Everyone is silent. The Bilberry’s are looking affronted. I am feeling sorrier for Billy now. I was really upset when I found the cards and the other stuff. I wanted to drown him at McGinty’s deep! But now I see he was kind of pushed into a corner. He looks really little and like he needs a cuddle.
We hear a loud sigh. ‘I’m sorry Billy. We’ve let you down’. We all turn to Mrs Bilberry in shock. She reaches across the table and holds her sons hands in her own bejewelled fingers. ‘Look at me Billy?’ She asks her son gently.
He looks at his mothers’ fleshy heavily made up face with his own; blotched and streaked with salty tears. She smiles and he smiles, and there is an understanding between them.
Jock Bilberry on the other hand was having none of it.
‘You think you can steal money from these people and blame it on us! I have never been so embarrassed. You are a child, you have no right to question how we raise you, when you have your own children you will understand the burden they are. Until then I suggest that you have a lot to make up for young man. I will have you working day and night to pay back that money. Then you will be off to boarding school as soon as possible, I’m sick of the sight of you.’ The man stands like he is about to salute or else knock over everything in the room then turns to walk out the door. I am horrified that any adult could say that to a child. I have never experienced any of my family, even vile Aunt Stacey saying they were sick of the sight of me and that I was a burden. I flipped.
‘HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO HIM! YOU APPOLOGISE RIGHT THIS INSTANT. THAT IS YOUR ONLY SON! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR FATHER SAID THAT TO YOU? IF YOUR CO-WORKERS OR YOUR WIFE SAID THAT TO YOU?! YOU LOOK AT THAT BOY AND YOU SAY SORRY BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T I’LL… I’LL REPORT YOU FOR CHILD ABUSE. MY MOTHER COULD BE RUDE, SHE COULD HAVE BILLY IN COURT FOR THIS BUT SHE IS TRYING TO HELP YOU, TO HELP HIM! SIT DOWN AND SHUT YOUR UGLY HAUGHTY FACE AND SHOW YOUR KID SOME RESPECT. YOU WANT HIS RESPECT. WELL IT’S A TWO WAY STREET BUDDY.’
I’m in for it now. I sit down heaving for breath and stare directly at the table, I dare not look up and see my mothers disappointment and Stacey’s know-it-all grin. The silence lasts for a million years.
Eventually I am compelled to look up. Celia and Emmerllee are grinning like loons at me and Carter is nodding. He looks at me quizzically like I’m something he’s never encountered before. Aunt Stacey and Kai are complete opposites in their expressions. Kai looks like he’d give me a round of applause. Stacey just shakes her head like I’m pathetic. I don’t care. I am right and she knows it.
I look at Billy who it seems is now seriously in love with me. Ew. He looks like I’m some teen celebrity pinned to his wall. Blerch, My brother has the same look as my uncle and holds out his hand for a high five, I go to make contact but I hear my mum clear her throat. I look at her at last.
She isn’t disappointed or angry. Just sad. Sad that Mr Bilberry can’t take the opportunity to get to know his son perhaps.
I expected a tirade from Mr Bilberry but he is sitting there like a dazed kangaroo in headlights. He looks like a pot of soup; a mixture of a million different emotions. Mrs Bilberry delicately pats her husband on the back and turns to me.
‘I know you think you’re right Valoura, and I think in many ways you are. We could be better parents. Parents aren’t born with a manual you know we have to make it up as we go along, some of it’s based on how society tells us to act and some of it is learned from our parents. Not all of it is correct. I promise you and Billy that I will try harder. He is a lovely boy and I very much miss him.’ A tear sneaks its way down the woman’s rosy cheek. ‘But Mr Bilberry has a different way and we will just have to work on that, won’t we dear’.
Jock Bilberry looks at his wife, at his son and the crazy collection of misfits sitting at this ancient table in the little room in our old house.
‘I’m sorry son’. He says plainly. It wasn’t perfect, he couldn’t look at Billy and he certainly wouldn’t look at me. But it was a start.
Chapter 16
‘So then they left nanna and we were all kinda drained and stuff. Kai made us hot chocolate and we then had the whole Emmerllee and Carter thing to go through’.
‘Oh yes, what happened there! I am so curious’, my nan can barely contain her delight in hearing my tales.
‘Well, mum wanted to know why Emmerllee and Celia were fighting and I had to fess up here and admit that it was my fault’. I bend to scritch the cat behind her ear to cover my embarrassment that’s the problem with chatting on the internet, the web cam never lies.
‘So you said it was because you thought Emmerllee and Carter stole the money?’
‘Yep, and Celia admitted she thought they had too and I think Carter was a bit upset. He really seems to like her… ew’. I can’t hide my disgust.
‘Ooooh, really! Well I had better get a call from that girl, I want all the juicy details.’
‘Ewww nanna, that’s disgusting’.
‘Sorry dear’, she giggles and I don’t think she’s sorry at all. ‘So then what happened?’
‘Well once we all kind of knew it’s a misunderstanding they all made up in a way, but I still don’t think Emmerllee likes Celia too much.’
‘Well, Carter is all she’s had really, I guess it might be hard to share him with someone else.’
‘Oh, that reminds me! Mum went to see Mr Lamb this morning and talked to him about going to Alcoholics Anonymous. She also said they had to come over for dinner every night this week, which is going to be a shock for him, I don’t think he knows we’re vegans!’
My nanna giggles like preschooler watching Widdle Toot. ‘Yes, he will be surprised! But that’s nice, that he is trying to beat his alcohol problem, your mother! She’s a one hell of a woman! I’m glad she wants to help people; she’s much like her father in that way. Nanna goes quiet and looks forlorn. I guess she’s thinking about her husband who died a long time ago.
‘Well, she has managed to work things out nanna. She gave Mrs Vanmanthy her money back and they are buddies again. We haven’t heard from Billy but he might be alright, time will tell I guess.’
‘Did you get any credit for your excellent detective work?’
‘No, of course not! I exclaim indignantly, ‘But Bas did get told off for not telling on Billy’.
‘Oh, he knew?
‘He knew after Gilbert got sick from eating Billy’s Gin-gi-ko cards. He knew Billy would have hidden something down by the river and found him down there with his stash. Billy owned up and Bas has tried to get him to fess up to mum ever since. ‘
‘That must have been difficult’.
‘Yeah, I guess’.
‘Well, that’s amazing sweetie, you guys sure get up to a lot of shenanigans! I must come down and visit you some time’. She gives me a big smile. I miss her terribly.
‘Yes nanna, that would be awesome, you can tell Aunt Bossy off for me! I giggle and the old lady laughs as she shakes her head at my cheekiness.
After my chat with nanna I go to eat some lunch in the kitchen. I’m alone so I’m just going to make some pasta covered in chocolate spread. Well, I thought I was alone, Stacey is in there making coffee. Darn. She scoops spoonfuls of rank smelling coffee into a plunger and pretends I’m not there which is fine by me.
After heating the choc-hazelnut spread and boiling the pasta I mix them together with cinnamon and a bit of almond milk, yum! Stacey looks at me as she pours her boiling water into the plunger; she’s giving me a filthy look, like I’m a rat that has pooped on her face or something.
I grin at her and shove forkfuls of choco-pasta into my mouth, some dribbles onto my chin and I make a big show of wiping it from my mouth with my sleeve. Stacey continues to stare me down. Her mouth moving towards her Snode cup filled with black inky liquid.
She pauses before taking a sip and says, ‘Valoura, you are a nosy busy body and you get into way more mischief than any young person should. I often tell your mother she s
hould send you to boarding school.’
I roll my eyes towards the ceiling, I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this rubbish. And she keeps banging on…
‘You have far too much time on your hands. But all in all I think your heart is in the right place. I guess what I’m saying is, sorry I’m a bit hard on you sometimes.’ She dips her eyes quickly and I gaze at her mid-chew trying to work out if she is being genuine or not. And then I remember!
‘Ah Stacey! Don’t drink tha…’
Too late. SMASH! The Snode hits the tiles and dirt infused coffee sprays up the cupboards and up Aunt Stacey’s tailored trousers. She looks at me horrified. ‘WAS THAT MANURE?!’
‘No! Um I don’t know!’ I yell as I fly out the patio doors and run as fast as I can towards the creek.
‘VALOURA!!!!!’
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