The Reef by Di Morrissey Page A

continuing and promoting her career.
    Vi and Don invited several of their friends to Sunday lunch, knowing Jennifer was going to break the news of the move to Christina. Blair was working so they thought their friends would act as a buffer. Vi had suggested Christina invite any friends from work or the tennis club.
    â€˜Now, Vi, why would I want to do that? I thought this was a family luncheon. I see little enough of my daughter as it is. She’s always in a rush, I don’t want strangers monopolising her.’
    â€˜Well, our dear friends Harry and Joan are going to be here, they like Jennifer such a lot, I just thought . . .’
    â€˜Of course, I’d forgotten Jennifer must know all your friends seeing she spent so much time here while I was on my own. I so wanted to show her off when she came to visit but she never had time to socialise with any of my friends down south.’
    Jennifer had told Vi of her mother’s life in the claustrophobic town, how Christina had kept close tabs on the activities of people in the areathrough gossip in shops, the street, the library and the club without developing any close friendships or ever visiting people in their homes. Yet when Harry, a bird fancier like Don, and Joan, who played bowls with Vi, arrived, it was Christina who turned on the charm and personality, swamping them with anecdotes and feigning tremendous interest in their life while almost ignoring Jennifer.
    In the kitchen Jennifer whispered to Vi. ‘How am I going to tell her? Maybe I should wait till after lunch. Or after everyone has gone, when it’s just the two of us. But she’ll go on and on and be negative. And I’m not wildly positive myself, so I don’t want her to see that. If she finds out in front of other people she can’t shoot the idea down so much.’
    â€˜I’ll prompt Joan to ask you about your plans,’ suggested Vi. ‘Play it by ear, Jen.’
    And so in an apparently light-hearted, off-the-cuff response, Jennifer prefaced her announcement before turning to Christina, ‘Well now, funny you ask. That’s the big surprise I have for my mother.’
    â€˜I don’t like surprises,’ said Christina.
    â€˜Blair has a great promotion. He’s going to be running a resort on the Barrier Reef. Very exclusive, very beautiful. We’re so excited.’ Oh God, I deserve an Oscar.
    â€˜An island? You’ll live there? What are you going to do?’ asked Christina. ‘When are you supposed to go there?’
    â€˜Well, it’s all a bit sudden, someone got sick, had to retire early so it’s a great opportunity for Blair.’
    â€˜A tropical paradise, I could take a bit of that,’ smiled Harry.
    â€˜What do you mean this person got sick? Is the water safe to drink? I suppose they have to send food over so it must go off,’ remarked Christina.
    â€˜You can always live on fresh fish,’ said Harry.
    â€˜It sounds pretty expensive, I think they have very flash food. Probably a top chef there, eh Jennifer?’ Don smiled encouragingly.
    â€˜How do you get there? It doesn’t sound like a promotion to me,’ sniffed Christina. ‘What about cyclones?’
    Jennifer ignored the cyclones. ‘I’ll show you pictures. It’s going to be a bit of a change of lifestyle, that’s for sure. And we have to be up there by the end of the month.’
    â€˜So soon! How are you going to manage that?’ Christina was visibly shocked.
    â€˜Well, it could have been Europe,’ said Jennifer, gently trying to remind her mother that she was only a few hours up the coast and not on the other side of the world.
    There was a hasty removal of plates and passing of fruit salad and showing around of photos and brochures. Christina was very quiet.
    As arranged, Blair arrived late in the afternoon to collect Jennifer and over a beer, at Don’s insistence, accepted the congratulations and