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‘But he might know where my Thomas twain is,’ Jacob reasoned.
‘Yes, he might, but you can’t call Triple 0 to speak to him. Tell you what, I’ll write Daddy’s mobile number near the phone, okay?’
‘Okay.’ Jacob nodded.
Cara crawled on the floor for the next fifteen minutes looking for Thomas while Jacob cried in frustration. A futile search. She often wished toys had some kind of in-built tracking device, having calculated that she spent about three thousand one hundred and twenty minutes of each year searching for lost trains, blocks, action figures, and the only Lego head that had sunglasses painted on its face. In addition, they should come with their own airbag that spontaneously puffed up with the slightest hint of being dropped, to avoid those annoying breakages that often occurred only days after buying the toy. Oh! The list of things she could invent to make parents’ lives easier, if she only knew how.
At two o’clock, Cara’s mouth stretched into a long yawn. She’d been woken four times the previous night, and the house was a mess. She also often wished she was Samantha from ‘Bewitched’, able to tidy the house with a twinkle of her nose. And while she was at it, she’d whip up some dinner, zap in some new furniture, and put a spell on her kids to make them behave. Oh, and zap those dark bags and wrinkles that were starting to appear under her eyes. Her youth spent in the sun developing the perfect tan was already starting to show its effects, and she was only twenty-six. Then again, maybe the sleep deprivation had a role to play too.
When Jacob calmed down, his cries reduced to sporadicsulking noises, Cara put on his favourite show, ‘Barney’. With the kids practically hypnotised by the singing purple dinosaur, she took to the lounge like a fish to water, hoping to catch some shut-eye before picking up Lily from school in an hour. She wriggled, trying to get comfortable, but something dug into her back. She stretched her arm behind to retrieve the culprit, and was about to say ‘Hey, Jakey! I found Thomas!’ but put it discreetly under the cushion. Jacob was smiling, eyes wide open, at the television screen. Cara had learned to never disturb a quiet and happy child. She took a deep breath, relaxed her muscles, and closed her eyes.
The phone rang.
‘Oh, forget it, you can leave a message,’ she mumbled. Maybe it was the emergency services employee checking if she’d spoken to her son, or Community Services calling to arrange an appointment to observe her parenting skills.
‘Hi Cara, it’s Mum. I tried your mobile but I guess you’re busy with the kids and it’s charging or something and you couldn’t get to the home phone in time. You know, you really should set the ring tone to last longer, giving you more time to answer.’ Cara’s mother, Pam, was always offering ‘helpful’ suggestions, but sometimes it got on her nerves. ‘Anyway, Nanna’s with me, we’ve been out for lunch in the city. Thought we’d drop in to say hello before heading home. Be there in ten. I hope you’re not out, oh well, we’ll come by anyway. See you soon.’
‘Oh, for crying out loud!’ Cara threw her arms in the air, heaved her tired body up from the lounge, and trudged into the kitchen. She removed her almost-drawing from the table, laying a tablecloth in its place along with a plate of biscuits for the impending visitors, and sighed. Her search for the Holy Grail would have to resume another day.
FIVE
Life Makeover Principle #1:
The Four Cs of a Fulfilling Life: CLEANSE your life of negative influences, CLARIFY your desires, CONDITION yourself to attract those desires, and CULTIVATE continued personal growth.
The way a woman ate revealed a lot about herself. Gina; cautious and health conscious, would examine her food carefully from all angles, checking how much fat and carbohydrates it might contain before placing a tiny morsel into her mouth and chewing it thoroughly.
The frazzled mum, Cara; so glad to be able to sit down to eat, yet primed for interruptions, that she devours everything on her plate within seconds.
And Miranda; craves attention and glamour but tries a little too hard, her eyes lighting up at the sight of food, excessively verbalising her delight by saying: ‘Oh, this cake isabsolutely divine!’ while unknowingly dropping crumbs on the floor.
Gina found it interesting to observe people and their ways, especially the women in the club. Could she really open up to them? Would they think she was ungrateful for wanting something better in life?
‘...and remember, if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.’ Liz completed the meeting’s introduction after explaining theFour Cs of a Fulfilling Life,while the group finished off the last of the (divine) carrot cake. ‘Gina, would you like to do the honours?’ She gestured to an empty chair at the front of the room; a bar stool with a small curved support for the lower back.
Heart pounding, Gina rose stiffly from her chair, patted down her shirt to flatten any creases, and took residence in the allocated ‘Hot Seat’. This was where everyone would get ten minutes to share what they’d been doing the past month, show their vision board, and receive advice from Liz as well as members of the group. Then they’d move on to the next step in their Life Makeover.
Gina hadn’t made a vision board. She’s made a visionbook, which was still a work-in-progress. She chose not to use a board because Marvin might see it and make fun. A book could be kept out of sight in her bedside drawer.
She held up the book, flicked through the pages, giving everyone a glimpse of the pictures she’d glued in; a woman standing on top of a mountain, a trophy, a smiling face, and several words including; Achieve, Appreciated, and Romance, along with the words Truth and Control she’d chosen from the collection of pictures Liz had shared atthe first meeting.
‘Your vision book is a great idea Gina, thanks for sharing. Do you feel you’ve moved forward this past month, and did you take the challenge to do anything different?’ Liz asked.
‘Yes, I did.’ She shifted her position in the chair. ‘I always read thrillers and mystery novels, but read a couple of romance books instead. Just to see what the fuss was about.’ An awkward smile stretched into her left cheek.
‘And what did you think of them?’ Liz asked.
She was glad she hadn’t bumped into the fake doctor again. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that she’d devoured the books by the end of that week. ‘At first I thought they’d be silly, but the ones I got were quite good, and well written.’ She wouldn’t dare admit that she secretly wished she could transport herself into one of the books, and have Kane as her ownAfter-Hours Boyfriend.‘I’ll still read thrillers and mysteries, but now I know there are other genres that can be just as enjoyable.’
‘Hell yeah, I read a romance every week,’ said Wendy, and Gina’s shoulders relaxed a little. The books had ignited something in her she didn’t know existed. She knew they were just fiction, but wondered if thereweremen out there who treated women with such love and adoration.
When Gina had come home after her doctor’s appointment last month, Marvin had asked: ‘So, what’s wrong with you?’
‘I’m just iron deficient,’ she’d replied. The secretary’s message on her phone had left her worried, but strangely, she’d also been hoping therewassomething wrong. At least then there’d be a reason why she hadn’t been able to conceive yet.
‘Is that all?’ Marvin raised his brows.
‘She also said I have high prolactin levels.’
