I smooth a hand against his cheek.
“And there’s truth in that. You weren’t loved the way you deserved. But you are now.”
Oh fuck.
Have I just said it?
I know the L word makes him nervous.
It makes me nervous too, if I’m honest.
“No need to be scared,” I say to both of us.
???
We cross the grassy slope back toward the dock.
The lake is serene and glassy, a twin reflection of every constellation.
I rock him gently, and for a while neither of us speak.
His eyes are still puffy, but the tension in his body has softened.
“There are one or two happy memories,” he says.
“Yeah?”
“This one time, on my seventh birthday, Mum bought me a twenty dollar watermelon.” “Twenty dollars for a… ? Two decades ago?”
“Freight makes everything expensive out there. Even a small pumpkin costs nine dollars. But at the time, that melon was the best thing I'd ever tasted.”
“And that was your birthday present?”
“Yup. She stole the money out of Dad's pocket while he was passed out. Then we waited til he'd buggered off to the pokies, and ran down to the farmer's stall to buy one. Had to eat it all in one day so he wouldn't find out.”
Marco is beaming ear to ear.
I’m not quite sure what to say.
So instead I pull out my phone, adding a quick note to the reminders.
“September third,” I type out loud. “Find... best watermelon... in Queensland.”
He corners me with an amused look on his face.
“September third?”
Oops. Kind of awkward.
“Well,” I explain. “When I asked… you told me that you weren’t really a fan of birthdays. So I might have taken a peek at your driver’s license when it was on the table. I was planning to ignore your rule and surprise you anyway.”
He suppresses a laugh.
“I’ve gotta keep an eye on you.”
My smile is mischievous, but I have no regrets.
My finger traces along the darkened silhouette of the mountains.
