Cracked by Strahan Clare

Author:Strahan, Clare
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
ISBN: 9781743434642
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2014-05-08T16:00:00+00:00

I thought the trouble with the cops was all over, but at half-past-seven on Sunday morning, John Archer turns up on our doorstep to complain to my mother and give me a serve for the piece I stencilled on the footpath outside his pharmacy. He waggles a rolled-up copy of the Fernwood Mail. ‘It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who’s the culprit.’ He seems disappointed they haven’t locked me up and insists we go with him to ‘examine the damage’. Mum rolls her eyes behind his back, but says, ‘Come on, Clover, get in the car.’

The shop has been crappily tagged by ‘nobitz’ and ‘gutz’. I have to agree, it’s awful. With a stab, I see nobitz has also tagged my footpath piece – a direct insult to the quality of my work. Or maybe he’s just a dickhead. I can’t look at the pharmacist: how I feel about nobitz must be how he feels about me.

‘I’m sorry,’ I manage, and turn to Mum. ‘I only chose this spot because you can see it from both ends of the street.’

Archer crosses his arms. ‘Well, what are you going to do about it?’

‘Clover and I could repaint the outside of your shop?’ my mother suggests weakly.

‘I’m getting it done professionally,’ he says. ‘I’m sorry, Penny, but I’ll be forwarding the bill to you.’ He doesn’t look sorry.

Mum says, ‘Yes, of course,’ with that embarrassed, pinched face she gets when the EFTPOS machine comes up ‘insufficient funds’. It’s unbearable.

‘I understand why you hate tags,’ I blurt. ‘And I’m sorry they messed up your shop. But I didn’t touch your shop. And anyway, those kids just want to be heard too, you know. They want someone to know they exist. And what about what’s happening to the creek? And all these ugly buildings. Aren’t they acts of vandalism?’

Archer dismisses me with the shake of his head. ‘I don’t know what’s happened to young people,’ he says to my mother.

‘They woke up,’ she flashes at him. ‘Send me your bill, John, if it will make you feel better about yourself,’ and she stalks away.

I practically have to run to catch up with her.

But when we get home, she goes into my room with a rubbish bag and confiscates my paint. ‘Not my Monstercolours!’ I beg and cry, but she’s made of stone. Then she crawls into bed with Lucille, a pen and a writing pad, and won’t come out.

My beautiful tins! I throw myself on my own bed and ache with loss. After a few hours, I recover enough to complain about being starving.

‘What am I supposed to eat?’

‘There’s eggs. You can make me some too, while you’re at it.’

‘What?’

‘And feed the dog.’

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.