Free Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney Page A

‘Genevieve? I’ve decided. I’m coming back to New York with you after Christmas. But not just for a holiday. To live.’
    An unexpected voice replied. ‘It’s not Genevieve. It’s Lindy. And you can’t do any of that.’
    ‘I can’t? Why not?’
    ‘Because I’ve just hung up from her. She’s been sacked. She’s coming home too. For good.’

CHAPTER SIX
    When Angela and Nick first married, he gave her a puppy as a combination wedding present and welcome-to-station-life present. It was a black-and-white collie with different-coloured eyes, one blue, one brown. All day it followed her around. Every time she turned around, it was there. At night it whimpered until she came to it. It whimpered during the day too, if she didn’t give it enough attention.
    Having Lindy at home again was unfortunately reminding Angela of that dog.
    Especially at the moment, when it was Ig who needed her attention. Angela had been surprised at how quickly he was allowed home, only three days after the surgery, but the doctor was relaxed. ‘You’ll be amazed how soon he’ll spring back, thanks to you,’ he said. ‘The old finger-in-the-freezer-bag trick never fails.’ Ig would have to wear a finger splint and a sling for six weeks, have his dressings changed regularly and start physio down the track. It could all be done locally. For now, it was business as usual. She’d looked in on him just a few minutes before. He was in his room, working one-handed on a jigsaw. He’d glanced up, shaken his hair out of his eyes – she still hadn’t got around to getting his hair cut – and smiled. ‘All okay, Ig?’ she’d asked. ‘No worries, Mum,’ he’d said. As she’d walked away, she heard him talk out loud. Not to her. To Robbie. But that was a worry for another day.
    Not for the first time, she was thankful she’d made the decision to host her station-stay visitors only from March to November. There was enough going on without extra guests to look after. But she would still be getting enquiries via email. She always made a point of replying to them all within a day or two. That hadn’t been possible this week. She hadn’t been near a computer since the night of Ig’s accident, and hadn’t had the opportunity since she’d come home, either. When Nick wasn’t on it, Lindy was. The one time it had been free, the satellite connection had been down. It was a regular occurrence up here, one she had long grown used to. The phone line often dropped out too. They weren’t completely isolated, of course. All their vehicles were fitted with UHF radios, the main transmitter in the kitchen, but it was an open line, not one that Angela liked to use to conduct private business.
    She’d get to her emails as soon as she could. For now, she was doing her best to keep up with Lindy’s litany of woes. Had Lindy always been this needy? Angela had probably been too busy to notice. She knew she should make the time to sit Lindy down, have a heart-to-heart, give her the space and support she needed to feel comfortable and confident enough to share all her worries in one fell swoop. But there never seemed to be time. The day before, Angela had promised herself she’d give Lindy all the attention she needed once the party was over and the twins had left.
    Except now the twins weren’t going anywhere.
    They’d delivered their bombshell news the previous evening. Nick had been away, checking the boundary fences with Johnny, their now only part-time stockman. One of the local Adnyamathanha people, he had worked with Nick for more than twenty years. Angela was in the kitchen when Genevieve rang to say she and Victoria wanted her to skype them. Ig set up the computer. The video part never worked, but she could clearly hear their voices. Ig told them about his damaged finger, describing the accident in gory detail, then went to his room.
    Angela heard the twins’ news alone. Genevieve had lost her job in spectacular fashion. She now had no