Christmas Day
Jake’s brother lends him a phone charger that fits his phone. He has a stash of chargers and computer leads that outweighs his actual phone and computer ownership.
La-Li’s voice scratches on the other end of the phone. He apologises. He says he would never hurt her. He says it was wrong of him to lose his temper.
She says, ‘That’s what Mummy said.’ She says, ‘Mummy got angry when I threw my dinner once. I’ve tried real hard since then, even when I don’t like what Sandy cooks me.’
‘Will you forgive me?’ he asks.
‘If you try harder, Daddy,’ she says. ‘Count to ten. That’s what I do.’
Christmas Day beats heat into his mother’s house. The cream on the trifle glistens with a sheen of milky sweat. His mother bought a gift for La-Li and the gift tag, a kangaroo in the desert w
