The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn

Author:Claire Zorn [Zorn, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Published: 2013-06-20T12:00:00+00:00

Twenty-six

I leave her and walk the short distance back to Noll’s house. I open the door and Max is standing there. The skin around his left eye is plum-coloured and swollen. He gives me his trademark killer smile.

‘Check it out, man!’

I grab him and hug him, holding on as if I’m afraid he’ll float away.

Noll comes to the door. I tell him Lucy will be coming with us.

‘That’s good. The more there are of us the better, I think.’

‘Did Max sleep?’ I ask.

‘He did. I stayed up and kept an eye on him for a while. I wanted to stay up all night, just to be sure he was okay. But I couldn’t, I fell asleep. I’m sorry.’

‘You were going to stay up all night to look out for my brother?’

‘You asked me to take care of him.’

‘Yeah, but . . . Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome.’

‘The car is ready to go? All the food still in it?’

‘Yes.’ Noll looks like he wants to say something more.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Did you leave enough food there for Mr Starvos and his family?’

‘We didn’t take it all. There was still a bit . . . I think. He was going to kill me, Noll. He told me he was going to kill me.’

He nods. ‘How badly was he hurt? Do you think he would have woken up?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t see what choice we had. Lucy . . . Noll, she saved my life. He was going to kill me.’

‘I understand. We should go.’

Lucy takes a bag from off the top of her wardrobe and I sit on the edge of her bed. The room feels like a relic, a memory. The walls are crammed with photos, pictures torn from magazines, movie and band posters. There is a huge Radiohead poster at the head of the bed and another framed picture of Pablo Picasso holding a pistol.

Mrs Tenningworth comes into the room with an ice-cream container.

‘First-aid kit,’ she says. ‘Bandages, antiseptic cream, painkillers.’ She disappears down the hall and returns with a plastic lunchbox full of cutlery.

‘Mum, I’m pretty sure we won’t be having dinner parties.’

Mrs Tenningworth puts it in the bag and then looks through what Lucy has packed.

‘How many pairs of socks do you have? You need more than that, here . . .’ She opens a drawer. Lucy softly places a hand on her shoulder.

‘Mum––’

‘Where’s your red cardigan? I only got that for you six months ago.’

‘Mum.’

‘What? I’m your mother . . .’ She is crying. ‘I’m your mother and I’m supposed to let you go out there . . . because I can’t do anything else. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, my darling. I can’t do anything else.’ She pulls Lucy to her and I look away to give them space.

‘Fin, you must look after each other,’ Mrs Tenningworth says to me. ‘You must.’

Noll has parked the car on the street. He and Max wait while I carry Lucy’s bag from the house. Lucy’s uncle pulls me aside on the front porch.

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