Dad smiles. ‘Why
don’t you show Lucy your photos?’
‘Ooh! Good idea!’ She pulls out her mobile, swipes
at the screen a few times, and a picture of a tanned older man on
a boat appears, the sun sparkling on the glittering sea beside
him, a golden beach visible in the background. I have to admit,
it does look beautiful.
‘There’s no place like Oz,’ Ingrid
declares.
My stomach tightens.
Then why doesn’t she
go home
!
40 SHAZZA
There’s no place like home. And I
have never been so glad to get here! As the taxi pulls into my
road I feel my whole body relax. Finally! This is the world I
recognize.
I smile as I climb out of the cab and look up at
my house. It might be a bit older, a little more worn around the
edges, but it’s still mine: the garden wall I sit on while
I wait for Lily to walk to school with me; the welcome mat
I’ve wiped my feet on a thousand times; the doorbell that
plays that irritating tune Ma loves so much.
My heart beats loudly as I press it. I
can’t wait to see Ma and Pa again, but I’m nervous
too. I wonder what they look like now. They’ll be old . . .
retired even.
I ring the doorbell again.
And again.
But they don’t answer. There’s no one
home. Duh!
They didn’t answer the phone after all.
It’s OK, I tell myself, swallowing my
disappointment. It’s getting late; they’ll be back
soon. I’ll just let myself in and wait for them.
I feel under the mat for the spare key –
but it’s gone.
I’m locked out.
I’m locked out of my life.
My pulse quickens.
Breathe.
Maybe there’s a window open round the back.
Even if it’s an upstairs window, I can always climb up the
apple tree. I hurry around the side of the house. Then I
freeze.
Oh my giddy aunt! It’s gone!
All that’s left of the tree is an ugly
blunt stump. I sink down on to it, my heart aching. I loved that
apple tree. It was my climbing frame, my shady reading spot, an
endless source of summer snacks, my escape route . . . and now
it’s gone.
I feel like I’ve lost a friend.
I feel like I’ve lost myself.
41 LUCY
Finally she’s gone! I almost jump for
joy as Ingrid disappears to the loo after the main course –
at last I have a chance to talk to Dad!
‘I’m glad we’ve got a moment alone
together,’ he says.
‘Me too.’ I smile. ‘We hardly ever get time
one on one like this.’
‘You’re right – we don’t see each
other enough. That’s what I want to talk to you about
actually.’ He takes my hand. ‘The thing is . . . I
think family is the most important thing in life.’
‘Me too!’ I beam. This is going so well! Maybe he
wants to move back home after all.
‘And I know Ingrid feels the same way.’
I blink. Huh?
‘She’s been really homesick lately,’ Dad
continues. ‘She misses her family. She misses
Australia.’
‘I guess that’s what happens when you move to the
other side of the world.’ #Duh
‘Well . . . that’s the thing.’ Dad swallows.
‘She wants to move back.’
‘To
Australia
?’ I stare at him as he nods,
unable to believe my ears. Ingrid’s
leaving
? This is
perfect
!
‘I’m sorry,’ I say, squeezing his hand and
trying my best to sound sympathetic as my heart cartwheels with
joy. ‘I know you really like her.’
‘We’re . . . not breaking up.’ He takes a
deep breath. ‘Ingrid’s asked me to go with
her.’
My heart crashes into a ditch. ‘
What?
’
‘Lucy—’
‘She wants you to move to
Sydney
?’
‘Yes.’
I can’t believe this! ‘What did you
say
?’
‘I . . . told her I’d think about it.’
‘You’re
thinking
about it?’ I snatch
my hand away. ‘You were just saying we should see each
other
more
!’
‘Well, yes—’
‘But that’s gonna be a bit
tricky
if
you’re several thousand miles away, isn’t it?’
I exclaim. I can see people at nearby tables glaring at me, but I
don’t care if I’m making a scene!
‘Well, that’s . . .
don’t you show Lucy your photos?’
‘Ooh! Good idea!’ She pulls out her mobile, swipes
at the screen a few times, and a picture of a tanned older man on
a boat appears, the sun sparkling on the glittering sea beside
him, a golden beach visible in the background. I have to admit,
it does look beautiful.
‘There’s no place like Oz,’ Ingrid
declares.
My stomach tightens.
Then why doesn’t she
go home
!
40 SHAZZA
There’s no place like home. And I
have never been so glad to get here! As the taxi pulls into my
road I feel my whole body relax. Finally! This is the world I
recognize.
I smile as I climb out of the cab and look up at
my house. It might be a bit older, a little more worn around the
edges, but it’s still mine: the garden wall I sit on while
I wait for Lily to walk to school with me; the welcome mat
I’ve wiped my feet on a thousand times; the doorbell that
plays that irritating tune Ma loves so much.
My heart beats loudly as I press it. I
can’t wait to see Ma and Pa again, but I’m nervous
too. I wonder what they look like now. They’ll be old . . .
retired even.
I ring the doorbell again.
And again.
But they don’t answer. There’s no one
home. Duh!
They didn’t answer the phone after all.
It’s OK, I tell myself, swallowing my
disappointment. It’s getting late; they’ll be back
soon. I’ll just let myself in and wait for them.
I feel under the mat for the spare key –
but it’s gone.
I’m locked out.
I’m locked out of my life.
My pulse quickens.
Breathe.
Maybe there’s a window open round the back.
Even if it’s an upstairs window, I can always climb up the
apple tree. I hurry around the side of the house. Then I
freeze.
Oh my giddy aunt! It’s gone!
All that’s left of the tree is an ugly
blunt stump. I sink down on to it, my heart aching. I loved that
apple tree. It was my climbing frame, my shady reading spot, an
endless source of summer snacks, my escape route . . . and now
it’s gone.
I feel like I’ve lost a friend.
I feel like I’ve lost myself.
41 LUCY
Finally she’s gone! I almost jump for
joy as Ingrid disappears to the loo after the main course –
at last I have a chance to talk to Dad!
‘I’m glad we’ve got a moment alone
together,’ he says.
‘Me too.’ I smile. ‘We hardly ever get time
one on one like this.’
‘You’re right – we don’t see each
other enough. That’s what I want to talk to you about
actually.’ He takes my hand. ‘The thing is . . . I
think family is the most important thing in life.’
‘Me too!’ I beam. This is going so well! Maybe he
wants to move back home after all.
‘And I know Ingrid feels the same way.’
I blink. Huh?
‘She’s been really homesick lately,’ Dad
continues. ‘She misses her family. She misses
Australia.’
‘I guess that’s what happens when you move to the
other side of the world.’ #Duh
‘Well . . . that’s the thing.’ Dad swallows.
‘She wants to move back.’
‘To
Australia
?’ I stare at him as he nods,
unable to believe my ears. Ingrid’s
leaving
? This is
perfect
!
‘I’m sorry,’ I say, squeezing his hand and
trying my best to sound sympathetic as my heart cartwheels with
joy. ‘I know you really like her.’
‘We’re . . . not breaking up.’ He takes a
deep breath. ‘Ingrid’s asked me to go with
her.’
My heart crashes into a ditch. ‘
What?
’
‘Lucy—’
‘She wants you to move to
Sydney
?’
‘Yes.’
I can’t believe this! ‘What did you
say
?’
‘I . . . told her I’d think about it.’
‘You’re
thinking
about it?’ I snatch
my hand away. ‘You were just saying we should see each
other
more
!’
‘Well, yes—’
‘But that’s gonna be a bit
tricky
if
you’re several thousand miles away, isn’t it?’
I exclaim. I can see people at nearby tables glaring at me, but I
don’t care if I’m making a scene!
‘Well, that’s . . .
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