ‘I don’t know. I was going to learn how to surf, but …’ I trailed off, not wanting to blame her mum and make things even more awkward.

  ‘Yeah, I heard you and your dad. Mum played the drowning-kid card, didn’t she?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘How do you know?’ I asked.

  She shrugged. ‘She always goes on about that. It’s just that she knew the kid’s mum and it really shook her. I don’t think it was anyone’s fault. The kid just fell off a board and got sucked under and couldn’t swim very well. But Mum is all panicky about it.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, feeling slightly different about it now. It wasn’t just that Jan was trying to ruin my holiday, she did actually feel worried about it.

  ‘But I’m a good swimmer,’ I said. ‘I used to do squad.’

  ‘I can talk to her for you. Explain you’re a good swimmer. It’s just that Mum can be really cool about some things, but then she has these rules that she won’t bend. Sorry you’re having such a bad time,’ she said.

  This time I shrugged. I didn’t really know what to say. ‘It’s okay,’ I managed. ‘I guess it’s just hard when there’s a new parent with new rules,’ I said.

  ‘Tell me about it,’ said Ellie. ‘I was so shocked when your dad said we couldn’t go to the party.’

  ‘Yeah, but you went anyway, right?’

  ‘True,’ admitted Ellie. ‘If it makes you feel any better, Luke missed you last night. He asked me about five times why you didn’t come,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘We could hang out with those guys later if you like?’

  It was nice to know that Luke noticed I wasn’t there. ‘Did you have fun?’

  She nodded. ‘Yeah. It was crazy. Like, over a hundred people. When his parents came home they went ballistic.’

  I laughed. I imagined how my parents would react if I’d invited a hundred kids to a party at home.

  Ellie flicked her hair back, and I couldn’t help noticing the blue earrings she was wearing. They were these balls of bright blue.

  ‘Cool earrings,’ I said.

  ‘Thanks. I got them in town yesterday,’ she said. ‘We could go and get some for you.’

  I smiled at the idea. ‘Not unless they were clip-ons!’

  She pulled a face. ‘Really? No holes?’ she looked so shocked that I started to laugh.

  ‘Nope. Mum and Dad this time,’ I said.

  ‘Why?’ She got up off the bed and walked over and sat on the end of my bed. It was sort of nice. Like she was trying to be friendly.

  ‘I don’t know. They said I could do it when I was fourteen,’ I said.

  ‘But isn’t that soon?’ she asked me.

  ‘Yeah. Two weeks,’ I said, suddenly excited about the idea of turning fourteen. Mum was going to take me and Gen to Sydney for the weekend and stay in a hotel that had a pool on the roof. It was going to be very grown-up and cool.

  ‘Well, couldn’t I give you an early birthday present?’ she asked with a sly look. I smiled, admiring the way Ellie thought. She was much more cunning than I was.

  ‘Um, probably not,’ I said, ‘but thanks for the offer.’

  ‘Oh, come on, Frankie,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun! There’s a chemist in town that does ear-piercing. I know a girl who works there. And your dad won’t care if you pierce your ears a few days early. He probably won’t even notice, the studs are so tiny. And if he does, he can’t do much about it then anyway. Come on. We can say we’re bonding.’

  I couldn’t believe that I was actually considering it. If Dad did notice, he wouldn’t be happy about it. And neither would Mum. But I was turning fourteen in two weeks, and I had already missed out on the party because of Dad’s rules, and now it looked like I’d miss out on surfing lessons too. Ellie was right - it would be fun, and it was nice that she wanted us to do something together.

  I didn’t know what to do.

  ‘I’m sorry, Asha,’ I said. ‘I just don’t want to get involved.’

  Asha’s eyes flashed. ‘Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you stuck your nose in and told my boyfriend that I cheated on him!’ she said, getting up from my bed.

  ‘I’m sorry, Asha. I told him about that because he’s my friend and I didn’t want to see him get hurt.’

  ‘Whatever,’ she hissed. ‘Forget it, Frankie. I know you still have a thing for him. I won’t get in the way of your stupid little romance.’ Then she stormed out of my bedroom.

  That had all happened a week ago and since then, Jack and I had spent every minute together. He’d admitted that Asha had made him stop emailing me and he said he was really sorry about it.

  In the last week he’d taken me around to lots of famous music sights in London, like the zebra crossing where the Beatles had photographed the Abbey Road cover. We’d taken each other’s photo standing in the middle of the road.

  We’d spent hours scouring Camden Town for rare vinyl and then come home and played the records over and over again, arguing about which was the best song. But nothing had happened between us. No kisses. No hugs. We were just hanging out like friends. Maybe it was because we had music to connect us, or maybe because we were having so much fun and we didn’t want to ruin anything. I didn’t want things to be all messy again. Because I was going home soon, I think I just wanted to keep it simple.

  We’d been rehearsing a lot too, because even though I hated the idea of being a replacement singer for Asha, I loved the idea of getting to sing a whole gig on a stage in London. And they were paying me!

  Sammy had come up with a violin part for ‘Tomorrow Land’, and it was going to sound amazing. He’d dropped around a few times to hang out, and it was fun jamming with him. There was still a little spark between us, and I could tell that Jack was a bit funny about it, which I guess meant he felt jealous. And, despite the fact I thought it was best if nothing happened between me and Jack now, I kind of liked the idea that he was jealous.

  Last night was the International Architecture and Design Awards and I got to go along with Mum. I was really proud of her. She was presented with this huge gold award that looked like a large building, and she joked about it not fitting in her suitcase.

  In the cab on the way home, Mum asked me what was going on with Jack now that he and Asha had broken up.

  I shrugged. ‘Nothing much.’

  Mum looked closely at me. ‘You sure, honey?’

  ‘Yep. I’m sure. I think it’s just not the right time,’ I said, realising as I did that I was telling her the truth. ‘Maybe next time.’

  ‘That might be sooner than you think. I was just offered a project in London, so I might be coming back for a few months. You could always come too, if you’d like,’ Mum said with a smile.

  My heart started racing at the thought. A few months. In London. With Jack. And the band. I started to nod, excited, and then I started thinking about Dad and Gen, and everything at home, and I realised this decision was going to take a little longer to make.

  After we got home, Mum went up to bed, but I was starving so I headed into the kitchen to find a snack. I’d assumed Jack would be asleep already, but I found him cooking bacon.

  ‘You having breakfast now?’ I asked cheekily.

  He smiled. ‘I could eat bacon all day, Frank, you know that. Want some?’

  I nodded. It beat eating peanut butter sandwiches, which was where I’d been headed.
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  I sat at the kitchen table and watched him. I never got tired of watching him. His skinny legs and his long arms. His jeans that always sat just below his waist. I wished I didn’t still think he was so cute, but I did.

  He slid a huge plate of bacon onto the table, pulled out some white bread and brown sauce and sat down opposite me. I looked down at it.

  ‘What’s this?’ I asked, disappointed.

  ‘Bacon sarnie,’ he said as he put some bacon on a piece of bread, smothered it in brown sauce and slapped another piece of bread on top. ‘Try it.’

  I did. And it was delicious. ‘Yum!’ I said, surprised.

  Jack laughed. ‘See? I’m a culinary master.’

  ‘Hmm, I wouldn’t go that far.’

  ‘How was your night?’ asked Jack with his mouth full.

  ‘Great. Mum was amazing. She sounded so confident,’ I said, remembering her speech. I’d never really seen her in that kind of way before.

  ‘Yeah, that’s where you get it from. When you sing,’ he said.

  ‘You think I look confident on stage?’

  Jack nodded. ‘Absolutely. You nail it up there. You seem totally comfortable.’

  ‘Really?’ I was pleased. I loved singing, but I still felt nervous sometimes, so it was nice to think that I looked like I belonged on stage.

  ‘You excited about tomorrow night?’ said Jack. ‘Or do you still not want to sing any of my songs?’ he asked, with a cheeky grin.

  I raised an eyebrow. ‘I’ve apologised for that a hundred times already.’ And I had.

  ‘Yeah. Well, I never get tired of hearing you say sorry.’

  ‘Argh, I’m sorry! I love your songs. Okay?’ I said, pulling a silly face.

  Jack smiled, looking pleased at the apology. ‘So are you excited about the gig?’