Excerpt from The Spare Room by Helen Garner, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"OK," I said brightly. "Let's sit here for a second and collect ourselves."

But Nicola couldn't sit up straight. Her back was bowed right over, her neck straining as if under a heavy load. She was stripped of flesh, shuddering from head to foot like someone who has been out beyond the break too long in winter surf.

"Bessie," I said. "Listen to me, sweetheart. See that lady over there, behind the counter? Past the toilets? I want you to walk up to her and tell her we need a wheelchair. Right away. Will you be a big girl and do that?"

She stared at me. "What if they don't have wheelchairs at airports?"

"Bess. I need you to help us."

Nicola turned on her a smile that would have once been beautiful and warm, but was now a rictus.

"But I don't want to go without you," said Bessie on a high note.

"All right. You stay here with Nicola, and I'll go."

"Nanna." She gripped me with both hands.

"We have to get a wheelchair. Go to that lady and ask her. Otherwise I don't know how we'll get out of here."

I pushed her away from me. She set out along the carpeted hall with stiff, formal steps. I saw her rise on to her toes and try to show herself above the counter's edge. I saw the uniformed woman bend to hear her, glance up to follow her pointing finger, and turn to shout an order.

From The Spare Room by Helen Garner. Copyright Helen Garner. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt maybe reproduced without written permission from the publisher.