Picking up the Pieces by Amanda Prowse

Author:Amanda Prowse [Prowse, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2023-01-09T16:00:00+00:00

Gordy and Ted ambled in via the back door to the kitchen where she was jostling frying pans on the range, listening to the sizzle and pop of the ingredients in the hot pan, and trying to quieten the growl of hunger in her stomach that the smell had awakened.

‘How did you get on?’ she asked, putting the warmed plates, which waited to receive the standard weekend supper of bacon, egg and beans, all polished off with a healthy stack of hot, buttered toast, on to the counter. ‘Hope it’s okay, I . . .’ She gestured to the mess she had created.

‘Of course it’s okay!’ he reassured her. ‘Ted is a natural woodsman.’ Gordy stepped out of his muddy wellingtons and placed them by the back door, Ted followed suit and she found it strangely moving to see the little boots sitting next to the big ones. It was jarring how these small things, snapshots of another life, moved her so. ‘He wielded the axe like a pro!’

‘Wielded the axe? For goodness’ sake don’t tell Kiki, she’ll have my guts for garters!’ She found a smile.

‘Is she here?’ Ted yelled, misunderstanding her comment as he ran from the kitchen. ‘Is Mummy here?’ He rushed around the downstairs of the property, flinging open doors, and navigating the strange house for the first time, each room echoing with the heartbreaking call of ‘Mum! Mum!’

‘Ted!’ she shouted, abandoning the task of serving supper as she chased after him. ‘Ted, she’s not here! I didn’t mean to give you the impression she was. I’m so sorry. I just meant when she gets to hear about your weekend.’ Her gut folded at the fact that she’d screwed up again.

The boy stared at her with his chest heaving and his eyes searching hers. Nora’s veins ran thick with the syrup of loss that she not only recalled, but which his expression conjured.

‘Where is she?’ he whispered as his mouth contorted with the effort of containing his tears.

‘She’s still in hospital, but I’m pretty sure you can see her very soon. How about that?’ She bent low, mimicking Jason.

‘I want to go home. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home! I want my mum!’ He began to cry, great gulping sobs that made further speech impossible.

‘I know.’ She spoke calmly, quietly, damning herself for having upset the status quo, albeit inadvertently, and struggling to contain her own distress at the sight of his. ‘It’s only for two sleeps and on Sunday we’ll head back to the flat and you can sleep in your own bed. And I’ll go back to the floor!’ She pulled a face. ‘I promise we’ll try and do fun things; you can help Gordy with the fire after supper and tomorrow you can build a den or we can play board games, or—’

‘I want to be at home in case Mummy comes home.’ His words pitiful and brave for one so little. Nora cursed making the trip; it would have been wiser if they’d stayed in the flat, opted for routine.

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.