Goodbye

'OK, then. That's me,' Henry says to his mother. The woman from the airline company's ground crew has announced boarding for his flight. Jane visibly frets and fidgets. Henry is her only son, and at nineteen, she knows he's old enough to galavant across Europe for the northern hemisphere's summer, but in her mind's eye,…

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Mum and Me

'OK, that's enough, now,' Mum said. I was sobbing. My heart felt heavy, too big, like it was pushing against my ribs. 'Dry the tears. Not going to help anything to spend the day hiding and crying.' Using a tissue I wiped the wetness from my cheeks. I sniffed. Looked at Mum. 'Thanks, Mum. For…

Persian Rug

'Wanna go for a ride?' Ant is sitting on a Persian rug. He wriggles his eyebrows as he asks the question. I assume he means a bit of nooky; I shake my head. It's the last thing I want right now. In the back of my mind, a thought regarding the newness of the rug…

Lacking Pizzazz

Inevitably, Melbourne has arrived at Stage 4 restrictions. Imposed on us last night by the head honcho in charge of this dystopian nightmare, Chairman Dan, and will remain in place until mid-September. The city is wholly lacking pizzazz. There is a tangible sense of doom amongst us, its saddened, anxious, and angry inhabitants. But...in the…

Marge’s Bomb

Being with him is simpatico. It's easy, smooth, like taking a breath. We're in sync. I have this thought as I watch him drive away in our Ford Falcon GT, hot off the production line. Our toddler waves goodbye from her vantage point on my hip, her pudgy fist opening and closing. She blows her…