I smile. ‘Yeah, that was fun, that week.’
‘Not just fun,’ Sabrina says. ‘I remember you standing up for me when Tamara called me a square. You were this other person in our year who wasn’t ashamed to be intelligent. I found that attractive. Being around you made me feel better about myself.’ She pauses. ‘I think I was clinging to you after Shane broke up with me, for the same reason. Did you realise I haven’t dated since him?’
‘I did, yeah.’
She turns her face away, embarrassed. ‘It was nice to come home to you each night,’ she says. ‘Nobody could have competed. The Perth dating pool is a cesspit of Shane clones.’
I snort. It’s nice to laugh with her again. ‘Well, somewhere there’s a guy for you,’ I offer. ‘It’s just not me. And hey, I’ve never dated since you, either,’ I admit. ‘It was comfortable for me, too. Maybe we were holding each other back. But it’s time for me to move on … and move out, you know?’
Sabrina wipes her eyes, then barrels at me, throwing her arms around me tightly. I hug her in return.
‘I’ve asked a mate to come help me pick up my stuff,’ I add, hearing the low rumble of the V8 engine drawing closer to the house. The rumble becomes a low, almost deafening throb. ‘Yeah, it’s Jack,’ I add. ‘I know he’s not your favourite.’
Sabrina tilts her head. ‘He was actually very nice to me after you swore at me,’ she admits. ‘He made sure I was okay, and his boyfriend was good to me, too.’ She moves into the kitchen and puts the kettle on. ‘I’m sorry for your loss, by the way,’ she adds. ‘Curtis. I didn’t like that bar, but it’s terribly sad, what happened to him.’
‘Thanks. That’s good of you to say.’
Jack raps at the security screen, the shadow of his Akubra visible in the porch light. ‘Someone ordered big muscles to help lift some boxes?’ he booms.
Sabrina plasters on a smile and opens the door for him. ‘Hello, Jack,’ she says. ‘I’ve got the kettle on – can I make you a cuppa?’
Jack stifles a burp but it still escapes; I can smell the bourbon from where I am.
‘Aw, nah, reckon that’d mix pretty badly with me fight juice, ay!’ he booms.
‘Double coat Tim Tam?’ Sabrina offers, sliding the wrapper off a tray of the biscuits.
‘Now you’re talking,’ Jack says, plucking a Tim Tam out of the tray. ‘Cheers, Sabrina.’ He spots me and winks. ‘G’day, Fudgy, wanna show me where the heavy shit is?’
Jack and I get to work unpacking my room while Sabrina and Victoria eat their takeaway Chinese in the living room. Sabrina obviously communicates our truce to Victoria, because the first time I pass Victoria carrying containers, she scowls, and the second time, she beams and offers me noodles.
It only takes an hour for me and Jack to clear out my room. We load most of it into the tray of Jack’s ute, Phantom: he’s storing it for me in his spare room until I find my own rental.
When we’re done, Jack pulls the soft tonneau cover over my plastic containers of clothes, books and life debris, and lights a smoke. ‘You know the way to my place, yeah?’
‘Right behind you, bro,’ I tell him.
I head back inside and take one last look at my empty jail cell room. It felt like a safe place when the door was locked, but now I wonder if I was only ever hiding here.
I take my key off my keychain and place it on the kitchen bench with a muted click.
Sabrina and Victoria pause their episode and glance up.
‘Aw, Will is moving out of Grace’s life,’ Victoria says wistfully. ‘It’s sad when it finally happens, isn’t it? End of a little era.’
She stands up and presses herself lightly against me in a lukewarm hug, which is the nicest Victoria has ever been to me.
I smirk. ‘Take care, Karen,’ I say. ‘In a weird way, I’ll miss you.’
Victoria pokes her tongue at me and pours another glass of Bollinger.
‘You take care too, Grace,’ I say to Sabrina. ‘Thanks for the good times. Thanks for the bad ones too.’
Sabrina gets up off her chair and offers me a hug. ‘I feel like a lot of dust has to settle,’ she says. ‘But when it has, one day, let’s get lunch or something, okay?’
‘Good call, cos I need some space to myself for a while,’ I tell her. ‘But yeah, one day, let’s catch up.’
Sabrina nods. ‘I’d like that.’
