It was several days before Tone drove up in the hearse and delivered his news to Primo.
‘Alfie says he’ll need to see the car,’ he announced, helping himself to a beer out of the refrigerator in the garage. ‘He reckons he has to do a colour match. Seems these classic cars had real particular colour charts and stuff.’ He shrugged.
‘When can he drop round?’ Primo asked.
Tone leaned back against the wooden bench that ran the full length of one wall and teased the stubbie between three fingers like he might drop it.
‘He’ll expect to be paid for his call out, Prims.’
‘What?’ Primo said. ‘He works out of his backyard, Tone.’
Tone smirked. ‘Hey, my cousin reckons his time is money.’ He took a long swill and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
‘Okay. Okay. You find out when he can come, or I’ll get it to him somehow,’ Primo conceded. ‘But it has to be soon. I can’t risk having the car sitting here all bent out of shape for too long.’
‘Bent out of shape? Are you hearing yourself, Prims? The dent in the door is pretty deep, yeah, but the car isn’t bent out of shape.’ Tone paused and pointed with the stubbie. ‘You’re the one bent out of shape with all this. You and Maddie both.’ He tapped Primo on the shoulder lightly, adding, ‘She talking to you yet or what?’
Primo didn’t answer. He left the garage, knowing his mate would follow. Once inside the house, Primo rummaged in the cupboard, pulled out two tins of powdered energy supplements and tossed them in the small tote bag he used when he went to the gym.
‘Give me a lift to Kath’s?’ he asked.
‘What, not taking Adrian’s super-sprint two-wheeler free-spirit racing machine?’ Tone teased, nodding at the bike sitting upside down outside the kitchen window.
‘Maybe we can load that piece of crap into the hearse and take it for a last ride down to the tip.’
‘Bullshit, Prims,’ Tone replied. ‘I’ll take it off your hands and sell it down at the Thomo T and T. It’s got to be worth a few dollars to some loser, yeah?’
‘Be my guest,’ Primo said with a grin, making an exaggerated gesture in the direction of the old bicycle. Adrian had been given it as a Christmas present when he was four or five. It had been Primo’s from the day Adrian went to secondary school. He helped Tone lug the old bike into the rear of the hearse.
Tone drove with the fingers of one hand resting almost reverentially on the steering wheel. His other hand held a lit cigarette, smoke streaming from it out the open driver’s window.
‘So, is she?’ he asked through pursed lips.
‘Is who what?’
‘Is Maddie talking to you yet or what?’
Primo stared out at the passing suburb, his suburb, where he’d spent all his life, where his parents had bought their family home a few months after getting married at the Catholic church just down the road, in front of a grand crowd of seven people, including the priest.
There was a spree of the lightest purple in the twilight sky. It made Primo melancholic.
‘It’s that time of the month,’ he answered flippantly. ‘She isn’t talking to anyone.’
‘Yeah, happens to my mum. She goes all silent and moody about once a month.’
‘Maddie’s pissed because I can’t afford the OS thing just yet. How many shifts does she think I get at the freight yard? I’ve got school and stuff, too.’
‘Yeah, there’s all that too, I guess,’ Tone said casually. ‘And the fact that you went a little psycho over the car.’ He gave Primo a quick glance.
‘She said we need a break,’ Primo said defensively, ‘so I’m giving her a break, okay?’
‘You’re just pissed because she called your bluff and now she’s off OS without you.’ Tone didn’t even look at Primo as he chastised him. ‘I told you ages ago you were out of your league with Maddie, Prims. Her dad’s posh, her mum’s posh. She even has a posh name: Ma-de-line. Me and you, we need to stick to what we know. Maria. Tracey. Maybe a Samantha at a stretch.’
Tone nudged him playfully, but Primo was having none of it.
‘If she hadn’t been so righteous about the trip and looked at me like I was some sort of spook, I wouldn’t of been so pissed. I wouldn’t of decided to just take off for OS on my own like that.’
‘You haven’t called her or texted, have you?’ Tone went on. ‘Bet you’ve checked her Facebook status, eh? Still “In a relationship”, is she?’
Tone laughed, closing his eyes and tossing back his head, steering blind for several seconds. The hearse held its line, heavy and cumbersome but steady. In the rear compartment the bicycle clattered noisily.
‘Why don’t you come clean with your mum and tell her you had an accident?’ Tone asked finally. ‘Your old lady must have a bit put away for an emergency, right? Get the car fixed, make up with Maddie, let her take this OS trip and all’s good with the world.’
No, all’s not good, Primo wanted to shout. All’s pretty stuffed up actually. Beginning with my old man and finishing with Maddie.
What he said instead was, ‘You know I’m not supposed to even touch the car, except to keep the motor turning over and tyres inflated. I’ll figure out a way to get it repaired before anyone else knows about it.’
The hearse groaned to a stop outside an old wisteria-covered yellow brick house with drooping gutters and a bright green tiled roof. His sister’s clapped-out Holden Gemini sat in the driveway, its once rich paintwork faded to the palest blue.
‘Thanks for the ride,’ Primo said.
‘You want me to wait, Prims?’
Primo thought for a moment. He’d rather just be on his own.
‘All good,’ he said, getting out of the hearse. He shouldered the tote bag and stepped back, watching as Tone did a screeching U-turn and took off, horn blaring, right arm out the window giving him the bird.
Primo turned back to the narrow house with its overgrown weeds poking through the wrought iron fence, and the uncollected junk mail spewing out onto the footpath. He hadn’t dropped in on Kath in a while, he realised as he stood there, and even then it had been on Maddie’s insistence. She’d wanted to take Kath up on the offer to drop in whenever it suited.
Remembering how well his sister and Maddie had got on made Primo cautious about being there by himself. Maddie’s presence had somehow muted Primo’s unease about his sister moving out of home on what seemed a whim to him.
The moment Kathleen opened the door to his knocking Primo held the two tins out in her direction, saying, ‘Your turn to make sure the old man gets his fix. And Mum reckons don’t be late this time.’
Kathleen stood in the doorway, a tin in each hand, studying her younger brother. She was slightly plump, with green eyes and striking red hair that cascaded around her oval face. She was their mother, down to the Irish name, unlike the rest of them.
‘You want to come in for a few minutes?’ she asked finally. ‘We’ve just got in from work and the kettle’s on.’ She smiled and stepped aside.
A woman in her early thirties appeared beside Kathleen. She had her head mostly hidden in a towel, and was wrapped in a loose floral robe.
‘Hey,’ she said and put a hand protectively on Kath’s shoulder.
Primo looked at his sister and pointed to the tins. He didn’t acknowledge the other woman. ‘The old man’s talking shit again,’ he said. ‘Just make sure you watch him drink this stuff.’
Primo turned to leave. Kath was at his elbow before he reached the footpath.
‘Hey, is that how you visit?’ she asked. ‘At least come inside to deliver Mum’s instructions.’
Primo didn’t alter his stride, forcing his sister to keep up with him if she wanted to talk. They were at the corner before Primo stopped and faced her.
‘What’s going on at home with Adrian?’ Kath asked, her voice finding a thin veil of warmth. ‘What’s it like to have him back in the fold?’
Back in the fold? What is he, a sheep? Primo thought.
‘Adrian did something stupid,’ Kath pressed. She sighed loudly and narrowed her eyes. ‘Stella came by. She’s distraught. She needed to unload, you know. She’s a good mother. She might still forgive him.’
Primo nodded vaguely. ‘Like Mum did? Because that made Dad stop,’ he said brusquely.
Kath’s face hardened noticeably. ‘It’s not about Stella, and it was never about Mum,’ she said.
‘No, it’s about the other one, the putana,’ Primo said sarcastically. ‘It’s not about Adrian not keeping his trousers on at work. Or Dad seducing ...’
Primo cut himself short and looked around. He stepped out onto the empty road. He felt surly and liked it.
‘Can you loan me a few dollars?’ he asked.
‘What for?’ Kath asked suspiciously. ‘How much?’
‘The what for isn’t important, but it’s not drugs or anything illegal,’ Primo replied. ‘I need a grand or so.’
Kath whistled. ‘A thousand dollars! That’s a bit of money, Prim. You tell me why you need it and I’ll think about it, okay?’
Primo considered the offer. Kath was his favourite. They had always got along. Maybe because they were only two years apart in age. Or maybe because Kath was smart and funny. Or maybe because Kath had borne out the expectations their father had saddled her with, that she had twice the balls Adrian had, and none of the blustering bravado of Santo.
‘You are a rare jewel, Kathleen,’ their father had said repeatedly, comfortable in his native tongue. ‘You are what your mother might have been if life had been less demanding and more romantic.’
It was no surprise to anyone, least of all their father in his lucid moments, Primo was certain, that Kath had not gone running back to her mother the minute the old man had gone into the Home.
‘Can you loan me the money or not?’ Primo pressed. ‘I can pay you back. Not right away, but I’m good for it.’
Kath stepped in closer and Primo instinctively backed away slightly. He smelt his sister’s scent, a mixture of girly deodorant and sweat. He looked into her green eyes and wondered how it was she had missed out on the more salient features of their father’s side, particularly the dark eyes and olive skin.
‘Can it wait until my next pay? I’m a bit stretched right now,’ she said in a less confrontational tone. ‘I could ask Sandra I guess. She’s always got a few spare dollars hanging around the house, though a grand might be wishful.’
Kath made to take Primo by the elbow, but he resisted.
‘It’s okay,’ he muttered. ‘Don’t worry about it. It’s not that urgent.’ Primo reached across and pecked his sister lightly on the cheek. ‘See ya.’ He smiled and walked on.
‘Grand Final tickets?’ Kath called at his back. ‘Is that what you need the money for? Scalpers’ rates on the scarce-as-hens’-teeth tickets, Primo? You backing the Blue Boys for a spot in the finals? That’s support, eh?’
When Primo didn’t answer, Kath grew suddenly glum.
‘You’re not in any trouble are you, Prim?’ she asked, concern making her voice shrill. ‘Mum’s got enough on her plate right now.’
‘Save it!’ Primo snapped. ‘It’s all good.’
‘Prim?’
Walking backwards, Primo winked and touched a finger to his forehead in mock salute. He was almost glad she’d misconstrued his request. It saved him a heap of explanation, or pitiful excuses.
He stopped. ‘Yeah, footy tickets, Kath,’ he called back. ‘You got it in one. Scalpers are greedy pricks.’
‘Primo? Hey, Primo?’ Kath said. ‘Really, no jokes. What do you need a thousand dollars for? It’s a huge amount.’
Primo raised a hand in response, and turned away, not looking back when Kath added, ‘I’ll let you know about the money! Just so long as you’re not in any trouble, Primo.’
But Primo had already moved past his sister’s offer, or lack thereof. Too many questions. Too many incriminations.
It was an hour before Primo had walked off his frustration and managed to calm down enough to return home. He found Adrian at the kitchen table, and their mother at the sink. The conversation between son and mother stopped abruptly.
‘You doing anything Saturday?’ Adrian tossed at him.
Their mother looked around from battering the fish and smiled warmly at Primo.
‘I’ve got Beth for the day,’ Adrian continued. ‘Thought the three of us could take in good old Luna Park. We could do the rides, grab some fairyfloss, maybe a snag on a stick. A Dagwood Dog, yeah? The usual shit. What you say?’ Adrian shifted in his seat and Primo eyeballed him. ‘You haven’t really seen all that much of your little niece. Could be fun for both of you to catch up. We could ride the train to Flinders Street, show Beth the clocks. She hasn’t seen the clocks. I don’t even think she’s been on a train.’ Adrian paused and looked over at their mother. ‘Like we did with you, Mum, remember? You used to take me and Kath, and Primo too, in on the train.’
Because the old man couldn’t be stuffed taking us, Primo wanted to add. Though he did take Santo, if Santo was to be believed.
‘Sounds like a lovely idea, Primo,’ his mum said hopefully. ‘If you boys get back early enough we could have dinner here. Maybe I can even get your father back for the night.’ She paused, brushed back a loose strand of hair from her face, and added, ‘If he’s up to it, of course.’
‘Come on, Prim. What do you say? Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?’
No one spoke for a few moments. Adrian rubbed at a sudden sore spot on his forehead; their mum stared mutely into space.
‘I’ll let you know, Ad,’ Primo said dismissively. He had no intention of going to Luna Park, and even less than none of helping to babysit his older brother and his kid. ‘Might be going to the footy with Tone, if we can score some tickets.’ Then he told his mother, ‘Kath’s got the stuff to take to Dad.’
‘Good. Thanks for doing that.’
Primo watched as his mother edged to one side of the sink and then stood looking back into the middle of the kitchen.
‘What’s up, Mum?’ Adrian asked.
‘Nothing,’ she replied through a forced smile, her eyes tight slits. She pushed her mouth into a genuine smile. ‘I guess I still miss not having Kathleen around. Not that I don’t love having you both here. But with Kathleen moving out so quickly, and your father and all.’
‘I promise to stick around for a long time,’ Adrian offered. ‘Or at least until Stella comes to her bloody senses.’
‘Or until you apologise for being a wanker,’ Primo said sharply, and knew that the words had found their mark when Adrian curled his lips into a snarl.
‘When did you get so worldly, little brother?’ he asked, the sarcasm biting.
‘Piss off, Ad, why don’t you,’ Primo growled and gave his brother the finger. Something in Adrian’s manner clawed at the languid calm Primo had been trying hard to cling to since his brother had returned to the family home.
‘Primo!’ his mother cried.
‘It’s okay, Mum,’ Adrian murmured. ‘It’s okay, really. Primo needs to get his frustration out. After all, it can’t be easy finally having the run of the house, and then,’ he snapped his fingers, ‘you don’t.’
Primo didn’t bother with a response. He went to his room and tried to focus on his homework, which had started to pile up these past few weeks.
He would use the school break to catch up, Primo told himself, but after an hour he found he couldn’t concentrate and went out to the garage.
Tone had been sort of right on one point, Primo thought. He could admit to what he’d done to Bambino and have his mother pay for the repairs. She would give him grief for having taken the car out without permission, obviously. The problem, Primo knew, was that the insurance had lapsed on the car and his mother didn’t need the extra stress of paying for repairs on a car she had never really warmed to.
‘It just sits in the garage,’ was how his mother had rationalised not keeping up the premiums.
It was then that Primo had first mentioned they consider selling the mechanic’s garage, as a source of income, only to have his mother scuttle the idea.
‘It would kill your father,’ she’d replied. ‘I can’t do that to him. I can’t.’
Despite all he did to you? Primo had wanted to ask, but hadn’t had the heart.
A week after that conversation, Primo had found the casual job at the freight yard, working a few hours after school most afternoons, glad for the change of pace, and happier still to earn some money of his own, little as it was.
‘Shit,’ Primo said out loud. He was about to leave when Adrian appeared in the doorway.
‘You got a minute, little brother?’ he asked. He looked absently at the tarp-covered Fiat. ‘As you know, I’ve got a little problem with this Crystal bitch, matey. Not only has Stella kicked me out of the house, but now I’m going to have to defend myself against that other spiteful bitch’s false accusations for feeling her up. She reckons she has me up on sexual harassment. As if!’
Primo nodded into space and tried to brush past Adrian without looking him in the face.
‘But that’s not the point here. It’s all bullshit,’ his brother went on, one hand out to bar Primo’s exit. ‘The whole thing’s a beat up. She came on to me. Crystal knew I was married, a young guy, successful at my job. So she figured she could shaft me by laying this crap on me.’
‘Whatever,’ Primo managed. He couldn’t find a gap to push past Adrian so he folded his arms across his chest and stared down at his feet. He’d let his brother get whatever it was he needed to say off his chest.
‘No, not whatever! This is my life we’re talking about. This is about my family, Stella and Bethany. It’s about my career. All the hard work I’ve put in. Crystal wants to destroy me.’
Adrian took a deep breath. ‘I might of got married because of pressure from Stella’s folks putting the hard word on her, but I’m not about to lose her, because believe it or not, I love my wife. And Beth. You understand me, little brother?’
Primo looked at his brother’s feet. They were shuffling, his scuffed shoes untidy under the suit he insisted on wearing every day even though he hadn’t been into the office once since moving back home.
You got married at twenty-one because Stella had you by the balls, you limp dick, Primo thought.
‘Seems like everyone always wants to destroy you, Ad,’ he said off-handedly. ‘Like Dad I guess, eh? It was always someone else’s fault, right? How else do you explain Mum taking him back every time, right?’
Adrian ignored him. ‘I’ve got to warn her off, Prims. Crystal’s talking about going to court. She needs to see reason.’ As he spoke Adrian’s tone mellowed. ‘We had a rocky start, me and Stella, sure. But we’ve worked at it, Prims. You following me? I made a mistake is all. A mistake.’
Suddenly Primo felt himself being grabbed by the shoulders. Adrian was staring right into his face, his eyes bulging with something Primo had never seen there before: raw fear. Fear and blazing anger.
‘Your mate Tone,’ Adrian said scrunching up his face. ‘Everyone knows his old man’s been inside, that he’s been involved in all sorts of underhand stuff over the years. He knows people, right? It’s like an open secret, sort of, yeah?’
He paused. Primo watched his brother’s top teeth clasping down on his bottom lip.
‘If I can just get someone to make her see that what she’s doing is creating more trouble. Get her to see the benefits in letting the whole thing die. Crystal needs to see clearly, yeah, Prims?’ He laughed timidly at his own lame joke, but set his face when Primo didn’t join in.
Primo didn’t say a word. He pushed against his brother’s hand and made an opening past him.
Adrian tapped his own forehead roughly. ‘I’m going to lose everything,’ he added in a pained voice. ‘It’s like my entire world is being ripped from under me. And why? Because some petty woman has figured out how to play the system, that’s why.’
When his brother reached out and grabbed him by the elbow, Primo tore it away roughly. ‘Just like Dad,’ he said flatly, looking unflinchingly into Adrian’s face. ‘Dad screwed around too. Difference is, no one ever had the cuglioni to call him out. Not even Mum.’
This time, the words hit the mark and Adrian blinked hard, fighting tears. He took a step back and stood, tapping his fingertips to his temples.
‘Mum never kicked Dad out,’ he whispered. ‘Dad never lost his job.’
Primo leaned forward slightly, his voice just above a whisper. ‘Maybe that’s exactly what should of happened,’ he muttered. ‘Just to shake things up a bit around here.’
Primo left his brother standing in the doorway.
‘Talk to Tony for me,’ Adrian called out after a few moments. ‘Just talk to him, okay? Do it for me, your brother, yeah? For me and Stella. And Beth ... Because, what’s a kid to do without her dad around?’