after a while … I just knew he wouldn’t …’
‘Wouldn’t what?’
‘He wouldn’t …’
‘Hurt you?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Rape you.’
‘Yeah.’
A noise had us both lifting our heads. Rohan stood within twenty feet. He had a hessian sack over his shoulder. He’d been there for a while.
‘So this is what you two do all day,’ he said.
Denny sprang to her feet. Rohan looked slowly over her.
‘I’m guessing dinner isn’t on the table.’
I stood up. ‘We’ve been busy all day, Rohan. Denny’s done the wood, changed my bed, cleaned up and everything.’
‘And everything?’
‘Well almost. Anyway I wanted to wait and see if you had any fish, I though we’d have fish tonight. Which reminds me – what about this morning? What’s with that? We always eat together except, that is, when you decide not to?’
‘That’s right.’ He started towards the door. ‘That’s exactly right.’
I picked up the gun and bag while Denny went down to the wood pile and stacked some wood against her chest.
We came together at the back door. I heard Rohan dump the bag in the sink and walk down to the bathroom.
‘ He’s back ,’ I softly sang.
She smiled, tight-lipped.
The wood looked to be getting heavy in her arms; I took the top pieces for her. When I looked up her gaze was soft and lingering on my face.
‘Sorry that I mentioned you’d changed my bed,’ I said. ‘You’ll probably have to do his now.’
Her face fell a little. ‘Oh … I already have.’
‘What?’
‘I did Rohan’s the other day.’
‘You’ve already changed his bed?’
‘I’ve been cleaning the whole house.’
I looked off towards the bluff.
‘Right.’
‘Shannon.’
‘I don’t know what I was thinking – his would be done first.’
‘I live with both of you.’
‘It’s just I thought … When did you talk about it? Did he ask you?’
‘Don’t do this,’ she murmured.
‘So you do talk to him in the mornings.’
She shuffled as though the wood was growing heavy in her arms. I was in her way, but didn’t let her pass; I wanted details, I wanted a transcript of every conversation they’d ever had. And as much as I wanted those things, I didn’t want the image of her over Rohan’s bed, tucking in his sheets, maybe kneeling on his mattress.
‘It’s unfair to make me take sides,’ she said.
‘I know,’ I said, then added, ‘I can’t help it.’
A look of concern passed over her features.
‘It’s just I don’t see …’ I said. ‘He makes it this way with his rules and the way we have to act around him. If he relaxed a bit. It hardly makes a difference if I play a bit of music or we get to have some time to occasionally try to forget.’
She didn’t reply, but her eyes were back on my face, telling me I was important, more important, that we had something. We stood close, and if I didn’t have both hands full I might have brushed the hair from her eyes. I like to think if she was able to she might have touched my face.
‘Denny,’ I slowly ventured.
‘Yes, this wood is getting heavy – so get a move on.’
3
I SAT TENSE , preparing for some sort of extreme sexual thrall I would have to disguise.
The wind was welcome because it blustered around me and mixed my feelings.
She came up behind me.
‘It’s cold,’ she said. ‘It’s a shame we can’t do it inside. You won’t be able to relax.’
I jerked as she ran a flat hand along the side of my neck. She took no notice and brought her hand up to hold the other side of my neck. Her hands were cool against my skin. She straightened my head with her fingers and began to massage with her thumbs.
‘Do you like how I cleaned your room?’ she asked. ‘It’s the old study, isn’t it? But I couldn’t find a single novel.’
She spread her fingers and pushed her hands under the collar of my shirt.
‘All the books are manuals,’ she said, ‘science-related, and magazines. Did no-one in your family read fiction?’
As
‘Wouldn’t what?’
‘He wouldn’t …’
‘Hurt you?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Rape you.’
‘Yeah.’
A noise had us both lifting our heads. Rohan stood within twenty feet. He had a hessian sack over his shoulder. He’d been there for a while.
‘So this is what you two do all day,’ he said.
Denny sprang to her feet. Rohan looked slowly over her.
‘I’m guessing dinner isn’t on the table.’
I stood up. ‘We’ve been busy all day, Rohan. Denny’s done the wood, changed my bed, cleaned up and everything.’
‘And everything?’
‘Well almost. Anyway I wanted to wait and see if you had any fish, I though we’d have fish tonight. Which reminds me – what about this morning? What’s with that? We always eat together except, that is, when you decide not to?’
‘That’s right.’ He started towards the door. ‘That’s exactly right.’
I picked up the gun and bag while Denny went down to the wood pile and stacked some wood against her chest.
We came together at the back door. I heard Rohan dump the bag in the sink and walk down to the bathroom.
‘ He’s back ,’ I softly sang.
She smiled, tight-lipped.
The wood looked to be getting heavy in her arms; I took the top pieces for her. When I looked up her gaze was soft and lingering on my face.
‘Sorry that I mentioned you’d changed my bed,’ I said. ‘You’ll probably have to do his now.’
Her face fell a little. ‘Oh … I already have.’
‘What?’
‘I did Rohan’s the other day.’
‘You’ve already changed his bed?’
‘I’ve been cleaning the whole house.’
I looked off towards the bluff.
‘Right.’
‘Shannon.’
‘I don’t know what I was thinking – his would be done first.’
‘I live with both of you.’
‘It’s just I thought … When did you talk about it? Did he ask you?’
‘Don’t do this,’ she murmured.
‘So you do talk to him in the mornings.’
She shuffled as though the wood was growing heavy in her arms. I was in her way, but didn’t let her pass; I wanted details, I wanted a transcript of every conversation they’d ever had. And as much as I wanted those things, I didn’t want the image of her over Rohan’s bed, tucking in his sheets, maybe kneeling on his mattress.
‘It’s unfair to make me take sides,’ she said.
‘I know,’ I said, then added, ‘I can’t help it.’
A look of concern passed over her features.
‘It’s just I don’t see …’ I said. ‘He makes it this way with his rules and the way we have to act around him. If he relaxed a bit. It hardly makes a difference if I play a bit of music or we get to have some time to occasionally try to forget.’
She didn’t reply, but her eyes were back on my face, telling me I was important, more important, that we had something. We stood close, and if I didn’t have both hands full I might have brushed the hair from her eyes. I like to think if she was able to she might have touched my face.
‘Denny,’ I slowly ventured.
‘Yes, this wood is getting heavy – so get a move on.’
3
I SAT TENSE , preparing for some sort of extreme sexual thrall I would have to disguise.
The wind was welcome because it blustered around me and mixed my feelings.
She came up behind me.
‘It’s cold,’ she said. ‘It’s a shame we can’t do it inside. You won’t be able to relax.’
I jerked as she ran a flat hand along the side of my neck. She took no notice and brought her hand up to hold the other side of my neck. Her hands were cool against my skin. She straightened my head with her fingers and began to massage with her thumbs.
‘Do you like how I cleaned your room?’ she asked. ‘It’s the old study, isn’t it? But I couldn’t find a single novel.’
She spread her fingers and pushed her hands under the collar of my shirt.
‘All the books are manuals,’ she said, ‘science-related, and magazines. Did no-one in your family read fiction?’
As
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