Free Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney Page B

choice, she announced cheerily. She was coming home for good.
    ‘It’s like fate, isn’t it, Victoria?’ she said to her twin. ‘The universe telling us to spend more time together.’
    Victoria joined in. It was all brilliant news, in her opinion. As usual, the two of them talked as one, finishing each other’s sentences. They were, of course, sorry to land all this on Angela on top of Ig’s accident, and the big party, and Christmas, but they’d both made some life-changing decisions. They’d decided the time was right for them to come and live on the station again —
    ‘Just for a while —’
    ‘Until we work out our next step —’
    ‘Until we save some money —’
    ‘If that’s okay with you, Mum?’ Victoria asked.
    ‘And if you or Dad don’t mind loaning us some money,’ Genevieve added. ‘Quite a lot of money, actually. Just to cover our debts. We’ll pay back every cent, though.’
    ‘We promise,’ Victoria said.
    ‘Of course that’s okay,’Angela said. ‘Of course. I can’t wait to see you.’
    And of course she meant it. They were her daughters. This was their home. But how much money? Would she and Nick have enough themselves to cover the twins’ debts? And what did ‘just for a while’ mean? A month? Six months? A year?
    Angela also broke the news of Celia’s extended visit to them.
    ‘She’s staying for a
month
?’ Victoria said. ‘Mum, no! Quick, build a moat!’
    ‘Don’t be rude,’ Angela said automatically. ‘She’s family. Your father’s only aunt.’
    ‘Only by marriage,’ Genevieve said. ‘Does that even count?’
    ‘Why don’t her own kids ever have her for Christmas?’ Victoria asked.
    Genevieve answered. ‘Because they emigrated as soon as they found out she doesn’t like flying.’
    Angela had a suspicion she was right. Celia’s two sons had left Australia years earlier. One lived in France, the other in Singapore. They only rarely came home with their wives and children.
    ‘Can’t you tell her we need some family time?’ Genevieve asked.
    ‘We never get you to ourselves any more,’ Victoria said.
    ‘We haven’t in years. Not since you had Lindy, let alone Ig —’
    ‘
Please,
Mum. And will you please pick us up at the airport? Just you. Your long-lost daughters —’
    ‘Your prodigal daughters —’
    ‘Coming home at last. If anyone needs you, it’s us.’
    Angela had been alternating between laughing and telling them off when the line dropped out. Minutes afterwards, Nick had arrived home with Johnny, with the news that Johnny was staying for dinner and the night. The men went straight out onto the back verandah after they’d eaten. They were still out there talking when she went to bed. She still hadn’t had a chance to tell Nick the twins’ news. It was the pattern of their lives now. Ships that passed in the night and day.
    She wished she could have rung Joan to talk about all of this. But Joan and her husband had been away on a week-long cruise with their two daughters and their families. She wasn’t due back home until later today.
    Lindy, however, knew all about the twins. She’d known for days, it transpired, but Genevieve had sworn her to secrecy. All morning she’d been following Angela around, asking questions and expressing opinions.
    ‘I think Genevieve sounded too cheery about losing her job. You don’t suppose she’s on drugs, do you? That makes you immune to real emotion, doesn’t it? I talked to her for nearly an hour about it and she didn’t sound upset at all.’
    ‘For an hour? Lindy, please don’t make long overseas calls without asking. You know how expensive they are.’
    ‘I needed to talk to her about something else too. Something urgent.’ She paused. ‘About Christmas.’
    Lindy was lying. Whatever else she had phoned her sister about, it wasn’t Christmas.
    For the next hour, Lindy followed her mother back and forth from the laundry to the washing line, handing over pegs, still asking