Chapter 5

 

My cousin called me a few weeks later. Justin had just come home from hospital, and I was getting ready to go next door. Mikaylah answered and handed the handset to me. “It’s Siobhan. Make it quick. I still have to pay the phone bill.”

 

I took the handset. “Hi Si,” I said. “How’s soccer?”

 

“You don’t wanna know, Kat.”

 

“Aww, c’mon Si, spill.”

 

Siobhan’s soccer team, the Western Districts Tigers, were one quarter of the mixed city team – the Tulsa Lakers. The other four teams were the Northern 96ers, the Southern Magic and the Eastern Pride. My cousin sighed. “We got beaten in the semis by the 96ers.”

 

“So? That’s not too bad, Si. At least you reached the semis.”

 

“Not when the 96ers are the worst team in the entire city competition! How about your team, Katia?”

 

“We’re second on the table. Second to the Coolangatta Raiders.”

 

“What’s your team called again?”

 

“Currumbin Lakes Lorikeets. There are about seven teams in the Gold Coast competition. There’re the Surfers Paradise Dolphins, Currumbin Lakes Lorikeets, Coolangatta Raiders, Southport Strikers, Broadbeach Cats, Beenleigh All-Stars and Tweed Heads Cockatoos. What if your team had got to the final and won?”

 

“We would’ve been able to play the Oklahoma City Tornados.”

 

“Ever got there?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Better luck next time. Look, I gotta scoot. Mikaylah’s giving me the evil eye.”

 

I hung up and gave the handset to my sister. “I’m going next door,” I told her.

 

“Don’t take too long. I want you to cook dinner. I’m going out tonight.”

 

“All right,” I said.

 

I ducked outside and went around to the front, then went over to the twin’s front door. Joshua answered my knock. “Hey, Kat,” he said quietly. “Justin was up all night screaming and crying. Kept me awake.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since Justin came home from hospital.”

 

“Maybe you should stay overnight at my place again,” I offered.

 

“Yeah, maybe. Come on in.”

 

I followed Joshua inside. Justin was lying curled up on the couch. “Mum, it hurts!” he cried.

 

“Justin, you have to put up with it for now. I can’t give you anything for the pain. You know what your specialist said.”

 

“Mum, it’s getting unbearable,” he cried. “Please, just give me something!”

 

Karen knelt down next to Justin and pushed his hair off his face. “Justin, you need to rest. I know it hurts, but you made the decision.”

 

“I didn’t know I’d be in this much pain!”

 

Joshua rolled his eyes. “Justin has an incredibly low pain threshold,” he explained.

 

“I can tell.”

 

Justin gradually fell asleep, and Karen carried him upstairs. “Let him rest, Joshua,” she said when Joshua tried to follow them. “Maybe you need to get some rest as well.”

 

“Yeah, maybe I do,” he agreed.

 

When Karen came back downstairs, she spoke to Joshua. “Joshua, I need you to know something,” she said. “Come and sit down on the sofa.”

 

Joshua sat down next to Karen. “Joshua, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a long time. Justin isn’t really your brother,” she explained. “He’s adopted.”

 

“You’re joking,” Joshua said.

 

“Joshua, I’m telling the truth. Justin might have the same birthday as you, but he isn’t your brother. Please don’t tell him, Joshua. The truth would kill him.”

 

“I won’t, but I still think he needs to know.”

 

“Joshua, the only reason I adopted Justin was because someone abandoned him outside our front door. I wouldn’t have otherwise. I still have the note that was left with him.”

 

Karen pulled a folded piece of A4 paper from her wallet and gave it to Joshua. Joshua quickly read it and passed it to me. It was written in perhaps the untidiest handwriting I had ever seen, but I managed to decipher it.

 

My name is Justin. I was born on March 14, 1983, in Surfers Paradise. My mother can’t take care of me, which is why she has left me here. Please take me in and love me like I was a member of your family.

 

I refolded the note and handed it back to Karen. “Of course, I adopted Justin. Unfortunately, the reason Justin’s mother abandoned him was because he isn’t meant to live past the age of fourteen.”

 

“You mean…Justin’s dying?”

 

Karen nodded sadly. “Yes, he is dying.”

 

“So why are you telling me now?”

 

“Justin’s mother contacted me last week. She wants to meet Justin.”

 

“Why the hell for? She abandoned him.”

 

“Don’t swear, Joshua.”

 

A tired voice spoke up. “What’s this about me?”

 

We all turned. Justin was standing there on the staircase, hair tangled and sticking out in all directions. “Nothing, Justin,” Karen said quickly. “Go back to bed.”

 

“No, I want to know what you’re talking about.”

 

“I promise that I will tell you later on, Justin. Go back to sleep.”

 

Justin yawned and went back to his room. “Mum, Justin needs to know that he’s adopted,” Joshua told Karen. “He’s dying anyway.”

 

“Joshua, don’t talk about your brother like that.”

 

“He’s not my brother, Mum! I’ve always guessed that he never was, but how could you keep it from him for so long? He has to know.”

 

- x -

 

Karen finally did tell Justin – on the night before his mother was to meet him for the first time. “How could you have kept it from me?” he asked in disbelief.

 

“I don’t know, Justin.” She sighed. “Your mother is coming here tomorrow to meet you. Her name is Maria Andretti, and she also has three daughters named Lianne, Jasmine and Zoë.”

 

“I don’t want to meet her.”

 

“Justin, you will act civilly towards Maria or you won’t know what hit you. I have never hit you before, but be warned.”

 

Justin nodded. “But what if she wants to adopt me?”

 

“I won’t make you go, don’t worry. Don’t forget that it’s your decision in the end.”

 

“I won’t. I’m going back to my room.”

 

Justin went back up to his room. I decided to follow him. Later on, I was glad I’d decided to, because Justin would never otherwise have told me his secret.

 

I could hear crying and swearing through Justin’s bedroom door. I knocked loudly and waited for Justin to let me in. He let me in after about five minutes. “What’s up, Justin?” I asked.

 

Justin looked at me. I could tell he’d been crying, given the fact that tears still ran down his face. “Can you keep a secret?” he asked.

 

“Of course I can.”

 

Justin sat down on his bed. “Katia, I can’t read. Nobody else knows.” He looked at me. “That’s one of the reasons I hated going to boarding school so much. I had to tape my lessons so I could learn what was being taught.”

 

“What about the last time you went?”

 

He managed a faint smile. “I forgot to take my tape recorder. So, instead of confessing to the school that I’m illiterate, I did the worst thing I could’ve done. I didn’t tell the school about my heart condition and started playing sport for the first time in my life. It worked, and I got sick.”

 

“You’re right, that was a pretty stupid thing to do.”

 

“Tell me about it. It could’ve killed me, but I was lucky.”

 

“What about the night after you came home from hospital?”

 

Justin bit his bottom lip. “Katia, I need to tell you something.” He drew a deep breath. “Katia, I’m dying. Mum just told me last night. I’m not meant to live much longer.”

 

“I know,” I said quietly.

 

Justin didn’t answer. “I’ve come close so many times, but I don’t want to die. Not now. I’m too young. I haven’t started living yet.”

 

He stood and picked up his chameleon, then lay down on his bed. “Can you hold Rusty for a sec?” he asked.

 

I took the chameleon. Justin carefully unbuttoned his shirt and took the chameleon back. I could see the scar from his operation – a line that extended, from between his collarbones, about 10 centimetres or so down his chest. At that moment, it was an angry red colour. “That doesn’t look too good,” I commented.

 

“It hurts, I can tell you that much.” He sighed. “Katia, I am so scared right now. The thought of dying gives me the creeps. I’ve seen people die. I watched my own sister die.”

 

“You had a sister?”

 

“Yeah. Her name was Gypsy, and I miss her so much. I still can’t talk about her a lot.”

 

“Do you think you could tell me about her?”

 

“I could try, I guess…” He looked at the ceiling. “After Dad died, I got so attached to Gypsy that when she died I went off my head. She was just the sweetest little girl, Katia.”

 

“How old were you when she died?”

 

“I was nine, Katia. Nine years old. Looking back on it now, I figure it shows how death can affect a little kid. It’s been hard, though.”

 

I gently grasped Justin’s hand. “It’s gonna be okay, Justin.”

 

“I know. I’m still freaked out, though.”

 

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