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Bellini children, sitting at the kitchen table, shrugged.
The highlight of the weekend was a trip to the
supermarket: Mr Bellini s shop had run out of disposable
nappies. I lost the twins in the biscuits aisle and, after getting
the whole store in a panic about kidnapped children, I found
them sitting in some bushes near the car park sharing a
packet of chocolate biscuits.
234 MISS McALLISTER S GHOST
On the Sunday I put the twins through a physical
education program that made Survivor look wimpish. It
included a kind of death march, both kids in harness, for
about four kilometres round the neighbourhood. By Sunday
night they were tame with exhaustion. When Mrs Bellini
returned at 8 o clock on Monday morning I got my pay, a
big hug and a St Christopher s medal. I could have done
with this medal over the weekend, I said.
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Miss McAllister s birthday was on the Friday
following my babysitting marathon. I headed straight for
her place after school. As I jumped down off the wall into
the garden, I saw her leaning on a spade in the front garden,
her black skirt all muddy round the hem.
I thought you d forgotten me, she said.
We d never forget you, Miss McAllister, I said.
Indeed?
Well, you d never get over a shock like that.
Get along with you! Miss McAllister pretended to
lunge at me with her spade. Go and chop some wood.
By now my palms had toughened up. I enjoyed
chopping a good piece of wood eyeing the weak spot
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and hearing the satisfying split. I picked up the axe. Mid-
swing, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy bobbing
and lurching towards me. When he was close, he thrust
out a hand holding a yellow, weedy flower. I thanked him
and took the flower, sticking the stem through a hole in my
jumper.
Percy, it s Miss McAllister s birthday today. Wilf and
Mick will be over soon with the cake and things. Let s pick
some flowers for the birthday chair.
Percy s good eye lit up. He smiled his broken smile and
lumbered off to the stables. He reappeared with secateurs,
and ten minutes later we had a basketful of early spring
flowers. While Miss McAllister was still out the front, Percy
and I decorated the birthday chair in the dining room. Wilf
and Mick appeared with a large box which they d snuck
past Miss McAllister without her seeing. Percy and I left
the boys to do their bit.
At dusk, Miss McAllister stomped into the kitchen
and was surprised to see Mick and Wilf there. Mick told her
that we were doing the cooking that night. He steered her
out of the kitchen telling her to clean herself up. When she
reappeared in the kitchen, she was wearing another clean
black skirt and she had pinned her favourite cameo brooch
to the collar of her white blouse. We led her to the dining
room. Percy shuffled ahead and opened the door. As Miss
McAllister stepped into the room, we heard her catch her
breath. We all started singing Happy Birthday , including
CHAPTER 33 237
Percy, who sounded like a broken organ.
Miss McAllister touched her hands to her face. I d
forgotten. I d truly forgotten. I should have remembered:
it s always when the banksia is out. She hurried to her chair
and stroked the flowers. Beautiful, she said and turned
towards the table. And even a cake! Who made it?
Me, said Mick trying to sound modest. Can you see
the G ?
I most certainly can, said Miss McAllister taking a
second look. A huge, meandering G in chocolate icing
covered the face of the cake. A solitary candle stood in the
middle.
I thought when the candles cost more than the cake,
it s time to have just one, said Mick.
How tactful, said Miss McAllister.
You re 98! Wilf burst out with admiration.
Oh dear. So very much? said Miss McAllister.
We sat Miss McAllister down and poured her a drink
of coca-cola (Mick s choice) then Wilf offered her sliced
bread with hundred and thousands (Wilf s contribution).
While she sat there with Percy and Wilf for company, Mick
and I went back to the kitchen to prepare the main meal,
which was hamburgers with the lot. Miss McAllister made
a pretty good fist of it. She even ate a fair slab of chocolate
cake, even though it was so solid the knife got stuck in it;
you could have used that cake as an archery target. Miss
McAllister said it was the best meal that had been prepared
238 MISS McALLISTER S GHOST
for her in living memory. This was both diplomatic and true,
as she d been doing all the cooking since World War I.
While Miss McAllister was contentedly leaning back
in her chair, we presented her with an envelope. She took
out a card. It had been designed by Wilf and on the front
was an ancient woman dressed in black. Miss McAllister
gazed closely at it. Why have you drawn a witch?
It s not a witch. It s you, said Wilf.
Inside the card, Wilf had printed,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR 98
SO HAVE A WILD PARTY
BEFORE IT,S TOO LATE!
Each of us had signed underneath, including Percy
who had left a special scribble.
What s this? asked Miss McAllister holding up a
piece of paper she d found in the card.
Go on. Read it, I said.
Miss McAllister held it closer to a candle and read
aloud, This receipt entitles Grizelda McAllister to one
balloon ride with the A Lot of Hot Air balloon company.
We look forward to meeting you on ...
She paused. I can t believe it. Do you mean that after
all these jets and things, they still have hot-air balloons?
We all nodded.
Oh dear, this is awfully kind and thoughtful of you,
CHAPTER 33 239
but I simply can t do this.
Miss McAllister, said Mick leaning across the table
towards her, we ll have blown our money if you don t go.
Blown your money, she repeated slowly. I can t do
that to you. But how could I possibly get to this place?
It s cool, Miss McAllister. We have it sewn up, said
Mick.
She touched her cameo nervously. Sewn up?
Hardly nobody is going to see you, Miss McAllister,
said Wilf, who knew that the real worry was public
exposure.
It took a lot of persuasion, but when Miss McAllister
saw that we planned to travel late at night, she accepted
graciously. In fact, she had her things packed and ready two
weeks before the flight.
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The balloon ride was booked for the fourth
Saturday in September. Dad had gone out bush to collect
a car and Mum was doing three shifts more or less back to
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