The only thing stopping me from falling asleep was the fact that as soon as I relaxed completely, my legs began to sink. My eyes were half closed and my breathing was slow and steady. Suddenly I was pulled out of my reverie by the sound of my phone ringing again. I groaned and wondered who was calling me now. Was Jas realising what had happened and calling to let me know she was upset? Was Ben calling back because he was...

It wasn't a particularly busy or difficult day at work, but it was bloody hot. The weather had gone from a few weeks of nice clear days in the mid to high twenties, Celsius that is (that would be mid-seventies to eighties for those in the U.S). Then, out of the blue, we were hit with two days in a row of forty degrees (one hundred and five Fahrenheit). Hardly unheard of in Australia, to be sure, but it still kicks your as...

The look on his face was enough to tell me the answer, but he still did that frantic pocket pat to be absolutely certain. His head bowed down, and he shook it slowly. “Sorry, Mum. They're on the bench.” “God damn it. I wanted to go get changed. Is the front door unlocked?” I hoped for the first time that he had done the thing that I always warned the kids not to do, but unfortunately, I had trained him too well. What was...