sweetheart,” Ellen replied, grinning at her own cheekiness. “But we can’t go yet.”
“Why not?”
“You have to look at yourself in the mirror first. That’s what you always do.”
Anna laughed. Indeed she did. “You don’t miss a trick, do you, Miss Ellen?” She ostentatiously checked her face in the rear-vision mirror, wrinkling her nose, squinting, baring her teeth, playing up to Ellen’s laughs beside her, even as she quickly took the opportunity to dab away a tiny spot of mascara and reapply her lipstick. Then she took a deep breath and started the car.
I n the flower shop in the middle of Clare, Carrie glanced at her watch. The young florist noticed.
“Carrie, if you’re running late, I can drop these up to the motel for you later today. The party doesn’t start until seven, does it?”
Carrie didn’t mind if it took all day to prepare her order. She didn’t mind if she had to live in the flower shop from this moment on. Anywhere was better than being at the motel waiting for Anna and Bett to arrive.
“Carrie? Do you want me to do that?”
Carrie took a seat beside the counter. “No, I’m in no rush at all. Honestly, take as long as you like. In fact, why don’t I go and get us both a cool drink?”
T he weather hasn’t helped, of course. The past week or so it’s been more than thirty degrees every day. People want to head for the sea, not the countryside. Still, just as well we have a few empty rooms with you girls being home again.”
“Yes, isn’t it?” Anna said, trying to keep up with her mother’s update on the motel occupancy rate.
Anna and Ellen had walked through the reception area into the kitchen, surprising her mother, who had been wrestling with something in the walk-in freezer. Geraldine looked immaculate as ever. Not unlike a 1950s housewife, Anna had always thought. There was a brief hug, then her mother turned to Ellen, bending down, giving her a quick hug and kiss, too. “And welcome to you, too, Ellen.”
Anna watched, waiting for some reaction to the scar. It wasn’t the first time her mother had seen it. She had come to Sydney after the accident happened, to lend a hand, much to Anna’s surprise. But it was the first time she’d seen it in months.
“Well, aren’t you both looking great. Ellen, you must have grown three feet since we saw you last.” Geraldine straightened up, put her hands on her hips, and stepped back.
That was the physical contact over for the visit, Anna thought. She knew it wasn’t her mother’s fault she wasn’t a tactile person, but it had been hard at times to be her affection-craving daughter. Anna showered Ellen with hugs and cuddles and caresses, more than the child wanted sometimes. Ellen pressed close against her now, still shy, her hair forming a curtain over the right side of her face.
Geraldine busied herself in the kitchen again, passing on news over her shoulder. Anna and her sisters had always laughed at their mother’s conversational style. She had to be doing something while she asked questions or relayed information, be it mopping the floor or preparing meals for guests or sometimes, in shouts, over the noise of vacuum cleaners. She’d had the same approach to mothering, in fact—fitting it in around her other, more pressing tasks.
“Carrie will be back in a moment. She’s gone into town to collect the last of the flower displays for the party. Bett’s flying in today, too, of course. Insisted on driving herself up from Adelaide. Lola is around somewhere. I’m surprised she didn’t hear the car coming in. Your father had to make a quick trip to the bottle depot this morning, but he said he’d be back as soon as he could—”
“He’s here now, in fact.”
They both spun around at the sound of his voice. He’d come in through the back door. “Hello, Anna, and aren’t you looking beautiful?”
“Dad! Full of charm as usual,” she said, smiling at him.
“No, just telling the truth. You took
“Why not?”
“You have to look at yourself in the mirror first. That’s what you always do.”
Anna laughed. Indeed she did. “You don’t miss a trick, do you, Miss Ellen?” She ostentatiously checked her face in the rear-vision mirror, wrinkling her nose, squinting, baring her teeth, playing up to Ellen’s laughs beside her, even as she quickly took the opportunity to dab away a tiny spot of mascara and reapply her lipstick. Then she took a deep breath and started the car.
I n the flower shop in the middle of Clare, Carrie glanced at her watch. The young florist noticed.
“Carrie, if you’re running late, I can drop these up to the motel for you later today. The party doesn’t start until seven, does it?”
Carrie didn’t mind if it took all day to prepare her order. She didn’t mind if she had to live in the flower shop from this moment on. Anywhere was better than being at the motel waiting for Anna and Bett to arrive.
“Carrie? Do you want me to do that?”
Carrie took a seat beside the counter. “No, I’m in no rush at all. Honestly, take as long as you like. In fact, why don’t I go and get us both a cool drink?”
T he weather hasn’t helped, of course. The past week or so it’s been more than thirty degrees every day. People want to head for the sea, not the countryside. Still, just as well we have a few empty rooms with you girls being home again.”
“Yes, isn’t it?” Anna said, trying to keep up with her mother’s update on the motel occupancy rate.
Anna and Ellen had walked through the reception area into the kitchen, surprising her mother, who had been wrestling with something in the walk-in freezer. Geraldine looked immaculate as ever. Not unlike a 1950s housewife, Anna had always thought. There was a brief hug, then her mother turned to Ellen, bending down, giving her a quick hug and kiss, too. “And welcome to you, too, Ellen.”
Anna watched, waiting for some reaction to the scar. It wasn’t the first time her mother had seen it. She had come to Sydney after the accident happened, to lend a hand, much to Anna’s surprise. But it was the first time she’d seen it in months.
“Well, aren’t you both looking great. Ellen, you must have grown three feet since we saw you last.” Geraldine straightened up, put her hands on her hips, and stepped back.
That was the physical contact over for the visit, Anna thought. She knew it wasn’t her mother’s fault she wasn’t a tactile person, but it had been hard at times to be her affection-craving daughter. Anna showered Ellen with hugs and cuddles and caresses, more than the child wanted sometimes. Ellen pressed close against her now, still shy, her hair forming a curtain over the right side of her face.
Geraldine busied herself in the kitchen again, passing on news over her shoulder. Anna and her sisters had always laughed at their mother’s conversational style. She had to be doing something while she asked questions or relayed information, be it mopping the floor or preparing meals for guests or sometimes, in shouts, over the noise of vacuum cleaners. She’d had the same approach to mothering, in fact—fitting it in around her other, more pressing tasks.
“Carrie will be back in a moment. She’s gone into town to collect the last of the flower displays for the party. Bett’s flying in today, too, of course. Insisted on driving herself up from Adelaide. Lola is around somewhere. I’m surprised she didn’t hear the car coming in. Your father had to make a quick trip to the bottle depot this morning, but he said he’d be back as soon as he could—”
“He’s here now, in fact.”
They both spun around at the sound of his voice. He’d come in through the back door. “Hello, Anna, and aren’t you looking beautiful?”
“Dad! Full of charm as usual,” she said, smiling at him.
“No, just telling the truth. You took
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