42
The old and discoloured plastic chair Abi found tucked away in the shed wobbles beneath me.
I cling to the fold-out table in front of me in an attempt to stabilise the curved legs of the chair that are buckling under my weight.
Once I feel safe enough to let go of the table, I reach for the plate of food in front of me.
Rita has brought her trademark picnic spread, salad sandwiches and homemade coffee cake.
“How’s school, poppet?” I ask Paige. She has these cute little multi-coloured diamond stickers around her eyes. She’ll be turning thirteen in a couple of months, which means she’s almost a woman, and that means that she is now required by law to decorate her face.
“Good. I’m getting good at math, like you, Luna.” She smiles up at me. Whenever she looks at me, I can’t help but feel like a rockstar.
“I’m only good at math because I work hard.
If you work hard and try your best, you can be good at anything you set your mind to.
” God, I sound like an inspirational poster.
Even I find it hard not to roll my eyes at what I said.
I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her.
Across the table, Rita and Daniel watch us, wide smiles spread over their faces.
“We have missed you girls so much.” Rita wipes a tear from her eye.
“And we’ve missed you.” I reach out to touch her hand. “I have also missed your cooking. Particularly those mint chocolate biscuits you make. You didn’t happen to…?”
“You know I did.” Rita bends down, dipping her hands into the large canvas bag that Paige decorated for her at kindergarten and pulls out a round biscuit tin.
I let go of Paige and throw myself across the table to take the tin.
If I had to, I would not hesitate to sacrifice Paige and everyone here for those biscuits.
Rita and Daniel chuckle to themselves as I rip the lid off the tin, and Abi tries to lean across me to grab one.
“They’re mine.” I snatch them away from her.
“They’re for both of you, and I expect you to share,” Rita scolds us.
I look over at Abi, rolling my eyes and reluctantly hand over the tin.
She sticks her tongue out at me. It takes everything I have not to smack the tin out of her hand when she passes it to Brooks.
I try to stop myself from glaring at him as he takes a bite.
I hope my attempts are more successful than Mark’s, who has not stopped watching Abi and Brooks all morning.
“How’s work, Mark?” I ask loudly, breaking his trance from the happy couple.
“Getting there. Dad is still showing me the basics.” He shrugs, looking up at me with a weak smile.
“One day you can build me a house,” I joke, trying to lighten his mood. I never particularly liked him for Abi, but he was always nice to me. He was my friend, kind of.
“Sure thing. You draw me some plans, and I’ll start working on them for you.” He smiles. I appreciate that he remembered I liked to draw.
“Have you found much time to draw lately, Luna? You were so talented,” Daniel says, taking a bite of his sandwich.
“I have, actually.”
“You have?” Abi manages to tear her eyes off Brooks to look over at me questioningly.
“You don’t know?” Rita asks, a suspicious tone creeping into her words. She doesn’t realise that she’s not the only one her daughter has been cutting out of her life lately.
“It’s just a stupid hobby,” I say with a shrug.
“It’s not stupid,” Paige says. When did she start sounding so adult?
I guess that’s what happens when you don’t see a kid for months: they change.
“Your drawings are the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
I still have that one you did of a butterfly on my wall.
” She looks up at me with those daydreaming eyes.
“Aww, thanks, Poppet. You’re so sweet.” I bend down to kiss her gently on the head.
“What about you, Abi? Have you read any good books lately?” Daniel asks. Novels were something he and Abi could talk about for hours.
“Not much time for reading, Dad. I’ve been so busy.” She looks up at Brooks with doe eyes, and Rita exhales a disapproving humph.
“Brooks, what do you do?” Mark cuts through the sentimental chatter. I look over at Rita, and we exchange a wide-eyed look. I’ve been waiting for this all day.
“I’m in I.T.”
“And you live in student housing without being a student?” Mark asks accusingly.
“My uncle owns the place. He cut me a deal.” He tightens his grip around Abi’s shoulders, showing Mark that she is his now.
“I thought geeks were supposed to be smart enough to pay their way.” Mark chuckles to himself, no doubt mentally patting himself on the back. If only he knew how lame that dig was. Come on, Mark, you can do better than that.
“Sounds like you’d be the one to know about family handouts.
Don’t you work at your dad’s construction company?
” Brooks quips back. Mark turns a deep shade of red, his blood boiling from Brooks’ remark.
I glance down at Paige, who looks uncomfortable from the sudden surge of testosterone at the table.
“And I, for one, am the queen of family handouts,” I brag loudly, trying to take the attention away from Mark. I lift my nose and wave my hand, imitating what I imagine the Queen might do when she’s being driven around town, acknowledging all the lesser people.
“How is your dad? We haven’t seen him around town lately,” Daniel asks, a light glisten of sweat on his forehead.
“He’s good. I think.” I shrug.
“You think?” Brooks cuts in as he attempts to challenge me with his judgmental smirk.
“That’s what I said.”
Abi shoves him with her elbow. We might be in a passive-aggressive fight, but she knows more than anyone how I feel about my relationship with Dad.
I would give anything to be closer to him and have him call me as much as Abi’s parents do, but he doesn’t.
He cares about me in his own way, and I have learnt to accept it, but that doesn’t mean I need Brooks rubbing my face in it.
“Darn, look at the time.” Rita looks down at her wrist. I follow her eyeline to discover she’s not even wearing a watch.
“No,” Paige exclaims, hugging my arm.
“Don’t worry, little Poppet. We’ll come to visit you for your birthday. You’ll be sixteen, right?” I joke in an attempt to make her laugh.
She giggles. “I’ll be thirteen, silly.” She looks past me to Abi. “Will you come too?”
“Of course, I will,” Abi replies with a warm smile before looking back at Brooks.
I can’t be certain, but it appears as though she’s asking for his permission. Goosebumps spread up my arms. What type of relationship do they have if she feels as though she has to ask to visit her sister for her birthday?