Magenta McPhee by Catherine Bateson Page B

that when it matters. She always waits until Trib’s away and there’s no school on. Maybe Spooky didn’t know that kind of stuff but was making an effort for her first date. Though it wasn’t really a date.
    By the time I’d thought all that, she’d done a little kind of sitting-down jump and started to wave at us, before clasping her hands together, still smiling eagerly in our direction.
    â€˜Max!’ she called, as though we hadn’t all seen each other.
    â€˜Hi, Lianna.’ Dad strode to the table and held out his hand to shake hers. She gave him her hand almost as though she expected him to kiss it. Then they introduced Cal and me to each other and Dad and I sat down and I buried my face in the menu. I only looked up when Dad said, ‘So we have something to confess, don’t we, Magenta?’ and gave me a bit of shove with his elbow.
    I lowered the menu. ‘It was me,’ I said. ‘The whole idea was mine. I even wrote the emails. But only because Iwanted Dad to meet someone. You sounded really nice and I thought you both might get along. I didn’t want to mislead you. I just wanted Dad to be happy.’
    Spooky looked confused so I started again and even Cal put down his PSP to listen. By the third time it was all clear and Spooky had grabbed my hand and told me what a wonderful daughter I was, Cal was nodding and even Dad was harrumphing in a way that meant he wasn’t going to admit it but he was proud of me.
    â€˜You wrote all those emails yourself?’ Spooky said. ‘I’m amazed. Cal, you’d better pay more attention in English – they were really mature.’
    â€˜That’s not English, Mum,’ Cal said. ‘In English all we get to do is answer these dumb questions. We don’t get to pretend to be someone else. That’s more like drama.’
    â€˜Well, she certainly has a flair for whatever it is. You must be so proud, Max!’
    â€˜Just embarrassed, really,’ Dad said. ‘Though your graciousness is heart-warming, Lianna.’
    â€˜It’s just so wonderful witnessing a strong father-and-daughter bond,’ Lianna said, patting my father’s hand, ‘You’ve no idea how many dysfunctional single-parent families there are out there. But here you two are, really trying to help each other.’
    Her eyes looked suspiciously moist, but before she had a chance to cry our coffees and hot chocolates arrived with the famous chocolate muffins.
    â€˜It doesn’t mean that we can’t all be friends,’ Spooky said, stirring sugar in her coffee and making little patterns in the cappuccino foam. ‘I do understand, Max, that this puts you in an awkward position, but friendship?’ Her voice tilted up at the end of this sentence hopefully and seemed to hang in the air for a second too long.
    â€˜Of course,’ my father said heartily. ‘We all need friends! Particularly single parents. The number of times I’ve wished I could call someone to help with some problem I’ve had with Magenta!’
    â€˜Or just to eat pizza with in front of the television!’ Spooky said, still stirring her coffee.
    â€˜Or to go for a Sunday stroll after the changeover shift,’ Dad said. ‘You know, when you get home and the house seems too quiet.’
    â€˜That doesn’t happen regularly with us,’ Spooky admitted, ‘because Cal’s Dad lives in Queensland now, but Cal goes there for holidays, don’t you, darling? So I know what you mean.’
    Cal had gone back to his game but he was also listening, unusual for a boy. He nodded at the mention of his name, and his thick fringe of dark hair kind of bounced once. I wished that he would look up again because I’d been so preoccupied with my confession that I hadn’t taken in any of his features. Spooky seemed to read my mind.
    â€˜Do put that thing away, Cal,’ she said. My mother would have