The Best of Fiona Kidman's Short Stories (58 page)

Her head is full of songs that won't go away. As You Like. You Picked A Fine Time To Leave Me, Lucille. Old songs. Old words. The Story of My Life …
will
start
and
end
with
you.
Only her life isn't going to start and end with
anyone, or no one, in particular. She begins, very tentatively, to write some poems. She starts:

Once
in
a
green
time

I
began
…

The poems will take her far back inside memory. A short history of love or a long history of innocence? She writes on.

She learns that her daughter is about to have a baby and this interests her as much as love.

Acknowledgement is made to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material: ‘Delta Dawn', United Artists Music (Aust) Pty Ltd;
‘Pretend', J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd; ‘Twilight Time', Castle Music Pty Ltd.

A VINTAGE BOOK
published by
Random House New Zealand
18 Poland Road, Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand

First published 1998

© 1998 Fiona Kidman

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

ISBN 978 1 86941 350 7
eISBN 978 1 77553 190 6

Cover photograph: Robert Cross
Cover design: Christine Hansen
Printed in New Zealand

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