Stay Well Soon (13 page)

14

Milo

At recess the next day I say to Morgan, ‘We need to practise our suffragette presentation again.' Now that Dad Ben is coming to Grandparents and Friends Day it is even more important that Morgan and I do a good job on our presentation.

‘Why? We've practised it heaps of times. We'll be fine.'

Morgan is not taking this seriously.

I say, ‘It's one thing to be able to do it by ourselves, but we're going to have to present it to the whole class. And to all the Grandparents and Friends.'

‘Okay, okay,' says Morgan.

We practise the talk. Morgan was right, we do know it word for word, but you can't be too careful. Dad Ben is coming a long way for this.

‘Do you want to come over this weekend to practise protesting again?' asks Morgan.

‘I can't.'

‘Are you going to that camp for kids with cancer?'

Morgan thinks everything is about cancer.

‘No,' I say.

‘Well what are you doing then? What's the big secret?'

‘We're having visitors.'

Dad Ben is not really a proper visitor, but I can't be bothered to explain the situation.

‘Who?'

‘Mum's friend.'

‘What's their name?'

Why does Morgan always have to know everything?

‘Ben.'

I go to get a drink from the bubblers to get away from Morgan's stupid questions. Rory is at the bubblers too so I stay and talk to him for a while. Rory tells me all his grandparents live overseas so he doesn't know who to bring for Grandparents and Friends Day. He is thinking about asking Mrs Potter from the butcher's shop. I think that is a good solution. Mrs Potter is very nice. She used to give me a slice of salami to eat in the shop when I was little.

In the afternoon we have art class with Miss Ellis. We are making Christmas wreaths for the craft stall at Grandparents and Friends Day. The Christmas wreaths are made out of bin bags, which was Miss Ellis's idea. You cut the bin bags into strips and then you tie them to a bent coathanger all bunched up. The last step is you tie a ribbon at the top of the coathanger. I tie a big gold ribbon at the top of mine and Morgan ties a red ribbon on hers. The wreaths are really pretty.

Charlotte doesn't make a wreath. She's allowed to work on her jewellery instead. She is going to have a special section at the craft stall. Her jewellery is beautiful.

At the end of the week, Mum makes me help clean up the house after school because Dad Ben is arriving tomorrow. I am in charge of vacuuming. Rhys is watching television.

I vacuum the hallway and all the bedrooms. I can't vacuum much in Rhys's room because there are so many clothes on the floor. I don't know why Mum and I bothered to clean it up. It has descended into chaos already.

I go to the lounge room and plug in the vacuum cleaner.

Rhys sits up and says something to me.

‘What?' I say.

He says something else, but I can't hear because of the vacuum cleaner. I turn it off.

‘What?' I say.

‘I can't hear the television,' he says.

‘Suck it up, Rhys,' Mum calls out from the kitchen.

I laugh but Rhys doesn't. He doesn't get Mum's sense of humour like I do.

I turn the vacuum back on. I vacuum around all the furniture. Then I take the cushions off the armchair to vacuum and find a two-dollar coin. I pick it up quickly before Rhys sees it and put it in my pocket.

I vacuum all the crumbs off the chair, then I put the cushions back. I would like to do the couch as well, but there is no chance of Rhys ever moving for me.

I put the vacuum cleaner back in the cupboard.

In my room I sit on my bed and look at the two-dollar coin. I take out my favourite sock from the drawer. But what is the point of saving money anyway? I'm never going to get a horse and it doesn't even matter. Rhys has more chance of getting a bike.

I go to Rhys's room. His motorbike savings jar is on his chest of drawers. I put the two-dollar coin inside. It makes a chink as it hits some coins. It sounds pretty full. I bet Mum gave Rhys some extra money. I pick up the motorbike savings jar. It is quite heavy.

‘What are you doing?' I turn around and see Rhys standing in the doorway.

‘Nothing.' I put down the savings jar.

‘Mum!' Rhys calls.

Mum comes running. She stands in the doorway wearing pink rubber gloves.

‘Stevie was stealing my money.'

‘I was not!'

‘I saw you!'

‘Stevie, what were you doing?' asks Mum.

‘I was just tidying up!'

‘Then why were you holding my money box?' says Rhys.

‘I think you should go to your room while I talk to Rhys for a moment,' Mum says to me.

‘But I didn't take anything, Mum,' I say.

‘I know, I believe you,' says Mum. ‘I'll come to speak to you in a minute.'

I go to my room and lie down on the bed.

Eventually, Mum comes in.

She sits on the bed and I roll a bit towards her.

‘Stevie, be honest,' she says. ‘Were you taking money from Rhys's money box?'

‘No.'

Mum looks like she doesn't believe me.

‘Were you touching his money box?'

‘I was just looking at it.'

‘He says you were holding it.'

‘Well, I wasn't. Rhys doesn't know what he's talking about. Anyway, I'm tired from vacuuming.'

Mum stands up. ‘Okay, you can go to bed and think about it. We'll talk about it again in the morning.'

She walks over to the door and stops next to my chest of drawers. My favourite sock is sitting on top of the drawers because I forgot to put it back properly.

Mum looks down at it. She picks it up.

‘What's this?' she asks. She unties the knot and looks inside.

‘My savings,' I say.

‘I thought you kept your savings in your Dr Snuggles money box?'

I did used to keep my savings there.

‘Is this Rhys's money?' asks Mum.

Mum tells me we need to talk. She has not been happy with my behaviour recently and it is not just about the savings jar. She says she knows Morgan didn't have a party at McDonald's and that I visited Finnigan with Lara because she spoke to Lara's mum. Anyway, Mum had guessed something was up because who'd want to spend five hours at McDonald's? Mum says it was very irresponsible because Lara could have got very sick and, anyway, I'm not supposed to be friends with Lara in the first place. The worst part, according to Mum, is that I lied about it. Mum doesn't know what's got into me and she doesn't know what to do with me.

Mum says she's just glad that she didn't say anything about Rhys's money to David's mum, which she nearly did, because how embarrassing would that have been when David is such a lovely boy and the only friend who has stuck by Rhys while he's been sick.

She says I owe Rhys an apology and I have to give all the money back and I'm not going to get any pocket money for a month.

When Mum finally goes away, I put on my pyjamas and get into bed. Dad Ben is coming tomorrow. But he will find out about Rhys's savings jar. Then he won't like me. As Mum said, what kind of person steals money from their sick brother? It wasn't a proper question so I didn't say anything, but I knew the answer. A horrible person, that's who.

When I wake up the next morning I remember everything straight away. Dad Ben is coming. Mum knows about visiting Finnigan and Rhys's savings jar. No-one will like me.

Mum is in the kitchen putting the kettle on.

I open the fridge door to get out the milk.

‘Good morning, Stevie,' she says. ‘Don't open the new milk before you finish the old one.'

I want to ask Mum what time Dad Ben will be coming but I don't want to because I can tell she is still mad at me. Anyway, I bet Dad Ben doesn't arrive until the afternoon. That is always what happens when we have a visitor – you have to wait and wait for them. Aunty Janet is like that.

After I eat my cereal I put on a load of washing. The washing machine is being very difficult so I have to stay with it the whole time.

At the washing line I dump the washing basket on the ground with a thump. That's when I hear an engine in the driveway and it doesn't sound like Mum's car.

I run over to the fence and look through one of the gaps. It is Dad Ben! He is wearing his black motorbike-riding clothes and taking off his helmet.

I run back through the house and stand on the front step.

I wave at Dad Ben.

‘Don't just stand there waving at me.'

So I run over to him and he hugs me.

Then Mum is standing on the front step.

‘Hello, Ben,' she says.

‘Hello,' he says.

We walk into the house together. Rhys is on the couch. Dad Ben says hello to him, but they don't hug because Rhys doesn't like hugging.

Mum says, ‘Would you like a coffee?'

‘Yes please,' I say. It's a joke because she wasn't asking me, and of course I don't like coffee because I am only eleven. For a second, I think Mum doesn't understand that I was joking, but then she laughs and Dad Ben laughs too.

‘A coffee would be great,' Dad Ben says. ‘I've been up since five.'

Mum goes into the kitchen with Dad Ben and I follow them. I don't want them to be alone together because then Mum will tell Dad Ben about Rhys's savings jar.

Mum makes coffee for herself and Dad Ben and then we all sit in the lounge room. Dad Ben asks Rhys lots of questions about the hospital and how he's feeling. He's going to take Rhys for a ride on his bike later if Rhys is feeling well enough.

Mum looks worried, but I think Rhys needs to have some fun.

Then I remember. ‘Oh no!' I say.

‘What?' says Dad Ben.

‘I forgot about the washing!'

‘I'll help you,' says Dad Ben.

Dad Ben hangs things on the high side and I hang things on the low side. It is just like old times.

When we go back inside Mum says she needs to go down the shops to get ham and rolls for lunch. Dad Ben says he'll go with her.

‘I'll come too,' I say.

‘No, Stevie, you stay here in case Rhys needs something,' says Mum.

So that's it. Mum will tell Dad Ben what I did and Dad Ben won't like me anymore.

I sit on the couch and turn on the television but I can't concentrate because I keep thinking about what Mum and Dad Ben are talking about.

Finally, I hear a car in the driveway and Dad Ben and Mum walk in.

‘Hi there, Stevie!' says Dad Ben. He is still talking to me, so that's something.

I look at Dad Ben carefully. He is not acting like anything has changed. Maybe Mum didn't tell him after all. Maybe they just talked about Toowoomba or Rhys or the price of fish.

After lunch Dad Ben and I walk to the top paddock to visit Star.

Dad Ben talks about his trip and all the things he saw. He tells me about watching the sunset in the desert and how the red rocks glowed like they were on fire. I can't wait to see that one day.

When we get to the top paddock Star isn't there. I don't really care, though. We turn around and walk back. Dad Ben doesn't mention Rhys's savings jar. Maybe I have got away with it.

I have to go to bed early after tea even though Dad Ben is visiting. Lying in bed I hear Mum and Dad Ben talking in the lounge room. I close my eyes and I am very warm and sleepy.

I wake up. It's still dark, the middle of the night. I don't know why I'm awake because I don't even need to go to the toilet. I remember that Dad Ben is here. We went for a great walk and he took Rhys on a motorbike ride and he made Mum laugh. Dad Ben makes everything seem all right. I didn't think about the things I used to worry about all day. Like dying and how there's no point to anything.

I'm not sure why Dad Ben being back makes everything better. After all, I'm still going to die. And Dad Ben will die one day too. Mum will die. Rhys will die. Morgan will die even though she loves talking about death so much. Some people believe in heaven. That would be nice. Except I've heard that one day the sun will explode and the world won't even exist anymore, so how can there really be a heaven? We are all just tiny specks in the universe.

My throat is dry. I walk down the corridor to get a glass of water from the kitchen. In the lounge room I walk into something low and hard.

‘Ow!' I yell.

‘What's that?' says a voice. There's a click as the lamp is turned on. In front of me is the fold-out couch, which I walked straight into. One of my shins is bleeding but not very much.

‘Sorry,' I say. ‘I didn't know you were here.' I thought Dad Ben would sleep in Mum's room like he used to.

‘What are you doing, Stevie?' he asks.

‘Getting a drink.'

I go to the kitchen and fill up a glass of water.

As I walk back through the lounge room Dad Ben says, ‘Are you okay?'

‘Kind of,' I say. My chest feels like Angel is on top of me, pushing me down. ‘I can't sleep, though.'

‘Sit out here for a while,' he says.

I sit on the armchair.

‘Why can't you sleep?'

‘I don't know.'

‘Are you worried about something?'

‘Not really.'

‘You can tell me anything,' he says.

‘No I can't. It's not fair to you.'

‘I'm sure I can handle it. I have wrestled a croco- dile – remember?'

I think Dad Ben made up that story. I have a sip of water. The house is very quiet. I can hear the clock tick-tocking. The fridge starts to hum. Maybe if I talk about it I will feel better; that's what Sandra thinks anyway.

I say it quietly. ‘I don't want to die.'

‘Why are you thinking about that?'

‘I don't know, I just am.'

Dad Ben doesn't say anything.

‘Are you scared of dying?' I ask him.