Trust is definitely different from the truth. Yesterday truth and trust squared off like cat and mouse in my house.

Lulu’s boyfriend came over. And Lulu’s best friend. And Delph’s best friend. We had a mini party here in our compound. At first, Delph and her friend, Aaliyah played house in the caravan while Lulu and her gang hung out in the living room. Then they all gathered to the living room and sat, watching the rain turn on and off outside like a tap. Alas – a sunny spell emerged!

‘Let’s go for a walk,’ I urged the teenagers.

‘I don’t want to go for a walk with you,’ Lulu retorted. ‘That’s just weird.’

‘It is?’

‘Yes, of course it is. We can go down to the park.’

Hmm. Unsupervised. Park. Not so sure about that. ‘Will you take Fin?’ At the sound of her name, Fin lifted her head hopefully.

‘Yes, of course we’ll take Fin.’

I was beat. ‘Well, in that case you can go.’ As they were leaving the house, I added a little desperately, ‘but don’t leave Amalie out.’

Lulu’s boyfriend was the first to respond. ‘We never leave her out. Wherever she goes, we go.’

Beat again. ‘Ok then.’ No more to say. Close your mouth Hannah.

I have to report that in person, it is almost impossible to dislike Lulu’s boyfriend. He looks you right in the eyes. There’s no air of sneakiness about him. Lulu tells me he’s smart in school but he doesn’t respond well to authority for its own sake. Well, I get that.

The only problem I can see from being this side of that experience is he’s going to want to live life his way. I know – ‘Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid’. That’s still a potentially difficult life. I hope he has the calm to approach things with resolute purpose. Of course, I don’t want him to take advantage of Lulu. But Lulu is strong herself – and even stronger now she’s felt the support of female empowerment. She knows she doesn’t have to give in to anyone – and certainly not for their approval. She’s on a powerful journey of her own – with us flanking her sides. 

Where does that leave her boyfriend?  When we were having lunch – Jack made beautiful barbecued beef rolls – every time we broke out with a Lulu tease over her famous-in-our-family lack of practicality, he jumped in to defend her. Wow. I sat back in surprise. Lulu’s boyfriend really does love her. No, wait. He likes her. Even better.

‘What are the lovebirds doing now?’ My mum texted while I was washing up. 

I wrote back and explained the situation. 

‘Is Amalie going to be an uncomfortable witness?’

I glared at the phone. ‘Stop making me paranoid! I’m doing my best here.’

The phone beeped. ‘I’m not making you paranoid. Either you trust them or you don’t.’ 

Well, I kind of trust them. I want to trust them. Truth is like a gift – offered without expectation of anything in return. Trust however, is earned. Trust is the platform upon which truth dances. 

I unplugged the water from the sink. Dried my hands on the tea towel. Cat and mouse.