You Belong Here

by Laurie Steed

  Mum grabs the salt, snags a chip straight from the paper; the clink of plates, oil-covered fingers, and salty lips.

  ‘Having a good time?’ says Mum. She wraps her arm around Jay’s shoulder. He pats it with his hand, still staring at his plate.

  I nod. ‘Thanks Mum.’

  ‘Your dad helped too. I couldn’t have done it without him.’

  Jay slides a pineapple fritter onto Anna’s plate, and she smiles, and I remember what I wanted to ask. ‘Are you going to sing, Anna?’

  She blushes. ‘You don’t want to hear that.’

  ‘Well I do,’ says Alex, ‘you’re better than little bro, I bet. He sings like a beached whale.’

  ‘Is that a challenge?’ says Jay.

  ‘Are you boys still fighting?’ says Sophie. She puts down a handful of napkins, looks at Jay and then Alex, a secret smile as she pours another glass.

  ‘You guys are so basic,’ says Grace, pointing a chip across the table. ‘You don’t have to do a thing, Aunt Anna.’ She bites off the end, crunches the tip of her chip, as if to make a point.

  ‘It’s all right,’ says Anna, resting a hand on Jay’s arm. ‘I’ll sing.’

  She stands, and the murmur dies down, the shifting of chairs slowed down to a standstill. Before she starts, I think of all the things she could sing, the perfect song to make this work.

  Everyone’s quiet. It’s like we’re in a picture, but better, because no-one is pretending to smile.

  I don’t remember the words. Don’t watch Anna or anyone else. I sit still, close my eyes, seeing mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons.

  Acknowledgments

  You Belong Here exists thanks to John and Caroline Wood who gave my book its perfect publisher in Margaret River Press. Thanks also to the MRP staff and editorial board members who supported the book through its development.

  Much of this novel was written as part of a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Western Australia. I would like to gratefully acknowledge the university and my PhD supervisors, Dr Van Ikin and Dr Tony Hughes D’Aeth, for their support. I further developed the book during a Rosebank Fellowship from Writers Victoria, a Retreat Fellowship from Varuna—The Writers’ House, time at the University of Iowa, a Fellowship from The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, and residencies with the Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA) and the Katharine Susannah Prichard Foundation. My thanks to the above organisations and the people who work there for their support, and for all they achieve.

  Thanks to Debra Billson for an incredible cover and Kate O’Donnell and Camha Pham for editorial services above and beyond my expectations.

  I was supported by many people within the Australian and international literary community while writing and revising You Belong Here. In this respect, thanks to Susan Midalia, Brooke Dunnell, Ryan O’Neill, Penni Russon, Les Zigomanis, Bel Woods, Nathanael O’Reilly, Kyra Giorgi, Heather Delfs, Brooke Davis, Louise Swinn, Zoe Dattner, Valerie Shay, and Geraldine Blake. Thanks to ZZ Packer and the 2012 Iowa Graduate Fiction group, and to Tristan, Kristen, Denise, and Serena for support, friendship, and good humour during my time at Varuna— The Writers’ House.

  Thanks to Toby Wilkes, Geoff Goodall, and Roger Meyer for knowing so much about aviation, and for sharing that wisdom. Thanks also to Writers Victoria, The Centre for Stories, The Small Press Network, and Writing WA for gainful employment during the writing and revision of the book.

  Finally, thanks to my family and friends who’ve supported me throughout this process. Thanks in particular to my sons, Jake and Oscar, two puppy-like boys who complete my life while occasionally destroying household furniture. Were they not reward enough, I raise them with the most beautiful, patient, intelligent, and funny woman I know, Zia Steed. Thank you for the days, nights, and moments we’ve shared while building a family.