Girl Next Door - Alyssa Brugman [27]
They're taking our microwave hostage. I'm glad they didn't think to take me, but still. 'Hey! What are you doing?' I shout. 'You can't take that! That's not Bryce Cole's anyway, it's ours! It's my mum's!'
Frogman sets the broken wood on the bench. He brushes the splintered bits of cupboard front off his hands. 'Runs on batteries, does it?' he sneers.
'Your elbows are gross! Haven't you ever heard of moisturiser?' I yell back at him.
'Haven't you heard of dermatitis?' he answers.
They traipse out the door. I follow.
'Hey!' I'm on the lawn, cupping my hands around my mouth. 'Help! Stealers! These guys are kidnapping our microwave!'
The men ignore me, discussing which is the best way to set the microwave on the back seat so it won't slip. 'Move that seat forward would you, Davo?'
'Help! Help!' I'm jumping, but no one even cares.
They get in the car and drive away. The plug from the microwave hangs out the bottom of the back door and drags along the road.
I go back inside and lie on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I remember Mum is in the hospital and I'm numb. There's nothing I can do. Chairman Meow stands on my chest, staring into my face. He's hungry, but we don't have anything for him to eat. I lie there trying not to think about anything. It's twilight. I see headlights arc across my bedroom wall as a car pulls into the driveway. I open the window and lean out. It's Bryce Cole.
'Where have you been?' I call down at him.
'Why is that any of your business?' he asks, slamming his car door.
'Because your mate Davo stole our microwave, and you better get it back!'
He slips the keys in his pocket. 'I'd better get it back, or what?'
'Or you can just move out! Mofo!'
'You listen here,' he says, narrowing his eyes and pointing at me. 'The reason Davo took your microwave is that I gave his money to your mother to pay your bills. And I was trying to make more money, but you got bored. You were tired. You wanted to go home. Remember? I told you not to open the door. If anyone lost your microwave it was you! You're the mofo!'
'Me?' I bluster. 'As if! And . . .' I'm searching. 'Betting is not a proper job!'
'Oh yeah? What money are you making?' he shouts back. 'Why don't you have a job?'
'Because . . .' Actually, I'm not sure. It used to be because I was concentrating on my studies. Well, when I was going to school anyway, but Sapph managed to do both. 'I'm not old enough!' I shout louder.
'Exactly!' he yells. 'So shut up, and stop telling me what to do!'
He presses his lips into a thin line.
'I don't have to put up with this rubbish,' I hear him mutter. He gets back in the car and reverses. He whips the car around and drives down the road with the tyres squealing.
I take off Dad's shirt and stuff it back in my cupboard. I lie down on my bed. Chairman Meow nags at me from the doorway. I put my arm around Albert Bear, my pillow over my head and start to cry stupid tears of frustration, because that's not what Bryce Cole was supposed to do. He was supposed to turn on the electricity, bring us some groceries and get a new microwave and maybe a telly too. He was supposed to fix it.
Somebody has to fix it.
12
A GOOD
QUESTION
Declan's dad brought Mum home from the hospital when he collected Declan. There was this awkward moment where he moved towards her to help her lie on the lounge, but she misread it and thought he was leaning in to hug her. She clutched at his neck, weeping, and over her shoulder I saw a look cross his face, as if he'd walked through a cobweb and was waiting for the spider to run over his cheek.
Now Mum's on the lounge staring at where the television used to be. Sometimes she gets up, gingerly, but most of the time she lies there with tears leaking out of her eyes.
I thought I was doing Mum a favour by going next door to call up her work and tell them she wouldn't be in. Her boss said that he didn't know she was pregnant.