“I know what you mean,” said Kate, signing her initials beside Corbin’s name on the register. “Corbin attacked my duvet with red lipstick the other day.”
“Yeah, I feel like I never get anywhere because I’m constantly being sabotaged. I seem to spend all my life cleaning up your messes.” Tracy poked Hayley in the stomach. Hayley giggled and Tracy gathered her up, hugging her. “Lucky you’re so cute.”
She did look cute, in a blue denim dress over black tights and boots. The dress had a butterfly embroidered on the front, matching her hair clip.
“All right missy, let’s go,” said Tracy, carrying Hayley through the door into the main room of the complex.
Kate removed Corbin’s jacket, mittens and hat, put them in his bag and stuffed the bag into an empty cubby-hole. “Okay, bub, you ready?”
Corbin shook his head and launched himself at her, wrapping his arms around her legs. “No Mummy, don’t go!” he wailed.
Tracy, returning to the cloak-room alone, stopped in the doorway.
Ruffling Corbin’s hair, Kate turned to her. “He’s been like this for weeks now,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Every time we come, I have to get one of the staff to take him off me.” She looked down at Corbin, nuzzling into the gap between her thighs. “Come on Corbin, don’t be like this.”
A solid woman wearing a grey parka with a fur-trimmed collar barrelled through the door into the cloak-room, a nervous looking child in tow. She nodded at Kate. “Morning.”
“Morning, Suzanne,” said Kate.
Approaching Tracy, the woman scowled. “Do you mind? This is an entranceway. People need to be able to move in and out. Come on, Will.” Before Tracy could move, she pushed past her, tugging her child behind.
“Fuck,” grunted Tracy as she was squished against the door jamb.
Suzanne stopped and fixed her with an icy glare. “Swearing again, Tracy? I figured that was where Will got it from.”
“What do you mean?”
“He came home from daycare the other day and I offered him a Marmite sandwich. Do you know what his reply was?”
“No,” said Tracy, frowning.
“I don’t like fuckin' Marmite sandwiches, he says to me. I was mortified. We don’t talk like that in our house so I knew he must have learnt it off someone at daycare. Now I know who.”
“Are you saying he learnt to swear from me?”
“No, I’m saying he learnt it from Hayley. Like mother, like daughter.”
Tracy snorted. “Hayley’s only just starting to speak. Her vocabulary consists of about five words — Mummy, Daddy, banana, poos and truck.”
“Fuck, more like it.”
“She’s never sworn!”
“How would you know? Every second word that comes out of your mouth begins with F and ends in uck. I’m surprised she knows anything else.”
Shaking her head, Tracy said, “How old’s Will now? Four? I doubt he even plays with Hayley. He could’ve learned it from any number of kids in this place.”
Suzanne’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Most kids here don’t have mothers with mouths like sewers. Hayley seems the obvious choice.”
“I’m tellin’ you — Will hasn’t learnt the F-bomb off Hayley!” Turning to Kate, who was trying to pry a whimpering Corbin off her leg, Tracy said, “Kate, have you ever heard Hayley swear?”
Kate didn’t think so, but then again she hadn’t spent much time with Hayley. The way Tracy swore, it was highly likely that some colourful words featured in her limited vocabulary. In an attempt to ease the tension, she said, “Perhaps it was one of the teachers? If I was surrounded by thirty kids all day I’d be tempted to let off the odd curse word myself.”
“As if,” said Suzanne. She squinted at Kate and seemed on the verge of saying something more, but then turned away and stomped off, dragging Will along behind her.
Kate looked at Tracy. “What was that all about?”
Scowling in Suzanne’s direction, Tracy said, “Search me. Isn’t she your mate? She’s been a real cow to me lately.”
“She can be pretty uptight but that was over the top, even for her. Have you done something to upset her?”
Tracy frowned and scratched her chin. “I did tell her she looked fat the other day. Not in those exact words, mind, but the implication was there.”
“Oh, she wouldn’t have liked that,” said Kate, a smile ghosting across her lips. “Ever since Will was born she’s been struggling to lose the weight she put on while she was pregnant.”
“Yeah, well, there’s no need to take it out on me.” Tracy lowered her gaze to Corbin, still burrowed into Kate’s legs. “Anyway, shall we find someone to take Corbin?”
Kate nodded. “I think we’ll have to. He’s not going to let me leave otherwise.”
Tracy stepped back into the main play-room. Kate pulled Corbin’s arms off her legs and crouched in front of him. “Corbin, Mummy has to go now,” she said, her voice low and soothing.
“No,” he said, shaking his head.
“You’ll be fine, hun. All your friends are here.”
Tracy returned to the cloak-room followed by one of the teachers, a cheerful, bright-eyed young Maori woman called Kiri.
“Haere mai, Corbin,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. “You can wave at Mummy from the window.” She reached down and gathered him into her arms.
“No!” wailed Corbin, kicking out and arching his back.
Kiri hugged him tight, cradling his head in one hand.
“Thanks,” said Kate, breathing a sigh of relief.
“No problem. He’ll be happy as in five minutes — always is. Plonk him in front of a train set and he’ll be set for the day.”
“I know. I just wish I knew why he’s acting like this.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a phase. He’ll grow out of it soon enough.”
“I hope so. Bye, darling,” she said, waving to Corbin.
“See you,” said Kiri. She walked away, Corbin struggling in her arms.
Outside in the crisp morning air, Kate slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket for warmth. Tracy followed her down the path and through the gate into the carpark. Kate turned back to see Kiri standing at the window with Corbin, his face red and streaked with tears, perched on her hip. She was using her free hand to hold Corbin’s right arm, waving it up and down as though she were conducting a puppet show.
“I hate leaving him like that,” said Kate, waving back. “I always feel so guilty, poor thing.”
“It’s a mother’s curse,” replied Tracy.
“What is?”
“Feelin’ guilty. There’s always somethin’ to feel guilty about. Whether you give them too much sugar or they spend too much time in front of the TV or you don’t read to them enough, you’re supposed to feel guilty. There’s a whole industry built around it. If I didn’t feel so guilty all the time, I wouldn’t eat half as much chocolate.”
Kate laughed, searching through her handbag for her car keys. She found them and opened the door of her Hyundai, shining white in the morning sun.
Tracy, who was parked next to her, folded her arms and leaned on the roof of her car, an old Toyota Corolla, the paint chipped and fading. “So anyway, how’d things go with Evan the other night?”
“Pretty good, really.” Kate nodded slowly. “Amazingly enough, it was actually kind of romantic. Thank you for your efforts to set the mood.”
“No worries. It was cute watching the three of you together.”
Kate smiled, but then her expression grew serious. “I thought he was going to get into a fight with that drunken idiot, though.”
“Yeah, so did I. Steve was back again last night, apologisin’ for his behaviour. Haggis has never had a go at him like that before and I think it’s put the wind up him — he was as quiet as a mouse. I dunno how long it’ll last, but I’ll take it while I can. Anyway, back to Evan — did you fuck him?”
“Of course not!” said Kate, frowning. “
I’m not the kind of woman who has sex on her first date.”
Tracy raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. I was just goin’ off your body language. It’s clear you’re into him.”
“I think you’re imagining things. I’ve only just separated from Lawrence.”
“Oh please, who’re you tryin’ to kid? What — you gonna wait till the divorce comes through? Till you’re remarried? You Christians sure like to make things hard for yourselves.”
Kate stroked her bottom lip, her expression pensive. “You’re not wrong there. And somehow I don’t think I am going to wait. Because to be honest, I do want to fuck him. Actually,” she said, smacking her hand on the roof of her car, “I want to fuck his brains out!”
Grinning, Tracy said, “There you go.” She opened the door of her car and peered inside. “Well, I wish you all the best with that.”
“Thanks,” said Kate. “Pity no one else does.”
“Huh?” said Tracy, looking up again.
“My parents came to visit yesterday. Mum told me I should forgive Lawrence and patch things up with him. She said one mistake wasn’t worth dissolving a marriage over.”
“No way! Once a cheater, always a cheater. How could you ever trust him?”
“Exactly. But that’s not even it. I look at him now and I wonder what it was that I ever saw in him. He’s got a bird beak nose and he needs to pluck his nostril hairs. His ears stick out. He’s grumpy and self-centred and S-L-I-M-Y! There’s no way I could go back. Whereas Evan, on the other hand…”
“Go on.”
Kate gave a dreamy smile. “He’s just so hot. Those curly blonde locks and full lips — he almost looks like a girl.” She giggled. “He kissed me, you know, in the carpark.”
“Yeah? An’ how was that?”
“Delicious.” She shook herself at the memory of it. “I can’t wait to do it again.”
“Good for you. When you seein’ him again?”
“I’m not sure. I was thinking of asking him over for lunch this weekend.”
“Nice. You can screw him in the comfort and safety of your own home.”
“I said lunch, not sex.”
“Lunch, sex, call it what you like. Seems to me you’re past due for an encounter with somethin’ that’s not run on batteries,” said Tracy, smiling mischievously. “Anyway, I need to get goin’.” She lowered herself into her car, slammed the door, then wound down the window. “See you, an’ all the best with Evan. Let me know how it goes.”
“Will do. And thanks, Trace, for being on my side.”
“No worries. It’s nice to live vicariously through you. Every time I’m changin’ a shitty nappy I can imagine how great it would be to get felt up by a gorgeous young snowboardin’ instructor.”
Kate laughed, watching as Tracy gunned the engine then backed out of her parking space. She was about to get in her car when she saw Suzanne jogging towards her down the path, waving frantically.
“Wait a minute!” Suzanne stopped at the gate and swung it open, then clomped up to Kate, panting. “You two friends now?” she asked, tilting her head in the direction of Tracy’s car, speeding away down the street.
Kate shrugged. “I just like her sense of humour. She makes me laugh, and God knows I could do with some of that.”
“Yeah, well, you might want to be more judicious in your choice of friends. She’s nothing but a white-trash slut, that one.”
“Oh, come on, Suzanne. Tracy might be a little rough round the edges but she’s hardly—”
“Greg and I ran into her in the mall the other day and her eyes were all over him. Told me I was fat too, the bitch. Just because she’s anorexic.” Suzanne sucked in a breath before continuing. “You’re lucky you and Lawrence are taking a break — otherwise she’d be all over him too, no doubt. She likes the married ones, so I’ve heard. How is Lawrence, by the way?”
Kate stared at Suzanne. They had met when Kate had started attending Suzanne’s church, soon after she and Lawrence first moved to Cromwell. She’d been a godsend after Corbin’s birth, bringing home-cooked meals around, running errands, taking Corbin out for walks so Kate could have a nap. She was from an old local family, farmers turned wine-growers, and now she and her husband, Greg, managed the family vineyard. With four kids of her own, she was a typical southern woman — solid, hard-working, dependable. And an incurable gossip. Kate had heard rumours about Tracy too, but now that she knew her a little better she doubted there was any truth to them. If anyone’s eye had been wandering, it was probably Greg’s. Tracy wasn’t the only person people liked to talk about.
Sighing, she said, “Still an arsehole, as far as I know.”
“Did he tell you he’s broken up with Rachel?”
“What?” said Kate, her stomach twisting.
“Oh, so he hasn’t? Probably too scared. He says you’ve been so angry with him, he can’t talk to you. He’s a mess, you know. Feeling terribly guilty.”
“How do you know?”
“He told me. You might have stopped coming to church, but Lawrence hasn’t.”
Kate took a step back, scowling. “What a load of crap. Lawrence hates going to church.”
“Does he? A marriage break-up is a big deal, Kate,” Suzanne said, raising her palms. “It changes people. He and I have talked a lot over the last few weeks. You should give him more credit. He’s really hurting.”
“So he should be! It’s what he deserves after all the pain and suffering he’s caused.”
“People make mistakes.”
“You sound just like my mother,” Kate said, shaking her head.
“He wants to make amends. Breaking up with Rachel is evidence of that.”
Kate folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowing. “Assuming he has. He’s a compulsive liar, you know. Anyway, he can want all he likes — I wouldn’t take him back if he were the last man on earth.”
“I’m just looking out for you. Single motherhood… well, it’s not easy. You’ve got Corbin to think about too. Don’t tear everything down out of spite.”
“Out of spite? It’s not me who destroyed everything!” Kate barked. She hated how Lawrence still had control over her, how the mere mention of his name set her blood boiling. Exhaling slowly, she saw the steam rising in the cold and realised her fingers were going numb. She drew them to her mouth and blew on them, feeling calmer. “I’m sorry, but I need to go. I’ve got things to do.”
Suzanne nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Me too.” She lifted her shoulders, her lips turning upwards into a faint smile. “I’m not trying to have a go at you. Just think about what I said, okay?”
Kate answered by way of raising her eyebrows, then climbed into her car.
“See you.” Suzanne waved, her smile growing.
Kate slammed the door and backed into the street. Glaring through the windscreen at Suzanne, there was some small satisfaction in watching her smile disappear.
THIRTEEN
Lying in bed on Sunday morning, Yumiko tired of watching the paint peeling off the ceiling and rolled towards Evan. He was on his side, back towards her, snoring softly. Light leaked into the room beneath the ugly, floral-print curtains, and she could see the stray hairs on the back of Evan’s neck, straight and black where the hair on his head was blonde and curling. Her finger traced a swirl around them, and she was tempted to pluck a particularly long and gruesome one, but decided against it, instead moving her hand down his side and beneath the waistband of his pyjama pants.
She blew on his neck, brushing her lips against his skin while her hand slid over his hip, cradling the lump between his thighs and rubbing gently. Evan groaned, almost inaudible amongst the chatter of morning birdsong outside the window. With a deft flick of her fingers, she popped the button in the front of his boxer shorts and slipped her hand through, stroking the curling hairs inside.
“What are you doing?” asked Evan, his voice a breathy whisper.
“Saying good morning,” she whispered back.
Removing her hand from his shorts, she rolled onto him, sweeping her lips over his. They were dry, and she ran her tongue around her own lips, moistening them, then pressed them back onto his, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He didn’t respond at first, but then she felt his chest sink and the warm breath on her upper lip as he exhaled through his nose, his tongue embracing hers.
She moved down the length of his body, burrowing beneath the duvet. Nosing his singlet up over his chest, she circumscribed the exposed skin with her mouth. Evan gave a low moan and she bit, clamping a nipple between her teeth. He bucked and let out a squeak, and she giggled.
“Ow, that hurt,” he said.
“It’s supposed to. A little pain increases the pleasure.” She nipped again, though more gently this time, and again he jerked. Lowering her head to the bush of hair on his belly, she looped his navel with her tongue, then dipped it in and out of the basin, like a cat lapping milk from a bowl.
Struggling within the confines of the duvet, she pushed her legs through the tucked sheet at the foot of the bed to give herself more room, tugged his boxer shorts over his thighs and took him in her mouth.
He arched his back and groaned with pleasure. Yumiko responded in kind, sliding her free hand beneath the fabric of her pyjama pants.
Finding a rhythm, she felt the hot blood rising from her centre and spreading out, her own moans of pleasure joining with Evan’s. Changing tack, she clambered over him and onto her back, scrambling out of her pants. Panting and eager, she straddled him, guiding him into place, the duvet falling behind her back. She unbuttoned her pyjama top and flung it away, then lifted her singlet to reveal her breasts, round and pale, nipples erect in the icy morning air. Evan reached up and cupped one in each hand, softly kneading.
“Go easy,” he said. “You know you always make me come this way.”
Yumiko smiled. “That’s the idea.”
They moved as one, the bed squeaking in chorus with the birds outside. “So, when we’re done here, what’s the plan for today?” she breathed.
Taking the Plunge Page 9
