The Spell Book Of Listen Taylor (9 page)

“Have you noticed,” Marbie said to Nathaniel, “that Listen isn't talking about school anymore?”

“I know,” he said, serving up the soup. “I've been thinking the same thing. She's always quiet, but then she has—”

“She has those sudden outbursts of talking,” agreed Marbie. “And I keep waiting for one. I've been asking her questions about school, but she—”

“Exactly. Me too. Every time I ask her a question, she says, ‘
Fine.
' The other day I asked her what they sold in the school tuckshop and she said, ‘
Fine.
'”

“Maybe she doesn't like us anymore,” Marbie said, sadly. “Maybe she's become one of those teenager people who only talk to their friends. She's got the volume on her music turned up pretty high right now, so that's a symptom, I guess.”

“Well, when your family's here for Cassie's birthday this weekend, they'll ask a lot of questions,” Nathaniel pointed out. “They won't let her get away with
fine.
”

“Remember her first week of Grade Seven, how she didn't stop talking?” Marbie said, nostalgically. “She told us about the Geography teacher who ran around the room pretending to be the monsoon wind, and about the Science teacher who said they had to dissect frogs, and Caro said she would get a note from her mum saying she didn't have to dissect frogs, and the teacher said, ‘Notes don't count!' and Caro said, ‘Notes
always
count,' and the teacher said, ‘Have you read—'”

At that moment, Listen walked in and sat at the table, saying, “Cool. Pumpkin soup.”

“Have you read
Madame Bovary
?” Marbie said smoothly. “In the original French? Oh, hi, Listen, I like the music you're playing down there.”

“No,” replied Nathaniel. “I've only seen the movie.”

“I've read
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
” offered Listen. “But I haven't seen the movie. The old one or the Johnny Depp one either.”

“You haven't seen the movies!” Marbie cried, and Nathaniel rain-danced around the table. The telephone rang, and he incorporated the answering-of-the-phone into the dance, so that his head was upside down for most of the conversation.

“Yes…yes, there's a Listen Taylor here, shall I—…Okay, sure, you're from where?…From the Kenthurst School of—Really! Uh-huh. She did? Well no, I didn't…I mean, of course! Well, I'm sorry about that. You know what? I'm going to call you back in five minutes. Okay. Can I get your number? Okay, okay, I'll call you back.”

He wrote a number on the back of the electric bill, which he swiped from under a magnet on the fridge, and then he turned his head the right way up to hang up the phone.

“Hey, Listen,” he said, sitting back at the table. “Why didn't you tell us you wanted to do Tae Kwon Do?”

“Because I don't want to do Tae Kwon Do.” Listen took a bite of her bread roll.

“Well, the guy on the phone says you joined his class, and then you phoned back ten minutes later and canceled.”

They both looked at Listen. She dipped her roll into her pumpkin soup, studying the soup to do this, and then she looked up from under her fringe, saw they were still staring, and said, “What?”

“Could it have been a different Listen Taylor?” suggested Marbie. “There would be a lot of them around.
Listen
is a very common name.”

“Okay, shut up. You should talk.
Marbie Zing.
I wanted to do Tae Kwon Do, but then I didn't want to. I changed my mind.”

“In the space of ten minutes!”

“I decided it would be too expensive. Hey, should I sand the kitchen cupboards tonight, ready to repaint?”

“Don't try and change the subject. Nathaniel, call the man back and enroll Listen in his class.”

“What do you think I'm doing?” Nathaniel was reaching for the phone.

“Oh, no, that's okay. I changed my mind. I
seriously
don't want to do Tae Kwon Do, guys. Do we have enough sandpaper?”

“Because it's too expensive!” cried Marbie. “Listen! You must do
anything
you want. You should be learning Portuguese and auto mechanics and candlemaking, and
definitely
Tae Kwon Do! Fancy learned the drums when she was your age, and she is now a more interesting person than I am! Because I don't play the drums! Money is no
object
where
interest
is concerned! Would you like to play the drums?”

“Well, but I'm not really
interested
—”

“Shush, Listen, it's ringing.”

“You don't need to be upside down this time, Nathaniel.”

“Is this the Kenthurst School of Tae Kwon Do? Yes, we just spoke.
I have a new student for you!
I know. I know! I know.”

What have I been thinking?! Forget I said a word.

Okay, it's after midnight, and I'm lying awake staring at Nathaniel, and thinking of how great he is with his daughter, and how I've never even seen the movie of
Madame Bovary,
let alone read the book.

Plus, it's not an affair. I've just been playing tennis with a stranger. He did ask me back to his place to fool around, but maybe he was talking about PlayStation?

The only reason I called it an “affair” is that I haven't told Nathaniel about the tennis. Interestingly, the only reason I have NOT told him is that it's NOT an affair.

Tomorrow, Nathaniel and Listen will spend all day helping to prepare for Cassie's party. And I know Nathaniel thinks our Family Secret is dangerous
and wrong, but he still accepts it's part of my life, and he comes along every Friday night, and he's much more punctual than I am.

He just woke up and asked if I'm okay and can I sleep? “Should we go for a swim at Bellbird?” he said, even though he has a cold and an early start.

I told him I was writing a letter to a magazine problem page, and he kissed my elbow.

I will cancel our meeting on Monday. I will never see him again.

Yours,

Temporarily Insane, but Now Recovered

Neighborhood children were playing a skipping game on the street. Occasionally, the game would pause as the sun-heated tarmac became too much for one or another of the children. A garden hose was turned onto burning soles. Then the game would continue.

Across the street, Marbie said, “Hmm,” Nathaniel took a sip of beer, and Listen shook her head and murmured, “Why no shoes?” They were sitting in a row on their front porch, waiting for their party guests.

“If this front driveway belonged to us,” said Marbie, “instead of to the whole apartment block, what would you do with it?”

“I'd put in a duck pond,” said Listen. “And gentle, grazing horses.”

“I'd build a university,” Nathaniel said. “Educate the youth around these parts. Talking about education and the youth around these parts, what's happened to Donna and the others that they prefer researching at the library to coming to our party? That just doesn't sound like the Donna I remember.”

“I know,” agreed Listen. “It's because they're all scared of the teachers at Clareville? And we got this assignment yesterday, and it's due Monday, so, actually I should be with them at the library too. But they said they'd photocopy the research for me, and I'll meet them tomorrow and collect it.”

“So it's worked out perfectly,” Marbie said.

“Exactly,” Listen nodded.

Two cars of party guests arrived, and the neighborhood children had to clear off the road.

“Look at that!” cried Grandma Zing, bustling out of the first car. “We all arrived at once!”

Grandpa Zing got out more slowly, and saluted the hosts one at a time.

“We're here!” cried Fancy, climbing out of the second car. “And we've got the birthday girl!”

The birthday girl opened the back door, twisting her mouth around to make her face casual. She stepped out and brushed down her dress.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CASSIE!” Nathaniel, Marbie, Listen, and Grandma Zing shouted, and Cassie looked up with a shining smile.

“I've got my friend Lucinda too,” she remembered, and everyone said, “Oh!” as another little girl emerged from the car.

“What's Radcliffe doing?” said Grandma Zing, squinting through the window of Fancy's car. “Why isn't he getting out? Radcliffe! What are you doing in there?”

“He's just trying to figure out the air-conditioning,” explained Fancy. “He couldn't get it to work.”

“Fancy, darling, tonight's good, between seven and ten. I've got the new code; it's in the mint leaves.”

“All right,” agreed Fancy, but her mother had already turned away, and was rapping on the driver's window with her keys, calling, “Too late, Radcliffe! You're here now!”

In the living room, everyone exclaimed about the multicolored beanbags and the table covered with treats. There were banana fritters, chocolate bananas, banana tarts, banana bread, a pavlova covered in bananas, and jugs of banana smoothies. Also, there was a large bowl of punch in which bananas and strawberries floated.

“Look at all the strawberries in the punch!” cried Grandma Zing. “Cassie, do you know, I almost forgot to bring your presents! Can you imagine?”

“Not really,” said Cassie.

“Your place is looking gorgeous,” said Fancy.

“A
garden apartment
is such a precious find!” declared Grandma Zing.

“What kind of a security system do you have?” said Radcliffe.

“Does it have a bathroom?” asked Cassie's friend Lucinda, politely.

“You got a pest inspection done, right?” said Radcliffe.

“That's not termite damage, what you're looking at there, Radcliffe,” said Grandpa Zing. “That's just regular wear and tear.”

“Haven't they done it up nicely,” said Grandma Zing. “They've put silver covers on all their electrical outlets. Isn't
that
a nice touch?”

“Nice painting job here,” said Radcliffe. “Professional or…?”

“This is not just a housewarming party,” said Cassie. “This is also a
birthday
party. As far as I recall.”

After Cassie's presents had been opened, they toured the apartment, establishing, several times, that: there were six apartments in the building; this one was on the
ground floor
; they were almost finished renovating; and Marbie had only been joking when she said they were going to tear down the outside bathroom wall and bathe alfresco. Then Cassie suggested they play pass the parcel.

They played pass the parcel, musical chairs, and pin the tail on Grandpa Zing. Cassie had painted a picture of Grandpa Zing for the purposes of this game, and Grandpa Zing was a good sport about it.

Later, they sat down, still breathless from the games, and ate banana treats.

“I'll never get out of this beanbag,” said Grandma Zing, now and then.

Nathaniel took Radcliffe and Grandpa Zing onto the roof of the apartment building, to see where the air-conditioning vents came out. Grandma Zing remembered she had a housewarming present and returned from her car with a fig tree. Marbie watered the tree, and Fancy made cocktails. She used vodka, vermouth, apple juice, and apple gratings, then she put a curl of apple peel on the edge of each glass.

“Look,” she said, carrying the glasses carefully, as their contents lapped over the edges. “I've invented an apple martini.”

Listen took Cassie and Lucinda into her bedroom so they could play Cassie's new game of Valerio Rock. You took turns composing melodies on the keyboard, sang into the microphone, and then waited while the game added beats and backup singers, so that you were, for a moment, a rock star. After that, the game became complicated, and you had to spell, mime, draw pictures, and do the hokeypokey.

“Hang on a minute,” said Cassie, and she ran into the living room, where she announced to the room, “Listen is
such
a great dancer,” before running back into the bedroom. “Keep dancing, Listen,” she ordered, “until everyone comes and sees.”

In the main bedroom, Grandma Zing admired the curtains, and then took them down so she could redo the hems.

The game of Valerio Rock ended, and Listen said, “Cassie, your nose is bleeding.”

“It'll stop in a minute,” said Cassie. “It's because it's summer.”

“She just needs a cloth,” explained Lucinda, “and I have to put a key on the back of her neck.”

Listen gave Cassie a cloth and the front door key, and left the girls to work on the bleeding nose.

In the living room, Marbie put on a Red Hot Chili Peppers album and asked Listen to teach Fancy how to dance. Listen jumped on the spot to the music, shaking her head wildly, and Fancy obediently copied.

Quietly, Grandpa Zing and Radcliffe retreated to the porch.

In the bathroom, Cassie leaned over the tub and allowed her nose to bleed. She tried to write her name but it just went:
spot…spot…spot,
each spot leaking in a different direction.

Lucinda sat on the edge of the tub, holding the key against the back of Cassie's neck, and watching the blood with interest. Every now and then, she reached to turn the taps on and wash the blood away.

Later, Grandma Zing asked Listen how she was finding Clareville Academy these days, and whether she had made any new friends.

“She likes her old friends, don't you, Listen?” Nathaniel said affectionately. “They're doing her homework for her today, so no wonder she likes them.”

Everyone congratulated Listen on having such generous friends.

“Tell us about your teachers, Listen?” Fancy said. “Tell us some funny teacher stories.”

“Well,” said Listen, slowly. “There's a Food Technology teacher who taught us how to make lamingtons. It's not a funny story, but I could make some now?” She was walking backward toward the kitchen.

“But will you need eggs?” said Marbie. “Because I used them all in the pavlova.”

“Yes,” said Listen, hesitating again. “I'll need eggs.”

Fancy looked at her watch. “Gosh,” she said. “It's eight o'clock. Let's go to the corner store and buy some eggs for Listen. Marbie?”

“Tell us about Grade Two while they're gone,” Grandma Zing said
to Cassie. “How's your teacher, darling? What do you think of your teacher?”

“I prefer Mr. Woodford to our teacher,” chatted Lucinda. “He's the other Grade Two teacher? And he's REALLY funny. I wish I was in his class instead.”

“Do you?” Grandma Zing regarded Lucinda, and then turned back to Cassie.

“I like
my
teacher,” declared Cassie. “She's nice.”

“That's my girl,” said Grandma Zing. “Come here and give me a hug.”

Cassie gave her grandmother a hug.

“We might be awhile, okay, everyone?” said Fancy, drawing a black chiffon scarf from her handbag. “Because I think we should go into Baulkham Hills for the eggs, don't you, Marbie?”

“I agree,” said Marbie.

“Be careful, eh?” said Nathaniel, reaching for a handful of peanuts.

“Over there, behind that station wagon,” Fancy pointed, and Marbie pulled over.

“Have you got it?” said Marbie.

“It's in my scarf.”

“And the new code?”

“Apparently it's in the mint leaves.” Fancy opened the back door and reached into a wicker basket. “Got it.” She fell into step alongside Marbie.

“Final check,” said Marbie, drawing out her pager and tapping in a number. They walked on side by side, until a cat gave a faint
meow
from Marbie's pocket. “That's it,” said Marbie. “You okay?”

“You bet,” said Fancy, and they separated smoothly, Fancy floating into the distance. Her earrings glinted in the moonlight.

Lucinda had fallen asleep on her beanbag when Fancy and Marbie returned.

“Here we are,” said Fancy, opening the front door.

“All right?” said Radcliffe.

“All right,” agreed Fancy.

Listen reached out for the eggs.