Read The Family Tree for Free Online Page A

border. It was quite disconcerting. Kate looked across at Angie, trying the visual effect around her cousin’s face and was pleased to see that it gave Angie’s curly hair a Medusa-type look, with a halo of snake-like tendrils, each waving independently of the other. She smiled.
    â€˜At last!’ Angie smiled. ‘The mask cracks!’
    â€˜There was no mask,’ said Kate, concentrating. ‘Just concern, that’s all.’
    â€˜I appreciate it. Really. It’s just –’
    â€˜And whoever moves in with you is going to be very lucky,’ Kate nodded, agreeing with herself. ‘I mean it. You’re very easy to live with.’
    â€˜Well, thank you. But don’t forget you haven’t lived with me for a long time,’ Angie laughed. ‘I think I’ve picked up a few foibles along the way. Still, I don’t think I’ll have too much problem finding someone. I mean, the unit’s nice and central. And they’ll have plenty of time to themselves, what with me at the shop most days.’
    â€˜Sounds perfect.’ Kate smiled stiffly and reached out for the wine bottle to refill her glass. She knew it’d be a good idea to slow down, but she just couldn’t summon the willpower. Instead, the thought of the kaleidoscope actually taking over her entire being was rather appealing. To hide behind it and lick her wounds, and only emerge when everything was back to normal. Or was
normal
the problem?
    The bungalow door could be heard shutting very softly and then Sam and Oscar came into view past the trellis, strolling up the path towards the decking.
    â€˜Hey girls,’ said Oscar, bounding up the steps and throwing himself into his chair. ‘Absolute crap on TV. Just a bunch of idiots already counting in the new year.’
    Sam set the baby intercom down on the table and checked the volume as he sat down. He smiled across at Kate and she was able to frame him neatly, but with less visual success than with her cousin. Instead his face remained steady, and only the background became blurred and indistinct.
    â€˜Christ, what’s that smell?’ Oscar leant back with a grimace.
    â€˜I can’t smell . . . yes I can,’ Sam looked accusingly down at Hector, who had the grace to look embarrassed as he slunk from underneath the table.
    Kate glared at Oscar. ‘Chilli burger, hey? Well done.’
    Angie waved her hand in front of her face and laughed. ‘That’s rank.’
    â€˜It’ll pass,’ said Oscar airily, turning to Sam. ‘So this tiler of yours then. Does he do paving as well? I need some of that redone before it goes on the market.’
    Kate tuned out as Sam replied. She knew that once Oscar latched onto a subject he would worry at it from every angle, which meant that her input would not be needed for at least the next half hour or so. Instead, she found her thoughts veering towards Angie’s unit. Its
ambience
. No dropped clothing, or abandoned books and magazines, or plates of congealed food slid underneath the coffee table, or soggy dummies behind the couch cushions, or flatulent dogs, or dirty fingerprints, or . . . anything that required constant menial tasks that sapped one of strength and –
essence
. Yes, essence. Kate nodded to herself righteously. It might sound melodramatic, but it was how she felt.
    And she had meant it when she said that Angie’s flatmate would be a fortunate person. Because, as she knew from personal experience, Angie was terrific to share with. Considerate, generous, liberal, virtually unflappable and
neat
. Very neat. And they would have this room, in this lovely unit, with this lovely
neat
person, and they would have it all to themselves for each and every day except Sundays, which was the only day that Angie had off. Even then she was usually out socialising or whatever. So there was this room, this whole
unit
, empty and peaceful and neat and just begging for