The Final Curtain (15 page)

‘I thought this was
your
birthday.'

‘It's not for your birthday. Open it.'

Linden slipped his finger underneath the seal and pulled out a photo. He stared at the picture of himself at five in his pool, with his house in the background and his mother laughing beside him. He ran his finger over his mother's hair. ‘It's just as I remembered it.'

Max smiled. ‘Me too.'

‘Do you know anything about growing flowers?'

‘Not much.'

‘I think I might plant some roses near the house.'

‘I'll help you look after them,' Max said.

‘I'd like that.'

‘When is your birthday?' Max asked.

‘Next month.'

‘Next month? You never told me that!'

‘Mum used to make a big fuss about my birthday. It hasn't felt right to celebrate without her, but I think for my next one I might have a party. Want to come?'

Max nodded.

Larry snorted a few more bars and pushed his snout into the ever-enlarging heart.

‘He
is
getting better,' Max said.

‘Told you,' Linden laughed and Max joined in.

‘You know what I love about this place?' Max asked.

‘Apart from me being here?' Linden asked.

Max nodded. ‘Apart from that.'

‘What?'

‘There may be karaoke-singing pigs and dogs dressed in tuxedos, psychotic chickens and their kamikaze flying chicks, and it's always chaotic and I don't think Ben and Eleanor will ever have a neat house or lab or stop kissing in front of people, but this place makes more sense than anywhere I've ever been.'

Linden looked around him before his eyes rested on Max.

The sounds of the party swelled behind them. Whooping and laughing. It was Ben's turn to sing, and he was doing his off-key best. It swirled around them, lifting into the air. Max felt light and, there by the fence with Linden looking at her, she felt caught in a whorl of her own.

‘Max?'

‘What?'

‘Just this.'

Linden leant in and kissed her and, like in her dream in Malta, it was soft and quiet and made her feel a little dizzy. She caught hold of the fence. The sky hadn't fallen in, the world didn't fall apart, she hadn't fallen over, slipped, bit Linden on the lip or hit him in the head. It was one small, perfect moment. And everything felt completely normal.

‘Where do you think we'll go next?' Linden asked.

‘Not sure.' Max took a deep breath and loosened her grip on the fence. ‘Maybe Japan. I've always wanted to go to Japan.'

‘Mind if I come too?'

‘I'm not going anywhere without you,' Max said.

‘Good. That suits me just fine.'

Photograph by Todd Decker

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