‘I thought I could put a bit of a spin on it. Spell it differently. You know, like Rafe.’
‘Rach, Rafe is spelled like Ralph. R,’ I begin. ‘A, L-’
‘I know how to spell. I’m a lawyer. I spend all day looking at words.’
‘How about you spend all day tomorrow looking at the Internet. At baby names. Ralph. Bloody hell. What’ll be next? Tarquin? Albert? Horace.’
‘All the old fashioned names are coming back into fashion,’ she say, mulishly. ‘So maybe I will. Anyway,’ she says, signalling a change of topic. ‘Mr Doshi next door died.’
I blink at her. ‘Addy’s dad?’
‘Kallie’s, too.’
Shit. ‘I wished I’d know. I definitely would’ve gone and paid my condolences.’
“It’s not too late,’ Rachel suggests.
I nod absently. I will. At least, I think I will.
I haven’t seen Addy, Kallie, or their parents in over ten years. It’s been so long I’m kind of hesitant at what I might find. Kallie must be married by now, with kids, I expect. Not that it matters. We were hardly star-crossed lovers. She just had a childhood crush, that’s all.
And the sweetest smile.
I’d love to see her again. She was the kind of girl you don’t forget. Dark and exotic looking, she had hair that fell down her back in a dark sheet. It looked like silk and shone almost blue in the sun. And the biggest darkest eyes. Eyes that would follow me, looking away quickly when I caught her out. As a kid, I’d have given anything to taste her inherent sweetness. Feel it coating my fingers, taste it honeyed on my tongue. But it was never going to happen.
Her dad made sure of that.
When Rachel decides a nap is a good idea, I make my way next door. It’s one of the older homes in the street, and twice the size of ours. Mr Doshi was a bit of a textile king and had his fingers in all kinds of businesses. He was a nice bloke, but a strict dad. In fact, Addy used to hang out at my house to avoid his rules. Of course, Kallie wasn’t allowed. Not once she got to a certain age. It was “unseemly” her dad said.
The driveway is just as long as I recall, old oaks lining the sides, their boughs bowed like old men. I pause at the top of the driveway, wondering if I should knock at the imposing front door, or head around to the kitchen. As kids, that’s the door we would’ve used.
But then I remember the years that have passed and the man I’ve become, so I make my way to the front and knock. The sun heats my back as I hear high heels clipping against the floor inside, drawing nearer with each step. with them, comes the hopes that they might belong to Kallie. But then, Mrs Doshi stands before me and I forget to be disappointed at the welcoming smile on her face.
‘Joshy,’ she says, reaching for me and pulling me inside. Her smile is sincere and her hug warm before she pulls back, her hands on my forearms as she smiles and shakes her head.
Joshy. It’s been years since anyone called me that. Joshy and Doshi, that’s how Addy and me were known around here.
‘Hello, Mrs Doshi,’ I reply, returning the warmth in her words. ‘How are you?’ I ask, then add, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’
‘Thank you,’ she answers quietly. ‘It’s been a difficult time. But let me look at you,’ she says. ‘You turned out to be quite the handsome man.’
‘I’m not too shabby,’ I say, laughing lightly.
‘And Addy will be so pleased to see you. Please, come in,’ she adds, leading me down the hall.
With each step, memories wash over me. I spent so much time here. Addy appears in the door that leads to the kitchen, grinning when he sees me.
‘I thought I heard your voice, you bastard,’ he says. He snaps his mouth shut when his mother purses her lips, sending a glare in his direction. ‘Sorry,’ he says, echoing a million times he’d said it before, usually after some antics he and I got into together.
‘Not dead five minutes and already I’m in trouble,’ his mum mutters as she walks away.
I laugh as we pull each other into a back slapping hug.
‘Where the fuck have you been, man?’
‘I just flew in from Nice,’ I reply, brushing invisible lint from both shoulders.’
We walk toward the living room, talking, and generally being a couple of arses, but when we step into the room, I feel the air whipped out of it. I didn’t see it coming—I’d forgotten the effect she had on me. Kallie. My God, what a sight. She’s grown up—and out—in all the right places. Her slender legs curled on the couch, she sits in profile, sifting through a pile of cards.
