The Jacaranda House, page 24
‘Thanks very much,’ Polly said, helping herself to one of Sonny’s cigarettes. ‘I suppose you’ve been telling him what a rubbish mother I am?’
‘No,’ Sonny said. ‘They’ve just told me about everything you’ve been doing for Gina and how well she’s settled in.’
‘Oh.’ Polly looked a bit sheepish. ‘Thanks, girls. Did you tell him about the business at the school?’
Rhoda said, ‘Nope, but I will. When she first started the kids were calling her an Abo, the little shits, and she didn’t like it.’
Polly laughed. ‘But not because she didn’t want to be an Aborigine, it was because she wants to be known as Maori, because that’s what she is. Good on her!’
‘That went away, though, didn’t it?’ Rhoda said.
‘Mostly. And have you told him I’m too hungover some mornings to see her off and you have to do it?’
There was the briefest of silences. Then Star said, ‘Yes.’
Sonny wondered whether Polly would offer an excuse for this negligence. Probably not: she didn’t usually bother to justify her bad behaviour.
‘Well?’ she said, clearly expecting him to say something.
Sonny shrugged. ‘If that’s the arrangement in your house, fine. As long as she gets to school OK.’
‘I suppose you’ll tell Awhi?’
‘I’ll probably be telling Awhi that Gina’s well, happy and settled. That’s all I came here to do, Polly – to see that you’re both all right.’
‘Well, Gina is all right. So don’t you dare try and take her and don’t upset her.’
Sonny drew in a deep and steady breath so his voice would come out in a nice, controlled way. ‘I’m not going to take her. I’ve already told you that. And of course I won’t upset her.’ And then he slightly lost it. ‘Fuck, Polly! What do you think I am?’
‘Nosy, that’s what I think you are. Nobody asked you to come over here. You’re only bloody well here to check up on me!’
Rhoda and Star made alarmed faces at each other.
Sonny crossed his arms: this was fairly standard Polly behaviour. ‘Well, technically you’re right. No one did ask me, and yes, I am checking up, but mostly on my niece. But I’ve said I’m not taking her anywhere, several times actually, so if you didn’t hear it you really need to get your taringas syringed, you deaf cow.’
‘Don’t call me a deaf cow, you interfering shit!’
‘Don’t yell, you’ll wake Gina up.’
‘Don’t tell me I’ll wake up my own daughter!’
‘Hey!’ Rhoda interrupted. ‘Stop it, the pair of you!’
‘Sorry,’ Sonny said.
‘See? This is why I never wanted anyone to visit,’ Polly grumbled, but more quietly. ‘No one in my family can ever be fucking civil for more than five minutes.’
‘Have you ever thought it might be you?’ Star suggested.
‘Me what?’ Polly demanded.
‘You causing the uncivilness or whatever the hell the word is.’
‘No I haven’t because it isn’t. Christ!’
‘All right, I’m just saying,’ Star said. ‘You might want to think about it, though.’
Polly turned on her. ‘I fucking might not, too, because it isn’t me: it’s everyone else. No one ever listens to my side of the story. No one’s even asked to hear it so how can it be me? God. You don’t know what you’re talking about, Star, and you should shut the hell up till you do.’
Sonny and Rhoda started talking at the same time, but Gina’s voice cut over both of them. ‘Mum, that wasn’t very nice.’
She was standing in the doorway to her bedroom, her hair as usual only slightly messy from sleep, blinking at them and looking upset.
Sonny’s heart sank. ‘Did you hear all that, love?’
‘I couldn’t help it. You were shouting. You woke me up! Why are you being so mean, Mum?’
‘I wasn’t, sweetie, we were just having a conversation.’
‘It sounded like a fight to me. I don’t like it when people fight.’
Polly held out her arms. ‘Come here, love.’
Gina crossed the room and sat in her lap. ‘You were mean to Star.’
‘I know,’ Polly said. ‘I’m sorry, Star. I didn’t mean what I said. I just . . . I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.’
Star gave Polly a doubtful look, but to her credit said, ‘That’s OK. You said you’ve had a hard night.’
Polly rested her chin on top of Gina’s head. ‘I did, and I’m tired, and I’ve got a headache.’ She closed her eyes and a tear trickled out from beneath each eyelid, washing twin streaks of black eyeliner down her face. ‘Shit. I’m sorry. I’m tired. I should go to bed.’
‘And say sorry to Uncle Sonny.’
Wiping her face with the heel of her hand and making the eyeliner smears worse, Polly said, ‘Sorry. I know you’re not here to interfere. It just feels like that.’
‘I’m really not, you know,’ Sonny said.
Polly nodded.
‘And Rhoda,’ Gina said.
‘But I haven’t even said anything to Rhoda,’ Polly protested.
‘You still upset her,’ Gina insisted. ‘I could hear it in her voice.’
Sighing, Polly said, ‘Sorry if I upset you, Rho.’
‘That’s all right. No harm done.’
Gina succumbed to a massive yawn.
‘You poor sausage,’ Star said. ‘You’ve probably been up and down like a yo-yo tonight. I reckon we should all have a bit of a sleep-in in the morning.’
‘God, yes, I’m knackered,’ Polly agreed.
Gina yawned again. Then, ‘Where shall we go tomorrow?’
‘Let’s decide when we get up, shall we?’ To Sonny, Polly said, ‘I’ll get you some blankets.’
Rhoda said, ‘I’ll do that. You can tuck Gina in,’ and marched off to the cupboard where the spare bedding was kept.
Polly lifted Gina off her lap and stood. ‘Come on, madam, let’s get you back to sleep.’
Soon everyone had gone off to their rooms, Sonny had a pee and cleaned his teeth, and was lying on the couch with a pillow and a couple of blankets. It had been a long day and an equally long night, but he’d seen more or less what he’d come to see. Gina seemed to be all right, thanks to Polly’s love for her, and to the kindness of Rhoda, Star and Emmeline, and what a bloody great relief that was. But Polly wasn’t all right, and that worried him.
It worried him a lot.
Part Three
Chapter Thirteen
The following day, a Saturday, Sonny, Polly and Gina went on an outing to Manly, crossing the harbour on the ferry South Steyne and returning on the Dee Why. Polly had invited Star and Rhoda to join them but they’d declined, pointing out that Manly was full of surfies who wouldn’t take kindly to a pair of trannies prancing along the Corso, which would almost certainly spoil the trip. So Gina brought back T-shirts for them with I am Manly written across the front, but not before adding Wo before the Manly in pen, which the girls thought was a scream, and Sonny thought was really very perceptive – and kind – for a girl of not quite twelve.
Everyone went to work on Saturday night so Sonny babysat and Gina made a double batch of chocolate fudge, so there’d be some left for Rhoda and Star after she and Sonny had stuffed their faces, and they played cards and listened to Rhoda’s records. On Sunday they all went for a picnic at Rushcutters Bay Park, a location Star gleefully told Sonny was a popular beat for camp men, which slightly put him off his fish and chips, though he tried not to show it. Rhoda called Star a bitch and Star said, well, Sonny had to get used to it if he was going to hang around with his sister’s friends. Gina wanted to know what was a beat and what were camp men? Rhoda told her beats were walking routes for fitness enthusiasts and camp men were blokes who liked mucking about with tents. And Gina said, ‘Is that really true?’ and Rhoda said it was close enough for now. Then Rhoda took some photos of everyone all together with her Kodak Instamatic, and promised to send copies to Sonny when she had them developed.
On the Monday morning Sonny hugged Gina goodbye before she went to school, and before he left the flat to head to the airport he handed Polly one hundred and seventy-five pounds.
‘What’s this for?’ she said, staring at it. ‘I don’t want your money.’
‘It’s not for you, it’s for Gina, to buy her a television.’
‘What does she need a television for?’
‘Just in case she’s left alone. Then she can turn it on and she won’t feel lonely.’
‘She’s never left alone,’ Polly said. ‘I’ve made sure of that.’
‘I know,’ Sonny replied. ‘But just in case.’
Because you could feel alone when someone else was in the house – if that someone were passed out on their bed or the couch, for example. That was also why he’d written his phone number – and instructions on how to ring New Zealand – on a piece of paper and quietly put it under Gina’s pillow.
‘Can you afford it?’ Polly asked.
‘I’m making loads these days. I’m on the big building sites.’
Polly said, ‘I can buy her a TV.’
‘I know, but I want to. It’s a present from me and Allie and the girls. Call it a birthday present. And also I feel bad because I wanted to bring some of Gina’s things over, her favourite books and things, but bloody Mum absolutely refused to part with them.’
Polly said then, ‘So you really didn’t come just to take her back?’
‘No, I didn’t. You know what you’re doing, Pol. She’s your girl.’
Polly shrugged. ‘Oh, well, OK, thanks. She loves watching television. I’ll tell her it’s from you.’
And then they hugged, and Sonny called a taxi, and that was that.
*
Auckland, New Zealand
And now Sonny was home again, pulling up outside his mother’s house and not at all looking forward to talking to her.
She must have heard his truck because she was waiting at the top of the steps when he got round to the back of the house, in her usual apron and slippers and clutching a tea towel as though it were a security blanket.
‘Where is she?’ she demanded.
No, ‘Hello, son.’ No, ‘Did you have a nice trip?’
Sonny sighed as he climbed the steps. ‘She’s with Polly in Sydney, Mum.’
Awhi let out a cross between a wail and a roar of rage, threw the tea towel at him and stomped inside the house. He picked up the tea towel and followed her in.
She’d collapsed on a kitchen chair and was weeping piteously, elbows on the table and her apron over her face.
‘Stop that, Mum. I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’
‘I don’t care what you do. You’ve let me down, boy. You’ve broken my heart!’
Here we go again, Sonny thought as he filled the kettle and set it on the stove. Then he sat at the table and watched for a bit as his mother cried.
Finally he said, ‘You’re winding yourself into a tizz.’
Awhi whipped her apron down. ‘I’m entitled to! First my bitch of daughter steals my mokopuna and now my son doesn’t even have the decency to fetch her back for me. How would you feel?’
Sonny genuinely gave that a bit of thought, but really couldn’t imagine not being able to see both sides of the situation. But that was the nature of conflict, wasn’t it? Neither side could, nor would, see the point of view of the other. ‘I don’t know, Mum. But this is the way things are, so you’ll just have to do your best and get on with it.’
‘But why didn’t you bring her back?’
‘Because she’s happy in Australia.’
‘Oh, rubbish. I bet she isn’t. I bet that witch told her everything to say and made it all look lovely just to trick you.’
Sonny thought, God give me strength. ‘Will you stop that? Her name is Polly. And she didn’t know I was coming. How could she have tricked me? Honestly, Mum, can you hear yourself sometimes? Anyone’d think you’re starting to lose your marbles.’
‘Don’t you dare! There’s nothing wrong with my mind!’
‘Well, have a listen to yourself. You’re just not being rational.’
The kettle whistled and Sonny got up to make the tea.
‘Well, if I’m not, I’m not the only one,’ Awhi countered. ‘How do you know Gina’s happy. Eh? Tell me that.’
‘Because I could tell. I spent time with her. She has nice things, she’s at school, the flat she and Polly live in’s nice, they do fun things together, and Polly has a decent job.’
‘I don’t call whoring a decent job.’
‘She’s not whoring.’
‘Well, what is she doing?’
‘She’s a hostess at a club.’
Awhi pounced. ‘See? What did I tell you?’
‘She greets visitors. It’s perfectly respectable.’
‘I bet.’
Sonny put the teapot, milk and cups and saucers on the table. ‘And she has two flatmates and a babysitter who all look after Gina when she has to work.’
‘I bet the flatmates are men.’
Sonny didn’t even hesitate. ‘No, they’re women, and they’re very decent.’
‘I bet they’re “hostesses” as well.’
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Sonny poured two cups of tea and gave one to Awhi. ‘Mum, Gina’s not coming back, at least not right now. Polly’s looking after her perfectly well as far as I can see. She has a right to do that because she’s her mother. It’s just the way it is. I know you’re very upset about it, and very hurt, but you can’t change it. Don’t let it turn you into a nasty, bitter old lady. You’ve got plenty of other mokos. Why don’t you concentrate on them? Angie and Tracey would love to see more of you.’ But only if you stop being such a hateful, bad-tempered old bat. ‘You don’t know – things might change later on. Maybe even sooner than you think. I don’t know. I haven’t got a crystal ball. Have you?’
‘If I had one I’d never have had that daughter of mine.’
Sonny sighed, and remembered what Star had said. ‘What happened to her, Mum?’
Awhi stared at him. ‘Who?’
‘Polly.’
‘Nothing happened to her. What do you mean?’
‘Well, if she’s such a terrible person, something must have made her that way. So come on, what happened?’
‘Nothing. I don’t know. Don’t ask me.’
‘Well, you’re her mother.’
‘She was born bad.’
‘Oh, she was not,’ Sonny scoffed. ‘She was a perfectly normal kid when we were little. And you loved her like you loved all of us.’
‘She wasn’t normal: she was naughty.’
‘We were all bloody naughty, Mum.’
‘She was different.’
‘No, she wasn’t, not when she was little. And look at Gilbert. He’s ended up in bloody Mount Eden and you still think the sun shines out of his arse. What’s different about Polly?’
‘I don’t know,’ Awhi said. ‘I don’t want to talk about it. She’s trouble and she’s taken my Gina and broken my heart, that’s all I know.’
Sonny could see he wasn’t going to be able to convince Awhi to accept the situation, so he gave up. ‘Well, that’s that, then. I visited, they’re fine, end of story.’
‘But you do know where they live now?’ Awhi said.
‘Yes.’ What was she getting at?
‘Well, tell me.’
‘No.’
Awhi looked shocked. ‘No?’
‘No. I’m not having you writing manipulative letters to Gina, or nasty ones to Polly. Just leave them to get on with it.’
Awhi’s mouth clamped shut in an angry line that emphasised the wrinkles radiating from her lips. Then she shouted, ‘You’re not the boss of this family!’
‘Good!’
‘Your father would be ashamed of you.’
‘Probably,’ Sonny said as he stood to go.
‘He wouldn’t leave his moko over there.’
‘I’ll see you next time, Mum.’
*
Polly was surreptitiously filing a snagged fingernail when a woman came out of the Alibi Room and floated across to her booth.
‘Hello, darling. Apparently there’s a little something here for me to pick up?’
She was expensively dressed and quite attractive, and Polly thought she looked about forty and already well strung-out on something that wasn’t alcohol. ‘Do you have a token, madam?’
‘A token?’
‘It looks like a little coin.’
‘Oh, that. Hang on.’ The woman dug around in her bra, produced the token and set it on the counter.
Polly left it there. ‘One moment please.’
She unlocked the drug drawer, took out a packet and slipped it discreetly to the customer. The woman took the tiny envelope, held it against her cheek for a moment, then kissed it, leaving a mouth-shaped raspberry lipstick mark on it. ‘Do you know what this is?’ she said dreamily. ‘This is a little package of pure, unadulterated bliss. One hit of this, darling, and all your troubles will just float away. All of them. Have you tried it?’
‘It’s not my scene,’ Polly said.
‘Oh, but you should. I promise you, nothing will ever be the same again.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Well, I can’t live without it,’ the woman said, and tottered off.
Polly watched her as she negotiated the stairs one at a time, her hand pressed against the wall for balance. It looked as though she were floating away, not just her troubles. She looked over at David, who, as usual, just shrugged.
Still, it would be nice to feel as though all your problems had disappeared – ‘feel’ being the appropriate word. She wasn’t dumb enough to think that anything could make the crap in your life actually vanish. Maybe she would give it a go. One tiny little try wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t addictive if you didn’t inject it and you were careful. Evie said that was rubbish, but she’d heard from plenty of people lately that smoking heroin wasn’t really that bad for you, especially if you only did it now and again. And she could afford it.
‘Can you watch the door for a sec?’ she asked David. ‘I need the loo. I won’t be long. Thanks, you’re a sweetie.’
