after your mother, luckily,” he said with a wink in Geraldine’s direction.
Anna was amazed to see her mother get soft-eyed at the praise. Honestly, what were the two of them like? She waited, and sure enough, her father dropped a kiss on her mother’s head as he went past her.
“You should be glad your parents get on so well. Mine fought all the time. That’s much harder to live with,” Glenn had said in their early days, when she’d tried to explain how excluded she and her sisters had sometimes felt. “It’s unusual, though, I’ll give you that. Business partnerships and marriages don’t tend to last.” But her parents had always loved working together, putting across a united front, making decisions together, a true partnership. Anna had childhood memories of lying in bed at night, hearing her parents come in from locking up the motel, listening to the murmurs of conversations as they talked over their day, planned for tomorrow. That’s what she’d wanted when she met Glenn. What she’d thought she had when she met Glenn.
Anna reached up to give her father a quick kiss on the cheek, followed by a warm, close hug. He was tall, like Lola and herself, but chubby, not thin, his square, open face red from too much sunshine. She watched intently again as he got down on his haunches to be at eye level with Ellen. She’d spoken to Lola from Sydney before they left, asked her to remind her mother and father to build Ellen up as much as possible.
“And welcome to you, Miss Ellen. And aren’t you looking beautiful as well? All set for the party tonight?”
Ellen nodded shyly again, struck dumb by the attention and the new surroundings.
Jim tousled Ellen’s hair. “Good girl. It’s great to have you both home again.”
Ellen stared at him. “It’s not really home. My home is in Sydney.”
Jim gave a roar of laughter. “You can’t call a big city like that home, darling. Home is where the heart is. Isn’t that right, Geraldine?”
“That’s right, Jim.”
“But isn’t my heart in my body all the time?” Ellen asked Anna, looking confused. “Not just when I’m at home?”
“Grandpa’s teasing you, Ellie. Don’t mind him.”
“Best advice I’ve heard all day,” an Irish voice behind them said. “Hello, my darlings. The birthday girl is here.” It was Lola, dressed in a pantsuit made of pink flowing material. She was in full makeup, with a small pink rose pinned in her white hair.
“Lola! Happy birthday!” Anna found herself rushing to meet Lola as if she were a child again herself. Now she knew for sure she was home. Lola turned from her hug with Anna, then leaned down with melodramatic groans to Ellen’s height, took her face between both hands, gazed at her for a long moment, and then kissed her extravagantly on both cheeks. “That scar is fading so quickly there must be a miracle at work.”
Anna relaxed. Trust Lola to mention it, to point it out, and bring it into the open. Ellen didn’t seem to mind, she noticed. She was nodding. “It is going a bit, I think, Really-Great-Gran.”
Lola gave a shout of laughter and kissed Ellen again. “You’re still calling me Really-Great-Gran, you dear little pet.”
Ellen looked delighted with herself. “I listen to that tape a lot.”
“You’re a little girl with wonderful taste. I know it in my bones.” She stood up with another groan. “Creaking and feeble as those bones might be. Enough of dillydallying with this riffraff, my dear Ellen. It’s time for a tour. And may I introduce your tour leader for the day. Myself, your Really-Great-Gran.”
Ellen beamed up at her. “But can I call you Lola, now, Really-Great-Gran? Like Mum does? Now I’m here?”
“You can call me all the names under the sun, my little darling,” Lola had said, before sweeping out of the room with her.
Anna looked out the kitchen window now and saw Lola and Ellen walking by the back fence. On one side was bushland, gum trees, and scrubby earth
Anna was amazed to see her mother get soft-eyed at the praise. Honestly, what were the two of them like? She waited, and sure enough, her father dropped a kiss on her mother’s head as he went past her.
“You should be glad your parents get on so well. Mine fought all the time. That’s much harder to live with,” Glenn had said in their early days, when she’d tried to explain how excluded she and her sisters had sometimes felt. “It’s unusual, though, I’ll give you that. Business partnerships and marriages don’t tend to last.” But her parents had always loved working together, putting across a united front, making decisions together, a true partnership. Anna had childhood memories of lying in bed at night, hearing her parents come in from locking up the motel, listening to the murmurs of conversations as they talked over their day, planned for tomorrow. That’s what she’d wanted when she met Glenn. What she’d thought she had when she met Glenn.
Anna reached up to give her father a quick kiss on the cheek, followed by a warm, close hug. He was tall, like Lola and herself, but chubby, not thin, his square, open face red from too much sunshine. She watched intently again as he got down on his haunches to be at eye level with Ellen. She’d spoken to Lola from Sydney before they left, asked her to remind her mother and father to build Ellen up as much as possible.
“And welcome to you, Miss Ellen. And aren’t you looking beautiful as well? All set for the party tonight?”
Ellen nodded shyly again, struck dumb by the attention and the new surroundings.
Jim tousled Ellen’s hair. “Good girl. It’s great to have you both home again.”
Ellen stared at him. “It’s not really home. My home is in Sydney.”
Jim gave a roar of laughter. “You can’t call a big city like that home, darling. Home is where the heart is. Isn’t that right, Geraldine?”
“That’s right, Jim.”
“But isn’t my heart in my body all the time?” Ellen asked Anna, looking confused. “Not just when I’m at home?”
“Grandpa’s teasing you, Ellie. Don’t mind him.”
“Best advice I’ve heard all day,” an Irish voice behind them said. “Hello, my darlings. The birthday girl is here.” It was Lola, dressed in a pantsuit made of pink flowing material. She was in full makeup, with a small pink rose pinned in her white hair.
“Lola! Happy birthday!” Anna found herself rushing to meet Lola as if she were a child again herself. Now she knew for sure she was home. Lola turned from her hug with Anna, then leaned down with melodramatic groans to Ellen’s height, took her face between both hands, gazed at her for a long moment, and then kissed her extravagantly on both cheeks. “That scar is fading so quickly there must be a miracle at work.”
Anna relaxed. Trust Lola to mention it, to point it out, and bring it into the open. Ellen didn’t seem to mind, she noticed. She was nodding. “It is going a bit, I think, Really-Great-Gran.”
Lola gave a shout of laughter and kissed Ellen again. “You’re still calling me Really-Great-Gran, you dear little pet.”
Ellen looked delighted with herself. “I listen to that tape a lot.”
“You’re a little girl with wonderful taste. I know it in my bones.” She stood up with another groan. “Creaking and feeble as those bones might be. Enough of dillydallying with this riffraff, my dear Ellen. It’s time for a tour. And may I introduce your tour leader for the day. Myself, your Really-Great-Gran.”
Ellen beamed up at her. “But can I call you Lola, now, Really-Great-Gran? Like Mum does? Now I’m here?”
“You can call me all the names under the sun, my little darling,” Lola had said, before sweeping out of the room with her.
Anna looked out the kitchen window now and saw Lola and Ellen walking by the back fence. On one side was bushland, gum trees, and scrubby earth
Similar Books
