All Things Bright and Broken by Carol Gibbs

Author:Carol Gibbs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jacana
Published: 2017-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

Mommy and Aunty Beryl are sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

“Jacob says if I give him another son, he’ll never drink again.”

“And you believe him?” Aunty Beryl lifts her eyebrows. “Two pairs of big ears.”

“Make yourselves scarce,” Mommy shoos us off.

Alice is playing at my house. We climb the tree and settle on our favourite branch.

“I have a secret,” Alice whispers.

“Tell me!”

“My mother is going to have another baby,” she blurts out.

Don’t they know thirteen is an unlucky number?

“You want a boy or a girl?”

“Boys fight and kick up a racket.”

“Where is your mommy going to have the baby?”

“At home.”

“My daddy is back with Public Works. If we have a baby, they will pay.”

When Mrs Haroldson’s tummy starts to grow no one bats an eyelid. But when my mommy’s tummy bulges, we all sit up and take notice. Mommy has bought skeins of blue wool and Desiree and I have to wind it into balls. She knits furiously every night and baby patterns lie all about the house. In the morning we stand outside the lavatory door with our legs crossed, listening to Mommy vomiting her heart out.

“I hope Mommy isn’t vomiting the baby up,” says Desiree.

Soon Mommy can’t even bend to pick up a dishcloth and big burps come out of her mouth.

“Don’t s-steal Mommy’s p-prunes. Forget about v-vomiting. Being c-constipated is f-far worse.” Gabriel rubs it in. “Constipation m-means you will have b-bunches of grapes h-hanging out of your b-bum, like Aunty Beryl. Think of the prunes as m-medicine then y-you won’t be tempted to t-touch them.”

We know about shitting bricks, so we treat the prunes with respect. Aunty Beryl had to have an operation on her bum and when she came to visit us she had to sit on a round red rubber ring that smelt of hospital. My bum is sore just at the thought of it.

When I’m lying in bed, I hear Mommy and Daddy talking.

“I can’t believe it … another white rat! Are they mad?”

So much for Alice’s secret.

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