shrugs and tries to crack onto Cate-with-a-C. I go over.
‘Don’t trust him, Cate,’ I say loudly. ‘He just wants to jump in your knickers.’
She blushes and moves away. So do all the other girls.
‘Thanks a lot, Leanne,’ says Cooja. ‘You’ve just ruined my life.’
‘Any time,’ I say, and go back to Danny.
Now I can enjoy myself at last.
SAM
Man, am I glad to be back home!
I’m on the sofa. Cola’s next to me and Leanne and Danny are sprawling on the floor. John’s making a phone call. We’re watching a video. I’ve told my story a thousand times, and Cola’s added her bits. And we’ve heard what Danny’s been up to. We’ve ordered in pizza for supper and my eyelids are drooping. I’m ready for bed. It’s late. Then I hear a car pull up in the driveway.
‘Now what?’ goes Leanne, peering out the window.
There’s the sound of car doors slamming then footsteps. The back door opens and Mum comes barrelling in.
‘Oh, no,’ says Leanne. ‘You can’t have broken up with Steve already!’
But he’s behind Mum, carrying the bags.
‘What happened?’ I bleat.
‘Your mother wanted to come home,’ says Steve. ‘She can’t relax worrying about you lot. She was positive you’d have got John drunk and be having wild orgies.’
‘You don’t trust us,’ says Leanne accusingly.
‘No,’ says Mum, her eyes raking the room. ‘I don’t.’
John comes into the room. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Mum and Steve are back from the shortest honeymoon in history,’ says Leanne.
‘Well, I may as well go home,’ says John.
‘No, you can stay.’
‘No, I’ve got stuff to do in the morning. I’ll see you guys later.’
He goes. Mum plonks herself between Cola and me.
‘Turn off the video,’ she says to Leanne. ‘It’s time we all had a good talk.’
‘What? Now? It’s the middle of the night!’
‘Leanne!’
‘Okay, okay, though why you want to choose your wedding night to have a mental workshop with us is beyond me.’
We sit in silence.
‘Well?’ says Mum.
‘I’ll go and put on some coffee,’ says Steve.
‘I’ll come with you,’ says Danny.
They go out to the kitchen. Cola wriggles uneasily on the sofa.
‘You can stay,’ says Mum. ‘Now, I want the full story.’
‘Not again!’ I groan.
‘There’re gaps,’ says Mum. ‘First of all, I want to make it clear that you’re never going to clear off again like that, Sam. Is that clear?’
‘Yeah. Clear,’ I mumble. Does she have to pay me out in front of Cola.
‘And you …’ she turns to Cola, ‘where’s your family? Where’s your mother? Does she know where you are? Why were you living in a house with a bunch of hoons?’
‘Mum …’
‘I want answers,’ says Mum.
‘We won’t get any sleep till you tell her,’ says Leanne, as Steve and Danny come back with the coffee and some biscuits.
‘My dad died,’ says Cola. She hadn’t told me that. She’d said no dad! I thought he’d cleared out, like mine.
‘So?’ says Leanne, tactless as usual.
‘I saw him die,’ says Cola. ‘He had an asthma attack. We called the doctor but he couldn’t get his bag open because he’d left the keys behind. Anyway he called an ambulance but by then it was too late and my dad was dead.’
Mum pats her hand. ‘Go on.’
‘Well, Mum had a few boyfriends, but then she tied up with this real creep, Lennie. He’s always drunk or drugging out, and he tried to come in the bathroom while I was having a shower and stuff like that, and Mum wouldn’t listen, so I took off.’
‘Does she know where you are?’ asks Mum.
‘Nah. She doesn’t care. He said she had to choose between him or me, so she chose him.’
I see Mum bristle. I know that Leanne and I are more important to her than any man on this planet, including Steve. If we’d asked her to choose, she’d have picked us. I think.
‘Cola has to go up with the other boys in front of the magistrate next week,’ says Steve. ‘Meanwhile
‘Don’t trust him, Cate,’ I say loudly. ‘He just wants to jump in your knickers.’
She blushes and moves away. So do all the other girls.
‘Thanks a lot, Leanne,’ says Cooja. ‘You’ve just ruined my life.’
‘Any time,’ I say, and go back to Danny.
Now I can enjoy myself at last.
SAM
Man, am I glad to be back home!
I’m on the sofa. Cola’s next to me and Leanne and Danny are sprawling on the floor. John’s making a phone call. We’re watching a video. I’ve told my story a thousand times, and Cola’s added her bits. And we’ve heard what Danny’s been up to. We’ve ordered in pizza for supper and my eyelids are drooping. I’m ready for bed. It’s late. Then I hear a car pull up in the driveway.
‘Now what?’ goes Leanne, peering out the window.
There’s the sound of car doors slamming then footsteps. The back door opens and Mum comes barrelling in.
‘Oh, no,’ says Leanne. ‘You can’t have broken up with Steve already!’
But he’s behind Mum, carrying the bags.
‘What happened?’ I bleat.
‘Your mother wanted to come home,’ says Steve. ‘She can’t relax worrying about you lot. She was positive you’d have got John drunk and be having wild orgies.’
‘You don’t trust us,’ says Leanne accusingly.
‘No,’ says Mum, her eyes raking the room. ‘I don’t.’
John comes into the room. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Mum and Steve are back from the shortest honeymoon in history,’ says Leanne.
‘Well, I may as well go home,’ says John.
‘No, you can stay.’
‘No, I’ve got stuff to do in the morning. I’ll see you guys later.’
He goes. Mum plonks herself between Cola and me.
‘Turn off the video,’ she says to Leanne. ‘It’s time we all had a good talk.’
‘What? Now? It’s the middle of the night!’
‘Leanne!’
‘Okay, okay, though why you want to choose your wedding night to have a mental workshop with us is beyond me.’
We sit in silence.
‘Well?’ says Mum.
‘I’ll go and put on some coffee,’ says Steve.
‘I’ll come with you,’ says Danny.
They go out to the kitchen. Cola wriggles uneasily on the sofa.
‘You can stay,’ says Mum. ‘Now, I want the full story.’
‘Not again!’ I groan.
‘There’re gaps,’ says Mum. ‘First of all, I want to make it clear that you’re never going to clear off again like that, Sam. Is that clear?’
‘Yeah. Clear,’ I mumble. Does she have to pay me out in front of Cola.
‘And you …’ she turns to Cola, ‘where’s your family? Where’s your mother? Does she know where you are? Why were you living in a house with a bunch of hoons?’
‘Mum …’
‘I want answers,’ says Mum.
‘We won’t get any sleep till you tell her,’ says Leanne, as Steve and Danny come back with the coffee and some biscuits.
‘My dad died,’ says Cola. She hadn’t told me that. She’d said no dad! I thought he’d cleared out, like mine.
‘So?’ says Leanne, tactless as usual.
‘I saw him die,’ says Cola. ‘He had an asthma attack. We called the doctor but he couldn’t get his bag open because he’d left the keys behind. Anyway he called an ambulance but by then it was too late and my dad was dead.’
Mum pats her hand. ‘Go on.’
‘Well, Mum had a few boyfriends, but then she tied up with this real creep, Lennie. He’s always drunk or drugging out, and he tried to come in the bathroom while I was having a shower and stuff like that, and Mum wouldn’t listen, so I took off.’
‘Does she know where you are?’ asks Mum.
‘Nah. She doesn’t care. He said she had to choose between him or me, so she chose him.’
I see Mum bristle. I know that Leanne and I are more important to her than any man on this planet, including Steve. If we’d asked her to choose, she’d have picked us. I think.
‘Cola has to go up with the other boys in front of the magistrate next week,’ says Steve. ‘Meanwhile
Similar Books
