February Or Forever (5 page)

‘Pleeaase.' When she didn't reply immediately, Kai added, ‘Pretty please, with sugar on top?'

‘Sugar's not healthy.'

‘Well, um, with…yoga on top?'

Chrissie tipped her head back with a laugh. Kai was well versed in the health benefits that yoga provided. Although, when he was in preschool, she'd had to clarify her profession to him after he'd told a classmate that his mum was a ‘yoghurt teacher'.

‘Well, that wasn't
exactly
what I had in mind,' she replied, an image of
Drew on top
flashed in her mind before she flicked it away, ‘but since you asked so nicely.' She left the school bag and opened the fridge, pulling out a carton of milk and a tub of
yoghurt
, then grabbed a box of frozen berries from the freezer. ‘One smoothie coming up.'

‘Yum.' Kai pressed the remote on the television and a wildly colourful cartoon blared from the screen.

Glossy white milk seeped in between the clumps of berries as Chrissie poured it in the blender, followed by a couple of dollops of yoghurt. She held the cover closed as the blender whirred, whipping the ingredients up into a purpley-pink liquid.

‘Here you go,' she said, handing Kai a plastic cup full of the mixture and placing a coaster in front of him on the coffee table. ‘Be careful though, no spills.'

Like that would prevent any.

Chrissie remembered the time they'd had lunch at a friend's house in Sydney. She could see that Kai was about to spill his drink so, in a split second, she'd flung her hand out to grab it but in the process knocked over her own glass, the drink soaking the pants of her friend's daughter, seated next to Kai.

She placed her own smoothie on the dining table and continued extracting things from Kai's bag. ‘Oh, no wonder you're thirsty, your water bottle's only half empty and you haven't had your popper.' Chrissie held up the small juice box.

‘I forgot,' he said.

‘And what about your banana?' She held up the browning squished fruit that had been compressed at the bottom of the bag by the lunch box and a couple of picture books.

‘I didn't feel like it.'

‘Oh, Kai. You really must try to eat what I've packed for you, otherwise it's a waste.'

Just as she'd thought, only half his lunch had been eaten too. She brought the half-sandwich over to him. ‘You can eat the rest now, please.'

‘But I want something fresh.'

‘What do you call that?' She pointed to the smoothie.

‘But that's drink, not food, silly.'

‘Kai, it has fruit in it, and fruit is food. So drink up, eat up, and I don't want to hear another complaint from you today.' She gave him the ‘Don't mess with Mum' look and hoped it would last at least the next half hour so she could finally sit down for a bit.

Chrissie downed the smoothie in about thirty seconds, then opened her notebook. Not the yoga one, the other one; the one that would eventually lead to her financial freedom and hopefully her dream of starting up her own rural yoga retreat.

She re-read the list of priorities on the first page:

1. Go through Aunt Felicia's things.

2. Renovate house to maximise sale price.

3. Sell house for top dollar.

4. Buy a new house on a large acreage.

5. Create a stable life for Kai.

6. Plan yoga retreat business.

She'd almost added: and finally be happy and settled.

She turned the page and divided the second page in half by drawing a line down the middle. At the top of the first column she wrote Big Jobs, and at the top of the second she wrote Small Jobs. Would she need a Medium Jobs column, or would that be taking things too far?

Her deceased aunt's house — now
her
house — could have been sold as is for quite a decent sum, considering its solid structure and breathtakingly beautiful and sought after beachfront location that marked the beginning of the Tarrin's Bay township. But it would go for so much more with some renovations and revamping, and the more money the better. She wasn't greedy, just wanted to get the most she could for her aunt's property. She had to do it; there was no one else in the family left but her. Besides, if she left it as is there was a slight chance the buyer might knock it down and rebuild. Felicia would have hated that; this house was — had been — a part of her. And even though Chrissie's last memories of being here were ones she'd rather forget, she couldn't sit back and let someone tear it down. No, she'd bring it back to its former glory, and more. She'd use the equity to get a loan for what needed doing; building a garage to replace the weathered carport at the side of the house, extending the L-shaped verandah around the other side of the house and expanding it into a large covered deck and entertaining area, and replacing the tiled roof with something more robust and hardy to deal with the constant salt spray from the ocean.

The five-bedroom house was too large for only her and Kai, but it would be their temporary home until the work was done. Besides, her therapist had told Chrissie that it would be good for her — a chance to face her past and come to terms with what happened here during the summer she turned thirteen. She'd been given the name of a new therapist in Tarrin's Bay, but with getting Kai settled in a new school and starting her new job, unpacking their things and sorting through Felicia's, there hadn't been a spare moment. Maybe she wouldn't need one anymore. Maybe the act of cleaning out the old and revealing the new would somehow heal her of its own accord. She could only hope. And maybe the whole Drew thing would be a welcome distraction after all, instead of something she feared she couldn't handle. Chrissie tapped the pen against her chin as her gaze wandered around the white interior with beachy decor, while her mind wandered back to her yoga session with Drew.

Kai laughed hysterically at something on the television, breaking her daydreaming, and she brought her attention back to the list. The kitchen; it would need a complete overhaul. A good kitchen would make it easier to get a higher price. People wanted state of the art appliances, not rustic equipment that had seen decades of use. She'd get a few quotes and plan to have it done during the April school holidays when she'd secured a week off from work. For the other week, Kai would be at his father's house, making it easier for Chrissie to get to work. Although she hated having to share him with her ex-husband in this way, like a parental tug-of-war, it did have its advantages. It was nice to get the odd break from her role as a mother and spend some time alone. She could even go back to Sydney and spend a night on the town with Melinda if she wanted to. Then again, she was sort of past all that. A nice dinner and conversation with a friend beat living it up on the dance floor in a crowded, sweaty nightclub by far.

Chrissie's thoughts returned to the kitchen with its homely look and she wondered what sort of benchtops and cupboards to get. A brief laugh escaped as she eyed the clock on the wall that said ‘time to eat', remembering her aunt's voice calling out to her and her sister as children, telling them to stop playing in the sand because it was getting dark and was ‘time to eat'. Chrissie and Danielle would play for hours outside, their backyard being their own private section of beach. She shook away the memories which, although happy, only led to those that were unhappy.

Chrissie eyed the colour scheme of the house — baby blues, rustic whitewashed furniture, and splashes of sandy-coloured wicker in the backs of the dining chairs, legs of the coffee table, and the magazine holders bursting with craft magazines. Various ornaments were displayed haphazardly; a shell sculpture sat on a bookcase underneath a decorative anchor displayed on the wall. Everything cried out, ‘I'm a beach cottage', even though the house seemed too large to be called a cottage. It was nice, comfortable, but it would probably be best to go for a more modern, minimalist style: off-whites, caramels, and earthy tones to blend in with the natural environment surrounding the property. She had an eye for detail, but could always call in a colour consultant and interior designer, if necessary, to get things right.

Kai released another belly laugh and Chrissie smiled. He may be a little difficult, but it was these moments that gave her hope; reassured her that everything would be okay, that
he
would be okay. He would be, wouldn't he?

If the next morning was anything to go by, Chrissie was about ready to take Kai out of school, leave her job, and move into a tent somewhere far away where they could live off the land and forget about rules and schedules and timetables and expectations. How would she cope with another day of this, let alone the whole year, and every year till he finished school as a teenager? Late again, and just as grumpy and upset as he'd been yesterday, Kai had reluctantly stood by Mrs Kitson in the playground as Chrissie scurried off before he could run after her and find a way to permanently attach himself for the rest of his childhood. Anyway, it was out of her hands now. He was at school, she was at work.
Focus, Chrissie.

‘Off with the fairies?' Drew asked.

‘Huh? Oh, sorry, I must have been a bit zoned out. All this yoga, you know.' She shrugged and pressed her lips together in a small smile. ‘So, ah, let's try
Trikonasana
again. This time, focus on opening up the chest and keeping the hips from tilting forward.'

‘Okay, let's do it.'

Drew widened his legs and pointed his right foot out at a ninety-degree angle, then held his arms out straight to the side. Chrissie stood behind him. ‘Remember, reach and lengthen to the right first before bending sideways.' She guided his arm with her hand as he stretched out. ‘Good, good. Now bend, keeping your torso facing the front.' He followed her instructions well. He was a little stiff, but nothing that regular daily practice couldn't loosen up. As his left arm reached high, the sleeve of his t-shirt fell down around his shoulder, circled around it in a kind of embrace, and his shoulder blade bulged beneath the fabric of his top. She adjusted his arm's position slightly, aligning it with his right arm that reached down and rested on his leg. ‘Imagine a metal rod is connecting your left hand with your right, keeping both arms in a perfect straight line.' He didn't speak, simply adjusted and breathed, and for a few moments there was silence. A sense of peace washed over Chrissie. It was always rewarding watching the human body bend and twist and support itself in positions that weren't part of normal daily life. Especially the human body in front of her now. It really was a beautiful sight…when a student got the pose just right. ‘Fantastic, now inhale and engage your core as you come up.'

Drew stood straight again, then repeated the pose on the other side.

‘Okay, let's try a variation of that pose, with the knee bent.' Chrissie went to demonstrate when a jingling sound came from her bag. ‘Oh, I thought I turned it off. Sorry!' She continued to set up for the pose.

‘It's okay, go get it. I don't mind.'

‘Oh that's okay, I never answer phone calls during class.' The ringing stopped as it went to voice mail. She stretched her arms out to the side and bent her right knee, when the jingling sounded again.

‘I'll grab a sip of water, you take your call.' Drew walked over to the side table and picked up his bottle as Chrissie got her phone and swiped the screen to answer.

‘Hello?'

‘Mrs Cavanaugh?'

‘Um, it's Ms Burns, actually.' She was used to being called Mrs Victor Cavanaugh, but had hoped people would get used to her returning to her maiden name after the divorce. She'd kept the surname for Kai, though.

‘Oh, right, Sorry. It's Jenny from the school reception — '

‘Is everything okay?'

‘Yes, well there's no need to worry, but Kai has been in sick bay for over an hour.'

‘What's wrong? He doesn't have a fever or anything?'

‘No, no fever. But he's been complaining of a tummy ache since recess.'

Great. Probably didn't eat his morning tea and his ache is actually hunger, or he's dropped it and eaten it anyway, along with a clump of dirt or bugs or something.

‘Oh, well, could you check if he's eaten anything today? Or maybe he just needs some water and a bit of a lie down for a while. I'm sure it will pass.'

In other words,
I can't possibly leave work right this minute to pick him up.

‘Well, he's eaten, had some water, and has been lying down for an hour. He says he still feels sick. It's our policy that if there's no improvement after an hour we have to request that he be picked up from school.'

Chrissie swore under her breath.

‘I'm sorry?'

‘Oh, nothing. It's just that I'm at work. I'm not sure I can leave yet. Can you keep him there for another half hour or so?' She added a hint of desperation to her tone of voice.

‘I am sorry, Mrs Cav — Ms Burns, I understand it's an inconvenience, but I really must insist. I have other work that needs doing and I can't watch over him constantly, I'm afraid.'

Chrissie hung her head, then glanced at Drew who mouthed, ‘It's okay, go,' and gestured to the door. Bless him.

‘Ms Burns?'

‘Yes, of course. I'll leave now.' She ended the call and placed the phone in her bag, then looked at Drew as he approached her. ‘I am so, so sorry. My son's feeling sick and the school wants me to pick him up.'

‘No worries. Family comes first.'

‘If only they'd watch over him for another half hour I could complete your session. Oh, this is such an inconvenience for you, I really am very — '

‘Chrissie.' He grasped her hand lightly. ‘Seriously, it's okay. We've already had half an hour. I'll do a bit on my own for now. I'll manage. You go take care of your son.'

His touch relaxed her tense muscles yet heightened her senses at the same time. She smiled apologetically as he ushered her to the door. He may be okay with the interruption, but how would Helena react? Leaving work early on her second day teaching the V.I.P. guest? She'd probably replace her with Lisa, and this would be the last time she'd ever see Drew Williams.