The Art of Friendship

by Lisa Ireland

  ‘There are two grade six classes this year. Mr Maguire is taking one and I’m in Miss Newman’s class. You should get your mum to ask the principal if you can be in her class too.’

  Libby nodded her agreement, hoping her fear and bewilderment wasn’t showing on her face. She hadn’t thought about the school being so big. Thank goodness she’d met Kit. It looked like she would need a friend to help her make sense of this strange new life.

  *

  The new kid seemed all right. She was a bit of a sook maybe – Kit had noticed the tears in her eyes when she talked about her old home – but then again it was probably fair enough to feel a bit sad if you’d had to leave all your friends behind. And your pony. Wow that was bad. Kit couldn’t even imagine. Still, Libby wouldn’t want to look like a crybaby when she started school. The other kids could smell weakness and if they thought she was an easy target, Libby would have no hope. Luckily they had the whole summer to get to know each other. By the time school started Libby would feel at home here and maybe she wouldn’t be feeling so sad anymore. Besides, if anyone picked on her they’d have Kit to answer to.

  It would be great to have another kid her age living right across the road. When the Cartwrights had sold their house a few months back Kit had wished on a star for a girl her age – a kindred spirit, as Anne of Green Gables would say – to move in, and it had worked! Kit couldn’t believe her eyes when Libby climbed out of the car yesterday. All the kids around here were either babies or years too old for her to play with. And while she had friends at school, she’d never had a best friend. At playtimes and lunchtimes she hung out with Suzy, Kelly, Melanie and Tanya, but they formed two pairs of best friends and Kit was the odd one out. So when they had to take partners in PE or in class, she was always left scrambling to find someone to pair with. If Libby was in her class, that would all change. And it wasn’t only the partner thing. The other girls were nice but she really didn’t have that much in common with them. Suzy and Kelly were in Marching Girls and they spent loads of time showing off their skills at playtime. It was pretty boring. And all four of them did ballet in the scout hall with Miss Jennifer after school on Thursdays. Suzy had invited Kit once for a free lesson, and she’d had fun, but when she’d asked if she could join the following term, Mum said they just couldn’t afford it right now. Maybe next year. Kit hadn’t bothered to ask again. The other girls would be going up to the Rose Class in grade six and she’d be starting as a Sunflower, so there was really no point. But that wouldn’t matter now. Kit would have Libby.

  Kit pointed to the house next to hers. ‘The Keatings live here. They’re all right. Mrs Keating is really nice. Sometimes she bakes cupcakes or lemon meringue pies and invites me in for afternoon tea. Mr Keating can be a bit grumpy though. He works night shift and sleeps during the day. He’s always coming out in his jocks and shouting at the kids playing cricket in the street to be quiet.’

  Libby laughed. ‘Do they have kids?’

  Kit screwed up her nose. ‘Twin boys, Justin and Jason. They’re five and they’re little brats. My mum reckons Mrs Keating spoils them.’

  They walked along side by side, Libby on the yellowing nature strip and Kit on the bitumen. Kit pointed out all the neighbours’ houses and gave Libby a short rundown on each, making sure she highlighted points of interest, like the Phams, who didn’t speak much English but who doled out lollies to the neighbourhood kids on a regular basis, and Mrs Digby, who screamed blue murder if you ventured even a toenail onto her precious lawn.

  When they got to the walkthrough at the end of their cul-de-sac Libby decided she’d better not go any further in case her mum came out of the house and couldn’t see her, so they sat on the pine log fence by the entrance to the park, swinging their legs and talking. They talked about their favourite things to do. Libby was a reader too and she’d read all the same books as Kit, loved Trixie Belden and the Baby-Sitters Club books, just like she did. Her favourite colour was blue, and she wasn’t fond of pink, but her mum had bought her a pink bedspread that she had to pretend to like or her mum’s feelings would be hurt. Kit liked green better than blue but hated pink too. They both loved playing elastics and hopscotch. It was like they were twins!

  ‘Is that your mum?’ Libby asked.

  Kit looked up to see her mother, wrapped in an orange sarong, standing at the end of her driveway and waving in their direction. She grinned. ‘Yeah. Come on, I’ll introduce you.’ She grabbed Libby by the hand and dragged her up. They skipped along the road until they were back at Kit’s place.

  ‘Hey, Kitten,’ her mother said. ‘I wondered where you’d got to.’

  ‘Mum, this is Libby. She’s just moved in across the street. We’re going to be best friends.’

  Chapter 2

  When Kit’s name flashed up on her phone at six pm on the first day of summer, Libby thought briefly about letting the call go straight to voicemail. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to her friend – in fact she was keen to catch up with Kit so they could discuss arrangements for Christmas Day – but Cameron’s train was due in any minute now, which meant their call would inevitably be cut short. Libby was in the car park of Cronulla train station, waiting – as she did every weeknight – for her husband to arrive home from the city. ‘I don’t know why you have to pick him up,’ Kit had said more than once. ‘Surely he can walk home?’ Yes, their home was within walking distance of the station, but it was a good fifteen-minute walk and Libby really didn’t mind collecting him each night. Cam was good enough to let her have the car during the day, so she figured it was the least she could do. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have the time. When she’d explained this, Kit had remained silent, which didn’t really surprise her. There were things about marriage Kit simply didn’t get.

  She had a couple of minutes up her sleeve if the train was on time, more if it ran late, which was not uncommon. Enough time to check in and maybe schedule a time for a longer call tomorrow. She decided to answer after all. ‘Hey Kit, what’s up?’

  ‘Sorry to ring right on pick-up time.’

  ‘It’s okay, he’s not due in for a couple of minutes yet and who knows, it might even be longer than that. You know how it goes; Sydney trains – reliably late.’

  Kit laughed. ‘Look, seeing as we’re pressed for time, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m ringing about Christmas.’

  ‘Oh snap. You must have ESP. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that for at least a week. Mum called last weekend. She wants to confirm the time and numbers for Christmas Day. You know how she likes to be organised.’ Libby imitated her mother’s brusque tone as she emphasised ‘organised’ and Kit rewarded her effort with another laugh.

  ‘Well, about that, I’ve had an idea. An epiphany if you like.’

  Libby steeled herself for Kit’s big idea, which could be anything from hiring the penthouse at Melbourne’s swankiest hotel for the day, to all of them volunteering to spend the day working in a soup kitchen. Her heart beat a little faster at the soup kitchen idea. Cam would definitely not be up for that. ‘Okaaay . . . what is it?’

  ‘I’m thinking I’m going to volunteer to be on call on Christmas Day. That way there’s no drama with me gatecrashing your day with your folks.’

  ‘You’re not gatecrashing. Mum asked me to invite you.’

  ‘Good Christian woman that she is. Look, Lib, it’s okay. I know I’m not your parents’ idea of good company, so I think it’d be better if I gave it a miss. You, Harry and Cam can come here the following day and we’ll have a boozy Boxing Day like we always do.’

  Libby shook her head even though there was no one there to witness her disapproval. Since Harry’s birth Libby and Kit had managed to spend almost every Boxing Day together. Every second year, Kit would fly up at lunchtime on the twenty-sixth and they’d spend the remainder of the day drinking, laughing and reminiscing. The other years, when Libby and her family mad
e the trip to Melbourne to spend Christmas Day with her parents, her reward for making it through Christmas lunch with her mother was to spend the next day consuming as much champagne as possible with Kit.

  But a Boxing Day booze-up wouldn’t make up for leaving Kit alone on her first Christmas Day without her beloved mother. Last Christmas Jude had been her normal effervescent self. She’d recently turned sixty and had retired from nursing. The last time Libby saw her was on New Year’s Day. She’d been drinking cider and laughing, talking about her plans to visit Europe with Sandy in the winter. But by Easter she was gone, taken by a heart attack no one saw coming. The magnitude of Kit’s shock and grief was immeasurable. Jude was Kit’s only family.

  Apart from Libby.

  She and Kit may not have been related by blood but their bond was irrefutable and unbreakable. Libby was fond of telling people they were sisters of the heart. Not within earshot of Kit, of course. Kit didn’t go in for that sort of sentimental crap.

  Kit’s voice cut into her musings. ‘Are you still there? You’re not saying anything.’

  ‘I don’t want you to be on your own for Christmas.’

  ‘Pfft. I’ll be fine. It’s just another day to me. Honestly, I think this is the best plan for all of us.’

  Clearly this wasn’t the best plan. Kit was obviously worried about how she’d cope with Jude’s absence and was trying to spare everyone from the burden of her grief. But Libby didn’t want to be spared. As Kit’s best friend it was her job to be there to support her. But she knew better than to say as much. There was nothing Kit hated more than pity, so Libby tried a different tack. ‘Got a better offer have you?’

  ‘Actually, Sandy invited me to spend the day with her family at their beach house in Rosebud.’

  ‘Oh.’ She hadn’t seen that one coming. As Jude’s long-time partner, Sandy was Kit’s unofficial stepmother, but the pair of them had never really behaved that way. They got along fine, but weren’t particularly close.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going there either. In fact I can’t think of anything worse. Sandy’s kids being all stiff and polite with me and those obnoxious grandchildren of hers running riot. Honestly, I’d rather just stay home.’

  Libby hesitated. She couldn’t bear the thought of Kit sitting alone in an armchair watching reruns of Mr Bean on a day when she should be surrounded by people who loved her. Besides, what sort of friend would she be if she let Kit spend Christmas Day alone? If the situation were reversed Libby knew Kit would move heaven and earth to make sure she had company that day. Not to mention the fact that the whole point of dragging her family to Melbourne for the holidays was so they could spend the day with Kit. Cam was none too thrilled about the idea of spending his time off with the ‘outlaws’ down south when it was technically their turn to spend Christmas with his family. If the trip turned out to be for no valid reason he’d be peeved.

  ‘You’ve gone quiet again.’

  ‘It’s just that I can’t help but think . . .’

  ‘What? Come on Lib, spit it out.’

  ‘Well, I don’t think Jude would like the idea of you spending the day on your own, that’s all.’

  It was Kit’s turn to go quiet. Eventually she said, ‘Maybe you’re right about that. I don’t know, but in the end I think she’d just want me to do what I thought was best. Honestly, I just want to be on my own. And I think it’ll be better for everyone this way. I mean, it’ll be bad enough for you guys having to spend the day at your folks’ place without you having to worry that Contrary Mary and I might come to blows at any minute.’

  Libby laughed momentarily. Kit’s childhood nickname for her mother always amused her. ‘What will you do with yourself?’

  ‘I don’t know. Eat chocolate for breakfast and watch crap TV. I wouldn’t worry. It’s our busiest time of the year at work. If I’m on call it’ll only be a matter of time before some prick beats his partner senseless and I’ll be required to escort the woman to hospital. Better me than one of the counsellors with little kids, eh?’

  As Kit spoke, Libby watched the 6.02 train pull into the station. Six minutes late, which wasn’t too bad considering its record. Any second now Cam would appear out of the crowd streaming off the platform with his tie loosened and his shirt sleeves rolled up, looking more like a cheeky schoolboy than the forty-two-year-old lawyer he was. She wasn’t going to win this battle with Kit, at least not right now. ‘Look, let’s not make any rash decisions. Have a think about it and we can talk more tomorrow.’

  ‘Boy Wonder inbound, is he?’

  ‘Yeah. His train just got in.’

  ‘I’ll let you go be a good little wifey. Talk tomorrow.’

  As was her custom Kit hung up without giving Libby the chance to answer, which worked out okay seeing as Cam was now opening the passenger door. She’d somehow missed seeing him make his way across the car park.

  He leaned in for a kiss. ‘Hey, babe. Good day?’ Before she could answer he glanced into the back seat. ‘Where’s Harry? Didn’t he have soccer training tonight?’

  ‘Yeah, but he went home with Kyle afterwards. I said I’d swing by after dinner and pick him up.’

  ‘Oh.’ Cam frowned.

  Libby raised her eyebrows. It wasn’t like him to be concerned about Harry’s social engagements. In fact if anything Cam worried that Harry didn’t spend enough time with his mates. Cam didn’t seem to grasp that homework had to come first now Harry was in high school. ‘Is that a problem? He’s up to date with all his schoolwork.’

  Cam shook his head. ‘Nah, it’s not that. It’s just, well, I was hoping we could all go out to the Thai place tonight.’

  ‘We can do that tomorrow night if you like. I’ll make a booking.’

  Cam shook his head. ‘No, it has to be tonight. I have something I want to talk to you about.’ He paused for a moment and then his face brightened. ‘Actually, now that I think of it, just the two of us will be even better.’

  Libby thought about the lasagne she had in the oven. ‘But I’ve already made dinner.’

  ‘Come on, Lib, I really want to take you out tonight.’ He placed his hand lightly on her thigh. ‘Live a little.’

  She could freeze the lasagne, she supposed. A night out without Harry might actually be nice. It was something that didn’t seem to happen much these days. ‘Well, I guess we could go out. I’ll just call Melissa and check if it’s okay to pick up Harry a little later than we arranged. What’s the occasion?’

  Cam grinned. ‘Something that’s going to make you very happy. You’ll see.’

  So half an hour later she found herself sitting opposite Cam at their favourite Thai place. She watched the waiter pour the champagne Cam had insisted on ordering and wondered what was going on.

  Cam raised his glass. ‘Cheers.’

  Libby clinked her glass against his. ‘You’ve held me in suspense long enough, I think. What are we celebrating?’

  ‘I got the job.’

  Libby’s heart pounded against her chest wall. Was he serious? Surely he wouldn’t joke about something like this? ‘The job? You mean . . .?’

  Cam grinned. ‘Yep, I’m The Man, baby.’

  Wow. This was big. Libby found herself momentarily unable to speak. When Cam had announced a couple of months back that he was applying to be head of the legal department for a fast growing ‘property and lifestyle development company’ in Melbourne, she’d encouraged him. She figured going through the process would be good for him. Maybe he’d get some insight into what was needed to take on one of the top jobs. It had never in a million years occurred to her that he would get the position, not even when he’d progressed through to the final interview stage two weeks ago. Even Cam, who was way more optimistic about his chances than she was, admitted that there was stiff competition for the role. Libby had been so sure he wouldn’t get the job that she’d pushed it out of
her mind completely, which, she now thought guiltily, was pretty unfair to Cam. ‘Oh my God! Cam, honey, that is amazing.’ She leaned across the table to kiss him.

  Cam returned the kiss and then drew back laughing. ‘See? I told you, didn’t I? I told you the head bloke liked me.’

  Libby nodded. He had said that, but neither of them had thought it would be enough to get him across the line. But they’d been wrong and now, well, the thing she most wanted in the world was about to happen. Not only was Cam getting a big promotion, one that would set them up very nicely financially, but she was getting to move back to Melbourne.

  Cam was talking now, reiterating what he’d said at the interview, but Libby was only half listening. She was too busy thinking about how excited Kit was going to be when she told her the news. Maybe she could sneak away to the ladies in a minute and give her a quick call.

  ‘. . . there by Christmas,’ Cam was saying.

  Libby snapped to attention. ‘Sorry, I don’t think I heard you properly. What was that last bit?’

  ‘They’d like us to move as soon as possible. I told them we’d have no problem moving down before Christmas.’

  Libby shook her head. As excited as she was, she had enough sense to realise they couldn’t just up and move their whole life in a matter of weeks. ‘Whoa. Steady on there. How on earth are we going to do that? There’s so much to do, Cam. We need to find somewhere to live and a school for Harry, put our house on the market.’ Her stomach clenched at the thought of Harry. This was great news for her and Cam, but possibly not so much for Harry. He’d hate having to leave all his friends behind.

  Cam was shaking his head and grinning. ‘None of those things are an issue. The company will take care of everything for us. For starters, the job comes with a house.’

  The house he was talking about was situated in the company’s flagship development in Arcadia Lakes – this much Libby knew. She’d failed to pay much attention to the specifics of the remuneration package in previous discussions about the job, simply because she hadn’t thought Cam would get it. ‘You’re happy to live there? I thought you’d prefer to be on the other side of the bay somewhere? You’ve never been mad about the western side of Melbourne.’ As far as she was concerned the location was perfect. It was only a fifteen-minute drive from Kit’s place and not far from her parents’ home either. However, Cam had often mentioned his preference for Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, and was especially adamant about not loving the area where her parents lived, which was only a couple of suburbs away from Arcadia Lakes.