Read Online Upside Down Inside Out by Monica McInerney - Free Book Online
Authors: Monica McInerney
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life?’
‘Of course you can ask.’
There was a pause.
‘Well?’
‘You expect me to answer as well?’
She just shook her head and laughed. ‘Let’s order, Joseph, will we?’
They were just finishing their coffee when Kate switched the topic of conversation.
‘You are still staying on in Australia after the conference, aren’t you? You haven’t changed your mind?’
He nodded, puzzled by her tone of voice.
‘How long will you be there, have you decided that? Or where you’ll be going, after Sydney? Have you made any plans to travel around?’
‘Are you working undercover for the Australian Tourist Board?’
She gave a soft laugh. ‘No, Joseph, that’s not why I asked.’ She paused. ‘I need to talk to you about something before you leave. Something important.’
He was immediately on edge. ‘Is it the cancer again?’
‘No, it’s not about me.’ She reached into her bag, withdrew a photograph and handed it over to him. It
was a colour print of an elderly man, smiling into the camera. Tall, tanned, with greying hair, dark eyes. ‘Do you recognise him?’ Kate asked.
Joseph looked closely. ‘It’s Lewis?’
She nodded.
Joseph thought of the other photos he’d seen of his father. They’d all been taken more than thirty years before, when Kate and Lewis looked like cast members from the hippy musical Hair. Joseph himself had looked more like a little Josephine, with a shock of curly dark hair. ‘This looks very recent.’
‘It’s just a few months old.’
‘A few months? Where did you get it from?’
‘Lewis sent it to me.’
‘He sent it to you?’ He couldn’t stop echoing her.
A pause. ‘We’re in touch with one another again.’
cm:
I had heard that his father wanted nothing to do with either him or Kate. After they’d divorced he’d moved to Australia, started a new life. Married again. ‘Since when, Kate?’
‘Since about twelve months ago.’
Since about when she was diagnosed with cancer. Joseph watched her, waiting for more.
‘When I thought that… well, you know what I thought might happen, I realised there were a lot of things in my life I needed to sort out. Lewis especially. So I wrote to him. He wrote back. There were a few letters, then we spoke on the phone. We’ve been ringing each other regularly for the past few months.’ She stopped there.
Joseph glanced at the photo again. ‘And how is he? Where is he? Is he still in Western Australia?’
‘No. He moved from there three years ago. He lives in South Australia now. In a wine-growing area. He lives out in the countryside, with a few vines himself. And some olive trees.’
‘And his new wife?’
‘That marriage ended. Quite a few years ago.’
‘So he’s a farmer now? Growing grapes?’
She shook her head. ‘No, he’s still an artist. He makes tables now, by hand. From wood.’ Kate took a breath. ‘Joseph, I told Lewis you’re going to Australia. He would very much like to see you. To meet you.’
‘He’s remembered he has a son? After all these years?’
‘It was never as simple as that.’
‘Wasn’t it? I thought it was exactly that simple.’
‘I wish it had been. If I could have changed any of it, I would have.’
‘Changed what? Stayed together, do you mean?’ She shook her head, looking deeply sad. ‘No, we couldn’t have done that, I’m sure of that. But perhaps this is a second chance. A chance for you to get to know him.’
‘A second chance?’ Joseph gave a hollow laugh. ‘I’m thirty-four, Kate. It’s a bit late for us to bond, isn’t it? Though we could kick a ball together, I suppose. Or go bike-riding. You know, the normal father-son activities. That would be a nice sight, wouldn’t it? Two grown men ‘ ‘Joseph ‘
‘No, it’s a bit late for that too, isn’t it? There really isn’t any point meeting him.’
‘I think there is a point, I think it’s very important.’ He shook his head. ‘After all these years? I don’t
‘Of course you can ask.’
There was a pause.
‘Well?’
‘You expect me to answer as well?’
She just shook her head and laughed. ‘Let’s order, Joseph, will we?’
They were just finishing their coffee when Kate switched the topic of conversation.
‘You are still staying on in Australia after the conference, aren’t you? You haven’t changed your mind?’
He nodded, puzzled by her tone of voice.
‘How long will you be there, have you decided that? Or where you’ll be going, after Sydney? Have you made any plans to travel around?’
‘Are you working undercover for the Australian Tourist Board?’
She gave a soft laugh. ‘No, Joseph, that’s not why I asked.’ She paused. ‘I need to talk to you about something before you leave. Something important.’
He was immediately on edge. ‘Is it the cancer again?’
‘No, it’s not about me.’ She reached into her bag, withdrew a photograph and handed it over to him. It
was a colour print of an elderly man, smiling into the camera. Tall, tanned, with greying hair, dark eyes. ‘Do you recognise him?’ Kate asked.
Joseph looked closely. ‘It’s Lewis?’
She nodded.
Joseph thought of the other photos he’d seen of his father. They’d all been taken more than thirty years before, when Kate and Lewis looked like cast members from the hippy musical Hair. Joseph himself had looked more like a little Josephine, with a shock of curly dark hair. ‘This looks very recent.’
‘It’s just a few months old.’
‘A few months? Where did you get it from?’
‘Lewis sent it to me.’
‘He sent it to you?’ He couldn’t stop echoing her.
A pause. ‘We’re in touch with one another again.’
cm:
I had heard that his father wanted nothing to do with either him or Kate. After they’d divorced he’d moved to Australia, started a new life. Married again. ‘Since when, Kate?’
‘Since about twelve months ago.’
Since about when she was diagnosed with cancer. Joseph watched her, waiting for more.
‘When I thought that… well, you know what I thought might happen, I realised there were a lot of things in my life I needed to sort out. Lewis especially. So I wrote to him. He wrote back. There were a few letters, then we spoke on the phone. We’ve been ringing each other regularly for the past few months.’ She stopped there.
Joseph glanced at the photo again. ‘And how is he? Where is he? Is he still in Western Australia?’
‘No. He moved from there three years ago. He lives in South Australia now. In a wine-growing area. He lives out in the countryside, with a few vines himself. And some olive trees.’
‘And his new wife?’
‘That marriage ended. Quite a few years ago.’
‘So he’s a farmer now? Growing grapes?’
She shook her head. ‘No, he’s still an artist. He makes tables now, by hand. From wood.’ Kate took a breath. ‘Joseph, I told Lewis you’re going to Australia. He would very much like to see you. To meet you.’
‘He’s remembered he has a son? After all these years?’
‘It was never as simple as that.’
‘Wasn’t it? I thought it was exactly that simple.’
‘I wish it had been. If I could have changed any of it, I would have.’
‘Changed what? Stayed together, do you mean?’ She shook her head, looking deeply sad. ‘No, we couldn’t have done that, I’m sure of that. But perhaps this is a second chance. A chance for you to get to know him.’
‘A second chance?’ Joseph gave a hollow laugh. ‘I’m thirty-four, Kate. It’s a bit late for us to bond, isn’t it? Though we could kick a ball together, I suppose. Or go bike-riding. You know, the normal father-son activities. That would be a nice sight, wouldn’t it? Two grown men ‘ ‘Joseph ‘
‘No, it’s a bit late for that too, isn’t it? There really isn’t any point meeting him.’
‘I think there is a point, I think it’s very important.’ He shook his head. ‘After all these years? I don’t
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