Free Tiddas by Anita Heiss Page A

probablyshouldn’t have said fucking and Jesus in the one mouthful either,’ she added, desperate for something to change.
    â€˜Can you just be serious for one fucking minute?’ Nadine said through gritted teeth. ‘You’ve said nothing helpful at all this morning for anyone.’
    â€˜You’ve only noticed because you’re only half fucking pissed today and not completely fucking pissed,’ Ellen retorted. ‘But wait on, it’s only 11 a.m. so there’s plenty of time for that.’
    It looked like a true bitch fight was brewing and as Nadine leant into the table and glared at Ellen, Veronica went into mediator mode straightaway. Raising three boys who fought like any normal teenagers living under the same roof, Veronica had mastered the art of finding common ground. It had been years since she’d had to separate Ellen and Nadine, and the last aggressive words they’d exchanged had seen Nadine fall off her chair. At a New Year’s Eve party Nadine had accused Ellen of flirting with Richard. It was the most insane accusation, and everyone knew it. Richard was like a brother to Ellen, just as he was to his blood sister Izzy. But the booze had made Nadine volatile, just like it had this morning. Veronica had feared getting a punch that night when she’d stepped in to help Nadine up off the ground, but the last thing she wanted was one of them falling of a chair this morning, accident or otherwise.
    â€˜Can you two potty mouths please stop swearing? People are watching. And don’t be so unkind to each other. We’re all friends, remember?’
    Nadine and Ellen looked around in turn and smiled apologetically to the other café patrons. They may have steppedback into their corners but Xanthe wasn’t finished with her dissection of Izzy’s situation.
    â€˜Ellen, what do you think about Izzy’s declaration of impending motherhood?’ she asked, the bitter pill still in her mouth.
    â€˜Oh don’t ask me .’ Ellen sipped her coffee, looking straight into the white porcelain cup.
    â€˜But I am asking you. Everyone else is having a say, what’s yours?’ Xanthe waited, like a teacher who had instructed a student to answer a question. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not like I can get any more upset, or more offended than I already am.’ There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
    Nadine groaned with the drama of it all. Veronica put her finger to her lips and mimed ‘shhhh’.
    Nadine mouthed back. ‘Fine!’
    Ellen really didn’t want to have a say. She’d woken up happy, with a hot man in her bed and now she was surrounded by her tiddas in tears and was wanting to slap Nadine the first chance she got.
    â€˜Ellen?’ Xanthe pressed. ‘Is it me? Am I wrong?’
    â€˜I’m not picking sides, Xanthe, and you shouldn’t expect any of us to.’ Ellen wanted to be Switzerland in this war.
    â€˜But you must have an opinion one way or another, surely. You understand the value of life, you’re around death so much.’
    Xanthe was getting out of control in her need to be right about something that had no right or wrong answers. Her tidda was on shaky ground if she was going to move into values and morals, Izzy thought. She was not prepared to sit there and be judged by anyone , not even Xanthe.
    â€˜Well, if you must know, I support you about the IVF,’ Ellen said at last, ‘and I’ll support Izzy with whatever she decides too. But it’s not my body so I don’t really have an opinion on what either of you do with yours.’
    â€˜That’s a cop-out, Ellen. Of course you have an opinion, one way or another.’
    â€˜No, Xanthe, I don’t. These are very personal decisions you’re both making, that only you can make for yourselves. It’s not my place to throw my take on it all at you.’
    â€˜That’s funny, you always seem to have a