A Fork Stuck In The Road., chapter 3
I just hugged her awkwardly back. I didn't know what else to do. We stayed like that for what seemed like ages, but was only a couple of minutes. She finally broke away.
"I'm so sorry Em, I truly am." She whispered.
I just nodded. We spent the afternoon just talking about everything and nothing, trying to squeeze sixteen years of catch-up into one afternoon. She told me that she understood if I didn't want to call her mum. I told her that I would call her Adie, and continue to call Simon and Kirsten, dad and mum. She told me that after I was given to mum and dad, she lost contact with them and over the past sixteen years she had only ever received one letter from my parents which contained a photo of me at the age of five. I told her that I hated my life, that it was just so uneventful and sucky. She told me that her two sons, Joey and Jakob, were really excited that they had an older sister. I told her that I was doing year eleven at school, and that I hoped to study fashion in uni. She asked me what uni was, and told me that she designs a fashion line, Adeline Street. The afternoon went on like this, just telling each other random bits of information about ourselves
There was a knock on my door, and Billie Joe came in. This was kind of awkward for me, as I had a huge crush on him. He looked around my room.
"Green Day fan, huh?" He smirked, looking at me.
"Yeah" I grinned guiltily.
"Adie, we have to go, hour flight leaves in two hours," Billie Joe said.
We both glanced at the clock that was sitting on my bedside table.
"Oh god, I totally forgot the time." She got up quickly and we all walked to where my mum and dad were sitting on the sofa.
"Thanks for having us; it was great to see you again," said Adie.
"No problem. When do you want Emily to come up?" asked Mum.
"Whenever she likes," said Billie Joe
They all looked at me, and I just shrugged.
"How about in three weeks? Would that give you enough time?" asked Dad.
"Yeah, three weeks would be great."
"Awesome, that will give me just enough time to say goodbye to all of my friends" I said, my voice oozing with sarcasm. Adie laughed, but my parents just frowned at me.
"We'll talk more on the phone about dates," said Adie.
"We really should go now, the taxis waiting outside already," said Billie Joe, looking down at his watch.
***
The three weeks were agony. I was so excited to be finally leaving the place I thought I would spend the rest of my life at. With one week to go, I received a surprise at the door. The postman had dropped of a huge parcel at the door; it was a massive cardboard box. It had a sticker on it saying it was addressed to me. I opened the door and heaved the box inside; it was very heavy. I opened the top and pulled out something as big as half a desk, wrapped in bubble paper. I took of the bubble paper and gasped. It was a Louis Vuitton suit case. Sticky taped on the top was a handwritten note. I pulled it of and read:
Dear Em,
This is for you to put your luggage in when you come up here. Open it up, your ticket's inside.
Adie xox
I opened it up and got the ticket out. One way trip to Oakland, business class. Score! I said to myself. I took it to my room and started to pack. Adie had told my over the phone not to pack to many clothes, because we would go shopping when I got there. I chucked in my denim skinny legs, a pair of short shorts, a black skirt, and a couple of my favourite tees. I put my phone in, and my purse. Lastly, I carefully put in some photos of me and my sister, my dog Lulu, and one of me, mum and dad.
I spent the remaining time I had in Melbourne just milling around the house; there was no point in me going to school for one week.
After what seemed like an eternity, the day finally came. It was a Wednesday, and my flight was book for ten o'clock.
By nine thirty, we were at the Melbourne airport. Well, I thought to myself, this is it. Bye-bye Australia, helloooo America. I smoothed out my long blond hair. I was wearing my black skinny legs, and a tight Abercrombie and Fitch top. I looked over at my sister, who was sitting to the right of me. We were all sitting silently in the boarding lounge. Finally, a voice over the speaker system said, "The flight from Melbourne to Oakland, America is now boarding. All passengers please proceed to gate 27."
I stood up, as did mum, dad and Megan (my sister).
"Well, I guess this is it," I said, trying to act a little sad.
Mum pulled me into a big bear hug.
"Bye honey," she said.
Then I went over to dad and awkwardly hugged him. I still hadn't really forgiven him for lying to me about the whole 'mum' issue, but I was just too excited about getting out of this shithole to really care right now.
"Bye sweetie," he whispered he whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry."
I looked at him and nodded, knowing that there were still some unresolved issues between us.
I stepped back, and turned around to hug Megan.
"Bye," I said, "I'm gonna miss you."
"Yeah, I'll miss you too." She said.
I stepped back once again to look at all of them, probably for the last time in a couple of years.
"Em... Billie Joe said that when Green Day next goes on tour, you can come with them and visit us in Australia." Mum said.
"Alright. Sounds good. I'd better go line up now; they've started to board." I said, picking up my handbag. My new Louis Vuitton bag had gone on the conveyer belt when we first checked in, and would be collected at the Oakland airport.
They all hugged me once again, and I left to stand in the fairly short queue boarding at gate 27.
"I'm so sorry Em, I truly am." She whispered.
I just nodded. We spent the afternoon just talking about everything and nothing, trying to squeeze sixteen years of catch-up into one afternoon. She told me that she understood if I didn't want to call her mum. I told her that I would call her Adie, and continue to call Simon and Kirsten, dad and mum. She told me that after I was given to mum and dad, she lost contact with them and over the past sixteen years she had only ever received one letter from my parents which contained a photo of me at the age of five. I told her that I hated my life, that it was just so uneventful and sucky. She told me that her two sons, Joey and Jakob, were really excited that they had an older sister. I told her that I was doing year eleven at school, and that I hoped to study fashion in uni. She asked me what uni was, and told me that she designs a fashion line, Adeline Street. The afternoon went on like this, just telling each other random bits of information about ourselves
There was a knock on my door, and Billie Joe came in. This was kind of awkward for me, as I had a huge crush on him. He looked around my room.
"Green Day fan, huh?" He smirked, looking at me.
"Yeah" I grinned guiltily.
"Adie, we have to go, hour flight leaves in two hours," Billie Joe said.
We both glanced at the clock that was sitting on my bedside table.
"Oh god, I totally forgot the time." She got up quickly and we all walked to where my mum and dad were sitting on the sofa.
"Thanks for having us; it was great to see you again," said Adie.
"No problem. When do you want Emily to come up?" asked Mum.
"Whenever she likes," said Billie Joe
They all looked at me, and I just shrugged.
"How about in three weeks? Would that give you enough time?" asked Dad.
"Yeah, three weeks would be great."
"Awesome, that will give me just enough time to say goodbye to all of my friends" I said, my voice oozing with sarcasm. Adie laughed, but my parents just frowned at me.
"We'll talk more on the phone about dates," said Adie.
"We really should go now, the taxis waiting outside already," said Billie Joe, looking down at his watch.
***
The three weeks were agony. I was so excited to be finally leaving the place I thought I would spend the rest of my life at. With one week to go, I received a surprise at the door. The postman had dropped of a huge parcel at the door; it was a massive cardboard box. It had a sticker on it saying it was addressed to me. I opened the door and heaved the box inside; it was very heavy. I opened the top and pulled out something as big as half a desk, wrapped in bubble paper. I took of the bubble paper and gasped. It was a Louis Vuitton suit case. Sticky taped on the top was a handwritten note. I pulled it of and read:
Dear Em,
This is for you to put your luggage in when you come up here. Open it up, your ticket's inside.
Adie xox
I opened it up and got the ticket out. One way trip to Oakland, business class. Score! I said to myself. I took it to my room and started to pack. Adie had told my over the phone not to pack to many clothes, because we would go shopping when I got there. I chucked in my denim skinny legs, a pair of short shorts, a black skirt, and a couple of my favourite tees. I put my phone in, and my purse. Lastly, I carefully put in some photos of me and my sister, my dog Lulu, and one of me, mum and dad.
I spent the remaining time I had in Melbourne just milling around the house; there was no point in me going to school for one week.
After what seemed like an eternity, the day finally came. It was a Wednesday, and my flight was book for ten o'clock.
By nine thirty, we were at the Melbourne airport. Well, I thought to myself, this is it. Bye-bye Australia, helloooo America. I smoothed out my long blond hair. I was wearing my black skinny legs, and a tight Abercrombie and Fitch top. I looked over at my sister, who was sitting to the right of me. We were all sitting silently in the boarding lounge. Finally, a voice over the speaker system said, "The flight from Melbourne to Oakland, America is now boarding. All passengers please proceed to gate 27."
I stood up, as did mum, dad and Megan (my sister).
"Well, I guess this is it," I said, trying to act a little sad.
Mum pulled me into a big bear hug.
"Bye honey," she said.
Then I went over to dad and awkwardly hugged him. I still hadn't really forgiven him for lying to me about the whole 'mum' issue, but I was just too excited about getting out of this shithole to really care right now.
"Bye sweetie," he whispered he whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry."
I looked at him and nodded, knowing that there were still some unresolved issues between us.
I stepped back, and turned around to hug Megan.
"Bye," I said, "I'm gonna miss you."
"Yeah, I'll miss you too." She said.
I stepped back once again to look at all of them, probably for the last time in a couple of years.
"Em... Billie Joe said that when Green Day next goes on tour, you can come with them and visit us in Australia." Mum said.
"Alright. Sounds good. I'd better go line up now; they've started to board." I said, picking up my handbag. My new Louis Vuitton bag had gone on the conveyer belt when we first checked in, and would be collected at the Oakland airport.
They all hugged me once again, and I left to stand in the fairly short queue boarding at gate 27.
