Page 27 of Thursdays at Orange Blossom House
Tom is on his feet too, moving towards her, so she puts up a hand.
‘Mum, please, we just need to talk it through,’ he says.
‘I have no wish to talk any more today.’
She stares at him. Her only child. She made sure this place would be something he could rely on after she dies, and now he’s decided he’s going to borrow money, buy the neighbours’ land, put cattle on the place, and she is the last to know. It’s almost as if he doesn’t trust her. He didn’t want to tell her because he didn’t think she’d be on his side. But by not trusting her, he has, indeed, put her off side. She’s hurt. It feels petty. But it’s real.
‘Hi, GM.’
Luca steps in from the kitchen. He must have come up the front stairs, and probably heard every word.
‘Hello, Luca,’ Grace Maud says, trying to sound happy to see him.
‘I didn’t know you were coming.’ He bends over to give her a hug.
‘The day is full of surprises.’ She smiles, a flash, then looks around for her handbag. ‘And I’m leaving.’
‘Really?’ Luca says. ‘I was planning to go to town tonight. See a couple of mates. Maybe I could come back with you?’
Grace Maud glances from Tom to Luca, wondering if this whole thing has been arranged: Tom drops the bombshell, then Luca smooths it over. But Luca doesn’t strike her as a devious person so she doesn’t think he’d be complicit in such a thing.
‘I have to run into town tomorrow so I could pick you up,’ Tom says. ‘Maybe he could stay with you, Mum?’
Grace Maud keeps her eyes on Luca. ‘Maybe he could.’
‘Great.’ Luca’s face relaxes, his cheekbones growing sharper as he smiles. ‘I’ll grab some stuff.’
As he goes to his room Tom moves closer to Grace Maud. ‘I’m not trying to hurt you, Mum,’ he says, putting his hand on her arm – and she lets him, because he’s still her son and she can’t help loving him.
‘Well, you have,’ she says, and walks away so his hand has to drop. ‘Tell Luca I’ll see him in the car.’
Picking up her bag from the kitchen bench, she doesn’t look back as she opens the door and walks down the stairs as quickly as her legs let her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
‘Miss! Miss! Look! I’m just like Boonie!’
Patricia turns to see one of her Year Nine students catching a cricket ball thrown by another. A cricket ball that is not an item permitted on school excursions.
‘Damien, you know you’re not meant to have that ball while we’re off school grounds,’ she says to the wannabe Test cricketer, holding out her hand for the ball.
‘But miss— ’
‘The form your mother signed clearly stated no projectiles,’ Patricia says, smiling in a way that she hopes indicates that she doesn’t make the rules, she just has to enforce them. It’s hard enough to get the boys interested in English; harder still when they don’t like their teacher.
‘What’s a projectile?’ Damien says.
‘A ball, mate.’ Dennis walks up next to Patricia and also holds out his hand. ‘Especially a cricket ball.’
‘But siiiirrr …’ Damien whines.
Dennis opens and closes his hand. ‘You’ll get it back when we’re back at school.’
‘But this is a zoo, sir. The animals aren’t going to care if I have a ball.’
‘No projectiles, Damien,’ Dennis says firmly.
With a sigh Damien hands over the ball, and Dennis puts it in a backpack that also contains a confiscated slingshot and two yoyos that were used on the bus. Patricia, sitting at the front, didn’t find out about those until all the students had alighted.
