waited expectantly , wanting to hear everything.
“I howled like a baby,” Emmy moaned.
Maya rubbed her back. “It was your first try.”
“I played cricket,” Sebastian piped up from the doorway. “When there’re heaps of guys playing , you don’t get to bat.” He sat down on the bed.
Maya reached out to trail spindly fingers across her son’s back. “Well when you do honey, you’ll show them how it’s done. You and Kristian have had more than enough batting practice over the years.”
“You should have seen this fight that broke out-”
“There was a fight?” Emmy asked.
But Maya lifted a hand to him . “Stop.”
“What?”
“No fighting. Promise me you won’t be that kind of man. Hitting or hurting another human being is not the answer to anything. It never is.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t see it?”
“Too busy chatting with the girls.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Emmy said. She looked up at Maya. “They think there’s something wrong with me. They don’t know how to talk to me.”
“No. You don’t know how to talk to them , ” Sebastian said.
“But couldn’t they try ? I can’t think of anything to say.”
“Maybe they can’t think of anything to say to you,” Maya said.
“See? It’s impossible.”
“The other day, you swam across the river and back without the float or Kristian helping you,” Maya whispered into Emmy’s ear. “If you can do that, you can do anything.”
“They think I’m weird. It’s like that thing we read once about the chimpanzee. You know. It was raised in captivity like a human child and they tried releasing it into a zoo with other chimpanzees and it couldn’t read the body language of the other chimpanzees. That’s me. I’m that chimpanzee.”
“Where did you read that?” Maya asked.
Emmy felt Sebastian glance at her and look away quickly. She kept her gaze on the print on the sheet.
Maya settled back in the purple pillows. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to tell me.”
“It will get easier,” Sebastian said. “You’ve just got to stick with it, Em.”
“Whatever is, is, Em,” Maya murmured. “Just be yourself in amongst it.”
“I’m not going again. I’m happy here.”
Emmy felt Maya’s fingers entwine in her hair, then slow to a feathery touch. She looked up into her face. Maya had fallen asleep, her face contorted.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s too soon to give up,” Sebastian said, awkwardly pulling a cover over his mother.
Emmy lifted herself higher on the pillow so that she could be close to Maya’s face. She inhaled her perfect vanilla scent, the same as her own mother’s. A lump sat in her throat, and she tried not to cry. “Sebastian, she’s really sick isn’t she?”
Emmy rolled off the bed. “I’m going to find Mum.”
“Tell her about the chimpanzee.”
“Shut up Sebastian.”
*
It took a while to find Ingrid. And only then it was by mistake. Emmy headed into the sitting room under their loft bedroom with a pile of washing to be put away. Ingrid was curled up under a blanket on the couch.
“Mum?”
Ingrid jerked, half sitting up.
“I was looking everywhere for you. I thought you’d be desperate to know how my day went.”
Ingrid gave a tight smile, and stretched. “I just settled in here for a break. Must’ve fallen asleep.”
“Are you sick? You never sleep.”
“I’m just tired, Em.”
Emmy nodded. She got it. There was too much to think about with Emmy and Sebastian off at a waterhole with strangers and Maya in bed. Sleep was her mother’s escape.
Ingrid looked at the clock and sat upright. “I might need to get back to Maya. I didn’t think I was here that long.”
“She’s al l right. Sebastian’s there. She’s been sleeping.”
“She vomited right through the night last night apparently. She’s not eating.”
“I wouldn’t either,” Emmy said. Emmy went to take the washing up the stairs.
“Hey . Come back here.
“I howled like a baby,” Emmy moaned.
Maya rubbed her back. “It was your first try.”
“I played cricket,” Sebastian piped up from the doorway. “When there’re heaps of guys playing , you don’t get to bat.” He sat down on the bed.
Maya reached out to trail spindly fingers across her son’s back. “Well when you do honey, you’ll show them how it’s done. You and Kristian have had more than enough batting practice over the years.”
“You should have seen this fight that broke out-”
“There was a fight?” Emmy asked.
But Maya lifted a hand to him . “Stop.”
“What?”
“No fighting. Promise me you won’t be that kind of man. Hitting or hurting another human being is not the answer to anything. It never is.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t see it?”
“Too busy chatting with the girls.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Emmy said. She looked up at Maya. “They think there’s something wrong with me. They don’t know how to talk to me.”
“No. You don’t know how to talk to them , ” Sebastian said.
“But couldn’t they try ? I can’t think of anything to say.”
“Maybe they can’t think of anything to say to you,” Maya said.
“See? It’s impossible.”
“The other day, you swam across the river and back without the float or Kristian helping you,” Maya whispered into Emmy’s ear. “If you can do that, you can do anything.”
“They think I’m weird. It’s like that thing we read once about the chimpanzee. You know. It was raised in captivity like a human child and they tried releasing it into a zoo with other chimpanzees and it couldn’t read the body language of the other chimpanzees. That’s me. I’m that chimpanzee.”
“Where did you read that?” Maya asked.
Emmy felt Sebastian glance at her and look away quickly. She kept her gaze on the print on the sheet.
Maya settled back in the purple pillows. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to tell me.”
“It will get easier,” Sebastian said. “You’ve just got to stick with it, Em.”
“Whatever is, is, Em,” Maya murmured. “Just be yourself in amongst it.”
“I’m not going again. I’m happy here.”
Emmy felt Maya’s fingers entwine in her hair, then slow to a feathery touch. She looked up into her face. Maya had fallen asleep, her face contorted.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s too soon to give up,” Sebastian said, awkwardly pulling a cover over his mother.
Emmy lifted herself higher on the pillow so that she could be close to Maya’s face. She inhaled her perfect vanilla scent, the same as her own mother’s. A lump sat in her throat, and she tried not to cry. “Sebastian, she’s really sick isn’t she?”
Emmy rolled off the bed. “I’m going to find Mum.”
“Tell her about the chimpanzee.”
“Shut up Sebastian.”
*
It took a while to find Ingrid. And only then it was by mistake. Emmy headed into the sitting room under their loft bedroom with a pile of washing to be put away. Ingrid was curled up under a blanket on the couch.
“Mum?”
Ingrid jerked, half sitting up.
“I was looking everywhere for you. I thought you’d be desperate to know how my day went.”
Ingrid gave a tight smile, and stretched. “I just settled in here for a break. Must’ve fallen asleep.”
“Are you sick? You never sleep.”
“I’m just tired, Em.”
Emmy nodded. She got it. There was too much to think about with Emmy and Sebastian off at a waterhole with strangers and Maya in bed. Sleep was her mother’s escape.
Ingrid looked at the clock and sat upright. “I might need to get back to Maya. I didn’t think I was here that long.”
“She’s al l right. Sebastian’s there. She’s been sleeping.”
“She vomited right through the night last night apparently. She’s not eating.”
“I wouldn’t either,” Emmy said. Emmy went to take the washing up the stairs.
“Hey . Come back here.
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