need.â
âAnd you have your welfare payment.â
âI donât claim welfare.â
He heard the rustle of the sleeping bag. âWhy not?â
He stood straight, a pile of paper in his hands, his back to her. âBecause Iâm perfectly capable of earning a living.â
She sighed. âSo why do you live here?â
âWhy donât you go back into your neat little world where things behave the way you want them to?â
Her white teeth flashed. âNice try.â
He went back to cleaning up. If he stopped engaging with her she might get bored and leave.
âIt is really beautiful here at night. So different to the day. The stars are so, so, there, just hanging there as if you could pluck them up and put them in your pocket, and itâs so quiet, no traffic noises.â
Next thing sheâd be trying to tell him she understood why he lived here. It was all persuasion with her, the coffee, the breakfasts, the oranges. But worse, worse was the conversation, the sense of her mind turning over, trying to understand. Thatâs what he hated most of all.
âDonât bring things to me. I donât want your gifts, your bribery.â
âOkay. Sorry.â
What, that was it? No argument? âIâll return anything you bring me. I donât want your help.â
âOkay. I get it. I took the oranges to Cooper Park like you suggested today.â
He shook his head and stuffed the loose pages under one of the metal legs of the outdoor setting, he folded up the torn tarp and weighted it down as well. And then there was nothing left to do.
âFoley, go home.â She had his hoodie on. It hung off her shoulders and over her hands.
She rolled back the sleeves. âWe need to talk, Drum.â
No, thatâs not what he needed. More of her words, more of her world poured in his ear. Heâd given that away and she made him remember too much, phone apps and coffee shop coffee, women with shiny hair and glossy ways. He stood behind her so he wasnât tempted to look at her face. It was 2am, this was ridiculous.
âThereâs going to be a big event. The worldâs biggest outdoor sculpture exhibition. Thereâll be sculpture placed all along the coastal walkway and in Marks Park above us here. More than a hundred different works. Thousands of people are going to be walking all around here for two weeks. Families, little kids, tourists. Lots of media and cameras. Itâs too risky for you to be here when thatâs happening.â
âThat has nothing to do with me.â
âWith so many extra people around, it will be hard for you to come and go without being seen. And the more people who see you, the more at risk you are of being attacked or having your stuff stolen or smashed again.â
âI donât care about that. I can protect myself.â
âBut you canât protect other people.â
Heâd tried, heâd tried his hardest once heâd understood the damage heâd done, but it was true, he couldnât protect people. He only pretended he could, like with the family on the beach, like with Jonesy, Robbo and the kid.
âWhat if someone came down here and fell, Drum? What if it was kids? I know you wouldnât like that.â
All he could do was hurt people. âIâll go.â
She stood up so quickly he staggered back. Her hand came out and wrapped around his forearm. âThank you.â
He pulled away. âDonât touch me.â
Both of her hands came up, flattened, surrendering. âIâm sorry.â
He backed away from her. âYouâve got what you want, now go.â
âWill you sleep, what will you do?â
He shook his head. He didnât want to talk to her anymore.
âDrum, where will you go?â
âWhen does it start?â
She gave him the dates. Five days time for two weeks absence.
âThen thatâs when Iâll go, right
Jody Pardo, Jennifer Tocheny