Girl Next Door - Alyssa Brugman [28]
So where has Mum been going in the mornings? Does she get Declan's dad to drop her off and then just sit in the park all day?
We still have no power. I leave the room and come back later, and she's still there, but the room is darker. It's like time-lapse photography.
I squat next to her and take her hand. Her face is puffy and pink. She's tucked a tissue under her cheek to catch the tears. That's how tired Mum is. She can't even be bothered lifting her hand to wipe her face.
'Mum, why don't we just sell the house?'
I've suggested it a hundred times since Dad left. It makes sense to me and I don't understand why she won't do it. Every time I say it she turns away, as though I haven't said anything at all.
'We can rent. Make a fresh start.'
Mum smiles at me, and then her face scrunches up. She lets go of my hand and rolls over so she is facing the back of the couch, like Andy Capp. Will is standing in the doorway. We trade a glance and he beckons me over. I follow him to the backyard. Annie from the granny flat is folding washing from the line, so we head into the alleyway.
'We can't sell the house,' he whispers.
'Why not?'
'Because Mum and Dad bought it when the market peaked. Now it's in a trough. The house isn't worth what they owe on it, so even if they do sell it and give all that money to the bank they will still owe more money. Lots more.' He shakes his head. 'If we sell the house they will still have to pay for the mortgage, as well as pay rent wherever we live. And before you're allowed to move into a rental property you have to come up with a bond, and rent in advance. You have to get the phone and electricity connected. We don't have money to do that. Also, they'll do a credit check before they even give us a house to rent. We have bad credit. They won't give us a house to rent. Even people who have good credit can't find houses to rent.'
'So what do we do?' I ask.
Will shrugs. 'Hope they don't kick us out of here.'
'But what if they do? I mean, we were sent that letter. They said we had thirty days, and that was, like, two weeks ago!'
'We'll have to go to a shelter or something.' Will is still whispering.
'A shelter?' I repeat. 'Like homeless people?'
Will frowns as though I'm stupid. 'Yes, exactly like homeless people. We will be homeless people, Jenna-Belle.'
'How can they make us go? They can't pick us up and carry us out the door, can they? They'd have to let us go once we were outside and then we could run back inside again. Maybe we could build a fort or something?'
Will stares at me and then he walks away.
'What?' I say.
Will keeps walking.
'Hey, Will?' I call out.
He turns.
'Where's Dad?' I ask him.
His face flushes. 'Well, that's a good bloody question, isn't it?' he mumbles.
I head up to Declan's room and sit for a while watching him being diabetic. He is sighing and grumbling. He hasn't gone back to school yet so we've been watching DVDs and playing Skip-bo.
His mother came in the other day and asked why I wasn't at school. I wasn't sure what to say, and then Declan blurted, 'Bird lice. Finsbury is completely infested with them.'
'Isn't that convenient timing,' she commented. Then she attempted to flounce down the hallway, but of course a flounce needs to be accompanied by a bigger statement – something like my shandy saved your life – otherwise it's just a jig.
I'm shuffling the cards.
'I'm glad you're not going to the track any more,' Declan says primly. 'I think that man was a bad influence on you.'
'Bryce Cole is a bad influence?' I say. 'You're the one who makes me drink beer and let you grope me!'
He snorts. 'That was not a grope, and it was outside clothes. Besides, you know I can't have beer ever again, even