Stay Well Soon (10 page)

8

Mustering

Rhys is coming home next week so Mum says I have to help clean up his room today. What a way to spend a Sunday.

Mum takes the sheets off Rhys's bed and puts all the dirty tissues in the bin. I vacuum. There are spider webs in the window and a big black spider crouching in the corner. I suck up the webs and the spider goes up too. I don't like the idea of the spider going past my hands in the vacuum cleaner tube. I wonder if it is still alive. Maybe it will live in the dusty bag, spinning webs and thinking of revenge.

Mum puts a new doona cover on. It is the one with the motorbikes on it. It matches his savings jar.

When Mum and I finish we have a Wagon Wheel each.

I tell Mum about how many marbles we got in the jar at school. She is really happy for us.

But there is something that I can't stop thinking about. ‘Mum,' I say.

‘Yes, Stevie?'

‘You know Rhys's savings jar?'

‘Yes,' she says.

‘Nothing.'

Morgan and I practise for
SingStar
day at recess on Monday. Morgan printed out the words from Beyoncé
's song ‘Halo'. Morgan likes it because she thinks the song is about loving someone who is dead, and Morgan loves thinking about dead people.

Morgan asks me what I did on the weekend. I tell her nothing, which is pretty much true. She looks at me like she doesn't believe me but at least she doesn't shout again.

I am lying in bed but I can't sleep. Angel is in my bed and is snoring her head off but I can still hear Rhys being sick in the bathroom.

He came home from the hospital today. Mum made him a special tea, mini-pies and wedges, but he couldn't eat any. I got to have five pies to myself. Rhys still doesn't have to go to school but he is meant to do an hour of homework every day. He will never learn anything in that time. Maybe he will be held back like Brendan James. I do not want someone from my family to be held back because people can be mean about it, even though Brendan is really good at other things, like making cars out of matchsticks.

When we picked Rhys up from the hospital after school, I wanted to visit Lara but Mum said I wasn't allowed because I had to help her pack up Rhys's things, even though there was hardly anything to do.

Dad Ben called after we arrived home. Rhys was too sick to talk to him so I talked to Dad Ben for a whole hour. He told me about a muster he went on. It sounds like one of my dream jobs. Maybe when I'm on holidays from being a vet and a horse breeder and a chemist I will go mustering. At night I will sleep under the stars next to Atta Girl, who will let me know if the campfire is going out.

One bad thing about having Rhys at home is that we all have to wash our hands all the time. You have to wash your hands before you eat anything, even just an apple. If we aren't careful then Rhys could get even more sick.

I am going to get up and do a drawing like I'm supposed to when I can't sleep and can't stop thinking and thinking.

9

Pure
White
Thoroughbred

Morgan and I play Royal Families at lunchtime. I am being Duchess Kate and Morgan is being the Queen. She is not being very nice to me but it is only the game. We make spiky crowns from the prickly grass. We are laughing a lot.

I suggest that we pretend to ride our royal horses. My horse is called Pippa after Duchess Kate's sister. She is a pure white thoroughbred and she is beautifully behaved. Morgan doesn't want to have a horse though, so it is just me galloping.

Brianna comes over. ‘What are you guys doing?'

‘Nothing,' I say, just as Morgan says, ‘Playing Royal Families.'

‘Can I play?' Brianna asks.

Morgan looks at me. ‘Where are April and Charlotte?'

‘At the tuckshop. They've been gone for ages.'

‘You can be Prince William,' says Morgan.

I don't want to marry Brianna, but you can't have everything you want in life.

Brianna is quite good at the game. We go hunting in Africa. Brianna wants to act out the honeymoon, but I don't want to. Brianna likes to make everything rude.

Teegan comes along and wants to play. We let her be Prince Charles. Then Rory Tickner comes over and we let him be Prince Harry. We don't usually play games with the boys, but Rory has good ideas, like going to Balmoral Castle.

Morgan is very funny as the Queen. Every time one of us has a problem, she says, ‘Shoot them all', in a very posh voice.

When I get home from school I go to say hello to Rhys in his room, but he is asleep in his bed. I don't want to wake him up, so I don't take anything from his savings jar.

He is very pale and he looks small in his bed. I try to remember what he looked like before he got sick. He used to be very strong. He could hold me down on the ground using just one hand while he put dirt in my mouth.

I don't miss going to the hospital but I wish I could talk to Lara.

*

Finally, it is Friday and
SingStar
day has arrived. At lunchtime Morgan and I stand on the bench and look through the portable window at Mr Parks setting up the PlayStation. I don't think it is going very well.

‘Maybe we should help him?' says Morgan.

We go into the portable and we hear Mr Parks say, ‘Damn!' Then he looks up and says, ‘Sorry, girls, I didn't know you were there.' He has gone bright red.

‘Do you need any help?' asks Morgan.

‘Well, do you know how to set this up?' he asks.

Morgan looks at me and rolls her eyes. ‘Yes,' she says.

We set up the PlayStation for Mr Parks. Morgan whispers to me that he must be stupid, but that is not true, Mr Parks is good at other things.

I can't believe today is
SingStar
day. In many ways, I'm not ready. We practised a bit at the start of the week, but since we started playing Royal Families we haven't had much time. We have been playing every lunchtime and recess. Kaylee has started playing too. She is Camilla Parker Bowles. She doesn't get a crown but she says she doesn't care. Yesterday we even got Mr Parks to be Prince Philip. Morgan was happy because she got to be married to him. I said that to Rory and he said, ‘I think you're thinking of yourself.'

The bell rings and the rest of the class come back in. We have to divide ourselves into teams. Morgan and I are going together, of course, but we need two other people on our team. The only people left are Rory and Brendan, boys. At first I want to make a complaint that it's not fair that we have to go with boys, but Morgan says not to be so immature and Rory is the best singer in the class.

We decide to call our team, ‘Team GB', to stand for Team Girls and Boys, because all the rest of the teams are all boys or all girls, and also Morgan really likes England.

First of all April, Charlotte, Brianna and Julia sing against our team.

April is a really bad singer. I don't even know why she wanted to have a
SingStar
day because she can't do it, even though she can practise at home.

Julian boos April and Mr Parks says Julian won't get a turn if he continues to behave that way. Julian says he doesn't want a turn because
SingStar
is –

Mr Parks says that's enough and Julian has to go to Time-Out.

Imagine wasting the class treat day by getting sent to Time-Out!

First on our team is Brendan, who is also a bad singer but he makes it funny because he knows he is bad at it and he pretends to take it seriously. The whole class is laughing and laughing.

Charlotte sings next and she is okay, but only okay, I'm afraid. When I sing, I am not the best, but I am also not the worst. Morgan sings and she is the best girl so far. Our team beats April's team easily.

Then we sing against the four other teams in the class and we beat them all. It is mainly because of Morgan and Rory. At the end, Brendan gives us all high-fives and says, ‘Go Team GB!' Rory looks like he is going to cry he is so happy and Morgan and I can't stop grinning. It's not just winning that made it fun; it is great being part of a team.

It is the best day at school ever. Although, maybe the day we got the thirty marbles in the jar was even better, because we still had the treat to look forward to. Dad Ben says that Christmas Eve is his favourite day, because it is even more fun to look forward to the presents and the food than to have them. He may have a point.

After school Mum takes me to the hospital to talk to Sandra. Mum's friend, Brenda, is looking after Rhys at home.

While I wait for her, I do a drawing of
SingStar
day.

Sandra wants to talk about the pictures I've been doing. She asks me all about who I've drawn and my feelings. She isn't like Lara – she's not interested in talking about drawing techniques or shading or anything – so I don't learn anything new.

She asks me why I draw the people so small.

‘So I don't waste the pencils,' I say.

She asks me if I ever feel shy at home or at school.

I tell her I don't know.

Sandra says maybe I could start writing about how I feel underneath the pictures since it seems challenging for me to talk about it.

10

And More

It is school assembly on Monday. Mrs Anselma announces that Robbie Lardner has won the Certificate of Recognition for Leadership for assisting a preppie who fell over and broke his arm. Robbie helped the preppie to the staffroom and bought him a Golden Gaytime to distract him. Robbie is really nice. I remember when I won my certificate but that is old news now.

Robbie goes up to the front and Mrs Anselma hands him the certificate. Robbie looks a bit embarrassed, but I think he should be proud of himself.

After assembly we all have to practise bush dancing. We are allowed to pair up girls with girls and boys with boys. I dance with Morgan. She doesn't know the moves very well because they didn't do the heel-and-toe polka at her old school in Wagga Wagga.

At recess I don't want to play Royal Families. We've all been shot and come back to life so many times that it is getting silly.

I guess nothing lasts forever.

I get out my book and read while the others keep playing. The book is very good. It is called,
Horses, Ponies and More!
It is a non-fiction book about horses, ponies, donkeys et cetera.

At the end of the day Mr Parks gives us a note to take home about Grandparents and Friends Day, which will be in two weeks. We are all supposed to invite a Grandparent or Friend. I've never met my grandparents. They live in Horsham. Mum told us they were dead but then they sent us a Christmas card. Mum said when she said dead, she meant better off dead.

Also, Nana Dad Ben can't come because she is in Broome at the moment, living in a caravan. Sometimes she sends me a postcard.

On the way out of the classroom I hear April say she is going to invite all four of her grandparents, which seems greedy.

I ask Morgan who she is bringing. She is going to ask her nan and pop. They are both lawyers. I have never seen a lawyer except on television.

*

We have to go back to the hospital after school because Rhys has an appointment. We are in a different part of the hospital than usual. Mum tells me to stay in the waiting room while they see the doctor.

I have my drawing journal so I draw a page of different kinds of horses. I'm supposed to write about my feelings too, so I try to do that.

Now I've finished my drawing I having nothing to do. Mum told me she might be an hour. I stand up and walk over to the lifts. If Mum comes back while I'm gone I will say I just went to the toilet. She can't stop me going to the toilet, it is against the Geneva Convention.

I take the lift to Lara's floor and walk along the corridor to the nurses' desk. I ask if it's okay for me to visit Lara and she goes to check and then tells me that Lara wants to see me.

Lara is lying in bed.

‘Hello,' I say.

‘Hi, Stevie. Long time, no see. How are you?'

‘I'm fine.'

‘Where have you been hiding?'

‘Well, Rhys is home now, so I don't come to the hospital as much anymore.' Then I ask, ‘How are you?'

‘Good,' she says. ‘Guess what?'

I can't guess. ‘What?'

‘I'm going out on the weekend.'

‘That's good!' Lara must be feeling better even though she looks a bit grey.

‘I'm going to visit my horse, Finnigan.'

‘That is so good!'

‘Hey, Stevie?' says Lara.

‘Yes?'

‘Do you want to come?'

‘Can I?'

‘Yeah, sure you can. Can you get here at ten on Saturday morning?'

I nod. For something as good as this I will make it happen.

‘You have to be here by ten otherwise the whole plan won't work.'

‘I'll be here. I promise. It's going to be so great.'

‘Just one thing – don't tell your mum we're going to visit Finnigan. I don't want any adults to know.'

‘Why?'

‘They wouldn't understand.'

‘But won't we get in trouble?'

‘To be honest, we might. But life's too short.'

‘I'm not sure . . .'

‘If you don't want to, you don't have to. I understand.'

I don't want Lara to think I'm a wimp. ‘No, I want to.'

This won't be easy, but it will be worth it because I will get to meet a proper horse, up close. But it's not all about me. I am also pleased that Lara will get to see Finnigan again. I can't imagine what it must be like to be separated from your own horse.

*

In the car on the way home I tell Mum that Morgan is having her birthday at the McDonald's near the hospital on Saturday.

‘Can you drive me?' I ask.

‘Jeez, Stevie,' says Mum. ‘What's wrong with the Macca's in Frankston?'

‘Morgan likes going into the city because she doesn't get to very often.'

‘Can't Morgan's parents take you?'

‘No. They have a full car because Morgan's cousins are coming too.'

‘As if we don't spend enough time driving in and out of the city.'

‘Yeah, but only because of Rhys. We're always going to the hospital for Rhys. Why can't we just once go to the McDonald's for me?'

Mum thinks about it for a while. I don't say anything else. In my experience, if you try to pressure her, she is more likely to say no.

Mum says, ‘Well, I guess I could drop you off and then I could visit Helen. I'll think about it. But I'm not promising.'

Not promising is a good sign.