country and build a house and home school! It’s going to be terrible for us all!”
Dad spoke up. He was still squashed into my beanbag. “Actually, Coco, I think it’s going to be amazing for us all.” He fought his way out of a pile of cushions and stood up.
“This is an opportunity for our family to be together in a way that we’ll never have again,” he said. “You guys are all growing up. And I’ve been working way too many hours for too long.”
His face got all excited and his hands started whirling around. “I just think we need to spend time with each other before life takes over and we start to head off in separate directions.”
Hmmmph! I thought to myself, pursing my lips. You’re just taking me in your direction and I don’t want to go. But Dad didn’t seem to notice my face. He just kept on talking.
“This is something we can all do together as a family so that we spend more time together. I read a book this year that made me really think about stuff, and I think we need to do something meaningful together. Basically we need some adventure in our lives.”
His face was all lit up, like a little boy who has just been given a new puppy.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for years, but I never talked about it because I never thought it could happen. And then I guess I wanted to surprise you all. It seemed like it would make it even more of an adventure.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What about Mum? It seems a bit mean to spring something like this on her out of the blue.”
“I’ll admit he took me by surprise,” Mum said. She moved over to sit at my dressing table. “But I have to say I’m not really shocked. It’s been a little secret dream of mine too. Living cooped up in the city has never been my favourite thing.”
Dad made a move to sit next to me. He was trying to make amends, but I wasn’t about to let him.
“Come on, Coco,” he said, putting an arm around me. “It’s not going to be that bad. Surely you can get over the shock and think positively. There must be something that gets your imagination excited about all of this.”
I pulled away and played with the tassel of the purple cushion on my lap. I couldn’t talk. I just felt like I was going to cry. I had a black pit in my stomach and a burning volcano in my head.
“Isn’t there anything you like at all?” he said again.
“No,” I sputtered. “I can honestly say that there is nothing I like about this plan. Nothing at all. I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. It just all feels like I’m in a bad dream.”
I was pretending to look away, trying to keep the tears in, but I saw Mum and Dad exchange a look. Mum shrugged her shoulders and Dad made a face. He nodded at Mum as if to say, ‘go on, tell her.’
“Look,” said Mum. She had her ‘lets-all-calm-down’ voice on. When she uses it, it sounds like she’s talking to little kids. I think it used to work on Charlie and me when we were five, but it hasn’t since then.
“Coco. Sweetie. Why don’t you agree to give it a year? If you really, really hate being on the farm after twelve months, we can work out something. Maybe you can come back to Sydney for school and be a boarder. We don’t want you to be unhappy, really truly. That’s not what this is about. But we think it would be good to give the whole thing a try. Just for a year.”
I turned over on the bed in a thump and glared fiercely at the ceiling. The top of my purple canopy mosquito net quivered from the jolt. I knew I was beaten. Screaming and fighting any more was never going to change it. I had to give in. But I wasn’t going to give in completely. I still had some weapons up my sleeve.
“All right,” I said, between clenched teeth. “I will give it a year. But I can tell you this. I’m not going to be happy. I’m not going to like it. And I’m definitely coming back to Sydney as soon as the year is over.”
Mum and Dad raised their
Dad spoke up. He was still squashed into my beanbag. “Actually, Coco, I think it’s going to be amazing for us all.” He fought his way out of a pile of cushions and stood up.
“This is an opportunity for our family to be together in a way that we’ll never have again,” he said. “You guys are all growing up. And I’ve been working way too many hours for too long.”
His face got all excited and his hands started whirling around. “I just think we need to spend time with each other before life takes over and we start to head off in separate directions.”
Hmmmph! I thought to myself, pursing my lips. You’re just taking me in your direction and I don’t want to go. But Dad didn’t seem to notice my face. He just kept on talking.
“This is something we can all do together as a family so that we spend more time together. I read a book this year that made me really think about stuff, and I think we need to do something meaningful together. Basically we need some adventure in our lives.”
His face was all lit up, like a little boy who has just been given a new puppy.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for years, but I never talked about it because I never thought it could happen. And then I guess I wanted to surprise you all. It seemed like it would make it even more of an adventure.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What about Mum? It seems a bit mean to spring something like this on her out of the blue.”
“I’ll admit he took me by surprise,” Mum said. She moved over to sit at my dressing table. “But I have to say I’m not really shocked. It’s been a little secret dream of mine too. Living cooped up in the city has never been my favourite thing.”
Dad made a move to sit next to me. He was trying to make amends, but I wasn’t about to let him.
“Come on, Coco,” he said, putting an arm around me. “It’s not going to be that bad. Surely you can get over the shock and think positively. There must be something that gets your imagination excited about all of this.”
I pulled away and played with the tassel of the purple cushion on my lap. I couldn’t talk. I just felt like I was going to cry. I had a black pit in my stomach and a burning volcano in my head.
“Isn’t there anything you like at all?” he said again.
“No,” I sputtered. “I can honestly say that there is nothing I like about this plan. Nothing at all. I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. It just all feels like I’m in a bad dream.”
I was pretending to look away, trying to keep the tears in, but I saw Mum and Dad exchange a look. Mum shrugged her shoulders and Dad made a face. He nodded at Mum as if to say, ‘go on, tell her.’
“Look,” said Mum. She had her ‘lets-all-calm-down’ voice on. When she uses it, it sounds like she’s talking to little kids. I think it used to work on Charlie and me when we were five, but it hasn’t since then.
“Coco. Sweetie. Why don’t you agree to give it a year? If you really, really hate being on the farm after twelve months, we can work out something. Maybe you can come back to Sydney for school and be a boarder. We don’t want you to be unhappy, really truly. That’s not what this is about. But we think it would be good to give the whole thing a try. Just for a year.”
I turned over on the bed in a thump and glared fiercely at the ceiling. The top of my purple canopy mosquito net quivered from the jolt. I knew I was beaten. Screaming and fighting any more was never going to change it. I had to give in. But I wasn’t going to give in completely. I still had some weapons up my sleeve.
“All right,” I said, between clenched teeth. “I will give it a year. But I can tell you this. I’m not going to be happy. I’m not going to like it. And I’m definitely coming back to Sydney as soon as the year is over.”
Mum and Dad raised their
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