I went to visit my mum with my brother and sister. It is a good thing to do, I believe, with your brother and sister, to go and view the remains. My brother and sister were due early, 8am, or something. I was ready to go at 8am. Susanto was in bed. Junior had joined him. I think I stood out in the street from 8.15. We went in my brother’s hire car. I was expecting My sister’s Subaru. I didn’t recognise them to start with, instead remained gazing at my front fence, plucking daises out of the cracks, is how I imagined it to look.
Good start.
The roads were unusually quiet, the city seemed unusually sleepy. It was Sunday, after all
Mum was uncommunicative, just a little person in a chair, unlike Joan who was sitting to my left, in the next chair. One of the more 'with us' inmates. I'd never seen her before.
“You can’t sit there,” she exclaimed from behind me when I first sat down.
Recoiling, I said, “Why not?”
“Because the other people won’t be able to sit down,” she said defiantly.
“Well,” I said as quick as a flash. “As soon as they get here, I’ll get up.”
We bantered for the rest of the visit. Me and Joan. She took an instant shine – hate – on me.
She gruffly said, at one point, “What are you laughing at,” when we laughed at a joke.
“Where very funny,” I said.
“You think,” said jean.
She was funny. Sigh. I think she complained about us still being there. I think she told me she didn’t like me. I can’t remember what else she said now, but she and I had a good chat. Culminating in me gazing left to look at her obvious gaze drilling into my back. There she was pursing her lips at me. So, I pursed my lips at her. And then without missing a beat, her timing was impeccable, she said, “Don’t you think I am going to kiss those lips.”
“Really,” I said, being someone who is used to being kissed, “Not a chance?”
“Not a chance,” exclaimed Joan.
“I’m disappointed,” I said. “I was just puckering up.”
“In your dreams,” said Jean. She laughed that can-you-believe-this-kind-of-talk laugh.
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