New Guinea Moon by Kate Constable Page A

waiting for a signal, while the voices rise and fall in the kitchen. At last Nadine can bear it no longer. She shakes off Ryan’s hand and rushes inside.
    Julie looks at Ryan. ‘Should we —?’
    Slowly he climbs up. ‘I guess.’ He looks worried.
    Julie follows him inside. Barbara is standing in the centre of the kitchen, flicking impatiently at her lighter, a cigarette balanced at the corner of her lip. Koki is nowhere to be seen.
    â€˜What happened?’ Nadine cries.
    Barbara finally succeeds in getting her cigarette lit. ‘Nothing for you kids to worry about.’ She tosses the lighter onto the table.
    Ryan frowns. ‘Where’s Koki?’
    â€˜Gone.’
    â€˜What do you mean, gone?’
    â€˜I’ve sacked her.’
    â€˜ What? ’
    Nadine gasps as if she’s drowning, then bursts into noisy tears. ‘You can’t sack Koki!’
    â€˜Well, I have.’ Barbara flicks a glance in Julie’s direction, annoyed to have a witness to this private family drama.
    â€˜But what for ?’
    â€˜Stealing,’ says Barbara crisply. ‘My gold necklace is missing from my jewellery box.’
    Julie and Nadine’s eyes meet in horror. ‘Mum, I . . . I gave . . . ’ Nadine stammers.
    â€˜I think I’ve got it,’ says Julie at the same instant.
    Barbara’s gaze narrows. ‘Pardon?’
    â€˜Nadine lent it to me for the party . . . ’
    â€˜I said Julie could borrow it . . . ’
    The girls speak over each other.
    â€˜It’s at home,’ says Julie. ‘I meant to bring it back today, but — I forgot.’
    Ryan whistles softly. ‘Jeez, Mum, you’ve really stuffed up this time.’
    Barbara’s face is as grey as putty beneath her make-up, but her voice is steady. ‘It wasn’t just the necklace. I’ve been turning a blind eye for a long time, but enough is enough. The necklace was the last straw.’
    â€˜But she didn’t take the necklace!’ cries Nadine in agony. ‘That was me !’
    â€˜I should have brought it back,’ says Julie. ‘I’ll go and get it now —’
    â€˜There’s no need to be dramatic, Julie. This is Nadine’s fault; she should have asked permission.’
    Ryan moves toward the door. ‘I’ll get Koki back. She can’t have got far.’
    â€˜You will not!’ Barbara raps out, her voice so sharp that Julie jumps backward. Nadine stares, gulping.
    â€˜But, Mum —’ Ryan begins.
    â€˜We can’t possibly take her back,’ says Barbara. ‘We’d lose all respect. We’d look ridiculous.’
    â€˜But we love Koki!’ wails Nadine.
    â€˜Don’t be silly!’ snaps Barbara. ‘You don’t love Koki. She’s a meri, for God’s sake. And we won’t need a meri for much longer, if we do go finis .’
    Ryan and Nadine say nothing. Julie wonders wildly, fleetingly, if Lina could be their new meri? But no, that wouldn’t be fair to Koki . . . And anyway, Julie doesn’t know how to find her.
    Barbara stubs out her cigarette with a twist of her wrist. ‘I’m going to lie down. I’ve got a splitting headache.’
    After she’s gone, there is silence in the kitchen.
    â€˜Well,’ says Ryan at last. ‘I guess I can kind of see Mum’s point. We’ll look pretty weak if we go running after her. It’s soft.’
    â€˜But it’s my fault!’ wails Nadine.
    â€˜You can’t just let her go!’ says Julie. ‘Whatever happened to Koki being your second mother?’
    Ryan shrugs, embarrassed. ‘That was a long time ago. Maybe Mum’s right. They don’t really need her any more. Nads and I aren’t even here most of the time. If we were living down south, we wouldn’t dream of having a — a maid or whatever.’
    Julie stares at him, appalled. Then she lifts the telephone off the