BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Dedication2
  5. 1994
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 2006
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 2018
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. Acknowledgements

Finally, everyone said, ‘Speech. Speech.’ She stood up and lifted her bottle of water in front of her and said, ‘We just want to say – thank you. We’ve been really looked after here. You have all been great and we’ve enjoyed working here. Thank you and cheers.’ And everyone applauded, lifted their glasses and cans and bottles and said ‘Hear, hear’ and ‘Cheers’ and things like that because there wasn’t really a word for what you said after a toast and if there was, this group of people did not know it.

She helped Duncan tidy up after everyone left. They filled large black bags with cans and paper plates and the leftover food which wouldn’t last until Monday. They talked mainly about the clearing up. As they were facing away from each other he said, ‘When did she go?’ And she didn’t stop picking up what she was picking up and just made a small, non-committal ‘Mm’ noise.

‘The other one,’ Duncan said.

‘Oh,’ she said, like she hadn’t really thought about it.

‘I reckon you’ve been by yourself for about two months,’ Duncan said. Maybe to help her out.

‘Yeah,’ she said, making a noise of agreement. ‘About that.’

‘Did she leave?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ she said, wiping down a bench.

‘Like, on her feet, or in a car?’ he said.

‘Something like that,’ she said.

‘Did you have a fight?’

She thought about it for a moment. ‘No.’ But it was more like a question.

‘My sister.’ He was continuing to pack up. ‘She just disappeared.’ He waited a moment to see if Margaret would say something else. ‘Like . . .’ He tipped a bowl of chips into the black bag and it made a rustling noise. ‘She was one, when we were growing up, and then she was two – like you two – and then one day she was one again. Like, just like that.’

‘Oh,’ she said. And neither of them said anything, and for what seemed like a long time there was just the noise of cleaning up and then she said, ‘It was like that.’

‘My sister,’ Duncan said. Stopping now, looking out the window. ‘Well, you know what happened there.’

She nodded. Duncan’s sister, the only one he mentioned, so that Margaret had always thought she’d always been just one, had killed herself. ‘Yeah, well. Just saying.’ Then he mumbled, ‘Keep going to meetings. Don’t pick up a drink.’ He went to another room and when he came back he said, ‘Don’t forget. I can write you a reference. It will be a really good one. You two have been really good workers.’

They walked to the station together and as his train arrived they shook hands and he said, ‘All the best. We’ll miss you both.’ And she said, ‘Thank you for everything.’ And he was gone, and she had promised to go back and visit and maybe she would. One day.

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