Everything We Keep

EVERYTHING WE KEEP

EVERYTHING WE KEEP

Di Walker

An Omnibus Book from Scholastic Australia

Prologue

‘They’re here! They’re here!’ Agatha ran down the hallway to the front door and flung it wide open. Before her stood a small group of overly excited girls with their smiling mothers gathered behind.

‘Happy birthday!’ they cheered in an unexpected chorus. Agatha couldn’t contain herself. She jumped on the spot, clapping her hands together. As she made a sweeping gesture with her arm for everyone to enter, Agatha looked down the hall and saw Edith approach. Her mother, as always, looked beautiful; her hair neatly swept into an elegant updo, her dress, flowing around her with every step. ‘Welcome, welcome, everyone,’ Edith said. ‘We have everything set up out the back; Agatha will lead the way.’

Agatha skipped her way back down the hall, the giggling girls following closely behind. ‘You can put the presents there,’ Agatha said, pointing to the coffee table, as they passed through the newly decorated sitting room.

When they reached the back door, the young guests could see a long table of the required party treats already set up under the shade of a large plane tree. ‘Come and look at the cake! It’s a real one, from the bakery, not a homemade one!’ Agatha said, her eyes wide from the excitement that had been building for days.

Taking pride of place in the centre of the table sat a tall round cake, its sides completely covered in hundreds and thousands with six extra tall colourful candles on top. Pink icing seemed to be running down the sides, as if it was melting from the candles. The small gathering oohed and aahed. ‘There’s a surprise inside it, when it’s cut open,’ Agatha said in a loud childish whisper.

‘What is it? What’s the surprise Agatha?’ one of the girls squealed.

‘You’ll see,’ Agatha replied, then quickly squeezing her lips together as if to hold back the secret making her face look as if it was going to burst.

‘Ahh, I see everyone’s here! Time for me to swing into action.’ Agatha’s father was standing next to a deflated jumping castle. He clapped his hands together and went into the garage. Within moments the pump started to push out the air and slowly the castle came to life.

‘Come on,’ Agatha said. The small troupe of giggling girls ran to the entrance of the jumping castle, flicking off their shoes in preparation, cheering as the castle went higher and higher.

The mothers had gathered on the back veranda.

‘They’re going to have so much fun, Edith. What a great idea to have a jumping castle,’ one said.

‘And it is a perfect night for it, so balmy,’ said another.

‘Great way to start their summer holidays, a birthday party and then Christmas not far away,’ said the first.

‘Agatha has been so excited about it for weeks,’ Edith said. The other mothers all nodded and smiled, each knowing the over-excitement in the lead up to such events.

‘Every time I come here,’ another mother said, ‘you and Karl have done something more to the house. It’s looking great. I hope you’re not planning to sell?’

‘No, no. We wouldn’t move from here. Great neighbours and friends. Close to Karl’s work, Agatha loves her school. No. We aren’t moving. But we have finally finished the bathroom. Do you want to see it?’

‘If it’s anything like your kitchen renovation, it will be amazing. I should get you to design my kitchen. Goodness knows I need a new one.’

‘Edith, have you ever thought of interior design, you know, as a career? You have excellent taste.’ The others murmured in agreement.

‘It has crossed my mind. Maybe in a few years,’ Edith said as she led them back inside.

Karl watched them move from the veranda back into the house. He smiled. Turing his attention back to the girls he said, ‘Rightio ladies, I do believe it’s ready. On you go.’ They did not need to be told twice.

Agatha was first on, and from the middle of the castle, jumping as high as she could, looked over at him and said loudly, ‘This is the best party ever, isn’t it, Dad.’

‘It sure is.’

Several few minutes later, having seen the mothers out, via the new bathroom, Edith appeared at his side. He put his arm around her shoulder. ‘Great idea, sweetheart. This will keep them busy and exhaust them at the same time.’

‘We have a few other games to play too. Isn’t it great to see her so happy? And she has such lovely little friends.’

‘Everything is just as we planned it would be, and I don’t just mean the party.’ Karl kissed the top of his wife’s head. She looked up at him as his gaze travelled from the jumping castle to the back of the house and around the garden. They had both worked hard for this, for all of this.

‘I better go and check inside. There’s a lot of squealing going on out here.’

Karl watched her walk into the house and turned back to watch his daughter, the smile on her face wider than he had ever seen it before.

‘Happy birthday my darling,’ he said to her. Although Agatha couldn’t hear him, she understood every word.

Eight years later . . .

1

Agatha was eating breakfast at the kitchen table when the phone rang. She watched Katherine, look at the caller id, glance towards Agatha and walk to the other room, before answering. ‘Are you sure, Nell? I mean, you said it was going to be longer. She’s happy here and . . . ’

There was a long pause. Agatha waited. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine what Nell was saying on the other end of the conversation. ‘Yes. I’ll tell her. It’s not right you know. She shouldn’t have to . . . ’ Katherine stopped herself, or Nell interrupted her, either way Agatha knew what Katherine would have said, if she had a chance to finish that sentence.

When she returned, Agatha was still eating her