‘You’re not taking that bed,’ she said. ‘If you think you have it so tough, let’s see how you cope without my furniture. You can sleep on the goddamned floor.’
I left with nothing except clothes. Thankfully it was summer or I surely would have frozen to death, as she didn’t even leave me with one sheet. It was true the bed was paid for by her, but I had slept on it since the day we arrived back in Australia so I honestly felt entitled.
***
My flatmates never laid a hand on me, they liked Ben, and I was getting by. Mum and I seemed to like each other more when we were under separate roofs. Every now and then she would even invite Ben and I over for dinner and let us stay at her place rather than driving home in the dark.
So when Jeffrey called me one day to invite me out for a dinner with Mum and him I was happy to agree. Neither Ben nor I could afford to eat out so I was thrilled to try exotic foods cooked for me and paid for by someone else. Ben was away so I agreed to be picked up at seven pm and have a nice meal out with Mum and Jeffrey. I was disappointed when Jeffrey turned up without Mum but I listened to his sad tale of her dreadful, last-minute migraine without any scepticism.
Dinner was Thai, which I had never had. The restaurant Jeffrey selected was a lovely outdoor feast for all of your senses: fairy lights climbed all over the tree, Thai silks draped over the furniture and the most enchanting smells filled my nostrils. Jeffrey was proud to show me the things in life I was going without. He told me he was worried about me. To cut a long story short, he wanted to help me in life by offering me a job and more stability. I listened with the same enthusiasm that I gave to an amateur game of cricket. I was far too absorbed in a red curry with peanut sauce to listen to his middle-aged prattle. I left with my jeans’ top button undone and a giant doggy bag.
When we got back to my house, he walked me to the door then invited himself in. Jeffrey made small talk then left. My focus was on warning the flatmates not to touch my Thai leftovers.
The following morning, I was woken by a very loud and demanding knock at the door. The moment I opened it, I was slapped across the face by my mother, who was wild.
‘So now you’re going after my men? Not enough to wreck my marriage, now you have to take everything I love.’
I was wide awake now thanks to the slap, but my brain couldn’t comprehend her words. Why does she believe that I would have the least bit of romantic interest in her bearded, balding, short, boring, old, geeky boyfriend?
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Just try and deny you and him went out last night to a romantic restaurant behind my back.’
I quickly ducked another right-handed slap to the head. ‘Mum, Jeffrey invited me out to dinner with the both of you and then turned up alone, telling me that you had come down with one of your migraines.’
Now she stood erect, letting my words sink in. I could see that she was mentally tossing a coin as to whether I was indeed telling the truth. Then just as quickly as she arrived, she turned on her heel, briefly stopping to throw one last warning at me: ‘Keep the hell away from Jeffrey if you know what’s good for you.’
No apology, no explanation.
Part II
6
Being a Prostitute
Things were going well for a few months until I was let go from my job. Winter had hit and the surf scene was a seasonal business. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t find another job for love or money. I didn’t know what to do. I refused to go back to Mum’s, and I couldn’t live with Ben until I turned sixteen under threat of prosecution from Jeffrey. I knew I would be made welcome by him and every time he came down for a visit he begged me to return with him. But I knew my reputation and my age repulsed his parents. I wanted to stay where I was, close to the drama academy and my agent, who was now starting to get me at least one job a month. I would not rely on other people, I had to be self-sufficient.
I knew what it felt like to be rejected and unwanted by your family, and I didn’t want that for Ben. While I resented his mother’s disapproval for our relationship, I did not want to jeopardise what he had: a loving family.
I’d read the positions vacant advertisement for prostitutes a hundred times. I didn’t have a licence let alone a car, I needed to pay my rent, I needed food, I didn’t even have coins any more to phone up and apply for the jobs I had half a chance of getting. I didn’t have a birth certificate or any ID to present even if I went to a job interview. I assumed that social security was for single mothers and aged people, not for school dropouts like me.