Gifts of the Peramangk

by Dean Mayes

  While Asher and Virginia continued to prepare their dish, Minty sat at the table, quietly colouring in an activity book with a crayon, engrossed in his task—so much so that he didn’t notice when his mother came in from outside and immediately made for the packet of cigarettes that sat on the countertop.

  “I hope that racket out there isn’t going to go on until all hours,” Virginia said without looking up from her work. “You know the kids have got school tomorrow.”

  Ignoring her, Belle fished out a cigarette, lit it and took a long draw. She then reached down into one of the cupboards, took out a pair of salad bowls and set them down on the table.

  “Rex is already shit-faced,” Belle grumbled bitterly. “He won’t listen to me or to anyone.”

  Virginia shook her head slowly.

  “Davo’s out there,” Belle continued, mumbling through lips that were secured around the end of the cigarette. “He hasn’t had anything, so there’s no need worrying.”

  Belle leaned up against the edge of the counter and folded her arms. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Virginia.

  Asher could sense the tension from her mother. She could also sense, from the slur in her voice, that she had been drinking. Asher’s nervous sideways glance at Virginia was met by a reassuring wink from her grandmother.

  “Mum,” Belle began caustically, taking another puff. “What’s goin’ on with Ruby and the professor bloke down in the city?”

  Virginia set the potato peeler down and wiped her hands on her apron. She had anticipated this but didn’t think Belle would choose to confront her with the children present. Wearily, she turned to face her daughter in law.

  “They are working toward the concert,” Virginia explained cautiously. “He and I have discussed her having extra lessons in the lead up to it and I gave it my blessing. I want to make sure that she has the best chance possible.”

  Belle snorted smoke from both her nostrils and smirked bitterly at Virginia.

  “I don’t like him,” she shot back. “And I don’t think he should be sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

  “What makes you think he’s not welcome here?” Virginia challenged, stepping toward the table and gently patting the back of Minty’s head. She rested her hands on the back of one of the chairs. Asher watched the exchange, feeling increasingly nervous and wishing she was somewhere else.

  Belle crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

  “He doesn’t belong here, Mum!” she said angrily. “He’s not one of us. People are talking, you know.”

  Belle gestured with a sideways nod to the gathering outside, in the yard.

  “Hell, you hardly even know him yourself, yet you’re sending Ruby off to see him without any thought to the risks or the consequences.”

  Virginia shook her head. She turned away from Belle and resumed peeling the potatoes, handing them to Asher.

  “I don’t want to argue with you, Belle,” she said sadly. “You don’t need to concern yourself with Ruby.”

  Whether it was Virginia’s act of turning away from Belle or that last statement, Virginia couldn’t be sure, but the anger in Belle surged suddenly and without warning, she pounded her fist on the kitchen table before her. Minty jumped in his seat, scattering the crayons across the table.

  “Don’t you dare keep me out of this Mum! I care for Ruby’s welfare as much as you do. I worry about her just as much as I do the other children. Do you think I don’t see what’s going on!?”

  “And what is that, Belle?” Virginia sighed.

  “She’s getting mixed up in white man’s business and it’s not a good look. I don’t like these do-gooding bastards thinkin’ they can come into our lives and save us!”

  Virginia appraised her with a sadness, a pity.

  “Belle, go back outside. You’ve been drinking too much.”

  Ignoring Virginia again, Belle’s angry facade began to crack and, unexpectedly, her voice started shaking with emotion.

  “Th-they do it time and time again, Mum. Waltzing in, making all these big promises, then fuck off when the polish fades or when they bugger it up. That’s how it was w-with…Aggy.”

  The mention of that name struck Virginia like a knife through her heart and she felt her knees buckle where she stood. No one had dared speak it in years. Not only had they made a pact as a family not to do so—for Ruby’s sake—but they were also bound by traditional Aboriginal custom where the mention of a departed person cursed their soul and kept them from moving on to the next life. For Belle to speak the name of Ruby’s mother now, was a grave offense.

  Belle however, was unrepentant.

  “They’re all the same, Mum!” she raged, pausing only to drag back heavily on the cigarette. “How many of them came out of the wood work, with all those promises to help Aggy when she was hooked on the drugs and the sex, but then they didn’t act? When Rex and I spent all those hours walking the streets, trying to find her—trying to bring her home. All those promises—and they just laughed in our faces in the end, when it was too late to save her.”

  Belle wiped at her moistening eyes.

  “This white fella has got no interest in Ruby—whether she’s talented or not. He just wants to use her to big note himself. And what’s gonna happen when he too loses interest? He’ll cast her aside and forget about the poor little black kid from the shit house.”

  Virginia seethed and she whirled around, stabbing her finger directly at Belle.

  “NO!” she roared, chucking the potato peeler to the floor, which caused Asher, Minty and Belle to jump simultaneously. “This has got nothing to do with colour nor has it anything to do with Aggy – NONE OF IT!”

  Virginia rounded the kitchen table, her nostrils flaring. Asher immediately went to Minty and lifted him from the seat into her arms while Belle stood back, fearing that Virginia might actually strike out at her.

  “Professor Khalili doesn’t give a damn about her colour!” Virginia hissed through her clenched teeth. “He sees what I see! Ruby’s gift. He sees only what she is capable of. This is a chance for her to go on to greater things—a brighter future—away from here, away from this—all this shit!”

  Virginia threw her hands up in the air and gestured all around the kitchen, the drab and draughty government housing in which they lived. Then she pointed an accusatory finger out through the kitchen window, to the back yard, to the men drinking heavily, getting louder and more obnoxious.

  “The violin is everything to Ruby!”

  Virginia kept her glare upon Belle while Belle stood fast, the corner of her lips quivering in anger.

  “Is it everything to her?” she probed bitterly. “Or is it everything to you?”

  Before Virginia had the chance to counter, Belle abruptly turned on her heel and strode outside, slamming the wire door behind her.

  Virginia looked across at the children huddled together and went to them, gathering them into her embrace and smiling reassuringly.

  “I’m sorry children,” she soothed shakily. “You shouldn’t have had to see that.”

  Asher stifled back a tear.

  “Why is she doing this Nana? Mum is so angry at Ruby—all the time. It’s not fair.”

  Virginia slowly nodded and stroked her hair.

  “She’s not angry at Ruby,” she said softly. “There’s a lot of things that your mother blames herself for—including what happened to Ruby’s mother. Your Mum sees things—people—differently. Doesn’t excuse her from yelling like a banshee, mind you.”

  Virginia added just enough theatrics to that last sentence that she elicited smiles from both Asher and Minty.

  “What did happen to Ruby’s mum?” Asher ventured hesitantly.

  Virginia’s good eye glazed over and she shook her head slowly, remembering.

  “Your aunty was a very troubled young woman,” Virginia said softly. “So troubled in fact that nobody knew how to fix her - least of all me.”

  “Why not?” Asher pressed,
sensing pain in her grandmother’s face.

  “Well, let’s just say that I was very sick for a long time,” she paused, tapping her forehead with her finger for effect. “Sick in my mind and I couldn’t help your aunty when she needed me the most. What happened to Ruby’s mother—well—that was my fault.”

  Virginia went very quiet and Asher felt awkward, uncomfortable. She did not continue her questioning.

  “Come on,” she said, rising to her full height. “Let’s get this food ready. Hopefully, they’ll all settle down once they’ve got a bit of food in them.”

  The night wore on—and it became clear that the party was getting louder and more raucous. Despite Virginia’s best efforts to encourage everyone to leave, she could not get them to acquiesce. The beer continued to flow, the music became louder and Rex’s behaviour, predictably, became more unbalanced.

  During all of this, Ruby and Jeremy arrived home from the city, approaching the house from the street and hearing the commotion well before they could see it.

  They stopped by the gate and listened to the commotion, neither one of them certain whether to try and slip inside the house through the front door or instead brave the gathering out the back.

  Jeremy glanced at Ruby who noticed his frown and his lower jaw grinding.

  “Dad’ll be wasted again,” he grumbled nervously. “Any money says he’ll start something in front of everyone.”

  “Maybe we could try and sneak inside without any of them seeing us,” Ruby suggested.

  Jeremy stepped up to the front door. A quick check of the handle confirmed that it was locked. He cursed aloud, checking his pockets.

  “I haven’t got my bloody keys,” he said as Ruby came up beside him. “No one’ll hear us knocking with that racket going on.”

  There was no avoiding it, Jeremy realised. They would have to take their chances and just hope that his father would be too busy with his drunken friends to notice them.

  Jeremy lead Ruby around and unlatched the gate.

  The dual spotlight perched on the corner of Virginia’s granny flat shone into the yard as well as into the driveway, preventing Jeremy and Ruby from using the shadow of the house.

  Peeking around the corner, Jeremy was confronted by a large group of men and women who had clearly been drinking. He spied his father in the centre, waving his arms as he engaged in a heated discussion with several of his companions, including Davo who, by contrast, appeared the most sober of the bunch.

  Ruby gripped Jeremy’s hand tightly as he gingerly stepped around the edge of the house, making a beeline toward the back steps.

  They were almost at the back door when Rex turned in mid conversation and his eyes locked onto both if the children.

  “Ehhhhh!” he crowed drunkenly, causing both Jeremy and Ruby to freeze where they stood. “Well, well—w-whadda we have here?”

  Rex stumbled around one of the drums and staggered toward the children.

  “Hey you lot! Have a look at at th-this. Here’s o-our little show pony comin’ home.”

  Rex unexpectedly brushed past Jeremy and shepherded Ruby roughly away from him, toward the group.

  Ruby gulped, clutching her school bag to her chest and resisting her uncle, though she was too frightened to protest. Davo put his bottle down on one of the drums while Jeremy started forward but he hesitated, not wanting to inflame the situation.

  Belle, who was sitting and drinking with Davo’s wife Cherie, glanced in the direction of her husband and Ruby but didn’t react.

  Rex stood in front of Ruby and prodded her sharply in the shoulder.

  “C’mon!” he slurred. “Give us a show. Let’s see what you been doin’ with that professor bloke.”

  Ruby blinked at the men standing all around her, watching her expectantly. She shook her head and backed away.

  “N-no, Uncle. I don’t want to.”

  Rex gave an exaggerated frown and he jerked his head back in mock surprise.

  “Whadda ya mean you don’t wanna?”

  He lunged forward, tearing Ruby’s school bag away from her and grabbing at the violin case inside it. He tossed the school bag aside and turned the case over in his hands recklessly, examining it. He flung it at Ruby like a football and she had to catch it reflexively to prevent herself from being hit.

  Jeremy himself flinched and stepped forward once more.

  “Dad…”

  Rex stabbed a finger at his son and snarled.

  “Stay out of this!”

  A pall of fear knotted in Ruby’s stomach as she clutched the case in her arms. Without realising it, she had begun to shake.

  Rex towered over her, slapping away the violin case angrily. His glare bored into her and she felt herself wilting underneath.

  “C’mon. What’s a matter with ya?” he growled, spittle flying from his mouth. “Haven’t you been learnin’ how ta play it? Gonna become some sorta big time thing? Or—have you been doing something else with that teacher friend of yours, hey?”

  Ruby couldn’t have known what her uncle meant but those assembled around the drums, including Davo, certainly did. Belle too, staggered to her feet and pushed her way past a pair of revellers as the level of tumult dropped away. Extinguishing the music, Davo came up beside Rex.

  “Hey,” he countered, placing a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Steady up there mate. That’s going too far.”

  Rex immediately shrugged Davo’s hand away and flashed him a malevolent glare.

  “Fuck off,” he snarled. “This ain’t none of your business.”

  Turning back to Ruby, Rex poked her hard in the shoulder once more.

  “What have you been gettin’ up to down there, eh?” he probed, causing her to drop the violin case and back away from him. She tripped on the edge of the grass where it met the concrete and she fell in a heap on the path.

  She could feel her tears gathering and falling down. All Ruby could do was prop herself up on her hands as Rex stood over her, swaying back and forth. Jeremy stood ashen faced, unable to comprehend his father’s disgusting behaviour yet unable to move out of fear of what he might do.

  “You haven’t been learnin’ no music,” Rex hissed. “I’ll bet you’ve been making that professor very happy, haven’t you…you little slut!”

  “Rex!!”

  Rex, Davo, Ruby and everyone present flinched at the sound of Virginia’s voice and turned in her direction. She stood at the back door, hands on hips, glaring down at her son, eyes full of fury. Asher stood beside her, her own eyes reddened, her jaw set. Evidently, the two of them had been there for several minutes and had witnessed the appalling exchange.

  Virginia descended to the patio, her glare remaining firmly fixed upon her drunken son.

  “Get back from her now!” she ordered threateningly. She turned to the others who were watching silently. “All of you! Get out of here right now before I call the police on the lot of you!”

  No one made any attempt to move.

  “NOW!” Virginia bellowed.

  Everyone reacted and without another word they gathered up their belongings and began filing out of the back yard. Virginia watched them pass by her, their heads hung low, nervous murmuring rippling through them. Beside her, Asher ignored the steady procession and, instead, kept her own eyes on her father. Her emotions were fracturing and quickly coalescing into a white hot hatred.

  In less than a minute, only Davo and Cherie remained behind. Belle, too fearful of moving toward her husband, was being supported by Cherie.

  Rex threw his beer bottle to the ground where it shattered on the concrete, mere inches from where Ruby lay.

  “What did you go fucking do that for, Ma?”

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Rex?” Virginia demanded ignoring him.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he retorted. “Allowing her to go to that teacher, to spend time with him. She can’t be trusted you know.”

  Virginia thrust her hand up to silence him.

/>   “Don’t you dare! Don’t you bloody dare…”

  Rex shook his head and staggered on the spot. He glared down at Ruby and without warning, he spat at her.

  “Little mongrel…just like her mother. And you lot,” he paused mid-sentence, to jab a finger at both Jeremy and Asher. “You make me sick—for going along with it.”

  He began to turn away, when suddenly an inhuman scream erupted.

  Without warning, Asher launched herself from the top of the stairs and sprinted across the concrete patio her arms flailing.

  Rex could barely comprehend what was happening as his daughter suddenly launched herself at him, balling her hands into fists and thrusting them with as much force as she could muster into her father’s face. They went crashing to the ground.

  Asher straddled him as he hit the grass and then she unleashed her pent up fury. Pummelling his face with an unrelenting salvo, she punched and tore and scratched and slapped him as hard as she could, over and over and over again, screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “I hate you, I Hate You, I HATE YOU!!”

  All the long years of watching her father torment his family through his alcoholism, using it as a weapon and a shield to physically and mentally abuse them. All the horrible screaming and fighting between himself and their mother. All of his constant taunting of Ruby, belittling her because of the circumstances of her birth, of her parentage. All of the fear and the anger and the despair…

  All of it came crashing forth like a tsunami, through Asher’s tears and her fists and her screams.

  Rex was unable to counter it.

  He tried to shield his face from but it was useless. Through the soupy, panicked haze of his lop-sided consciousness, he heard a loud snapping sound and his fractured mind recognised the sound of his own nose breaking. Fountains of red billowed up over his line of sight and he actually smiled at the visual, even as several of his teeth shattered and flew in different directions. The blood spatters were obliterated instantly by his daughter’s fists as they rained their destructive power down upon him. A jagged cut opened up above his left eye. Asher’s fingernails carved deep gashes into his right cheek and instantly welled with blood. His nose was pushed over to one side as cartilage popped. Asher sunk her teeth into his skin, gnashing at it, ripping it apart.