Part 10 (1/2)

You'll never believe what Buster's idea was for Pizza-AGo-Girl ? Wait for it . . . Doggie pizzas!

'Yeah, out of the sc.r.a.ps!' said Buster as he shaped some pizza dough into the shape of a bone. We all laughed.

'Dogs are big business you know a and I was even thinking we could make our own cooking show, 'cos I've got Uncle Quinny's camera. Then when Mum gets back she won't feel like she's missed out on anything a that's if she ever does come back . . .'

'Of course she will,' said Claud as we all nodded.

'But maybe it was all my fault that she went?'

'Naaaah,' I said, leaning against my pizza shovel, 'she was obviously just well overdue for an adventure. She'll be back, I can feel it in my intuition.'

Buster made doggie pizzas all night, including one for Willow in the shape of a cat, which he thought would help because it was psychological. Lyall did the deliveries, and Claud and Saskia and I finished up in the kitchen. I liked the dog pizza idea. I really did. It was cute. I just couldn't see how it made much business sense, which is an important consideration when you're an entrepreneur.

'Boy! That was the busiest night yet,' said Saskia, taking off her ap.r.o.n.

'Yep,' I said, counting the last of the money. 'We made $150.00. That's a record. Thanks guys!'

Claud wrote everything down, because we're meticulous about book work and keeping records.

'When do we get to actually spend the money?' said Lyall. 'What's the point of just keeping it in a jar?' I noticed he was pouring juice out of the bottle marked Saskia. That's how it is with brothers.

'Soon,' said Claud. 'But we've got to cover our overheads. We'll divide it all up at the end of June. That's when businesses work out their profits and have to pay tax.'

Mum came out to the shed with Willow racing along beside her. That Boris-shaped doggie pizza Buster made for her must have really worked, because she was looking like her old bouncy self again. Or maybe it was whatever he whispered in her ear, 'cos dogs understand stuff and maybe I hadn't been communicating properly.

'That was your dad on the phone Sunny,' Mum said excitedly. 'Steph's gone into labour and they're on their way to the hospital!'

It was absolutely and undeniably impossible to sleep knowing that Steph was in the middle of having a baby. I kept waking up all night.

Maybe she'd already had Flora, but Dad thought it was too early to call.

Or maybe there were problems with the birth. Even Willow tossed and turned on the bottom bunk, making groany noises.

I had just got to sleep when I was woken by the sound of the phone. I knew straightaway it would be Dad so I leapt out of bed.

'That's just wonderful, James,' said Mum, and mouthed to me It's a girl, while Carl came in with the Sat.u.r.day papers.

'Hey, Dad!' I grabbed the phone. 'Can I come down now? Is Steph okay? Mum said she'd drive me! Can I come? Can I come?'

It seemed to take forever getting to the hospital. We were stuck in traffic nearly all the way down Punt Road and there wasn't even footy on. Unfortunately it gave Mum loads of nagging time.

'I want you to promise me that you'll never lie to us again,' Mum said.

'I promise.' This time I didn't have my fingers crossed.

Then she told me about all the extra jobs I had to do, which was when it became totally obvious that she had talked it over with Carl after all. It was one of those moments where you really wish cars could fly. Maybe ours could be fuelled by some of the regret I felt about making such a mess of things, as well as some of the relief I felt at no longer having to keep in the secret that Dad and Steph's baby was a girl.

'Don't stay too long,' Mum said as she dropped me off and gave me a kiss. 'They've probably been up all night and Steph will need to rest.'

'Okay, I'll call you later. Thanks for the lift, Mum,' I said, slamming the door.

'And don't slam the door!' Mum called out, just a little bit late.

Steph was propped up in bed surrounded by big white pillows. I'd never seen anyone look so happy and so tired all at the same time, like she'd just won a marathon at the Olympics. Dad was asleep in an armchair next to the bed. I tippee-toed in, being careful not to wake him up, or Flora who was bundled up and fast asleep in Steph's arms.

'Look, Sunny, she's perfect,' whispered Steph. 'Come and see.'

Flora had the tiniest littlest hands, and her lips were perfectly rose-buddy red. I could tell you all sorts of cute and gorgeous things about Flora, but the thing that stuck out the most a which isn't really that cute and gorgeous a is that Flora had worry lines. Already! I mean, what is there to worry about floating around in someone's tummy when you're not even born yet? Maybe it meant that Flora was going to be an introvert, like me. She had three little worry lines across her forehead and a frown line right between her eyes. It was going to take her years to learn to talk, and to be able to tell me what she was so worried about. Maybe it was the lack of sugar.

'Sit down, Sunny,' said Steph patting the bed next to her. 'You can hold her if you like.' Steph wriggled over and I sat down.

'There you go, Flora,' whispered Steph, as she pa.s.sed the little bundled Flora gently over to me. 'It's your very own big sister Sunny.'

Flora hardly weighed anything, and I felt suddenly frightened that I might drop her, or that she might fall out from the bottom of the blanket, because I heard of that happening once and the baby got brain damage.

'She's the cutest,' I said, edging further onto the bed. And Flora did the tiniest baby sneeze, which was seriously the sweetest thing I'd ever heard.

Dad's phone rang, but luckily it just vibrated silently in his pocket so it didn't give Flora a fright.

'It's your mother,' he said waking up and looking at his caller ID.

'Hi Alex,' he said croakily. 'Thanks a yes, we're all still here a Sunny's having a cuddle now a Yes thanks a Yes, it was a long night a She did really well a Seven pounds four a A little bit, she's got the same dark hair as Sunny a No, quiet as a mouse a Really? Oh, that's terrible. How did you hear? a Will I tell her? a Are you okay? a Was it a sudden thing, or a Okay, okay, bye.'

I couldn't even say congratulations to Dad because I could tell by the look on his face that he had something important to say.

'Bad news I'm afraid, Sunny. I'll come straight out with it a it's Granny Carmelene. She died in her sleep last night.'

Can you believe it? My baby sister got born and my Grandmother died all in the middle of the same night! It was as if the news about Granny Carmelene thunderstruck all my feelings away. I just didn't think it would happen that soon. Sometimes knowing something is going to happen doesn't make it any less of a shock when it actually comes around.

Dad gave me a lift back to Mum's and in the car I told him about Granny's CLL.

'Must have been quite a weight on your shoulders, Sunny, keeping that all to yourself.'

'Guess so. Seems weird now though.' It's not that I even felt sad, maybe because I knew Granny Carmelene felt so comfortable with the idea of dying and maybe because Flora arriving just made sad impossible.

'Did you know I've known that Flora was a girl ever since the ultrasound?' I said.

'Crikey, you kept that one quiet,' said Dad. 'I had no idea.'

But even though Granny Carmelene made dying feel like just another part of life, and I knew she wasn't afraid, it's still weird for the people who are left behind to have someone just disappear.

The only positive part about life making enormous things happen all at once, was that Dad completely forgot about nagging and making me promise to be a better person. I guess having a brand new perfect daughter made the older, slightly dodgy one seem not so bad.

When I got home, Mum and Carl were in the shed making a cup of tea. I was nervous about how Mum might be reacting to the news about Granny Carmelene. 'Hi guys,' I said.

Mum came over and gave me a hug.

'Hi, darling,' she said. 'How are you feeling?'

I shrugged. I didn't really know how I was feeling. 'I knew she was dying, Mum,' I whispered. And then my emotions came flooding over me. I suddenly realised how important Granny Carmelene had become and how I would never see her again. Willow burst into the shed, chased by Boris, and buried her nose in between my knees.