‘And don’t forget to ring up for the job,’ she said as she bustled out the door.
Ah yes, the job. I only hoped I wouldn’t have to wear period costumes and such. With my luck, I’d be the bloody maid. But first, I had to pay a call to a certain thorn in my side.
*
‘Hey, beautiful,’ Phil drawled when he answered the door of his flat in his boxers, his hair sticking out in every direction and the acute stench of liquor punching me in the face.
I pushed past him. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, trying to put the house up for sale? Your own children’s home? What the hell is wrong with you?’
He looked contrite, pulling at the bottom of his T-shirt like a two-year-old about to burst into tears. ‘I’m sorry, babe, but I needed the money…’
I stepped back as if he’d slapped me. ‘Phil,’ I said as calmly as possible, because murder was looking pretty good from where I was standing. ‘You don’t contribute one penny in child support and you need the money? Why should the children pay for your stupidity, and after all you’ve done to us?’
He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck like when he was at a loss for words, which didn’t happen very often.
‘I’m sorry, babe,’ he repeated. ‘I’m in big trouble. These blokes, they had my back, yeah, and now… they don’t have it anymore. I owe a lot of money.’
Dear God, why hadn’t I married a real man, one with a brain and a heart and some backbone and not the rejects of The Wizard of Oz all rolled into one?
‘Well, you’d better start thinking, Phil. Because I’m not selling the very roof over Ben and Chloe’s heads just so you can gamble it all away again.’
‘What about moving the kids to Childress Academy, then?’ he suggested. ‘That’s free, and we could split the dosh that’s left.’
I stopped and stared at him. ‘There is no “dosh” left! You took it all, don’t you remember, you idiot? And there’s no way in hell that I’m taking the kids out of Northwood just to pay your debts.’
‘But technically, they’re our debts, Nina. Hey, what about your royalties? I’m entitled to those. I was living with you when you wrote those books. I suggested the names to you. I have a right to half your earnings. You and I are still married.’
Man, that butcher’s knife was looking real good now.
‘But we aren’t married here!’ I cried, beating my chest above my heart. ‘All you did was sponge off me the minute the royalties started coming in. You’ve already had your big fat share of my earnings.’
‘But my debts…’
‘You should’ve thought about that before you started gambling our lives away. Now back off before I feed you to your creditors myself!’ And with that, I shoved past him and out the door, driving all the way to Northwood to pick the kids up under the steam of my fury.
‘What happened to you?’ Chloe smirked through her braces as she got into the car.
‘Hiya, Mum!’ Ben said as he got into the back seat. ‘Chloe’s ticked off because she got made fun of for her socks.’
‘Everyone only wears tights in Year Eight,’ she seethed, crossing her arms and refusing to look at me. ‘I had to go hide in the loo for the entire first period just so I didn’t have to hear them laugh.’
God, please grant me the strength to not be cross with my daughter just because she reminds me so much of Phil!
‘Well, maybe you want to be more organised with your things in the future,’ I suggested calmly. ‘From now on, what doesn’t go in the laundry bag doesn’t get washed.’
At that, she turned to glare at me, then turned to stare sullenly out the window and muttered, ‘I hate you. It’s all your fault Dad left.’
My heart stopped for a split second. If that was true, they should’ve been thanking me, but I wasn’t about to go into rhetoric about their father’s shortcomings. It was totally unedifying and I wasn’t paying good money so I could turn my kids into trash.
‘Chloe, don’t be a bitch,’ Ben interjected.
‘Ben!’ I gasped, turning in my seat. ‘Where did you learn that language?’
‘At school, of course. Listen, Mum, Chloe’s just upset because Simon’s seeing someone else.’
‘Who’s Simon?’ I asked, although somehow I felt I should’ve known. These kids today did their very best to keep things to themselves.
‘Mind your own damn business,’ she snapped.
At that, I checked the rear-view mirror and pulled over again.
‘Why are we stopping?’ she asked in a panic. ‘I have to go home and change before I go out with my friends!’
‘First of all, young lady, you’re not going anywhere without my permission. Second of all, we are going to sit here until you apologise to me and Ben for being rude.’
She snorted. ‘Yeah, like that’s happening.’
Ben caught my eye in the rear-view mirror and shrugged as if to say, Let it go, Mum. But I was sick and tired of being walked all over and if I didn’t nip her behaviour in the bud now, it would grow into one huge, ugly monster tomorrow.
So I used my inner Voice of Wisdom. ‘We all have problems, Chloe. But we don’t take them out on you.’
‘Whatever…’
‘I’m serious, Chloe. We’re going to sit here until you apologise.’
‘Apologise for what, ruining your life?’
I blinked. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘You think I don’t know that if you didn’t have us your life would be easier?’ Oh, God, she truly was having one of her beauties today.
I gasped. ‘Where on earth did you hear such nonsense?’
‘Everyone at school says so. Their parents
