When Storm Clouds Hover

42: Dom - A night time visitor

Some weeks later, Dom was woken in the middle of the night by the sound of something hitting the window of his upstairs dormitory. He was exhausted from a regional athletics' meet, where he'd won three races and broken a record.

It could be Em. She was the only person he could think of crazy enough to brave the Sydney winter to visit him in the dead of night. Instantly he felt annoyed. Surely, he'd earned the right to rest?

Dom ducked under his doona and fell back into a slumber, willing the noise to go away. No sooner had the bliss of sleep overtaken him, when he was awoken again by someone shaking his shoulder. He sat up in the dark and growled: 'What is it?'

A voice whispered, 'mate, it's me...Tommo.'

'What the fuck? Shove off, it's the middle of the night!'

'I know,' Tommo responded. 'Keep it down Sac, it's your sister, she's downstairs. She needs you.'

Dom was wide awake in a heartbeat and panicking. 'What's wrong? Why's she here?'

'I don't know what's wrong, she wouldn't tell me,' Tommo said. 'She only wants to speak with you. I took her to the living room.' Tommo climbed the ladder of his bunk. 'You must be quiet, mate. You know she's not allowed to be here.'

Dom slipped his feet into his Uggs and wrapped his robe around him. It was freezing cold. Rummaging on the floor, he located his swipe card in the pocket of his school shorts and hurried downstairs.

He found Lulu alone in the dark in the kitchen, nursing a cup of hot chocolate. When Dom reached her, he realized that she was crying.

'Shh... Lu, relax. Stop crying. Please.' Dom took the cup from her hands and laid it on the table. 'Tell me what's going on.' Dom was barely able to keep the panic out of his voice. 'Are mum and dad, okay? Why are you here? How did you get here?'

Lulu put her hands over her face. 'I hate them,' she said through muffled cries. 'I fucking hate them both.'

A wave of relief washed over Dom. For a moment there he thought something must have happened to his parents and the thought petrified him.

He leaned over and hugged Lulu. 'Tell me, what's wrong sis? How can I help?'

Lulu sobbed gently into his shoulder for a moment and then took a deep breath. She lifted her head and looked directly at Dom. Though it was dark inside the room, he could see, she was a mess. Her hair had been in a braid crown that had come loose and was slipping to one side and her eyes were puffy from crying. Heavy streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks. Dom had never known Lulu to wear make-up before; she was barely fourteen.

'I had a fight with mum,' Lulu said.

'Okay...what about?' Dom asked gently.

Lulu shook her head. 'You wouldn't believe it,' she responded. 'I was on the phone with her this evening, and she told me that the guy who bought Bolt had come to pick him up and he'd made an offer on Hasseina too'.

'Shit,' Dom said. He knew instantly where this was headed and it all made sense now, why Lulu had come to him. He remembered that he'd seen a missed call on his phone from home earlier in the evening but was too tired to call back.

'I can't believe it,' she continued. 'They just gave her to him. They didn't even ask me or give me time to say good-bye to her.'

Dom sighed. He understood his sister's pain. Saying goodbye to Bolt had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. His parents should have been more sensitive.

'Lulu, they didn't give her away,' he tried to explain. 'They sold her. She's worth a lot of money. I know it's hard to understand but they're doing what they think is best for us in the long run. They're trying to keep the farm. We all must make sacrifices. I know it sucks but that's the way it is right now. We need to be strong.'