The Good Daughter (18 page)

‘
Merhaba
,' I said as I entered the living room. Dido and Edin were playing chess. ‘What's there to eat?' I asked Mum, ignoring Safet sitting at the kitchen table. Mum opened her mouth to chastise me, but thought better of it.

‘
Mutusha
,' she said, scarcely containing her irritation at me.
Mutusha
was a baked pancake mixture with chopped potatoes and, in a rare gesture of maternal devotion, Mum served it to me. It was pathetic to see her bending over backwards to be the good mother in front of her family.

‘Where did you get the bike?' She nodded through the open back door where my bike was propped against the stairs.

Typical. I'd been riding the bike for nearly two weeks, but she only noticed it when it was under her nose. ‘From someone at school,' I said between mouthfuls.

Mum stopped washing the dishes. ‘Did a boy give you the bike?'

‘No, I traded it.'

‘What did you trade?' Mum asked suspiciously.

I knew where her mind took her. ‘I traded my music,' I said quickly.

‘You'll have to return it,' she said.

‘Sure.' Mum frowned at me like I was a reptile about to strike. ‘The minute you start driving me to and from school the way real parents do, I'll return it.'

‘Don't speak to your mother that way,' Safet said.

I turned to him and had a flashback of him naked. ‘Don't tell me what to do,' I said as I held onto my stomach, hoping the
mutusha
wouldn't make a comeback.

‘Treat Safet with respect,' Mum said, like she was reciting a mantra.

‘I give respect to those who earn it.'

‘What homework have you got today?' she asked.

‘Why? Do you want me to do “
home work”
and clean the house for you?'

‘I want to supervise and make sure you do it.'

I realised she was serious and snorted with laughter as I stomped back to my bedroom. Mum washed the dishes, banging the pots and pans until Dido shouted for quiet.

The next day I came home to an empty house. So much for Mum supervising my homework. I was in my room when I heard them return. Mum called me and with a grunt I rolled off the bed. In the living room I sat in the armchair and flicked through the channels with the remote.

‘We visited your school,' Mum said. Safet sat down next to her on the sofa.

‘What?' I shouted, and turned off the TV.

‘After our conversation last night I realised you were right.' She read from the piece of paper in her hand. ‘You're behind in English and have to catch up.'

‘Hold on.' I raised my hand. ‘The two of you—' I pointed at them ‘—went and spoke to my teachers?'

Mum squirmed and glanced at Safet.

‘You had no right!'

Dido walked in. ‘Stop screaming girl.' He took off his coat and hat.

‘We're disciplining Sabiha,' Mum said.

‘You don't have any rights over me!' I shouted at Safet.

Mum took Safet's hand in hers. ‘You need to think of Safet as your father.'

I leaped to my feet. ‘He is
not
my father!'

‘Nevertheless, Safet and I will be supervising your homework from now on.'

‘No you won't!' I was getting louder.

‘Quiet!' Dido shouted. ‘Bahra, explain.'

Mum was smug. ‘Safet and I met with Sabiha's teachers.'

‘Sabiha go to your room.' Dido commanded.

‘But—' I started.

Dido had gone quiet, but he was all the scarier for it.

I was about to slam my door when I heard Dido speaking. He hadn't closed the sliding door to the living room. I left my door ajar so I could eavesdrop.

‘You shouldn't have done that,' Dido said. ‘Safet is not Sabiha's father and he should not be involved in disciplining her.'

‘But Babo, it's like you said, she has no respect for me.' Mum was moaning.

‘Then come to me,' Dido said.

‘I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes,' Safet said. ‘My daughter would have been her age by now and I wanted to help.'

‘Sabiha has had a lot of people come in and out of her life and she needs the stability of her family,' Dido said.

‘When Bahra and I are married things will be different.'

My heart nearly stopped as I waited for Dido's response.

the interloper

‘When are you getting married?' Dido's voice was now so soft I could scarcely hear him.

‘In a few months time,' Safet answered with a cringing smile.

‘Bahra, leave us,' Dido said. Mum tiptoed into the hallway. ‘Bahra isn't like other women,' Dido continued. ‘She needs someone who understands her special needs.'

‘Of course, I understand her condition,' Safet said.

‘Having children is stressful for any woman her age, but with her illness—'

‘Bahra and I have finished with that phase of our lives.'

‘Well, if you can take care of Bahra's daughter, Safet, I say any man would be happy to have you as a son-in-law.'

As they reached for each other's hands, I slammed the door and slumped to the floor of my bedroom in disgust. They'd only known each other for two months and now this creep was going to be my stepfather. I was stuffed.

After Safet left, Dido called Mum and me to the living room. ‘Your schoolwork has been appalling,' Dido said. It could have been the refrain to a really bad song Mum and he had written. I wanted to explode.

‘How the hell am I supposed to do my homework when I have to fetch and carry for you?' My jaw was clenched as I tried not to scream at him.

Dido's eyes narrowed. ‘From now on Bahra will be here when you finish school and she will do the household chores so you can complete your homework.'

Mum looked like she'd swallowed a lemon. I smiled.

‘And since you will have extra time to study I expect you to get straight As or you'll get a strap on your hand for each mark you miss.'

My eyes widened. I was at best a C student at the moment. ‘But, but,' I stammered. ‘That's child abuse.'

‘Not where I come from,' Dido said. I wanted to remind him he wasn't in Bosnia, but he was in take-no-prisoners mode.

He wagged his finger at me. ‘Remember, I'll be coming to parent–teacher interviews with your mother at the end of the year.'

Shit. Now I had to work like a dog or there'd be a scene with Dido at school that I'd never be able to live down.

At seven o'clock the phone rang. Oh, no. I'd been counting the minutes until I could call Brian—now someone was calling for Mum and would tie up the phone.

‘Yes,' I said, hoping I could pretend it was a wrong number.

‘Sammie?'

It took me a moment to recognise the voice. ‘Kathleen?'

‘Can you meet me?'

‘It's a bit late…' For the train trip to Thornbury.

‘I'm in your street,' she said.

I headed to the living room window and tried to peer out discreetly, without Dido and Mum noticing. Kathleen waved at me from in front of my house. I walked nonchalantly back to my bedroom before whispering into the phone, ‘I'll be right there.' I hung up the phone and headed for the front door.

‘I'm going to the shop to buy some tampons!' I shouted as I slammed out. I knew Dido didn't have a comeback for that.

I grabbed Kathleen into a hug. ‘I can't believe you came to visit me.'

She pulled her arm out of my grip. ‘My boyfriend is with me.' She nodded down the street where there was a red car parked with two guys standing beside it.

‘Since when do you have a boyfriend?' I demanded. She hadn't mentioned anything in the few emails we'd exchanged since the failed birthday lunch. Actually, she hadn't said much at all; she'd mostly sent me annoying chain letter emails and PowerPoint presentations.

‘Come and meet him.' She walked towards the car.

The guys were watching us like hungry wolves. ‘How long have you been going out?' I asked, slowing my steps.

‘A few weeks,' Kathleen said. ‘His name is Rafael and he's a friend of Francesca's brother.' Francesca was eighteen years old and Kathleen's favourite first cousin. Francesca's brother was twenty.

Kathleen's boyfriend and his mate looked me up and down. As Kathleen introduced me she stood by Rafael's side and he put his arm around her waist.

‘You were right,' Rafael said. ‘Sammie
is
gorgeous.' His hand drifted to Kathleen's butt and he cupped it proprietarily.

‘She sure is,' Shane, Rafael's mate, said, his eyes on my chest.

‘Are you up for a night out?' Kathleen asked.

‘Um—' I stuttered.

‘We're going to a pub to watch a band.' Kathleen's eyes pleaded with me to say yes.

‘I have to ask my Mum—'

Kathleen moved away from Rafael and I followed her. ‘Since when do you have to ask your Mum for anything?' she demanded.

‘Maybe if you talked to me you'd know,' I replied. ‘How were you able to go out tonight?' Her parents kept her on a tight leash and in the past I'd been her only chance to slip off the collar.

‘My parents think I'm sleeping over at Francesca's.' Kathleen leaned in closer and lowered her voice. ‘I really need you to come with us. Rafael wanted to go out without me, but I said I could get a date for Shane.'

‘Why didn't you ask Shelley?' I couldn't resist having a go at her.

‘Sammie, are you helping me out?'

‘What's the big deal?'

Kathleen opened her purse and pulled out her cigarettes. ‘I don't want Rafael to think I'm too young for him.' She lit up.

‘You
are
too young for him,' I said. ‘And he'll find out soon enough.'

‘What do you mean?' She puffed smoke at me and I moved out of the way.

‘When you don't have sex with him.'

‘That's not a problem.' She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Rafael.

‘Kathleen, did you have sex with him?' I demanded.

She turned back to me and nodded, her eyes dull.

‘Do you love him?'

She didn't answer.

‘Why did you do it?'

‘Why not?'

‘We were going to wait until we married.' Another pact we'd made when we were twelve.

Kathleen took another drag. ‘If I waited I'd make my parents happy.'

She was so stupid. ‘Please tell me you used protection,' I whispered, clutching her arm.

‘Of course. I've been on the pill for a year and we used condoms.'

She hadn't told me she was on the pill. It was like I was looking at a stranger. ‘You broke your promise.'

‘So did you.' Kathleen picked up her handbag.

‘I never broke my word.'

Kathleen lifted an eyebrow. ‘What about blabbing to Shelley? None of us is perfect. Your problem is that you think you are.'

It was like she'd slapped me across the face. My eyes burnt as tears threatened. ‘I'm not like that—'

‘So
you
say,' Kathleen interrupted. ‘But ask anyone who knows you and you'll hear a different answer.' She threw her cigarette on the footpath and ground it with her heel. ‘So you're not coming?'

I couldn't answer her through the choking sensation in my throat. I stayed on the street and watched her get in the car. Rafael did a burnout as he drove off, the car swinging from side to side and the wheels scarring tracks onto the asphalt.

I snuck back to my bedroom through the back of the house, my whole body frozen. I couldn't believe Kathleen had turned on me like that. We'd promised each other to be best friends for life, but in a few short months our friendship seemed to have completely died.

I was supposed to call Brian, but I lay under the doona and covered my head. I couldn't talk to anyone. My mobile beeped an SMS message. I turned away, burrowing deeper under the covers.

How could Kathleen have accused me of such awful things? I didn't think I was perfect. She was so unfair. My mobile rang, but I ignored it. Kathleen hadn't made any effort to be a friend to me since I'd moved to St Albans, yet she was branding
me
the bad friend. The phone diverted to my voicemail and then started up again. I threw the doona off and picked up the phone. ‘Hello?' I snapped.

‘Why didn't you call?' Brian demanded.

‘Because,' I said.

‘Because why?' he persisted.

‘Because I had a really, really, really crap night.' I lay back on the bed.

‘Spill.' Brian's voice was full of glee.

‘Okay…' I settled in and told him about Mum speaking to my teachers.

‘It's a bit late for the concerned Mummy routine,' Brian said.

‘Exactly.' I was pleased that he got it. ‘Then Kathleen came by.' I'd avoided talking much to Brian about Kathleen up until now. It kind of seemed in bad taste to talk to your new best friend about your old best friend.

‘What's with her?'

‘She's got a new boyfriend.' I told him about her plan to set me up with Rafael's loser friend. ‘Then when I said no she came down on me like a ton of bricks and said I was a bad friend.'

‘Not like she'd know,' Brian said. ‘You're my friend and I reckon you're great.'

‘Really?' I asked, desperate for reassurance.

‘Really,' Brian confirmed. ‘Kathleen was just paying you back.'

‘Yeah, I know. She didn't say anything until I said no.'

‘See, I told you. Forget about her.'

My mood lifted. Brian was right. Kathleen and I were finished. My friendship with her was the past, and my friendship with Brian and Jesse was the future.

‘Anyway, enough of this depressing crap.' Brian's voice was upbeat. ‘Let me give you an update on the party.'

As Brian talked up his plans, Kathleen kept popping into my head. It still felt unreal that our friendship could end so abruptly and so stupidly.