‘Which have been put up by Daniel’s horrible father and his council. Next thing, they’ll be putting out tenders for lockable fences.’

‘Because of you,’ Ben said.

With handfuls of four types of herb, Kelly pushed herself to her feet and brushed the dirt off her knees.

‘If I can’t enjoy the garden, it’s a private space, which couldn’t be legal.’

‘If everybody did what you do, why would the gardeners plant anything?’

‘Ah, but everybody doesn’t do what I do.’ She grinned. ‘And I only pick a few leaves here and there; it’s not like I go for the carrots and tomatoes.’

People called Ben’s mother a cheat. It seemed worse than the other things they called her, because it was true. She’d cheat community gardeners out of their herbs. He didn’t want to say anything, though. Her hobbies, like Bikram and Pilates and golf, were meant to calm people down, but in Ben’s experience, exercise wound his mum up like a prize-fighter. When she had her golf shoes in her hand, she always came home looking for an argument.

‘You sound like your father,’ Kelly said as they resumed walking. ‘Always the moral high ground.’

Ben thought it was pretty rich of his mother to talk about morality, but he didn’t have the words to take her on.

‘Why can’t Dad be happy?’

Kelly let that sit between them all the way past the fire station and the BSLSC to the bottom of the stairs to The Lodge. She thumbed a text message. Ben knew she was asking Gordon if Dog was in the house. Poor Mum, he thought. Poor Dad.

Not getting any response, Kelly started up the stairs. At the first landing, she stopped.

‘You might not believe this, but it’s all I’ve ever wanted.’

‘Wait, what?’

‘What as in you didn’t hear me, or what as in you want to know what I want?’ Kelly waited until Ben looked her in the forehead. The sun was going down behind his back. ‘I’ve only ever wanted your dad to be happy. But I’ve come to the realisation lately that it might not be possible.’

Ben followed her up the stairs, wishing he could say something. He could smell the herbs in her hand. Too smart, she was; so smart she could be mean without knowing it.

HONEST

Honest

Kelly led Ben up the stairs, edging sideways past Archer David’s mini-excavator, which was parked in a narrow no-man’s-land between The Lodge’s laundry and the new development. Holding her golf shoes, Kelly took extra care with her footing. She was fit, thanks to daily Bikram and this bizarre new golf thing, but Norma’s accident had reminded her that past a certain age you were one slip-up from becoming that inner self you devoted your days and nights to reversing, postponing, or at least arguing into submission.