Dodger Boy by Sarah Ellis

Author:Sarah Ellis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Groundwood Books Ltd
Published: 2018-08-22T14:40:38+00:00

Ten

The kitchen counters were crowded with baking. The sink was full of bowls and a floury Uncle Claude was punching down some dough.

Dawn had left. Charlotte had tried a patch-up, changing the subject back to hair, but it was all stilted and stupid.

Charlotte stood in the kitchen door and felt like crying. Punching something also looked good.

“Can I help?”

“Sure. Good timing. Knead this.”

The dough rolled under Charlotte’s hands, smooth and soft and springy.

“How come you’re making so many things at the same time?”

“I’m going back to the bush tomorrow. Got the call yesterday. I’m baking for the freezer here. Survival food for you guys.”

“You cook here and you cook up there. You should take a holiday.”

“That’s what Gloria says. She wants to take the Fun Bus to Reno. Maybe come summer.”

Gloria lived across the line in Washington State. She had a mobile home and grown-up children. Sometimes Dad teased Claude about marrying her but Uncle Claude said that Gloria had had enough of husbands, which suited him just fine because he didn’t think he was husband material. She and Uncle Claude went on holidays together.

“Dawn go home?”

“Yeah.” Charlotte turned over the dough and slapped it down on the counter. The sugary smell from the oven was making her feel sick to her stomach.

“You two good?”

“Yeah. Well, no. She’s mad at me but she’s pretending she isn’t.”

“Hmmm. Too bad. You don’t want to fall out with your friend. Why don’t you invite her for dinner? The whole gang’s coming, Miss Biscuit and all. Dodger Boy. Even James, if he can tear himself away from microeconomics. I’m thinking Swiss steak.”

Charlotte hesitated. Why should she make the first move? Why should she do the patching? After all, Dawn started it.

But her stomach won. Anything was better than going around feeling like throwing up.

Dawn answered the phone excited and bouncy, happy to come for dinner. It was as though the morning had never happened. As though she hadn’t gone all cold and too busy to hang around. As though she hadn’t left without saying “see you” or “phone me.”

When Charlotte hung up she spent some minutes untangling the phone cord. Her stomach had calmed down.

She was just going to forget the morning. If she could.

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