‘Not in a while. You know Dad: Christmas, birthday, the usual.’
‘Same old, same old,’ she agreed. ‘I think I worry more when I do hear from him than when I don’t.’
Neither of us had ever been especially close to either of our parents. They split up when I was one and Suzanne was four, and according to the people who could remember that far back, things were never quite the same afterwards. The story goes that Mum was struggling with us on her own so we all went to stay with Gran, just for a few weeks. A few weeks became a few months and, after a year or so, it was decided things would be easier for everyone if Mum sold our house and we moved in permanently. It all worked out perfectly, Gran was patient and loving and kind, and her house had an excellent back garden complete with swings, a slide and a see-saw. I was very easily bought as a toddler.
As for our dad, Dave Johnson had been a fleeting presence in our lives ever since the break-up. He also moved in with his parents after he and Mum split up, only his parents lived in Florida which meant his visits became sporadic at best. It helped me to think of him like a neighbourhood cat; his absence wasn’t malicious, he simply had other places to be. He always seemed happy to see us when he saw us but we weren’t his priority. Thankfully, there was one person who was always there for me and Suzanne. No matter what else might be happening in the world, when Dad was far away and Mum was working around the clock to make ends meet, we could always depend on clever, constant Gran. At least, we could until she passed away three years ago. Suzanne looked to be doing OK but things hadn’t been quite right for me since.
‘What’s that over there?’ I pointed at a cluster of tall shiny buildings in the near distance before the heavy silence overwhelmed us.
‘Downtown.’ Suze pushed her neat blonde bob behind her ears, exactly the same way I had a minute earlier. ‘We’re on the eastside now, in Los Feliz. Hollywood is to the west of us, then West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood; you can sort of see Century City from here, at least on a clear day like today. All the way west is Santa Monica, Venice to the south, Malibu to the north, and if you keep going after that, you’ll end up in the ocean.’
‘What should I do first?’ I asked even though there was no way I was going to remember anything she told me. Jet lag had poked so many holes in my short-term memory, I could barely remember my own name.
‘It’s got to be the Observatory.’ She took hold of my shoulders and turned me around to see a big brown dome atop a huge white building that stood in stark contrast to the bright blue sky above us. ‘If you think the views from the house are good, you should see what it’s like from up there. Well worth the hike up the hill.’
‘Hike?’ I repeated. ‘Uphill?’
‘A scandalous thought, I know.’
Without warning, she pulled me close and wrapped her arms around me in an unprecedented hug. LA had changed her; my sister was not a hugger.
‘I wish I had more time to catch up but the car will be here to pick me up in a minute,’ she said, squeezing me tightly, her softly floral perfume making my nose itch. ‘There’s a house manual on the counter in the kitchen.Everything is colour-coded and organized by room, and you can call me twenty-four-seven if you have an urgent question that isn’t covered, although that’s not possible because I compiled it myself.’
LA hadn’t changed her completely.
‘I’m sure I’ll be fine,’ I said as she released the hug but kept hold of my upper arms, giving me the big sister once-over. ‘All I want right now is to stand under a shower until I can’t smell the plane any more, then go to bed. I don’t know how you cope with all the travel, or do you have permanent jet lag?’
‘I don’t believe in jet lag.’ She let go of my arms, looking slightly disappointed in me. ‘It’s a matter of self-discipline, that’s all. I don’t have time for it.’
LA hadn’t changed her one bit.
‘You’ve got to fight it,’ Suze said, dragging me away from her million-dollar view and back inside the house. ‘Visualize yourself as someone who is wide awake.’
‘I’m visualizing myself face down on the settee with my hand in a big bag of crisps,’ I replied as she slid the huge glass doors shut behind us, all the outdoor noises replaced by a gentle hum. Probably the vibes she mentioned earlier. That or the air conditioning.
‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right on your own?’ Her eyebrows knitted themselves together over her clear blue eyes. Just like mine, just like Gran’s.
I smiled at the likeness. Gran really would have loved this house.
‘More than,’ I promised. ‘I’m going to be fantastic.’
‘So,’ she said, picking up an apple then putting it back down. ‘I saw on Facebook that Thomas is getting married in two weeks.’
Every muscle in my body contracted at once. Just when I thought it was safe to relax.
‘So I hear.’
‘And you’re not bothered?’
‘Nope.’
‘You sure?’
‘So sure,’ I confirmed. ‘I’m deeply, deeply over him.’
‘Is that right,’ she said with crossed arms. ‘Because you haven’t mentioned seeing anyone since the two of you broke up.’
‘Just because I haven’t mentioned anyone doesn’t mean there isn’t someone,’ I replied, running my hand along the back of her buttery soft leather sofa. ‘For all you know, I’ve had more men than you’ve had parking tickets and looking at the stack of them over there on the kitchen counter, that’s a decent bloody number.’
