The Mistake by Wendy James

Author:Wendy James [James, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742534831
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2012-01-17T16:00:00+00:00

18

Jodie reads the letter on the news website on the morning of its publication, though someone thoughtfully pushes the cutting under her door later that day. She spends the rest of that morning cleaning the bathrooms – scrubs every surface, every tile, every millimetre of grout, using the strongest bleach she can lay her hands on, the fumes so strong that it is impossible to tell whether the tears that run in a continual stream, virtually blinding her, and the violent churning of her stomach are chemically or emotionally induced.

Fiona Silvers calls a few days later, her voice uncharacteristically breathy as she leaves a message for Jodie.

‘I thought you might like to know,’ she says, ‘your mum is going to be on telly – on Today Tonight. I thought … I thought you had a right to know.’ As if she were doing Jodie a favour.

Jodie cannot bear to watch it, but Angus locks himself into the lounge room and listens through headphones. He calls the station immediately and demands a written transcript – a single mention of the word libel and they’re more than eager to comply. They email it the following day, and Angus hands it to Jodie on his arrival home. ‘It’s pretty bad,’ he says, his expression full of pity, concern. ‘But you shouldn’t take it too much to heart, Jodes – she’ll have done it for the cash, you know. For the notoriety. And everyone will know that.’ She cannot respond, can’t even read it in front of him. She snatches the document without making eye contact, walks stiffly into the bedroom, locks the door, sits down on the bed.

‘JODIE’S Devastated Mum Tells All’

Interview Transcript

Reporter: Abi Cartwright

Producer: Samuel Townsend

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