Spence was on his hands and knees, sweat running down the back of his neck as he used a garden trowel to dig the stubborn weeds from between the flagstones. It was fiddly and uncomfortable work, and his back was already aching from the strain of being bent over. Jack was on the way back across the yard after emptying the wheelbarrow.
“Spence!” Jenny called from the back door, causing him to look up. “Your phone’s ringing again.”
He squinted in the bright light to see her step off the back verandah, the phone held high in her hand.
“It’s okay, Jenny,” he called. “Thanks anyway, but I’ll let it go to voicemail.”
She continued towards him in a little jog, the iPhone held out, giving him no option but to take it.Fuck!He quickly pulled off a glove and took the offending phone, shoving it as deep into the pocket of his cargo shorts as it would go. “Thanks, Jenny. I’ll check it later.”
She gave him a look as if she was going to say something but then changed her mind, nodded curtly, and turned to go.Thank God.Spence’s relief was short-lived. At the last minute, she changed her mind again and turned back, obviously deciding whatever she had to say needed to be said after all.
“I don’t know what’s going on, Spence, but you’ll need to face it eventually. Sometimes, tackling a problem head-on is the best way to move forward.”
Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and headed back to the house.
Spence focused back on the chores, leaving the path half-weeded to help Jack move a mountain of old bricks from their current home in a pile next to the fence to a much better position against the back of the old shed. It was hard work, and he was exhausted by the end of each day but relished the bone-deep tiredness, a tiredness he knew would cause him to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and not wake up until morning.
He took a bottle of water from the Esky that had been left in the shade of the old shed and wandered over to the fence to stare at the horizon. The weather continued to be perfect, in direct contrast with his mood. The ever-present seagulls were high overhead, the bees were hovering and buzzing in the flowering shrubs, which were prolific just over the fence—some sort of wild flower?—and he could faintly hear children screaming gleefully, the sound of the surf drowning out most of their noise.
He wanted to enjoy the moment of rest after the day’s hard work, but all he could think about was the heft of the phone in his pocket. Knowing it had a new message seemed to give it added weight.
The caller could have been anyone. It could have been work—they’d given him extended time off without pay, but maybe they were chasing up his return date? It could have been his mother. Although she usually called the house phone so she could have a chat with Jenny at the same time.
But he knew it was most likely Ben. Ben, who had never given up. Ben, who still called intermittently and still sent text messages, which up until now Spence had ignored.God, I’m an arsehole.
Ben’s attempts at contacting him had declined in frequency, but he’d not given up altogether like Spence had thought he would. Spence was working on the theory that, with him out of the picture, Ben could focus on the things that were important to him without distraction. Spence imagined Ben working hard to keep building the business, never refusing new work while still looking after his regular customers. He pictured Ben heading back to the apartment after a long day, back to Suzie, where they’d make dinner together. Or maybe they would go out to dinner or to a movie. Ben loved action movies, and there had been a new one recently released. Did Suzie like action movies?
He took the phone from his pocket and swiped at the screen. Missed call from Ben. No message left.
Determined to pull himself out of his black mood, he stuffed the phone back in his pocket and turned around, looking for Jack, who was putting the last of the tools in the shed. Spence walked toward him and took a last swallow from his water bottle, throwing the empty in the bin. “How about a movie, kid? There’s a new one I’ve been dying to see.”
* * *
Their regular casualdinners had taken on a decidedly different tone. For whatever reason, with Spence missing, things just weren’t the same. It was like a piece of the jigsaw that made them a cohesive group was gone. Ben had made pasta—quick, easy, and filling—and they were sitting around, mostly in silence, while they scraped the bottom of their bowls, enjoying the last of the creamy sauce.
Eventually, Cameron leaned back in his chair and rubbed his belly. “Bud, you are the best cook ever. You’ll make someone a damn good wife someday.”
Ben rolled his eyes at the laughter. His love for cooking was an ongoing joke. “You’re just jealous that you don’t have the opportunity to experience my awesome domestic skills more regularly.”
“Hey! You should know what side your bread is buttered.” Mel threw a piece of bread at Cameron.
Cameron ducked and held his hands up in defence. “Okay, okay. But you’ve got to admit that Ben’s pasta is pretty damn good.”
They had all eaten the spaghetti carbonara with gusto, all except Suzie, who had toyed with her fork and moved the noodles around in her bowl. Mel noticed too.
“You’re not eating, Suzie? Is everything alright?”
Suzie looked up from her bowl and gave a rueful smile. “I guess it’s time. I have something I need to tell you all.”
Thank Christ.Ben sighed with relief.
Suzie looked nervous as she chewed on her bottom lip.
Ben smiled, giving her a subtle nod. “You’ve got this, Suzie.”
She drew a deep breath and continued. “I… well, there’s no easy way to say this. I’m pregnant.”
Her admission was met with stunned silence. After a moment or two Mel finally leaned across and touched her arm. “Congratulations?”
