Page 122 of The Side Road
‘Are you crying over a bike part?’
He took the exhaust from her. ‘I’m relieved you’re okay. Now, tell me how you got this?’
‘From the oldest man in the universe. You’d better put the kettle on.’
In the kitchen, Tash continued her story. ‘The place was like a junkyard and there were these two mean-looking dogs, which turned out to be so friendly, but oh boy did they smell!’ She raised both her hands and sniffed one and then the other. Pretending to dry retch, she made for the sink and washed her hands.
‘At first, the old man wouldn’t let us come in,’ Tash continued. ‘He was about to slam the door, but Jack stuck his foot inside and offered him money, which he refused. Hesaid he didn’t care about money. Then I noticed a Maltese Christ medallion hanging around his neck, like the one Pop used to have. So, get this, I said, “May the kindness of God our Saviour be with you.”’
Oliver smiled.
‘That was all it took. He asked what we wanted, and Jack said motorbike parts. He took us to this shed at the back of the house. It was dark and the light was broken, so it took a while for our eyes to work properly. But then we saw the room was filled with really old, dusty bikes. Like a museum, two rows on either side of the shed.’
Oliver was mesmerised.
‘He didn’t have a Black Shadow, but get this, he used to own one. We sat down with the smelly dogs and made a deal. The old man – his name is Matteo – said, “Sex oozes from every part of that bike.”’ Tash laughed. ‘He told us he could let the exhaust go in the next twenty minutes – it was a one-time offer – for two thousand dollars.’
‘I thought he didn’t care about money,’ Oliver said.
‘That’s what we said. So, Jack told him we could take it off his hands in the next two minutes for two hundred? You owe me twenty-five dollars, and Jack one seventy-five. I’ll text you his bank details.’
‘Where can I find the oldest man in the universe?’
‘We can’t tell you. We promised and we’re going to keep our word.’
The following afternoon,Tash burst through the front door, slamming it behind her. She flew into her bedroom, banging the door.
Oliver stepped into the hallway. What was it with the doors in this house? ‘Bad day at the office?’ he called out.
When there was no reply, he knocked gently on Tash’s door and entered.
Tash, lying on the bed with her face buried in a pillow, turned and looked at him. ‘I hate my life. I miss Mum so much. Don’t you ever miss her?’ She sobbed and wiped her eyes.
‘Of course.’ Oliver sat down on the bed. He pulled her up and held her in his arms. She had a way of falling into him, putting her whole body into a hug.
‘You never say so.’ She sniffed.
‘I was very sad after she died, you know that. I couldn’t understand how it happened and I was pissed off that life had turned out the way it had for her. That’s still an ongoing issue for me.’
Tash nodded. ‘Is she in your heart?’
Oliver took Tash’s hand and placed it on his heart. ‘Yes.’
‘I’m not going to read Juliet.’
‘What! Why not?’
‘Mr Healy’s mother is sick. He’s on carer’s leave for three weeks. The relief teacher gave the role to someone else. I’m Montague’s wife. Two scenes, then I die.Off stage.’
‘Want me to fix it, because I can?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I didn’t want it that much. This other girl, Rebecca Reed, she wants it more, and she’ll just get disappointed.’
‘You’re the best human on the planet. I mean it, you really are lovely. Come on, get up. We can make golden syrup dumplings.’
Tash wiped her face.
As they approached the kitchen, someone knocked on the back door. Outside, Jack was standing on the landing. Buckled over, the boy panted heavily. When he saw Tash, hestraightened up and made a valiant effort to control his breathing. He was not here to see the bike.
