I swipe at my sister’s name on the screen.‘Hey.’
Abbey stands, brushing croissant flakes off her lap.‘Don’t be late for our flight next week,’ she calls out as she leaves, dramatic as always.
I lift a middle finger in her direction.She salutes me with her empty coffee cup before heading off down the street.
‘HI AUNTY J!’Gemma’s voice screams through the phone.
I pull the phone back from my ear, wincing.‘Hi, Gem.’
‘I WANNA SAY HI TOO!’another tiny voice yells, and then the unmistakable sound of a struggle – fabric rustling, feet stomping, a thump – and then Billie wailing,‘GEMMA WON’T SHARE!’
‘She says hi,’ Gemma reports, ignoring her sister, who’s currently launching a full-scale coup for the phone.
‘Yeah, I got that,’ I say, laughing.
There’s a scuffle, some muffled yelling, then Gemma’s voice coming in hot.‘MUM SAYS YOU HAVE TO VISIT MORE!’
‘Oh, does she now?’I glance up at the sky for strength.‘What else has your mum been saying?’
My niece doesn’t miss a beat.‘She says you spend too much time screwing men.’
My eyes close.I inhale.‘Interesting.’
‘I didn’t know you were a builder,’ Gemma adds.
I cough out a laugh.‘Alright.What have you been up to, huh?’
Before she can answer, Billie shrieks again – ‘GIVE IT BACK!’–
followed by what I think is a small body slamming into a couch and then a door creaking open.
‘Gem,’ I say softly.‘Where’s your mum?’
‘She’s hiding in the laundry.’
I hear the phone rustle once more and then a new voice, flat with exhaustion.‘Gemma, go to your room.’
A pause.A huff.And then –slam.The sharp punctuation of a child making a very loud point.
Issy exhales.‘Sorry.It’s been a hell of a morning.’
I stand up from the crate, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
‘Is Greg around?’
Silence.
I already know the answer before she replies.
‘No.’
I start walking, weaving through the crowd outside the café.‘What are you doing today?’
More silence.The kind that stretches too long.Like someone is trying to keep their voice from cracking.
‘Laundry and grocery shopping,’ Issy says finally, barely audible.‘That’s about it.’
‘Get the girls dressed.’
