“But I want to pee,” Bella whines.
“Go and pee, but we’ll still go home.” It’s tempting to stay for noodles, but if she does, there’ll still be the car to unload, and both of them to organise for the morning.
Bella and Cami leap out of the car and are waiting on the step before Danika arrives with the keys. She lets them in and then returns to the car where Kim waits.
“Sure about the noodles?” she asks.
“Yes. I wish we could stay, but I really can’t.”
“I understand.”
Kim pops the boot and gets out of the car to help Danika unload their things onto the porch.
They return to the car and stand facing each other.
Danika pushes her hands into her shorts’ pockets. “Thanks for a wonderful weekend, Kim. You’ve made camping converts out of me and Cami. I hope we can go again soon before it gets too cold.”
“Me too. But I hope we can catch up before then. Maybe after soccer next weekend?”
“Saturday afternoon?” Danika asks. “Maybe you and Bella would like to come here, stay for dinner?”
“It’s a plan.” She’s soft inside at the knowledge that whatever is troubling Danika hasn’t stopped her from wanting her and Bella in their lives.
“I’ll be in touch.” Danika hands over a folded fifty-dollar note. “Fuel money for the weekend.”
Kim waves it away. “You don’t have to.”
“It’s only fair. That’s two weekends now you’ve driven. Please, Kim, take it.”
There’s a strange entreaty in Danika’s eyes. “Okay then. Thanks.” She pushes the note into her pocket.
Bella arrives back at the car and climbs into the back.
“Ready?” Kim asks.
“Yeah.” Bella waves to Danika. “Bye, Danika.”
With a smile at Danika, Kim gets into the driver’s seat, puts the car in gear and pulls away from the curb.
She’s already looking forward to next weekend.
A few days later, Kim wakes in the night to find Bella standing by her bed. Her stuffed panda dangles from one hand, and that’s enough to put Kim on alert. Bella has ignored Pandy on the top shelf of her bookcase for a couple of years now. She hauls herself into a sitting position and turns on the bedside light.
“Hey, Hella-Bella. What’s up? Bad dream?”
Bella’s lower lip trembles in the dim light. “Cami says there was a funeral for Daddy. But we didn’t go.”
Kim’s stomach flip-flops. The glowing lights of the bedside clock show 2:23 am—the not-so-perfect time for a conversation like this. She throws open the doona and pats the bed. “Why don’t you come in here and we’ll talk about it.”
Bella scrambles in and settles against Kim’s side. She still clutches Pandy.
Kim wraps an arm around her. She’s never asked Danika about Chris’s funeral, and now, she’s not sure why not. There would have beensomething, of course. Chris had always told Kim he wanted his ashes scattered on Johanna Beach. Maybe Danika’s Chris had said similar. Or maybe there was a family plot, or— Her thoughts spiral and she reins them in. Right now is about Bella and what she is feeling.
“What did Cami say?” She concentrates on remaining relaxed.
“That Daddy was crem… crem…”
“Cremated?”
