‘That’s good.’ Nothing more.

She said, ‘I’m an adult now.’

He smiled with amusement. ‘You’re only a day older than yesterday. It doesn’t happen that fast.’

In the ute she sat small and silent, curled around her disappointment. Kurt had to know she was hurting, but he refused to acknowledge it. She deserved something more. Yesterday, she had worked hard to feed all the customers coming through town for the festival. She always worked hard for Kurt and he never commended her efforts. He should appreciate her more, she thought. When Mother and Father were alive, birthdays had always been important in their family. Since their deaths, Miki had continued to make Kurt’s birthday special. She didn’t mind him overlooking her previous birthdays, but he should at least make a fuss for her eighteenth.

He was quiet as they drove to the forest. The rain had stopped, and the road was damp and dark, walls of trees leaning in—it matched her mood. They turned onto the side road and Kurt drove through the logged area where the sky yawned above, pearly and grey. Then he stopped the car and got out, leaving his door open. ‘Your turn,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘You’re driving. This is your birthday present. A lesson.’

Trembling, she inserted herself in the driver’s seat and adjusted it so her feet reached the pedals. The fearful memory of last time sank over her. ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.’

‘Bad luck,’ Kurt grunted. ‘If I get stung again, I want to be sure you won’t kill me on the way to get help.’ Suddenly, unexpectedly, he was smiling, and it was as if the sun had come out even though the sky was overcast. ‘You were scary,’ he said, chuckling. ‘How did we survive?’

Miki contemplated the gearstick and the dashboard. She couldn’t remember what the pedals were for. She couldn’t remember anything except the overwhelming power of the car and her previous lack of control. ‘I can’t do it,’ she said.

‘Yes, you can.’ He gave instructions and she tried to listen closely. Left foot on the clutch, right foot on the accelerator. Pressure on the accelerator as she let off the clutch. Kurt cursed as she misjudged everything, and the ute took a leap and shuddered to a halt, stalling. ‘Try again,’ he said.

His patience held for the first few goes, then she started to hear the humming of bees deep inside him. His smile had been replaced with a frown. She wasn’t sure whether she was more scared of the car or her brother. ‘It isn’t easy,’ she said.

‘Not for some.’