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"G'day. Is that Gemma?"
"No." The answer was simple - or so it seemed. "Sorry, wrong number."
"You sound like Gemma. It's Donna here, by the way. Donna Sullivan."
"Donna ...."
The mysterious but oh-so-familiar voice on the other end of the phone giggled. "Now you definitely sound like Gemma. I can hear you rolling your eyes. They make a squidgy noise."
"So do your tits." She laughed, wavering a little. That part of her life was long over, but that's not to say that she didn't miss it. "I - haven't spoken to you for nearly two years. Why call now?"
"It's Katie." Donna's tone suddenly darkened, and it would be a surprise if it was good news. "She is now, as Sophie calls it, corpsical."
Then came one of those awkward phone silences that was so much more awkward than real life. Memories flooding back in, from her first meeting with Donna, on tour with 15-year-old Joshy Firecracker in Melbourne. Laura, always a good liar, introduced them as Emi and Gemma Franceschi. Donna and Gemma formed The Mind Bandits with Donna's ditzy sister Justine on vocals, her overly serious bandmate Katie Meadows on bass, plus a waitress named Rosie Brassesco as a second bassist. Their success two years ago. Katie getting ill - and then 'disowning' Gemma when she joined Firecracker 47 and revealed her double life.
And now, she was dead. At only 22. "S-s-sepsisss?" said Gemma/Roxy, drawing out the word like a cobra.
"Sepsis," said Donna, who seemed to have already got used to it. Katie had a lot of problems with her blood, so it was inevitable that she would die early - but not this young. "Are you and Joshy coming to her funeral?"
"Deffo. Joshy can .... perform the last rites .... he's a priest now .... how many people are coming?"
"Katie would be honoured," said Donna. "And - me, Jus, Rosie, Sophie, and now you and Joshy. Katie's family - wiped out by their blood."
"I'll be there. Strange speaking to you."
"You too, Gem ...."
"It's, erm, Roxy now, that's my birth name."
"You'll always be Gem to me. Bye."
Roxy felt like a mind bandit had taken her. As if she could be Gemma again. Katie, oh Katie, she thought. Why did we never make up?Edited by user 02 December 2010 04:21:47(UTC)
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