The Australian by Emma Smith-Stevens

Author:Emma Smith-Stevens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Australian
ISBN: 9781945814082
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Published: 2017-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

The Australian and Deedee sort through Margaret’s belongings. All of her books, kitchenware, and clothes are set aside for donation to thrift stores, aside from those Deedee wants to keep for herself. She also retains Margaret’s jewelry, cookbooks, artwork made by their friends, and mementos from Margaret’s various travels throughout Australia and New Zealand—seashells and driftwood, two didgeridoos, shoeboxes of photographs, a small silk bag filled with red desert sand, and two vials of lanolin. Margaret never made a will, but Deedee declares with confidence Margaret’s wishes for each object, invariably asserting that she herself is the intended inheritor. Although Margaret’s true intentions are unknowable, the Australian tells himself he hasn’t any right to feel disturbed by Deedee’s presumptions. His role in the last long stretch of his mother’s life was negligible. Furthermore, he has neither practical use nor any real desire for her things.

Soon he will return to New York City, where he intends to convince Fiona to take him back. No apology or explanation can undo his shortcomings, but maybe she will accept his current circumstances—the soul-ripping loss he has just endured—as adequate retribution. Perhaps she will feel bad for him ,enough to abandon the pop star. He must convince her to move back into the apartment with him, and from that close proximity he will win her over. Exactly how is yet to be determined, but his best chance will be a sincere show of humility and willingness to change. A more concrete plan will present itself—once the plane touches ground in New York, say, or when he sees Fiona’s face. Meanwhile, he stands by while Deedee claims nearly everything for herself, breaking occasionally while she bicycles to available rental apartments nearby, looking for a place she can afford on her own. Two days before the Australian is set to leave, she finds a studio just a few blocks away. By the end of the following day, and with the use of a neighbor’s van, the apartment—aside from Aphrodite and her cage—is entirely emptied.

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