Chapter 11: The Off Switch

Jenny gave a deep sigh and forced herself to sit up. “We should get up and have breakfast. I should have a shower.”

She sat still and then groaned. “She’ll want to swim. I should check the chlorine levels in the pool.” She sat there without moving. I waited but nothing happened.

I reached out and patted her knee. “Maybe that’s something I can do, check the pool. The instructions are in Uncle Alex’s letter. It didn’t sound that hard.”

I’m not sure that she even heard me.

I went downstairs and grabbed the letter from Uncle Alex. Going to the pool, I followed all the steps to clean the filters and test the water. The test result suggested adding chemicals, so I did that and left the filters running to circulate the water. Then I grabbed the long pole and scooped some leaves out. The pool looked fine, but the instructions said to wait for two or three hours before swimming. I put everything away and went back inside.

The washing machine was still running so I left it alone. I went back to the kitchen to replace the letter. The bag of pot was sitting in the middle of the kitchen table. Freddy and I had sat there last night while he ate his pizza.

“Shit!”

Had he noticed it? I couldn’t remember. That was not cool, leaving drugs around when a kid was there.

“Frodo, I’m disappointed in myself,” I said.

Frodo shook his head. “You’re not good with kids. You shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near anybody under the age of twenty.”

It was hard to argue with that, so I didn’t bother. The bag of pot went back into its hiding place behind the Irish Folk Music CDs. The empty bottles from last night were still sitting in the sink and the glasses were on the bench. I emptied out the glasses and put them in the dishwasher. The plates I’d used for the pizza also went into the dishwasher. The empty bottles went out into the council recycle bin in the back yard. After a quick wipe with a damp cloth across the bench and the kitchen table, I wandered back upstairs.

Freddy and Jenny were still in bed, both appeared to be sound asleep, draped across each other like a weird pretzel. Luna was tucked in next to Jenny and dozing happily. Luna lifted her head up to look at me, but neither of the other two stirred. The doona had slid off one of Jenny’s shoulders. I tucked it back around her and then stretched out on the bed next to them. It was nice to lie there and soak in the peace and quiet. Luna came over to me and nudged my arm with her head. I stroked her back and she settled down and started purring. Stroking Luna was strangely therapeutic. It made me feel calmer and more relaxed than I’d felt for ages.

About twenty minutes later, I sighed and rolled off the bed. I hadn’t gone back to sleep during that time, but I did feel more relaxed. It felt like the morning was only getting started and I’d already done a shit ton of work. I used the bathroom (no period yet) and washed my hands. I wandered downstairs to the kitchen, filled the kettle with water and set it to boil, then went searching for instant coffee. There was a coffee machine on the bench, but I was clueless about how to use it. I did find a can of instant coffee, so I grabbed a coffee mug and added coffee powder and sugar. The only milk in the fridge was a sealed carton of long-life skinny milk so I took that out and gave it a shake. I stood and stared out the window as I waited for the kettle to boil. There were a couple of little birds hopping around on the side fence, so they entertained me as I waited.

Once the kettle boiled, I added hot water and milk and gave the coffee a good stir. Then I sat in the kitchen and sipped on my coffee and looked around. It was a nice kitchen, well set up with all modern appliances. The bench space was crowded with bits and pieces, bottles of spices, a knife block with a number of knife handles poking out, empty containers as well as containers filled with various cooking essentials. There was also a half-used jar of vegemite. This was a lived-in kitchen, not something like what you see on TV ads where nothing is out of place.

The doorbell rang – its strident chimes echoing throughout the house. Before I even got to the door, the bell rang again, twice. I opened the door and stood aside. The girl at the door was about half a head shorter than me, and as thin as a reed. Her hair was fair and straight and was tied at the back into a very long braid that went most of the way down her back. She wore a skin-tight pair of very short shorts, a half-top that left a thin strip of her belly exposed, and an open jacket over the top. The entire outfit was in shades of pastel green and white and very nicely coordinated. A black backpack was slung over one shoulder.

Tabitha entered the house with a flounce.

“You must be Jacinta. I’m Tabitha, but you probably already guessed that.” Her voice seemed to echo through the quiet house.

She ditched her shoes and her bag in the entrance and kept walking. “Where is everybody?”

I closed the door behind her and followed, feeling bemused.

By this time, she’d made it to the kitchen and seen that it was empty.

“Are they still upstairs? The lazy sods. I’ve been up for hours.”

She turned and started striding for the stairs. I stood in her way and stopped her, with a hand to each shoulder.

“Tabitha, stop. There’s something you need to know. Bria dumped Jenny yesterday and kicked her out. Jenny was upset and had waaay too much to drink last night. Right now, she’s upset and she’s hungover. She’s in a lot of pain.”

I made my voice severe and threatening. “Tone it down.”

Tabitha had her hands over her mouth. “Bria? Oh no. That’s awful.”

At least, she’d stopped speaking at full volume. She sidestepped me and sprinted up the stairs. I watched her go. Then I sighed and started following. I was starting to look forward to whipping that girl’s ass with a leather belt, and I’d only just met her.

I wondered if a black and blue ass would match her outfit.

By the time I got to the bedroom, Tabitha was sprawled across the bed with her arms around Jenny’s waist. She was sobbing into the doona that covered Jenny’s lap. In between the sobs, I could make out phrases about how wonderful Bria and Jenny had been, and how awful Jenny must feel, and how she was so terribly angry with Bria for breaking up with Jenny, and so on.