Girl IN

Be t w ee n
ANNA DANIELS

Girl In Between TEXT.indd 3 25/01/2017 4:57 PM

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 3 15/02/2017 12:38 PM
 First published in 2017

Copyright Anna Daniels 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a
maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever
is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for
itseducational purposes provided that the educational institution
(or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to
the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Arena Books, an imprint of

Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100
Email: info@allenandunwin.com
Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available

from the National Library of Australia
www.trove.nla.gov.au

ISBN 978 1 76029 530 1

Internal design by Romina Panetta

Set in 12/18 pt Sabon by Midland Typesetters, Australia
Printed and bound in Australia by Griffin Press

10987654321

The paper in this book is FSC certified.

FSC promotes environmentally responsible,
socially beneficial and economically viable
C009448
management of the worlds forests.

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 4 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 1

F ar out, theres nothing like a trip to the family accoun-

tant to sober you up. Ive just spent the last forty minutes
calling out figures on faded receipts to Todd Doherty, who
promised to get my tax return done asap so Idont have to
exist on two-thirds of bugger-all. Whats particularly morti-
fying is that Todd and Iwent to high school together, and
while hes probably on a six-figure salary hes well aware
that Im flat out finding six bucks.
Dire is the word Todd used to describe my financial
situation, although he did say it with a kindly smile, which
Iappreciated. If only Ihad assets that were appreciating.
My trusty old Corolla, which Im currently driving to my
parents house in Rockhampton, is my sole valuable posses-
sionwell, that and my Anne of Green Gables collection,
and my kelpie, Glenda.
I weave along these wide streets like a dodgem car driver

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 1 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 with the rink to myself, knowing when Irecount my morning
to my bestie, Rosie, Ill get a great giggle from her.
Ah, Rocky. Our claims to fame are our wide streets, the
fact that trains run down the centre of these wide streets, and
that the roundabouts within these wide streets are dotted
with statues of fibreglass bulls, as befits the Beef Capital of
Australia.
Speaking of trains, theres one whizzing beside me now.
Ithink Rocky is the only place on earth where trains just
seem to sneak up and share the road with you. Its as if one
moment theyre all docked at the depot having a cappuccino,
and the next theyre tailgating you to Wah Hah Chinese.
I feel a sudden wave of nostalgia as Ipass Paradise Plaza
and get closer to home because nearly every corner holds a
familiar story.
Theres the Hungry Jacks that used to be a Cash Convert-
ers; the laneway beside the cinema where, as teenagers, wed
down West Coast Coolers; and Holy Mackerel the fish and
chip shop where we bought dinner on Friday nights. Appar-
ently the new owners of Holy Mackerel recently got done
for selling drugs over the counter. Can you imagine? Ill
have two pieces of battered snapper and five dollars worth
of chips. Wink, wink.
Still, youd be hard pressed to find more salt-of-the-earth,
give-you-the-shirt-off-their-back, nylon-football-shorts-wearing
people than those of Rockhampton. Mum and Dad are
a classic case in point, though Dad doesnt wear football
shorts, thank God. Forty years ago, the two of them started
a combined newsagency and after-five dress shop called All
About Town. Surprisingly, the combo worked, and eighteen

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 2 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 months ago they sold up to a couple from Newcastle whod
promised to keep the business going but within six weeks
had converted it into a waxing parlour called Gone Bush.
As Idrive past the old shop building now, a rush of
memories comes flooding back. Lenny, Max and Ipretty
much grew up in All About Town. Iwas selling Gold Lotto
tickets way before Iwas legally able to do so, and my
brothers, with their easy access to certain magazines, were
very popular at school. My own weakness wasnt so much
capitalising on the magazines as the chocolates. Id give them
to boys Ihad a crush on. Istill remember the day Mum said,
I dont know, Brian, we just seem to always be running out
of Mint Patties! Looking sideways at me, Dad had replied,
I can tell you exactly where those Mint Patties are going,
Denise, theyre going to Paddy Parker, Paddy Wyatt and
Paddy Sadler. My brothers had burst into laughter; Id burst
into tears and run for the refuge of the back office.
Hes always been very direct, my dad. In fact, there are
times when his frankness borders on the ridiculous. Just last
week, for example, Iwas sitting with Mum and Dad at Bits
n Pizzas, Rockys local coffee shop, when Dad waved at
someone coming in. Theres old bloody Doug McRaeI
thought he was dead!
Hes also not backwards in coming forward with advice,
even if you havent asked for it and dont want it. Frustratingly,
hes often spot on. Mind you, he doesnt always have a very
nuanced take on things. Once, when Mum dragged him along
to the ballet, he asked her when the dancers were going to start
singing. When Mum explained that didnt happen in ballet he
said, Well, Ican tell you right now thats not going to last.

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 3 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 And just last week, when Itold him how much the new
mechanic from Brisbane charged to service my Corolla, he
promptly declared, Grubs dont always live in the garden,
love!
If Dads black and white, then Mums fifty shades of grey,
and Isuppose thats why they balance each other out. In her
own way, Mums just as eccentric as Dad. Istill remember the
three of us kids, all squashed into the back of the Commo-
dore, careering around these same streets, with Mum yelling
at us to stop fighting. Shed then pull up out the front of
StJosephs Cathedral and wed troop in after her to Sunday
mass, where shed proceed to read from the lectern in what
we liked to call her church voice. After mass wed all hop
back in the Commodore and recommence fighting.
Lenny and Max have both moved away from Rocky but
at least Rosie, my crazy best friend from primary school, is
still here. In fact, Rosies the only person keeping me sane
at the momentI always feel lighter in her company and
my mood brightens as Iremember she said shed stop by
this afternoon. Apparently one of her patients told her that
Mum and Dads new next-door neighbours are moving in
this week so shes coming over to check them out. She and
Ihave been trying to get to the bottom of whos bought
the place ever since it was sold, but not even my father, the
unofficial mayor of Rockhampton, has any idea.
When Rosie and Iarent playing Neighbourhood Watch,
Ive tried to establish a disciplined writing routine these past
ten months. Essentially, Iwake up, have breakfast, take
Glenda for a run beside the Yeppen Lagoon, shower, then
write for three hours, before discussing lunch with Mum.

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 4 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 My regimen appears to be working because Im almost
halfway there with Diamonds in the Dust, a sweeping multi-
generational family saga set in the pioneering days of the
Central Queensland gemfields.
Having set myself the goal of finishing my novel by the
end of the year also helps me to justify my decision twelve
months ago to leave my semi-glamorous life in Melbourne
as a part-time, prime-time TV reporter and move to Port
Douglas. At the time Id rationalised it to my Melbourne
friends and colleagues by talking about the weather and the
hours Ispent commuting.
Its just too cold down here, Id told my bewildered boss
after she quizzed me about why Iwas leaving. Im from
Queensland! Icant hack these winters!
In my heart, though, Iknew the real reason Iwas leaving
Melbourne was because Id decided Iwas still in love with
my ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, whod got a job in Far North
Queensland, and Iwanted to rekindle our relationship.
Unfortunately, by the time Id moved north three months
after wed broken up, hed decided he couldnt see a future
for us, and soon after he found the love of his life in Port
Douglas.
And so, in a heartbroken daze, Istuck it out up there for
about eight weeks picking up shifts reporting for WIN TV,
before travelling south on the Bruce Highway and ending up
back at Mum and Dads in Rocky, licking my wounds.
As Ipull into my parents driveway, Im relieved that the
keen sense of my heart being wrung like a chamois every
time Ithink of Jeremy has been replaced by a less intense
emotional seesaw of feeling certain that Im over him one

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 5 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 minute, and completely lovelorn, having a Debbie Downer
the next. Itry to cultivate the former state by steering clear
of Facebook, alcohol and anyone who might potentially
mention him in passing. Within the comforting confines of
Rocky, Ifeel like the heavy cloud of grief is gradually lifting,
and the cloak of sadness to which Ive clung is being gently
pried away.
As Iget out of the car, Glenda runs up to me, tail wagging
enthusiastically. Hi, little mate! Isay, giving her a hug.
Distracted, she breaks away from me and bolts towards the
fence, looking around to see if Im following her. Irealise
that the source of her excitement is not my arrival but two
men who are standing in the driveway next door. In fact, its
all Ican do to stop her leaping over the fence to go and give
them a lick.
After coaxing a reluctant Glenda inside with promises of
liver treats, Ishut the front door and call out, Hey, Mum, it
looks like weve finally got new neighbours.
Theres no reply from Mum, who Ifind in the lounge
room, drumsticks in hand, intently watching an African
mans bongo drumming performance on DVD. Since selling
All About Town, Mum has gone from one craze to another,
and African drumming appears to be the latest. If its not
crystals, its calligraphy or colouring in. And dont get me
started on CherMums absolutely obsessed with her.
Ma! Youre in your African drumming trance again!
Isay.
No, Im listening, love, she replies distractedly, not
taking her eyes off the screen.
Well, what did Isay? Isink down into the couch.

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 6 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 You said theyve moved in next door.
I nod and pick up a MiNDFOOD magazine, but its
barrage of articles on how to attract money through mantras
leaves me feeling flat, and Isigh heavily.
Mum pauses the DVD and turns to me. Are you a bit
down, love?
No, no, Isay, giving her the brightest smile Ican muster.
Lucy, whats wrong? Have you heard from Jeremy?
No, Ireply. I dont think Ill ever be in contact with
himagain.
Tell me what it is then, Mum persists. I know some-
things troubling you.
Im fine, Ma, Ireply. Cup of tea?
Id love a cup. Make me one of those Rooibos ones,
would you, darl?
I nod, head to the kitchen and put the kettle on. After
Iget the milk out of the fridge Ipause and stare at the photos
of my happy siblings smiling at me from beneath an assort-
ment of magnets. There are pictures of Lenny and Camilles
beautiful wedding in Sydney beside similarly joyous snaps
of Max and Brooke at the launch of Fancy Pants, their
new online business selling bamboo nappies into China.
Then theres the pics of all five of my nieces and nephews in
various poses. Suddenly the milk Im holding feels as heavy
as my heart.
Are you making tea, Lucy? says Dad, interrupting my
reverie as he strides into the kitchen.
Yep. Want one? Iask, turning around.
Yeah, thanks, he says, then hurries off. Dad seems busier
in retirement than hes ever been. Hes always doing stuff at

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 7 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 the Jockey Club, which is weird because Idont remember
him ever being that into horseracing. Then again, he worked
pretty much six till six in the newsagency before he retired
so he didnt have much time for anything else.
What are you thinking about? Mum has come to stand
beside me as Igaze absently at the whistling kettle.
Whether Ive eaten all those Crabtree & Evelyn choc-
chip biscuits.
Mum laughs but still looks worried.
Oh, Idont know, Ma, Isay. I did my tax with Todd
Doherty and its not pretty. Sometimes Ifeel like it was a
mistake leaving Melbourne, and its all too late now.
Too late for what? asks Mum.
Too late to have a career, and to have excelled at just
one thing.
Lucy, you left Melbourne because producing wasnt
what you wanted to be doing, and it was a juggle to combine
it with any presenting, says Mum. You were working long
hours, and travelling back and forth all that way to even get
to work. Plus the rent was ridiculous and the weather was
miserable. You left because you werent happy down there.
I nod, aware that what Mums saying is completely true.
Its easy to only remember the good things in hindsight,
Mum continues. Its the same with Jeremy. Yes, you had
fun times together, but you also had your doubts about the
relationship, which Ithink youre forgetting.
I nod again, knowing shes right.
You have to stop fooling yourself that things were perfect
in Melbourne.
Mmm, Ijust think

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 8 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 You can think too much, says Mum, cutting me off.
Just the other day Iread an article by Deepak Chopra, and
it was so true what he was saying.
What was he saying?
How its a waste to live inside your head, and that we
should be more like nature, just existing and breathing, and
being open to the universe.
Ha! Iwent to see Deepak Chopra speak when he was
in Melbourne, Isay as Ijiggle the teabags, and he went on
and on about how if you followed his advice you could have
the perfect body, the perfect mind and perfect health. And he
had the most shocking sinus Id ever heard.
Mum laughs. He didnt!
Yeah, hed be saying how we can command our bodies
to overcome anything, and then hed clear his nose like he
had the worst dairy allergy known to man.
Oh, Lucy, really?
Yes, really. So Im not sure you should give too much
credence to Deepak, Isay, chuckling, as we return to the
lounge room with our teas.
So, theyve finally moved in, have they? says Mum,
looking out the window just as the sound of a bike clunking
onto our front verandah is followed by the door slamming.
Whos moved in? asks Rosie, resplendent in lycra, as
she sweeps into the room, unbuckling her bike helmet.
You, with the amount of time you spend here! jokes Mum.
I think Rosie would probably be popping in for an after-
noon cuppa regardless of whether Iwas around. Last week
she was in the kitchen chatting with Mum for an hour before
Iemerged from a morning session of writing in my bedroom

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 9 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 to find them huddled over the latest HomeHints Direct cata-
logue, discussing the benefits of extra-long oven mitts. The
two of them have delighted each other ever since Rosie first
turned up at our house with a sleeping bag, aged six, and
said to Mum, Turn up this song, Mrs Crighton, Ilove it!
The song happened to be Mums favouriteChers If ICould
Turn Back Time. Rosie also speaks back to Dad with the
cheeky familiarity that comes from being one step removed.
For me, Rosie has always been a portal to a different
world, a world without rules. Ican vividly remember us as
children at her parents house one Saturday night, drinking
coffee milkshakes at midnight while we watched Flowers
in the Attic. We were only in grade three at the time. My
parents would have been horrified if theyd known.
Her loud, sunny nature is the perfect antidote to my intro-
spection. When Iget lost in my thoughts, shes always there,
with a torch, guiding me out of the wilderness of my mind.
Unlike me, she doesnt care what people say or think about
her. If someones an arsehole, shell tell them to fuck off,
then forget about it, whereas Ill create a flowchart to under-
stand the sequence of events that led to my mistreatment.
Mum and Rosie are reading their horoscopes to each
other and laughing when Dad bustles in with two different
ties draped around his neck. Denise! Denise! Ineed you to
focus, he says, clapping his hands and gesturing at two ties.
Oh, Brian, for heavens sake, Im just here, says Mum.
Blue or red?
Red, says Mum.
Rosie? asks Dad.
Red.

10

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 10 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 Lucy?
Hold the blue up, Dad, Isay, and then pretend to give
both options weighty consideration. Red.
Right. Well, Im off to the Jockey Club, he says, putting
the red tie on as he marches towards the front door.
Youve got a cup of tea you asked for there, Dad, Isay.
Too busy!
Hey, Brian, leave us your wallet! Rosie calls after him.
Get a full-time bloody job, thats the answer for you!
Dad calls back, laughing, as the door bangs shut.
Yeah, right, as if spending forty hours a week looking into
peoples mouths and dealing with kids who eat too many bloody
lollies freaking out while Ido their fillings would improve my
life, says Rosie, chucking a WHO Magazine onto the coffee
table and picking up a copy of HELLO!. Fat chance. So, are
there any husbands next door for you or what?
I go over to the window and have a proper look at our
two new neighbourswho, Icant help but notice, are pretty
hot. Iwatch as the shorter one opens a bottle of beer, which
he offers to a similar-looking but more athletic man who is
talking intently on his mobile.
Hard to tell, Rosie, Isay, gazing across the lawn, and
getting a jolt when Ilock eyes with the taller, lankier man,
who glances up as he finishes his phone call. He looks thirty-
something, and has a smile and physique that suggest hed
surely be off the market. Icontemplate waving at him, but
he walks out of sight before Iget the chance.
Shes had her teeth done, says Rosie, holding up a spread
of various starlets in Womans Day. Sos she. She needs her
teeth done.

11

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 11 15/02/2017 12:38 PM

 Mum restarts her bongo drumming DVD, and Rosie is
updating me on Brad Pitts alleged catch-up with Jennifer
Aniston, when theres a knock at the door.
Mum stops the DVD again and we all look at each other
gormlessly. Hardly anyone we know ever knocks.
Were all still sitting there when the doorbell rings. Ijump
out of the chair to go and answer the door, only to find the
taller of our new neighbours standing on the other side of
the screen, smiling.
I grin back at him and for a moment we just stand there,
flashing our teeth at each other.
Hi, Im Oscar Simpson, he says eventually.
Lucy Crighton, Ireply, opening the door and holding
out my hand. Welcome to Rocky.

12

Girl in Between_PAGES.indd 12 15/02/2017 12:38 PM