13
Cleaning. Laura hated it, but it needed to be done, and it kept her mind off the fact that she was dismantling her life piece by piece. She wiped the pantry shelf down, the smell of eucalyptus and lemon making her sneeze each time she squirted the cleaner onto the Laminex. She hated this cleaning spray, but it also reminded her of walking into the bathroom just after her mum had cleaned it. She smiled at the memory and was then interrupted by a sharp knock on the front door.
‘Yoo-hoo! Laura, you home?’ Stella’s voice echoed down the hallway.
‘In the kitchen, Stella,’ Laura called, climbing down from the stepladder.
‘Oh darling, look at you. Come here.’ Stella pulled Laura in for one of her warm hugs. ‘How are you?’ She stroked Laura’s hair, which was half falling out of its loose po
