Tina Kennard

Bette stays with me until it’s time to get the plan in action. I hesitate if I should give her a hug before she leaves – I do. As a friend. The rest is for later.

I’m nervous when I go inside. I feel like my mom would see through me immediately. My mom is in the garage, ironing. She looks up when she sees me, her face is stern.

“Yes?” She asks. I wince, she’s really, really mad at me.

“I was wondering… if I could help you?” She arches an eyebrow and I quickly add: “I could work in the garden. The front garden is actually worse, so maybe there…”

“This doesn’t make it alright,” she says, taking one of my favourite shirts. I watch anxiously as she irons it – she’s careful with it out of habit.

“I know, I just wondered…”

“Why do you want to help me now?”

“Does it matter? I just…” I swallow and make myself say something. “I wanna feel useful. You are right, there’s no good in staring at a computer screen all day.”

She smiles – I try to keep my sigh of relief to myself. “You really think I’ll fall for that? But well, everything you need is in the garden house.”

I go and get the stuff I need. I discussed the hours with Ken and he is right on time. About an hour later, my mom comes outside.

“Wow – I see it goes well.”

“Yeah, I enjoy this,” I say, not lying. I didn’t think working in the garden could give you so much peace, it’s really a great opportunity to think things through.

“Anyway – Ken and I are going to the supermarket. Will you be alright?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Mom gets in the car and a minute later, Ken closes the door to the house. He winks as he passes me, making sure mom doesn’t see it.

They leave the street and I wait a couple of minutes in case they’ve forgotten something. I open the gate to the garage with my code and quickly go in search of my cellphone. As I had expected, I find it in my mother’s room.