Zoe and the Albatross

By Freya Dauth

A summer holiday at the beach for Zoe becomes a turning point in her life. A neglected child of divorced parents, she finds that she is really a worthwhile and confident person when given the care and love of a family who take her into their hearts over the summer.

She learns to love the beach and the bush, and develops an appreciation of the natural environment. She also discovers that she has a talent for cooking.

Over the summer she deals with her demons, coming to a more mature understanding of her parents and her relationship with both of them.

Interwoven with the story of Zoes development are her flashbacks and dreams of the past. She meets her destiny and redeems herself by saving a wandering albatross from death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Feb 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452503035

Freya Dauth

Freya has had a varied life. Teacher, Writer, Environmentalist, Opera production work, House Renovator. She has travelled extensively in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. She currently resides on an idyllic property on the Sapphire coast in the far SE corner of Australia.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

W hat’s that awful smell? cried Zoe’s mother as she came into their apartment. She dropped her handbag and briefcase onto the table in the hallway and hurried into the kitchen. There she saw Zoe, red-faced, trying to extinguish the flames leaping out of a frypan. Quickly she ran to the laundry and got a fire blanket, which she threw over the flames smothering them.

What on earth… . she started to say, then folded her lips together. Zoe watched her mother’s face with dismay as she saw the growing anger in her expression. Her mother silently took the pan outside onto the balcony and opened all the windows to remove the smell and the smoke. She mopped up the mess of water and oil on the benches and floor, throwing the half-burnt tea towel that Zoe had used to try to put out the flames into the rubbish bin. She then sat down opposite Zoe at the kitchen table and lit a cigarette.

Now, perhaps you would like to explain to me why you were trying to burn our apartment down. What was this particular disaster about?

Zoe quailed. She hated it when her mother was sarcastic. I’m sorry, Mum… she started to say.

Sorry! I should damn well think you’re sorry. But sorry doesn’t actually help, you know. You’ve ruined a good pan. There are smoke stains on the ceiling. Not to mention a burnt patch on the bench top. That’ll cost a fortune to fix, you know.

But, I was just trying to help.

God, give me patience. You were just trying to help. Sometimes I wonder at you. I’ve done my best for you and tried to bring you up to be a decent human being but I suppose you’ve got your father’s genes. He was always bloody useless too, she said, slamming her fist on the table. Now, what were you doing!

I was cooking dinner for you. Zoe said dully. You said this morning you wished that you could come home to dinner on the table and I thought it would be a nice surprise.

Oh, yes, it was a lovely surprise, thank you. Go on.

Well, I just put the pan on the stove and put some oil into it to cook some fish like you do, and then the phone rang. It was Belinda, and she wanted to leave a message about the weekend. She said I had to write it down as you’d told her I forget messages. It was a long message and then I came back into the kitchen and the pan was on fire. I tried to put it out but the tea towel just caught fire and I didn’t know what to do and then you came home. I didn’t mean to do anything bad, Mum. I’m really sorry.

I see. You can’t do anything right, can you? Go to bed, you stupid child.

But I haven’t had any dinner yet!

"Dinner! You can damn well do without. You’re too fat anyway and doing without dinner might make you think a little about how useless you are. Go to bed damn you! I’m going out. Try not to do anything else while I’m gone.’

Yes, Mum.

Zoe stood up heavily, hanging her head. Her mother was right. She was useless. She felt numb. She wanted to cry but knew from experience that that would only provoke more anger from her mother. Better just to go to her bedroom and forget all about it.

* * * * *

Zoe waited until she heard her mother’s car pull out of the driveway and then she wearily turned her bedroom light on. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep and since her mother was not likely to be back for hours, she thought she may as well do her homework for school. She had a big assignment that was nearly finished. She’d put it out on her desk to show her mother, as the teacher had given her first draft a gold star. But she guessed there wasn’t a lot of point showing her mother now. How could she have been so stupid as to set that pan on fire? She was normally so careful. It was that cow, Belinda’s fault. I bet that’s where Mum went, she thought to herself. Probably they’re sitting around drinking wine and smoking and Mum’s telling Belinda how horrible I am, just like my father. Well, I don’t care what they think!

Zoe started sobbing gustily. She felt so bad. She had wanted so much to do something for her mother, to make her love her and be proud of her and all she could do was create another disaster, as her mother called it.

Finally she got out of bed and put on her dressing gown and slippers. Her dressing gown was a bit tight as she’d grown so much in the last few months. She looked at herself in the mirror. Was she fat? She knew her mother thought being fat was the worst thing you could be, but her teacher had said that she was really slim when they did Health at school. Zoe wasn’t sure whom to believe. She trusted her teacher to tell the truth, because she always did, and besides, the two kids in the class who were really fat, the teacher said so. She was nice to them about it and made it a bit of a game about their getting fit. She didn’t even say they were fat. She just told them they needed to get healthier. She hadn’t said that about Zoe. She’d told Zoe that she had a fine strong body and to keep up the exercise. She also had put Zoe into the school gym team. Zoe loved gym and she was practising so that she could show her mother. Her mother had been angry at her last month when she had been so bad in the tennis game against Belinda’s daughter. She’d said that Zoe had let her down.

Zoe sighed. She twisted and turned in front of the mirror to see if she was really fat or not. It was so difficult to know whom to believe. She didn’t feel fat. But maybe she had better not have anything to eat after all, just in case.

She wandered over to her desk and sat down. She didn’t feel enthusiastic about finishing her work, but her teacher would be pleased with her if she did. She needed someone to be happy with her.

* * * * *

Zoe was wary of her mother over breakfast the next morning. She’d got to the kitchen first and helped herself to an extra large serve of cereal as she was so hungry after eating nothing the night before. Her mother hadn’t seemed to have noticed, so she started to relax. Her mother seemed moody and distracted, which Zoe thought of as a good sign, provided she, Zoe, stayed quiet and didn’t draw attention to herself.

Look at the time! Zoe why didn’t you tell me it was so late! I hope you’ve finished as we’ve got to go. I have an important meeting on this morning with the departmental secretary. I can’t be late. Are you ready?

Yes, Mum. I’ll just clean my teeth and get my bag. But you haven’t made any lunches.

Oh bother. You’ll have to buy lunch again. I’ll give you some money. But no buying chips or any rubbish. Get a sandwich. And hurry.

Zoe’s mother was waiting impatiently in the car as Zoe flew out of the building, thankful that her mother seemed to have got over her anger of the previous night.

Please, please, God, she prayed under her breath, let things go OK today. Don’t let me do anything stupid.

Hurry up Zoe! We’re going to be late!

Zoe zipped into the car, still fastening her seatbelt as her mother took off from the kerb.

OK Zoe. School’s up ahead. I want you to have a good day and work hard so that I can be proud of you. What about your end of year tests? Have you done them yet? I’m expecting good results, you know.

Yes, Mum, Zoe said, but I told you that the teachers here don’t do end of year tests except in Maths. They just say either your work was satisfactory or not, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to say mine is satisfactory. I can show you my assignment if you like. The teacher said it was really good.

Well, OK. I’ll have a look at it, but not tonight. I’ll be working myself tonight. I’m not too happy about a school that doesn’t give grades. Still, what would you expect from a school your father chose. It was his stupid idea that you go to a private school. I hope he realises how much more it is going to cost next year when you go to high school. He’d better not expect me to pay the fees. Oh, and by the way, when you go to stay with him for the holidays, you’d better tell him that you need a new uniform. He can pay for that too. That one you’ve got on today looks a little tight. Are you sure you haven’t been buying chips and lollies?

No, honest, I haven’t Mum. I’ve just grown lately. I’m five centimetres taller than I was in September. At school, they write down all the kids’ measurements so I know for sure.

OK, I suppose you’re right. But I don’t want you getting fat. Fat girls are the pits and I don’t want people saying my daughter is ugly. It’s a pity your hair is so mousy too, but we can work on that when you’re a teenager. Not much point wasting money on a good hairdresser for you until you’re a bit more grown up. Anyway, here we are. See you tonight, and, don’t, I repeat, don’t try any more tricks with cooking. If you’re hungry you can have some fruit, but dinner will have to wait until I come home. I’ll probably be a bit late tonight, but you’ll have to just wait. OK?

OK, Mum. Bye.

CHAPTER TWO

Zoe got out of the car taking care not to slam the door and heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like last night’s storm had blown over. She just had to be more careful not to do anything else stupid. Anyway, there was only one week and a bit until school broke up for summer holidays and she was going to stay with her father, not just for the weekend but the whole six weeks. It was easier with her father. He didn’t care what she ate. Usually she was allowed to order pizza as her father didn’t come home much for dinner. He said he was out with clients. Even on the weekends when she stayed, he had to go out, but she didn’t really mind. It was a bit lonely sometimes, but he always bought her lovely presents. She had to leave the presents at her father’s place, because she knew her mother would be angry if she saw them and she’d take them away from her. She was hoping her father would buy her a bike for Christmas, and then she could ride around the streets like the other kids did. Her mother wouldn’t approve, but she needn’t know. Her mother always bought her useful things for Christmas and birthdays, like new school shoes. Zoe just couldn’t wait for the end of the term.

Hey, Zoe! a voice yelled from across the playground. Is that you, Zoe Martin, or is it Zoe Martian from outer space? I’ve been calling you for the last ten minutes, and I wondered if you didn’t speak English on Mars.

Zoe smiled. It was an old joke. Sorry. I was just thinking about the holidays and I didn’t hear you. Anyway, you’re exaggerating again. I’ve only been here for a couple of minutes.

Yeah, yeah, said Monica, Zoe’s best friend. Holidays, she sighed gustily, it’s going to be great. That was my big news I wanted to tell you. Mum just announced it last night. It was a big surprise. We are actually going to Europe to ski for Christmas. Mum’s booked us a holiday in Austria. I was so excited I thought I would just die on the spot. But, what about you? You told me your mother was going on a Pacific Ocean cruise looking for a boyfriend, didn’t you? Is she taking you? You said you weren’t sure last time we talked.

Oh, well, actually, no. Zoe had tried to forget her disappointment when she had realised that her mother was not planning to take her on the trip. She had found the brochures and letters from the travel agency some weeks ago when she was looking in her mother’s briefcase for a stamp. She had got wildly excited thinking her mother was planning a treat for her. She had walked around in a dream for days until the rude awakening when her mother announced that she was taking the cruise by herself and that she had persuaded Zoe’s father to have her for the whole holiday.

No! I thought you were pretty sure!

"Oh well. I guess she wants some time to herself. She has a pretty hard job you know. And I didn’t say she was looking for a boyfriend, you cat! You just made that up. And, anyway, I’d really rather go with my father. He and I have lots of fun together. And he said next time he’s going overseas, he’ll take me, so don’t think you’re so special