Part 11 (1/2)

Claud and Buster and I caught a train back to the city, and then a tram down to St Kilda beach. We did bombs off the pier in our undies all afternoon, even though you're not meant to, because there was no one to tell us off.

Everyone was in the shed kitchen when the three of us got back to my place. Mum, Carl, Lyall, Saskia, Willowand Boris. It was kind of nice to have them all there like a family a especially since it was the sort of family that had lit the whole shed with candles and jumped out from behind furniture when we came in, like a party.

'Surprise!' They all shouted at once.

'We've made a special feast!' beamed Saskia. 'To cheer you up!'

'Wow!' I said, sensing all the trouble they'd gone to. The shed had never looked so lovely and even felt magical with all the candles lit. They had even made punch. I gave Mum a big hug.

'How'd you go?' she whispered in my ear.

'We're having dessert first up,' interrupted Lyall. 'Hey, like your suit, Buster.'

'Yeah, suave,' smiled Carl.

'What do you mean dessert first up?' I asked.

'Well', said Carl, 'there's absolutely no reason why you can't have dessert first and the main course later, so, because tonight is such a special night, we're having dessert first. And not just any dessert either.'

'Guess!' squealed Saskia, jumping up and down.

'Frog in a pond?' I asked. They all shook their heads.

'Pavlova?'

'Nah,' said Lyall.

'Custard?' asked Buster. 'I love custard.'

'Can I tell? Can I tell?' shrieked Saskia.

'Wait, Saskia, surely they can do better than that,' said Mum, cheekily.

'Chocolate mousse! I love chocolate mousse too!' said Buster.

'It's so not chocolate mousse,' laughed Lyall. 'Actually, there's a surprise for you too, Buster, but Sunny's surprise is -'

'It's bombe alaska, Sunny! Bombe alaska. Your favourite!' Saskia blurted out, clapping her hands.

'No!' I searched the shed with my eyes for some evidence. 'Where?'

Carl was getting something out of the oven, not the wood oven, but the one connected to the stove. It was bombe alaska all right. Just how it looked in the book. Like a mountain of snowy meringue that was crispy from the oven.

'And now,' said Carl, 'for the most spectacular part!' He poured some liqueur over the top and lit a match, making the whole thing come alive with blue and yellow flames that licked around the sides. 'Flaming bombe alaska! Grab some plates and cutlery, Lyall!'

'Wait!' said Mum, 'we want to give Buster his surprise before it stops flaming!'

Buster was looking nervously around the room as if to say What in the h.e.l.l could beat that?

'Who will do the drum roll?' said Carl. 'Claud? One drum roll please!'

Claud beat her hands on the edge of the table and Lyall and Saskia joined in. I was still transfixed by the bombe alaska and also a bit nervous, in an excited way, about what they could possibly be up to.

And then a woman stepped into the shed. She had blond hair that looked like it might be another colour underneath, and she wore the tightest jeans I'd ever seen on a grown up. Buster went as pale as a sheet.

'Mum!' he said, gently, as though he'd lost his loud voice completely.

Buster's mum held out her arms. 'Come here, you! Got a hug for your old mum? Look at you, all dressed up, too!'

Well, if I didn't cry at Granny Carmelene's funeral, I sure did cry when Buster got his mum back. Even Claud cried and that's saying something. It turned out Buster's mum had no idea about Quinny going to jail. And it took ages to track her down because she had been working on a boat, and not the type of boat with a phone or email. And even though I'd been sort of angry with Buster's mum for nicking off, I didn't want to spoil a bombe alaska occasion with negative emotions. Let's face it, it doesn't happen every day, and did I mention it was worth waiting nearly twelve years for? Besides, I was tired of trying to work out why things were the way they were. I just thought about how we were having Buster and his mum for a back-to-front dinner and that nothing else mattered. That's what Granny Carmelene would have done.

A couple of days later, Dad took me into the bank where Granny Carmelene had her safety deposit box. It was a big one in the city, with circular moving doors and lots of marble. Dad had made an appointment with one of the banker people so we didn't have to stand in line, and got to sit down at a special desk aI guess for people who have a special key, like I had.

'Miss Hathaway, we've been expecting you,' said the banker man as I handed him the key. 'Please, have a seat,' he said, pointing to the chairs behind his desk. Dad and I both sat down.

'Firstly,' he went on, 'I'm very sorry to hear about your grandmother's pa.s.sing. We've been looking after her for over forty years. Marvellous woman.'

'Yes,' I said, beginning to become unbearably curious about what it was that Granny wanted me to keep for her. I watched the man walk away and thought how Buster would have really liked his suit. Dad and I didn't say much. I think he was exhausted from being woken up all night by Flora. That's normal for babies, apparently. So not normal for Dad, though, not since I was a baby anyway.

Soon enough the banker man returned carrying a large flat folio, like the ones artists have, or architects. Maybe Granny had given me one of the portraits of the ancestors, which would be good and all, but not really something I'd want to hang in my room, if you know what I mean.

'Now, Miss Hathaway. I have to say you are a very fortunate young lady.' He put the folder down on the desk in front of us and opened it up. There was a layer of tissue paper, which he swept to one side, and under that was a map, one of Granny's maps.

'Of course!' I said, 'I forgot about the maps.'

'Not just any map, Miss Hathaway. This one is most rare. An original Chinese map dating back to the early 1420s. Only a couple of them have been found in the world.'

'Oh a that map! I know the one. Granny Carmelene had only just found it. It was her absolute prize possession.' I was completely overwhelmed, not just that Granny had chosen me to have something so valuable to her, but also because I didn't really know what to do with the map. I mean it was ten million times better than getting one of the ancestor portraits, but still, what's a girl to do with a map like that?

'Gee, Sunny,' said Dad. 'This thing's probably worth an absolute fortune.'

'We have a valuation certificate and a certificate of authenticity right here,' said the banker man looking over his gla.s.ses. 'Miss Hathaway has inherited something not only of incredible cultural significance, but a fairly substantial a.s.set for a young lady.' He slid a doc.u.ment over to Dad.