Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss

Denise raised her glass.

    â€˜You girls are mental. It’s seven-thirty, why aren’t you in bed? And why am I the only one who ever has a hangover?’
    â€˜Sit, drink mocha, listen,’ Denise ordered.
    The kitchen table was covered with maps of New York City and tour books and butchers paper covered with what looked like lists being created.
    â€˜ I’m working out which touristy sites are where, so we can narrow down sections of the city you can do a day at a time.’ Denise put a mug in front of me.
    â€˜And I’m working out the main sites you have to see before you start work, and what you have to leave until I arrive,’ Libby said.
    â€˜Okay, where are you up to then?’ I was intrigued.
    â€˜I’ll be there in winter, so we’ll skate in Central Park. I want to go to Ellis Island and of course the Statue of Liberty. We need to do Macy’s and Century 21 and 5th Avenue, naturally –’
    â€˜Naturally,’ Denise and I echoed.
    â€˜We can walk from Bergdorf Goodman to Tiffany’s, Brooks Brothers, Givenchy, Cartier and then do Saks.’ Libby was so excited anyone would have thought she was moving to New York.
    â€˜Have you been given a massive pay rise that I don’t know about, Libs? Because there’s no way we’re ever going to be able to afford to shop in those places.’
    â€˜I know that, but what a novelty, two Kooris strolling from Central Park along 5th Avenue. It will just be fun. It’s free to dream.’
    â€˜Thank god for that, because otherwise we’d be running up some serious dream debt here.’
    Libby was treating the exercise like work, flicking through a travel guide and making notes at the same time. Without looking up she said, ‘I’ll get online soon and look at what’s showing on Broadway, because let’s face it, the Canberra Theatre is never going to do Phantom of the Opera like Broadway will.’
    â€˜I am sooooo jealous, you guys. A teacher’s wage will never get me to New York, not in this lifetime.’
    â€˜Sorry, love, but as I was saying,’ Libby laughed, ‘I want to do the horse and carriage ride through Central Park. But if you want to it with some gorgeous Yankee before I get there, that’s cool, you can do it again with me.’
    â€˜I’ll be back before I have time to do all that.’
    â€˜Oh, I forgot!’ Libby nearly jumped out of her seat.
    â€˜What?’ Denise and I echoed again.
    â€˜We HAVE to do the Empire State Building. I’ll be looking for the ghosts of Cary Grant and Tom Hanks for sure.’
    â€˜Oh, it could be a bit crowded with all those ghosts, don’t you reckon?’ I tried to make light of it but I couldn’t tell Libby that she wasn’t part of my plan for the Empire State Building. I sat back and watched the girls comparing lists and maps and started to feel sad again.
    â€˜Brooklyn she should probably do with a local. We should just focus on Manhattan at this stage, okay?’ Libby was advising Denise and I was just an observer.
    â€˜I need to go finish packing.’ I walked out of the kitchen and left the girls to it. In my room I had a pile of clothes for St Vinnie’s, a bag of clothes for my cousin Terri, half-a-dozen odd socks, and old magazines and other recyclables in a box ready for the bin. My room was a mess. I opened another drawer and found three cards from Adam: one for my birthday, one for Christmas and one postcard from when he went to Hawaii for a holiday. I sat on my bed and felt a hot rush of disappointment and emotion. I couldn’t bring myself to put them in the recycle box and slipped them inside the book beside my bed.

    Denise suggested I sublet my room for twelve months so all I had to clear out were my clothes and knick-knacks. On the day I left I was emotional about leaving my beautiful Manuka home and my mate behind. But Denise was so full of excitement