A Little Spark by Barry Jonsberg

Author:Barry Jonsberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2022-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

Elise and I sat at our normal bench at lunch and watched schoolkids as they went past. She’d only been off school for a week and I was surprised to see her back so soon, but she’d told me that staying at home was not an option.

‘Don’t get me wrong, CC,’ she said. ‘They haven’t argued, even when I was in my room. They’re trying hard and not just when I’m around. I think.’

‘Any chance they might stay together?’

Elise tucked one leg up under her and played with her hair. I’d always wished I could tuck a leg under my bum the way she can but when I tried I got the worst case of cramps ever. She’s just flexible, is El.

‘Nah,’ she said. ‘Not going to happen and it would be shit if it did. They’d only be together for me and that’s no reason. No. All I’m hoping is they stay civilised until it’s all over.’

‘Civilised is good,’ I said.

‘I did some checking on the internet about divorces gone bad,’ said El. ‘You wouldn’t believe some of the shit parents pull. The lies that are told, including bogus accusations of sexual abuse against their own children.’

‘You’re kidding.’

‘I wish. Seems that sometimes love can turn to a kind of crazy hate. You’ve read about this, CC. People who kill their own kids just to stop the other person having them.’

I knew she was right. But those were people whose stories were in newspapers or on television reports. They didn’t live next door to you. You didn’t know them. And therefore they weren’t really real, they were just characters in a drama. Then I remembered that someone once said psychopaths had to live next door to someone. A shiver ran down my spine.

I asked how she was doing. Well, I didn’t use those words. In fact, I skirted around the subject in what I hoped was a discreet enquiry into her mental health. But one of the good things about being best friends is that you can see straight through that stuff. I suppose it’s one of the bad things as well.

‘I’m not going to try it again, CC,’ she said. ‘If that’s what you’re asking.’

‘No, I wasn’t asking that.’ I stopped myself and thought for a moment. ‘Actually, that’s exactly what I’m asking. So you’re good?’

‘“Good” might be too strong a word,’ she replied. ‘But I’ll survive.’

‘Survival is definitely good,’ I said.

Then she asked how my custody battle was going and I filled her in on the meeting with Dad’s lawyer. El frowned when I told her what Mum’s lawyer was going to be saying about Dad.

‘Here’s hoping both sets of ’rents stay civilised,’ she said.

‘Civilised is definitely good,’ I replied.

‘Excuse me?’

El and I glanced up.

Liam Cooper stood next to our bench. He looked very nervous and he was switching weight between one foot and another. His face was flushed.

‘Elise Carmichael,’ he said. ‘You should know that I am not fit to kiss the dirt beneath your feet.’

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