Chapter Thirty-Two
Mum and Dad gave me Monday and Tuesday off to make up for my work-filled weekend.
They said I couldn't work seven days a week, even though they did and they still wanted me to have some fun this summer because I was working so hard. It made me feel a bit guilty considering I was telling them so many white lies lately about where I was and who I was with. The last thing I wanted was to smash the illusion of being the perfect daughter, especially given my extracurricular activities with a certain gorgeous twenty-two year old who could kiss like no one else.
Ellie's ongoing advice played on my mind even though I was convinced that I wasn't Toby's rebound girl seeing as he obviously had some feelings for me.
He said he liked me, and he had fixed my bike ages ago and that was when he was still with Angela. Ellie thought that was a major development.
I thought the mere fact I had kissed Toby twice was an epic development.
But Ellie still wanted me to take a step back, which meant no accidentally going past his work and 'bumping' into him and no joint daytime trips mid-week with the Onslow Boys, (which I thought ludicrous and unfair).
"Trust me, Tess! Haven't you heard the old saying treat 'em mean to keep 'em keen? The more unavailable you seem, the more he'll want you."
"That sounds like playing games to me."
"You'll thank me when he's pawing over you at the weekend, begging for your time."
Talk about confusing advice. If not a tad hypocritical.
Apparently the boys had gone water skiing mid-week and McLean's Beach Friday night, and with the view of 'playing it cool', I didn't go to either and now Saturday lunch and well into Saturday night, Toby was a no show. Great plan, Ellie.
I gave her my best 'not happy' look.
"Don't worry, they'll be here," Ellie reassured me.
And the Onslow Boys did rock up. At least Stan and Sean did. No Toby, though. Ellie gave me a worried look, and I went back to the kitchen. Obviously, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' was more like, 'out of sight, out of mind'. As I dumped dirty dishes in the sink, I vowed never to take Ellie's advice again.
"What's your problem?" Amy glared as dirty dishwater splashed her in my dumping fury. I stormed out the back to kick a milk crate across the cement and slumped on to the back step to take a few breaths. I was angry at the world, at Toby, but mostly at myself.
Maybe I was the rebound girl.
At Sunday dinner service, when Toby was a no show again, doubt rose in me. Apparently the Onslow Boys had gone fishing, which was just Jim-dandy, but a whole week had gone by and the buzz from last weekend was quickly wearing off.
"You stress too much, I haven't exactly seen a heap of Stan this weekend either," Ellie said.
"You mean aside from your mid-week catch ups and yesterday and today? That's not classified as 'a heap'?"
"Not for our standards."
I really didn't give a crap about what their standards were, I was too busy feeling sorry for myself as I sipped on my Sunday night after-work staff drink. I hit the heavy stuff tonight. Double shot raspberry lemonade; yeah, I was depressed.
"You may not think it now, but in time you'll thank me for this."
I just grunted into my syrupy lemonade. The weekend was over. I felt like a little lap dog waiting for the door to open, waiting for the boys to come waltzing in. Ellie had tried to find out more info from Stan about their whereabouts and if they were coming in, but they must have been out of range. We couldn't even grill Chris, who was absent from his usual weekend shift. He wasn't out bonding with the boys; instead, he had taken a break to go to the city and stay with his nan and Adam.
Adam. I wished Adam were here. Ellie was sapping my energy with an entire summer devoted to her. I needed a buffer.
I nearly knocked my drink over at the sound of the door; I whipped my head around so fast it threatened to snap off my neck. A lone figure walked through. Stan. My shoulders slumped as Ellie brightened.
"Hey, you!" She beamed, swiveling in his direction.
His smile was warm and authentic, his eyes lit up when he saw her and there was no doubt how he felt about Ellie. There was no guarded, unreadable, broody expression on Stan's face. He was an open book; they both were.
Ellie flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. He held her, causing Ellie's feet to hover off the ground.
Stan winced. "Ah, Ellie watch my sunburn."
He was noticeably flushed, and Ellie pulled back his collar with a gasp.
"Stanley Remington, you deserve a right arse kicking."
I shook my head. "Boys and their inability to rub sun screen on each other."
"Believe me, it's not worth the hassle." He cringed as he sat down.
"I can see that." I eyed him skeptically.
"So where is everyone?" Ellie asked innocently.
"Home, I guess, big day."
Stan looked beat. A combination of drinking and sunstroke was nasty indeed. I wondered if Toby had suffered the same fate? He wouldn't burn like Stan because of his beautiful olive complexion, but I was appeased by the fact that they had had a big day and that was the reason they didn't come in tonight. But still. Stan had; he would have walked on fire to get to Ellie. My heart spiked with jealousy at how their relationship had developed.
Stan and Ellie dropped me off at home, early even for a Sunday night, on what had to have been the most anti-climactic weekend of the summer. With no Onslow Boys and no Chris to hold a lock-in, the bar had closed an hour early and so there I was, sitting in my room all before midnight. My dad had even stirred to get a drink and seemed utterly amazed I was home already. At least that would make me look good, I thought.
I checked my emails knowing there would be nothing from Ellie. Her emails became less and less frequent these days. Plus, she was no doubt in Stan's bungalow right now sponging him down with aloe vera cream.
Old faithful Adam, however, sat in my inbox, which made me smile no matter what my mood.
To: tessmcgee
Guess who can finger knit? Jealous much? Yeah you should be!
Hey I will finger knit you a scarf, I think if I start now it should be ready for winter in about 4 years' time?. Watch this space!
So what's happening McGee?? Chris is here but he won't dish the dirt, he is such a killjoy. I wonder when Mum and Dad are going to tell him he's adopted?
Maybe this Christmas?? Hand over his Bruce Springsteen's Greatest hits CD with a P.S?You're adopted!
Live to hope.
Sender: Adam I can jump puddles Henderson
To: Adam I can jump puddles Henderson
Sorry dude! There is no mistaking your family resemblance. Brothers to the bone! If anything, I suspect you were cloned from the same petri dish, aside from the whole serious broody thing (Don't tell him I said that).
If you can't manage the adopted angle how about dropped on his head as a baby? That might explain a few things. But then again you might have been dropped on your head as a baby too? Which in any case would also explain a few things.
Like ah Finger knitting??? What the?
Sender: tessmcgee
To: tessmcgee
People are afraid of what they don't understand Tess. Finger knitters everywhere have been suffering from the prejudice for centuries. I have to say I am a little disappointed in you.
Considering I fell off a billiard table recently I think I will avoid the whole dropped on head topic, it might back fire.
What are you doing home from work?
Sender: Adam I can jump puddles Henderson
I hit reply. I wanted to tell him about my horrid weekend, about Ellie's boy theory which I was seriously starting to doubt. I wanted to tell him each scenario and every painstaking analysis I had all week. But in order to do that, first I would have to tell him about the boy. Something I had been avoiding and something I couldn't do via email.
Screw it, I thought, and picked up the phone.
My fin
gers threaded nervously through the curve of the phone cord as it rang. Then he answered. Much like Ellie, there was surprised silence after I told him a (sugarcoated) version of events. He didn't need to know about the dry humping. But if he was about to echo the same spiel as Ellie, for one, I didn't think I could stand it and two, maybe they couldn't be all wrong?
Adam blew out a breath. "You've been busy."
"Oh, you know, just the typical summer drama." I winced.
"Tess. I have been finger knitting. A typical summer is not in my existence."
"I guess you'll have to live vicariously through us, then."
"I'll say. Toby Morrison, huh?" He sounded as if he needed it to sink in, as the phone line fell into more silence.
"So do you think I'm the rebound girl?" I asked, afraid of the answer.
"Possibly. But aren't we all on the rebound from someone? I mean, no matter how much time goes by, the next person will always be the rebound person. Was Stan the rebound guy for the tourist sleaze bag? Or was the tourist sleaze the rebound from Stan?"
I sat up straighter now. "I guess."
"Do you want some advice?"
I nodded, which in hindsight was pretty dumb on the phone but he continued anyway.
"Don't over-think it. Trust me, blokes aren't complicated creatures."
"So do you think I should hold back?"
"What for? If you like him - I can't believe I am having such a chick conversation with you - but if you like him, let him know. Not in a stalkerish 'I want to have your babies' way, but if you wanna hang with him, do it. If he's keen, he'll appreciate your honesty more than playing stupid games with him. Good God, woman, you're taking boy advice from Ellie? Seriously?"
"You weren't around, Adam! Besides, it's not exactly like I talk to you about this stuff."
"Yeah, well, this is the one and only time I like not having a vagina."
"Gross."
"Like I said," Adam continued, "the male species isn't as complicated as you think, so just go with it and do your own thing."
I felt a wave of relief pass over me at Adam's no-nonsense, honest words. Maybe it was because it was what I wanted to hear, but it was also good to get a guy's point of view. Adam was my last point of call before I picked up my mum's copy of Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus.
"Thanks, Adam."
"No sweat. I better go, this scarf won't knit itself, you know."
"You sure you don't have a vagina?"
"Whatever, Toby lover!"
"Don't say anything to Chris, okay? It's not exactly common knowledge."
"Ha! That's what you think."
I froze. "What's that supposed to mean?
"Here's another helpful insight into guys, Tess: opposed to what girls think, mates talk. We are mostly apes with our brains in our pants, but don't underestimate the power of the bro code."
"The bloody bro code."
"It is a strong, unbreakable bond."
"Ellie broke it," I laughed.
"I bet she freakin' did." He laughed, too.
"Any last words of advice, oh wise master?"
"If you take up finger knitting, make sure you use talcum powder so the wool doesn't rub on your fingers."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Stop playing games and go get him."
As I hung up the phone, that was exactly what I decided to do.