Ghost of Newsangtown

The Family Home

Louise turned only the screen off, then left her room. Her dad was already seated when she came downstairs. "Hi Dad. How's work?" She continued past him and into the kitchen. Picking up her plate she asked her mum, "Will I take Dad's too?"

"Sure Louise, and then can you come back for some glasses?"

Louise picked up an extra plate, loaded with roast chicken and vegetables, then carried them to the table. She playfully hovered it under Steve's nose for a moment before setting his plate in front of him.

Steve smiled up at Louise, then in a voice big enough to carry around the corner into the kitchen he called out, "You know love, sometimes it's only the thought of coming home to dinner that gets me through my day." He rolled his fork over in his fingers while he waited.

Once they were all seated, and while his fork was still poised over a chicken leg, he looked up at his family, smiling broadly. "I was made an offer today." The two women looked up expectantly but said nothing. "They want to make me a state manager."

Janine was the first to speak, "That's great Steve. Though," and her smile remained, but looked like it was being held there, "not this state?"

Steve's smile remained, as if it was trying to mimic the staying power of Janine's, "No, but we will only have to move about seven hours drive away. It is not like we will be moving somewhere completely different."

"Well Steve, I know that this is what we've hoped for, and for a long time now. I'm sure you deserve it." She cut up some meat and moved a few veggies, but still didn't eat. "You really do want this, don't you?"

"I've always wanted it. It has been my goal from when I started there, after I left school." He looked directly at Louise. "My dad said to me, if I worked hard and always did my best, it wouldn't matter where I started. I could end up a state manager. The top of the tree." He nodded at Louise then turned to Janine. "I have been wanting to call him with this news since I found out, but I really had to tell you first. You never lost faith in me. Stood by me the whole way."

"You're right Steve, Arnold will be really proud. We all are." Janine looked pointedly at Louise.

"Yes Dad, really proud. And I know Pop was right about working hard, but there's more to it than that. I'm sure everyone there works really hard, but there is only one state manager. You must be really good at people for them to trust you with that. Trust. That's a whole lot of trust you've earned." Steven just beamed at her, then as if pulled up by strings he stood. With arms outstretched he came around and gave Louise a big hug. Then leant down and kissed the top of her forehead.

Once he sat back down he continued, "So you really are okay with us moving interstate? Lou?"

She shook her head, "Don't know. Hate my school. Really hate it. And then there is... well there's no one in particular in my life there that... well there's nothing there for me. But it's not school I'd be leaving, it's Karla." Her mum looked as if she wanted to say something, but she tried to finish chewing and Louise continued. "You knew I was never going to have a sister or a brother didn't you? Right from the start?" Steve looked at Janine. Janine nodded then swallowed. "So you must've know when you kept inviting Karla 'round, or sending me 'round there, since we were kids. You must've known we'd end up sisters." Louise's face registered shock. She slowly put down her knife and fork then her hands rose to her mouth. "Mum, Dad, is Karla adopted too?"

Janine answered first, "No, of course not Louise. She's the image of her mother. But you're a little bit right. When Karla's dad left, her mum was a bit lost. We had Karla over here a lot and didn't mind a break when you stayed over with Karla." She looked up at Steve for confirmation, but Steve was just watching Louise. "We didn't try to make you like sisters. Not on purpose, but it seemed like Karla might grow up alone too."