CHAPTER 3
The expected cool change had not materialised, so Poppy once again found herself driving with her arms in chicken wing stance to reduce the chance of underarm sweat. While she was grateful to her parents for lending her the old LandCruiser, the lack of air-conditioning meant that she was permanently slicked in perspiration. It brought new meaning to the term ‘pregnancy glow’.
Poppy pulled up at the supermarket and killed the engine. Sliding down from the driver’s seat, she readjusted her sundress. Today’s plan was simple. Buy enough food to stock a pantry, then cook and freeze, ad nauseum.
The cool air of the supermarket prickled the back of her neck as she grabbed a trolley and manoeuvred it down the aisles. After the sauna of the car and the radiating heat of the car park, the temperature inside was magnificent—almost orgasmic. Poppy bit her lip to stop from laughing at the idea of an aircongasm (an airgasm?) when she realised she was staring at a guy stacking the shelves. He gave her an awkward wave. Oh crap! What was his name? He’d been in her year at school. Big into Dungeons I just meant you can’t leave this mess here and not tell anyone. It’s a safety hazard.’
‘Oh my god, go away !’ cried Poppy, squatting to pick the shards of glass from the red paste. As she started placing them uselessly in a pile, she could sense him shifting uncomfortably behind her.
‘Okay, I guess if you’ve got this under control, I can …’ He reached over Poppy to pluck a jar of pesto from the top shelf. He was so close she could smell the laundry powder scent of his scrubs. His knees were probably two inches from her head. A raging heat rose up her neck. I could swing my head back and smash this guy . His knees would buckle and he’d go flying. She could watch him squirm. The image of Ken doll covered in pasta sauce was an enticing one.
‘Right.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I’ll be going then.’
‘Yeah, you can fuck off,’ Poppy muttered, still picking glass out of the sauce.
‘Excuse me?’ he said, turning around.
Poppy fixed him with a hostile stare. ‘I said goodbye!’
As soon as she’d loaded the groceries into the boot of the LandCruiser, Poppy put her AirPods in and dialled Dani.
‘PARPEEE!’ her friend cried.
‘DARNEE!’ cried Poppy in return, reversing the LandCruiser out of the parking space. ‘Thank the lord you picked up. I was going to bust a lid if you didn’t. You would not believe what I have just been through.’
‘Oh my god!’ cried Dani. ‘Is there a baby?! Tell me everything! WASTE NO WORDS!’
Poppy flicked her indicator on and laughed. ‘No baby, my friend. Just a giant shit sandwich in the supermarket. Not literally, obviously, but I almost killed someone.’
‘Whoa, lady, tell me more.’
‘Dude, you wouldn’t guess who was there.’
‘No, I wouldn’t,’ Dani said impatiently, ‘so spill already.’
Poppy paused dramatically. ‘The guy from the car park.’
‘Who?’
‘The guy from the hospital car park—the douche. I told you about him.’
‘The Ken doll in scrubs?’
‘Yes, none other than hospital douche Ken. Buy one and get a free Barbie caravan bumper sticker that says I’m a douche, and I’ll be a douche about it .’
Dani chuckled. ‘So what happened?’
As she drove home, Poppy recounted the whole incident: the trolley, the broken glass, the sauce, his annoying holier-than-thou-ness, his hovering in her personal space. ‘And then,’ she concluded with a satisfied smirk, ‘I told him to fuck off.’
‘You didn’t!’
‘I did.’
‘What are you becoming, woman?’ Dani cried gleefully. ‘Dropping f-bombs in public. Man, I would pay to see that. Imagine what your old workmates would pay! This is uncharted territory: fired-up Poppy. I can’t wait to see her in action.’
Poppy laughed. ‘Seriously, this guy is my kryptonite. I promise I am still a normal human woman. I have no intention of becoming known as the lady gangster of Orange.’
‘Why not?’ Dani asked. ‘It might suit you. Lady gangster and baby gangster. You could make an Instagram account of all the hectic shiz you’re doing around town. Breaking jars—with a baby. Parking illegally—with a baby. Shit getting real—with a baby. People would lap that up. I’m guessing at least a million followers within a month. Seriously, enjoy the dollars and thank me later.’
‘Cool. Life plan sorted. So glad I’ve got your wisdom to guide me, Dan.’
‘Here to help, amiga, here to help.’
Poppy smiled. ‘I wish you actually were here, Dan. I miss your mood-lifting superpowers.’
‘Ha!’ barked Dani. ‘You’re just lucky I only charge you mates rates for my services. My next bill is in the mail, FYI. Speaking of which …’ Dani trailed off.
‘What?’
‘Okay, well, not speaking of which; this topic is completely unrelated to anything. HOWEVER, it is still very, very interesting and important news, which I am very sure you will be very interested to learn. Which is why I intend to tell you about it at this very moment, right now.’
‘Dani!’ Poppy warned.
‘HenryMarshallhasmovedbacktoOrange.’ It came out as one terrifyingly portentous word. ‘I ran into Rachel at Bondi Junction and she told me. All happened quite quickly, but he’s completely packed up from Queensland. Moving home to take over the family business. Can’t remember what that is, but—’
‘Financial planning,’ Poppy interrupted, instantly embarrassed for remembering.
‘Yeah, that. And ’—Dani paused and took a deep breath—‘he’s engaged.’
The LandCruiser suddenly lurched across the double lines. ‘Shit!’
‘Poppy?!’
‘Sorry, some bloke just swerved into me,’ Poppy lied. ‘That’s, um, interesting. Mum actually mentioned the other day that he had moved back.’
‘You already knew? Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Forgot, I guess,’ Poppy said—another lie. She was thankful this conversation was not happening in person; her face would surely betray her. Dani knew better than anyone the special place Poppy kept in her heart for Henry. They’d broken up amicably after high school and had become the archetype of best-friend-exes. He went to uni in Brisbane, she went to Sydney, and when either of them visited each other’s city they’d always crash at each other’s place. Poppy loved the weekends when Henry would fly down to see his grandmother or watch the rugby with his mates and they’d seamlessly fall back into step as if no time had passed. He’d sleep on her couch and the next morning they’d go out for breakfast, each knowing exactly what the other would order.
Sure, there were times when they forgot they were just friends and succumbed to that lingering attraction neither of them could shake, but that was normal with exes, right? And truth be told, she loved those visits when they’d fall into bed and wake up wrapped in each other’s arms, giggling about how drunk they’d been. In her mind, those mornings were perfect.
‘How long since you’ve seen him?’ asked Dani.
Poppy cringed, the decade-old memory still startlingly fresh. ‘Not since … that night.’
Dani grunted sympathetically. ‘Say no more, my friend. Say no more.’