Listen by Kate Veitch Page B

laughed softly.
    He’d had the thing about powerpoints and electricity for years, since well before he was married. But it had got so much worse lately, from the very day the head of the school council had taken him aside to tell him that he, Robert, was highly favoured to replace Andrea Milne as principal when she retired the following year. And it wasn’t just the electricity thing, either. He also found himself beset by the conviction that he had forgotten certain essential items: his watch, for instance; books or papers he had to take home from school, or vice versa. He was forever tapping his breast pocketto make sure he had a pen there. And had he put the correct shoes on? Socks? His underwear, for god’s sake! Sometimes, when he was about to slip his coat off, or his jacket, he had a moment of horror that he was wearing nothing underneath, absolutely nothing. It was awful. And this was the man the school council thought would make a good principal. My god! What if anyone found out? Robert knew he should go and see his doctor again but he just… didn’t dare.
    ‘I am so looking forward to getting this new sofa. If we can find the right one,’ said Vesna, stroking his leg lightly.
    ‘Me too.’
    ‘And a rug, maybe?’
    ‘Maybe.’
    ‘We’ll have fun looking, anyway.’
    He smiled at his wife. But that report I have to write, did I bring it home? Is it in my briefcase? Where in my briefcase? The middle section? I think I put it in the middle section, but…
    On Thursday morning, Robert went to collect Alex for the appointment with the aged care assessment team. We could go and have coffee together afterwards , he thought as he turned into his father’s street. And a toasted sandwich, in a cafe. That’ll be nice . There was Alex standing by the rosebushes in his front garden, bony shoulders hunched almost to his ears as he examined them. He called Robert over, gesturing urgently.
    ‘Look at this! When did these little buggers arrive, eh? I checked these roses just yesterday.’
    ‘Oh dear. Aphids.’
    ‘That’s right, bloody aphids!’ said Alex, furious. ‘I need to tackle these right now, Robbie. I’ll just give ’em a good blast with the hose to start off with and if needs must I’ll spray ’em.’
    ‘Dad! We haven’t really got time! We’re due there in fifteen minutes.’
    ‘Due where?’ his father asked, frowning distractedly. ‘Where are we going? Just… just remind me?’
    ‘The clinic. It’s… a doctor’s appointment.’ Robert felt awkward, as if he were trying to con his father into something.
    ‘Oh. That’s right. Doctor’s appointment. What’s it for again?’
    ‘It’s just an assessment, Dad. A check-up, really.’
    ‘Right. Well, this won’t take a minute,’ he said, moving towards the neatly coiled garden hose.
    ‘Dad, please! I’ll give you a hand later, but we really should get going now! ’
    Alex gave his son a disgusted look. ‘All right then,’ he said reluctantly. ‘I’ll just make a note to remind myself.’ He was feeling in his pockets. ‘Blast! I haven’t got a notebook.’
    ‘I’ve got one in the car, Dad,’ said Robert, inspired, propelling his father out the front gate. ‘The aphids can’t do much damage in a couple of hours.’
    ‘Oh, can’t they?’ said Alex darkly. ‘Fat lot you’d know about it. Bloody useless, you are.’
    Stung, Robert didn’t talk much on the drive to the clinic. He had intended to go through what he understood of the assessment procedure with his father again, but Alex appeared to be sulking about the aphids, or at any rate not inclined to conversation. It was so unlike his father to be surly. Robert wished Vesna was with them, she always knew the right thing to say. Maybe I could call her while Dad’s having the assessment ? Stopping for a red light, he turned to check that his briefcase was on the back seat. Yes. But was his mobile phone in it? He reached for the case but then stopped himself. The lights