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

Then Jimmy and Roxana would put on the radio and it was usually the Americana show and they would start saying to each other, how would they get more drink? Talking lots and in a whiny way. And Peggy and Greta would stare at a point on the wall and think about how they could get more drink and not share it with Orla and Roxana, and their head would cut into the thinking and they would remember the half bottle of rum that Jimmy had hidden under his bed that he thought none of them knew about and now all they had to do was wait until Orla and Roxana left.

The three-dimensional vision made them feel a bit like they were living in something made-up. At school they’d been given shoeboxes to make tiny scenes in – green sawdust for grass, a tree, another tree. An adult would cut a hole in one end of the box to look at the tiny scene through. People were moving through it – walking over the millions of blades of grass, under the trees on fire with flowers. Maybe it was make-believe? It was certainly dragging them into the past. It was this part of town as well – but all of the parts of town were like that. Sometimes it felt like it would be good to move away, but people said not to change anything for a couple of years. It made sense. They had a rhythm to their weeks now. They knew which meetings they went to. They knew where all the meetings were. They had the job. The sky sure was big. Peggy looked over at Greta looking at her hands then she turned and looked at Peggy and they both laughed and felt deeply grateful they hadn’t drunk for an hour, even a second before this happened because nothing like this ever happened when they drank.

12

12

When they got home, Heidi was in the kitchen.

‘Where’s Dell?’ Greta asked. Heidi shrugged. It was odd seeing any of them by themselves. It had been weird for the months that Heidi had been away. Heidi shrugged because she didn’t care, not because she didn’t know.

Peggy started opening doors in the cupboards. ‘Will she be home for dinner?’

Heidi shrugged again. They looked at her. ‘It’s just,’ Greta said, ‘we were going to make dinner and we just need to know how many to cook for.’

‘I know.’ Heidi didn’t move from where she was standing, and she didn’t have anything else to say. They stood looking at each other. No one had anything else to say. It was awkward. Then, just as Greta and Peggy were about to say something, Heidi said, ‘You should just cook for her and if she doesn’t come then someone can have it for lunch tomorrow.’