‘What’s up?’ Katie found her mum in the kitchen, making tea. She was happy to see that Liam wasn’t around. Maybe things were cooling off.
‘Nothing,’ said her mother. ‘Have we got any more sugar?’
‘No, we keep forgetting to put it on the list. But there’s always a couple of sachets at the bottom of your bag, remember?’ Her mother took a few extra packets of sugar whenever she got a takeaway coffee.
‘Right. You’d think I’d remember.’ She went to the chair where her bag always hung and rummaged around. ‘How are things with Mosquito? All going well?’
‘Yes, fine.’ This was an odd conversation to be having so late. Something was up. ‘Mum, are you all right?’ she asked. Suddenly, a happy thought came to her. She touched her mum’s hand and spoke as kindly as she could. ‘Have you – have you and Liam broken up?’
Her mother stared at her, tears filling her eyes. ‘Oh, love, no! Just the opposite. We’re talking about getting married.’
All Katie could hear was the blood coursing through her head. ‘What does that mean? You’re kicking the idea of marriage around as a concept? Or are you actually engaged?’
Her mother turned the mug between her hands. ‘It means Liam asked me to marry him. But I need to know how you’d feel about it. I wouldn’t do anything like this if you weren’t a hundred per cent happy about it. You like Liam, don’t you?’ There was a desperation in her voice that made Katie want to cry. She sounded like Lorraine asking whether she liked her designs. There was no way Katie could say no.
‘He’s all right. But, Mum, what about all those kids? Will they live here? Where will they sleep? Our table isn’t big enough. Neither is your car.’
‘That’s all stuff we can talk about. There’s no rush.’
‘But this seems so quick, Mum. You’ve only been – going out – a few weeks. Maybe you’re both still in shock about Mr Parfitt’s death.’
‘Maybe it seems that way, but I don’t think so. We’ve known each other our whole lives. I love him, Katie. I also like him a lot, which is important. He’s easy to be with. He makes me happy. But I want you to be happy, too.’
Katie’s chest hurt. Her mum was her favourite person in the world, but this was almost too much.
‘But all those kids, Mum. You’ve got your hands full with work, and the house and, well, me.’
‘I won’t be their mother. She will see them sometimes –’ Her voice trailed away. Katie knew that Liam’s ex-wife hardly ever looked after her kids. ‘But Liam is very hands-on. That won’t change. And he won’t be your dad. He’ll be my husband and we’ll make a new kind of family. What do you say? Can you think about it and then we can talk some more tomorrow?’
‘No.’ Katie swallowed. Her mum rarely asked her for anything. ‘It’s okay. I’ll get used to it. I’m getting used to it already. It’ll be – good.’
Her mum got off her chair and gave her a hug. ‘Thanks, love. I know this is a shock for you. It’s been a surprise to me.’
‘When will the wedding be?’ Katie pulled away. She wasn’t used to talking about love with her mother – she preferred to talk about practical things.
‘I don’t know. We haven’t even started thinking about it. I told Liam that unless you were okay with this, nothing would happen.’
‘Not soon, then?’ Katie felt relief. She had too much on her plate as it was, without a wedding to worry about too.
‘We can talk about it. Maybe Christmas? That gives us a few months. It’ll be a simple wedding – nothing over the top.’
Katie’s eyes narrowed. Christmas! That was only a couple of months away. There was no way they’d go off each other by then.
‘It’s late.’ Her mum went to the sink to rinse her mug. ‘Time for bed. We can talk about it again tomorrow.’
‘No.’ Katie shook her head. There’d be no point in talking about it any more. It was clear that her mother had made up her mind. ‘It’s okay. You and Liam are getting married. He and the kids will move in here. It’ll take a bit of getting used to, but I’ll do it.’
‘All right then, love. I won’t go on about it. But it would be nice if we could spend a bit more time with them all – would that be okay? Get to know them a bit?’ She looked so pathetically desperate for Katie to say yes.
‘Sure, I’d like that.’ Katie nodded.
‘Great. Tomorrow Liam and I were thinking of taking the kids to a Play School show in the city and then pizza. I know it’s a little kids’ show, but it would be so nice if you came. Please?’
Katie took a deep breath. ‘All right.’
‘Thank you. It starts at five.’
‘Five?’ Katie almost shouted. ‘It’s a kids’ show, isn’t it? Aren’t kids’ shows normally in the mornings? At ten or something? When Lorraine takes the Stinky Twins to stuff it’s always early! Kids should be getting ready for bed at five!’
‘Yes, but there were no tickets for the morning show. Liam says the kids might be a bit ratty, but they’re so excited. It doesn’t make any difference to you, does it?’
There was no possible excuse that Katie could come up with. Not even homework. Her mum was so desperate for her to go, she’d write a note asking for an extension. ‘No, no it’ll be cool.’ Katie’s brain felt like it might explode. Why was nothing in her life ever simple?
It took her a long time to fall asleep, but when she did, she dreamt of her mum wearing a white dress and dancing cheek-to-cheek with Liam Parfitt. Nancy was dancing, too – with Amos Gumm. Katie herself was locked in a playpen in the corner, being crawled over by babies eating cake. They smeared it into her hair with their fat fingers.
There was a thumping on the lattice door. Katie looked at the clock beside her bed. It was just past five in the morning.
‘Hey! Open up!’ Nancy’s voice.
‘Use your key!’ yelled Katie. Her auntie was the rudest person she knew.
‘I can’t find it! Come on, Katie. Show some respect!’
‘Respect!’ Katie muttered as she kicked off her covers and stormed into the hallway. ‘What would you know about that?’ She unlocked the heavy wooden front door and crossed the wide veranda. Opening the lattice door, she was shocked to see Nancy’s face streaked with tears. Clothes and books spilt out of green shopping bags on to the stairs. Abbott, Nancy’s slobbering rottweiler, sat calmly beside her, as if he sensed her distress. A thick column of saliva dripped from his upper jaw, but his head was still.
‘What’s up?’ Katie wondered if Nancy could be upset about her mum’s engagement. ‘Have you heard about Mum?’
‘What’s wrong with your mother?’ There was a hint of panic in Nancy’s voice.
‘Nothing, nothing. She’s fine.’
‘Is she up?’ Nancy shoved Katie aside and stomped down the hallway to her sister’s room. ‘I need to talk to her.’
‘No, she’s asleep. She and Liam – were out last night. Nancy, I’ll make you some Milo.’
But Nancy ignored her and barged in without knocking. Katie followed.
‘What’s the matter?’ Her mother sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Nancy plonked herself on the edge of the bed. ‘I broke up with Amos. And then I resigned. I’ve got no job and nowhere to live.’
‘What?’ Katie didn’t even know that Nancy and Amos were living together. ‘When did you move in with him?’
‘Before New York,’ snapped Nancy. ‘It was none of your business. Go and make me that Milo you promised.’
Katie ignored her. She wasn’t going anywhere. Did this mean Nancy would be living with them? Plus Liam and all those kids? Her world was getting bigger and falling apart at the same time.
‘What happened?’ Her mum’s voice was soft as she put her small hand on Nancy’s fat freckled one.
‘We had a big fight about Blade Air. Amos wanted to do ads talking about how Barry Sharp is addressing safety issues, and I told him that would just reinforce their reputation as an unsafe airline. We argued on and on and I got angrier and angrier and in the end he said he’s the managing director and what he says goes. So I said, “Right, I’m gone.” And I here I am.’
‘But, Nancy –’ Vanessa was shaking her head. ‘I thought you were going to keep your relationship and work separate. You told me that when you moved in with him.’
Katie wondered how she’d missed all this.
‘Well, Vanessa,’ Nancy took a wet, snotty sniff, ‘let me tell you that doesn’t work. Work and love can’t mix and you should think of that before you get too involved with Liam Parfitt.’
Katie stared at her mother, who said nothing as she tightened her hand on Nancy’s.
‘I was a fool for thinking that it could work between me and Amos. I’m kicking myself for having moved out of my place. It’s rented out now for the rest of the year. I’m an idiot for trusting that man – and what have I got? Nothing. Abbott and I’ll be living here for a bit.’
‘How long?’ Katie squeaked.
Nancy swung round. ‘As long as I bloody well like. Isn’t that right, Vanessa?’
‘Katie, you know Nancy is always welcome here.’
‘But –’ Katie looked at her mum’s face, with its mix of worry, frustration and disappointment. Now wasn’t the time to bring up Liam Parfitt, the kids, the wedding.
Katie helped Nancy carry the green bags into her grandad’s old room, where Nancy always slept when she stayed. There were yellowy brown stains on the once-white walls from Nancy’s cigarettes. She was an irregular visitor – but whenever she stayed it was because there was some crisis, so she smoked even more than normal.
When Katie went to the kitchen next morning, Nancy was already munching Vegemite toast and slurping tea. Abbott was guzzling a bowl of Weet-Bix and milk in the corner.
‘You know milk gives dogs diarrhoea, don’t you?’ she said. ‘There’s a sack of Barkers downstairs. Want me to give him some of that? Much better for his guts.’
‘Oh, drop it, Katie. Don’t try your advertising lines out on me.’
‘I wasn’t. It’s just that I’m the one who has to clean up after Abbott whenever you’re here.’
Nancy ignored her, so Katie set about making herself some toast. Her mum came into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a blue shirt. ‘I’m going to Mass. Nancy, do you want to come?’
Please go, please go, Katie prayed, even though she wasn’t sure she believed in God.
‘Yes, I’ll come,’ huffed Nancy. ‘I’ll pray that lightning strikes Amos Gumm.’
‘Do you want him dead?’ Katie was shocked. Nancy was crazy, but not vindictive.
‘No, but he needs to wake up to himself.’ Nancy ran a hand over her matted red curls. She looked like she hadn’t slept for days. ‘I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him.’
As Katie listened to the old Porsche pull out from under the house, she wondered when her mum would tell Nancy about her engagement. That would be tricky, but it had to happen. It wasn’t her problem, though. Which was good – she had enough as it was. With the house deliciously quiet, Katie dressed in her grandad’s old army shorts and a t-shirt and took a pad and pen onto the daybed on the front veranda. She needed to make a list of what she had to do to get her life into some kind of order.