The Pain of Separation (On Hold)

Chapter 4

The park was half way between Cassie's and Kitty's houses and was about a five minute walk. It was a simply playground and swings in an open grassy space but the girls could walk to the IGA nearby or walk another two minutes to the creek from there.

When Cassie and Brad arrived, Kitty was sitting on one of the swing, digging her toe into the dirt. The moment she looked up and saw Brad and Cassie approaching and got an eyeful of Brad, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She leapt from the swing and trotted over to them. Cassie cleared her throat.

“Brad, this is Kitty, my-”

Before she could finish, Kitty grabbed her arm and dragged several metres away leaving Brad standing helplessly, very confused.

“Kitty!”

“I can't believe you brought him to met me without warning me!”

“Of what?”

“Look at him!!”

Cassie glanced over at Brad, who was watching them cautiously. Her mouth began to water. She blinked. What am I doing? He's my cousin! Snap out of it, Cassie!

Kitty's stare drew her back to the conversation at hand. “So?”

“Gosh, Cassie! He is an Italian God! Now I look stupid for being so shocked!”

“You think he looks Italian too?”

“Of course he's Italian!” Kitty was getting flustered. Brad cleared his throat and both girls threw a glance at him. Kitty took a deep breathe and walked back to Brad, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened. “Kitty. Your Brad, right? I'm Cassie best friend.”

Brad nodded and eyed Kitty up and down. Cassie began to rage inside. Oh no, you don't. You are NOT checking out my best friend!

Kitty and Brad began to walk back to the swings, Kitty chattering all the way. Cassie followed behind, watching Brad's every move. She didn't know why she was being so protective. She had seen Kitty with heaps of guys before and she had never felt like kicking them where it hurts.

Kitty suggested that they all go down to the creek. They walked along the track, Kitty and Brad in front, Cassie lagging behind. Brad seemed to be warming up to Kitty and the more intimately they talked, the angrier Cassie became. They reached the creek and sat down on the bank with their feet in the water. Kitty turned to Cassie and addressed her for the first time since she met Brad.

“So, how's your dad?”

“Ehhh...” Cassie glanced awkwardly at Brad and then back at Kitty pointedly. She didn't catch on, or maybe she did and was just giving Cassie a hard time. “He's ok.”

Kitty nodded and then returned her attention to Brad, but Brad wasn't looking at Kitty. He was starring intently at Cassie, studying her like she was a specimen. Cassie wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

Brad broke out of his daze, answering Kitty's flirty question, although not quite as enthusiastically as before.

By the time Brad and Cassie headed home, Brad was well acquainted with Kitty and Cassie was ready to go to bed. She planned to sleep the afternoon away and maybe get up for dinner. She hadn't done anything energetic and yet she was exhausted.

But when she returned home, she discovered something that made her forget all about her nap.

“Cassie!” Nancy called from the kitchen. Cassie stomped in, looking tired and frustrated. Nancy's heart when out to her little girl. Her life was tough. She missed her dad a lot. And yet she continued to help her mother and earn good grades, regardless.

“Look, it's for you.” Nancy held out an envelope. Cassie took the envelope, flicked it over and starred at the name. An grin spread across her tired face and she nodded to her mum in thanks. Then she turned and hurried up the stairs.

Once safely in her room she lay back on the bed and slit the envelope. These letters came once a month and Cassie treasured them. She unfolded the paper and read it silently. Tears slowly formed and by the time she finished she was sobbing. She rolled over and starred through her blurry vision at the picture on her bedside table.

A tall man with a short, dark beard and hair like Brad's was smiling into the camera and on his lap, giggling with her arms wrapped around her father, was a blonde haired nine year old. The background scene was a garden, the garden in their old house, before they had to move. The photo had been taken only a month before her father went away for work. Well, that's what she had been told, until she demanded from her mother to know the truth.

There was a knock on the door and it was opened a second later. Cassie heard a person, presumably Brad, shuffle into the room. They cleared their throat but Cassie kept her head to the wall, starring at the photo, not removing her gaze.

“Where's the shampoo?'

Cassie recognised it as Brad's voice and she prayed that her voice wouldn't give her away. “I-in the second draw down.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Silence. Go away. Just go away.

“Are you ok?”

“Yep.”

More silence. Cassie's dry tears were starting to feel discusting on her face. She wished Brad would just leave so that she could get up and clean up in the laundry.

Eventually Brad turned and walked out and Cassie walked to the laundry and washed her face and neck to cool herself down. Her room had a great view from the window but it could get pretty stuffy.

She grabbed a quick snack and drink from downstairs and then was back in her room, changing into the her Pjs for a good sleep. She was just putting on her pants when there was another knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Brad walked in, his hair dripping with water droplets from his shower. He was wearing a t-shirt and baggy shorts. Cassie blushed a little. This was the second time he had caught her in her Pjs.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Brad glanced around the room, looking for something to stare at to avoid looking at Cassie. He found a poster and fixed his gaze on it. “So, do you want to borrow your mum's car and show me the sights?”

She gaped at him. He wanted to spend time with her? He expected that she would want to do the same? After everything he had done?

But something inside Cassie felt sorry for Brad. He didn't have any friends here. He hardly knew the people he was staying with. He was doing well to keep his sanity. Well, he may have already lost that but still. She sighed her best I-can't-belive-I'm-doing-this sigh.

There goes my nap.

“Give me five minutes.”