“Out on the coast. Living by the sea makes me happy.”
I can’t stop staring at her small, relaxed face. I have to look away so I don’t seem like a stalker. She knows I’ve been staring. A smile comes to that pretty olive-skinned complexion.
“He’s too fat for me you know,” Anna says looking back at the anxious crowd. “Don’t know why I ever went there in the first place.”
That makes me happy. I could never work her motivation out. I lean across, pull a bunch of CDs out of the glove box. Flick through. I’m looking for what makes me happy each day as a driver: that is Pearl Jam’s Vs. I ease it into the player. My right index finger keeps hitting the select button until track 8 comes up: “rearviewmirror” blasts out.
“Jesus, Dan Daniels,” screams Anna. “I love this song but not at that level.”
I flush up just that little bit. I start feeling out of place. All of the attention from Ramona, the control freak that Mr Baldwin is, the daily knock on the door from fat old Mrs ‘Pumpkin’ Belafonte. I don’t want to think about that image of Anna touching the misshapen head of the vice principal. I just want to be in my bed with Nijinsky purring away.
***
Sitting on the third step with his head in his hands Mr Baldwin is bereft of emotion. His bleary, teary eyes slopped in the palms of his hands with the occasional wipe of his big nose by his right wrist.
Mrs Belafonte creeps down the steps with a plate of pumpkin scones. Standing in front of him, the plate is offered up in the emotion of recognising an emotional situation.
Mr Baldwin looks up forlornly and brushes the plate away, The scones fall off onto the grass. Birds are quick to pick up the pieces.
Mrs Belafonte takes that misshapen head in her huge hands. In the gentlest most loving voice she whispers into his right ear, “You need some restorative love in your life right now.”
***
Ramona whips her cell phone from her top righthand pocket and starts texting.
these old people suck! come and get me bro
The reply is quicker than Mr Baldwin falling down.
no worries sis c u soon
im changing my name to romola
cool just call me romy
rightoxx
Ramona walks to the footpath. She sits on the curb stone looking up the street.
***
Anna starts rummaging through her pink handbag. She pulls out a blue cap. It has d.a.d.s embossed in green on the front. She leans close into me and places it very firmly on my head. I look in the mirror. I am not the least bit shy now.
“I got that made for you. I’m going to jump head first into this business venture you have. I’ll do the dancing. You do the driving.”
My life could not get any better than this.
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