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d a r r e n g r ot h
with my mother—your grandmother—and my step-
father in Cairns. She wasn’t too happy with me being
there and you guys being back in Brisbane. We argued a
lot. I moved out after about nine months.”
“Is my grandmother still alive?”
“No, she died toward the end of
1995
.”
“Just Jeans and I were maybe five. Did we ever meet her?”
Leonie closes her eyes for an instant. She swallows,
and it sounds like there is glue in her mouth. “Yes, a few
times. When you were little.”
“I don’t remember her.”
“She loved you two. She didn’t spend as much time
with you as she should’ve. I’m to blame for that.”
I move my head from side to side. Then I take the
seismometer from my pack and place it on the seat.
The Westcoast Wheel’s clunky motor kicks in again.
Our cage starts steadily arcing back down to earth.
“Do you need to smoke a cigarette, Leonie?”
“I’m okay.”
“I don’t like cigarette smoke. It chokes my throat and
my skin. And it dries out my eyes. But we are outside,
so it won’t affect me much.”
“I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“So, you’re not addicted to smoking?”
