don’t you,’ I whisper loudly. ‘Does everybody know I’m getting a car except for me?’
Ben glances at me in shock and then stifles a laugh.
‘Whoops,’ I say under my breath as Dave looks up at us.
‘Who told you?’ Ben persists.
‘Josh. But keep that quiet.’
‘That dimwit,’ he mutters, then speaks to Dave, who’s making a note on the record-sheet. ‘Her mum’s hooked up with Michael Fredrickson. She’s living in the same house as Josh.’
‘Sheesh.’ Dave does a sharp intake of breath and bends down to zip up his black veterinary bag.
Will somebody please change the record?
I don’t consider myself to be a particularly good actress, but I think I do a fine job the next morning of pretending to be surprised when Michael whooshes open the door to reveal a faded green Ford Fiesta sitting on the road in front of the house. My excitement, however, doesn’t have to be faked.
‘THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!’ I scream at the top of my voice, running down the veranda steps and onto the path. I barely register the sharp stones digging into the soles of my bare feet as I race towards the car and tug on the door handle.
‘WHEREARETHEKEYSWHEREARETHEKEYSWHERE-ARETHEKEYS?’
‘Here, here.’ Josh grins as he lopes down the path with a set of car keys dangling from a keyring. My mum and Michael beam at my reaction as they follow him. I hastily unlock the door and climb into the driver’s seat, sticking the keys into the ignition.
‘EEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ I squeal. ‘ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT!’
‘Do you think she likes it?’ Michael says to Mum and Josh.
‘I think she does,’ Mum replies, smiling.
‘Who’s going to take me for a test drive?’ I ask Michael hopefully.
‘Whoa,’ he says, leaning in and swiftly extracting the keys. ‘Not until you pass your theory test.’
‘Oh,’ I moan. ‘What time do they open?’
Mum drives me into the city to take my test. It’s easy. It’s multiple choice, so even if I hadn’t revised my bum off I would have stood a good chance of passing. Mum makes a snide comment about why I can’t apply myself to my education in the same fashion, and I make one back about it being hard when your mother has dragged you from school to school all your life in pursuit of men. That shuts her up. But I don’t want to have a go at my mum today. I have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach that maybe, just maybe, it’s going to be okay living in Australia.
Chapter 5
‘Fuck me, you’ve stalled again !’
‘Piss off!’
‘Hurry up, would you. This is embarrassing.’
‘You are such a dickhead!’
Josh is teaching me how to drive. I know, I’m clearly not right in the head. Michael has been letting me get behind the wheel on the way to work over the last week and a half, but it’s Saturday now and he’s taken Mum on a weekend break to a town called Clare in the Barossa Valley to tour the wineries. I stupidly begged Josh to pick up where his dad had left off.
I wind down the window, but the hot air outside makes me feel like I’m in the direct airflow of a giant hairdryer so I put it back up again. Thankfully the car has air-conditioning, even if it’s not very powerful. I flip down the sun visor and instantly flinch as I remember Michael’s story about giant spiders hiding behind them. All clear.
Someone toots their horn behind me.
‘Yep, I know how you feel, mate!’ Josh calls out.
‘Stop winding me up!’ I snap, feeling the bite of the accelerator against the clutch. The car lurches forward and we fly through the traffic-lights.
‘Whoa! Who do you think you are?’ Josh says snidely. ‘Michael Schumacher?’
I’m so angry by the time we get home that I refuse to speak to him for the rest of the day. He finally comes to make amends.
‘Do you want to come to Stirling tonight?’ he asks, after finding me sulking in front of the telly at seven o’clock.
‘Not with you,’ is my blunt response.
‘Oh, don’t be mad.’
I glare at
Ben glances at me in shock and then stifles a laugh.
‘Whoops,’ I say under my breath as Dave looks up at us.
‘Who told you?’ Ben persists.
‘Josh. But keep that quiet.’
‘That dimwit,’ he mutters, then speaks to Dave, who’s making a note on the record-sheet. ‘Her mum’s hooked up with Michael Fredrickson. She’s living in the same house as Josh.’
‘Sheesh.’ Dave does a sharp intake of breath and bends down to zip up his black veterinary bag.
Will somebody please change the record?
I don’t consider myself to be a particularly good actress, but I think I do a fine job the next morning of pretending to be surprised when Michael whooshes open the door to reveal a faded green Ford Fiesta sitting on the road in front of the house. My excitement, however, doesn’t have to be faked.
‘THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!’ I scream at the top of my voice, running down the veranda steps and onto the path. I barely register the sharp stones digging into the soles of my bare feet as I race towards the car and tug on the door handle.
‘WHEREARETHEKEYSWHEREARETHEKEYSWHERE-ARETHEKEYS?’
‘Here, here.’ Josh grins as he lopes down the path with a set of car keys dangling from a keyring. My mum and Michael beam at my reaction as they follow him. I hastily unlock the door and climb into the driver’s seat, sticking the keys into the ignition.
‘EEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ I squeal. ‘ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT!’
‘Do you think she likes it?’ Michael says to Mum and Josh.
‘I think she does,’ Mum replies, smiling.
‘Who’s going to take me for a test drive?’ I ask Michael hopefully.
‘Whoa,’ he says, leaning in and swiftly extracting the keys. ‘Not until you pass your theory test.’
‘Oh,’ I moan. ‘What time do they open?’
Mum drives me into the city to take my test. It’s easy. It’s multiple choice, so even if I hadn’t revised my bum off I would have stood a good chance of passing. Mum makes a snide comment about why I can’t apply myself to my education in the same fashion, and I make one back about it being hard when your mother has dragged you from school to school all your life in pursuit of men. That shuts her up. But I don’t want to have a go at my mum today. I have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach that maybe, just maybe, it’s going to be okay living in Australia.
Chapter 5
‘Fuck me, you’ve stalled again !’
‘Piss off!’
‘Hurry up, would you. This is embarrassing.’
‘You are such a dickhead!’
Josh is teaching me how to drive. I know, I’m clearly not right in the head. Michael has been letting me get behind the wheel on the way to work over the last week and a half, but it’s Saturday now and he’s taken Mum on a weekend break to a town called Clare in the Barossa Valley to tour the wineries. I stupidly begged Josh to pick up where his dad had left off.
I wind down the window, but the hot air outside makes me feel like I’m in the direct airflow of a giant hairdryer so I put it back up again. Thankfully the car has air-conditioning, even if it’s not very powerful. I flip down the sun visor and instantly flinch as I remember Michael’s story about giant spiders hiding behind them. All clear.
Someone toots their horn behind me.
‘Yep, I know how you feel, mate!’ Josh calls out.
‘Stop winding me up!’ I snap, feeling the bite of the accelerator against the clutch. The car lurches forward and we fly through the traffic-lights.
‘Whoa! Who do you think you are?’ Josh says snidely. ‘Michael Schumacher?’
I’m so angry by the time we get home that I refuse to speak to him for the rest of the day. He finally comes to make amends.
‘Do you want to come to Stirling tonight?’ he asks, after finding me sulking in front of the telly at seven o’clock.
‘Not with you,’ is my blunt response.
‘Oh, don’t be mad.’
I glare at
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