Reason to Live

Debbie seemed amazed by the time I downed by fifth caramel milkshake. “Well, at least we can be sure that you’re getting enough calcium,” she commented.

“I know, I know. But these are so good. Man, airport milkshakes rule,” I said, tossing away the plastic cup. Debbie just giggled and shook her head at me.

“So should we be excited, or anxious about seeing Sally?” Debbie asked.

“A nice balance of both I think,” I replied. It had been three years since I saw my younger sister of two years, Sally. Being close in age, growing up we were always together, meaning that there were times when we could be best of friends, and worst of enemies. Regardless of which the two we were, once thing could always be certain – she would be annoying the crap out of me.

At the time, Sally was married to a truck driver named Andrew. I never have really had a chance to ever get to know him, but from what I’ve seen, he seems like a placid and patient man. Quite the opposite of my brutally honest sibling. Together, with my beautiful four year old niece Claire, they live and work in the neighbourhood across from where my parents live, where Sally and I spent our teenage years. She’s the apple of my mother’s eye. I’m still the screw up.

Spotting her in the massive crowd of New York arrivers was not a hard task. On a cold, misty afternoon, Sally wore denim shorts and a North Sydney Football jersey.

“Sally!” I yelled as I leaped at her.

“It’s bloody freezing!” she replied, shivering. Debbie and I both laughed.

“Well, it is winter,” Debbie smiled.

“Not in Sydney. I was sweating like a pig on a tractor,” she said seriously. Debbie and I laughed again.

“Oh I missed you , ya little freak,” I giggled, squeezing the life out of her.

“I missed you too bitch. What the hell is this?” she said picking up my hand and holding it up so that my engagement ring was close to her shark-like eyes. “They weren’t kidding, you really have scored big. This Bruce guy must be a millionaire!”

“Ah ha... he’s an amazing man, that’s all you need to know,” I laughed awkwardly.

“Amazing, huh?” she winked. I started smiling madly. Debbie knew enough to sense that I was about to go into this smitten world where I uncontrollably talk about how incredible Bruce is. Bored with it, she hurried us along.

“Wait until you see their apartment,” Debbie said, pulling us towards the car park by our arms.

“Wow!” was what Sally said in amazement as she looked around our home. I had officially moved in with Bruce a month before hand, although I pretty much spent all my time there since we got back together.
“Sal”, I said as I turned her attention away from a photo of Paul, Eric and I taken at Eric and Marie’s wedding. “Come, I’ll show you my guitars,” I said, racing up the stairs, dragging Sally behind me. Debbie laughed, amused.

“You and Bruce really are perfect for each other,” Debbie said, leaning against the door frame, while I proudly held my metallic violet ESP.

“I got this custom made, I got a great deal because Bruce endorses the brand,” I said, smiling.

“Right. Nah, Aud, that’s really great. So, ah... what else do you have?” Sally asked.

“Oh, I’ve got a few Gibsons...”

“No, I don’t mean guitars,” Sally said, laughing at me. “Damn Deb, how do ya put up with this spaz?”

“She’s alright,” Debbie said, smiling.

“I have pictures, magazine clippings, bootleg footage... It’s the famous shit you want to see right?” I asked.

“Actually sis, all I want is a cuppa,” Sally replied.

“A cup of tea,” I corrected her, shaking my head at the Australian slang that I secretly missed.

A few hours later, I found myself waiting desperately for Bruce to come home. I couldn’t wait for Sally to see him, but most importantly, couldn’t wait for myself to see him. If I was lucky I might have been able to catch him for the last five minutes he was home before he was off for a store signing, interview, photo shoot or gig. It’s not easy, especially those times when he’ll come home late at night, collapse on the bed with exhaustion, kiss my cheek, then within minutes start snoring. It usually happens with every new album, then it’s the tours, where I miss him like mad. Then I get months of sleeping in, watching tv, shopping, and my favourite Saturday nights, where we don’t go to big parties, but instead buy a heap of ingredients and attempt to cook our own gourmet meals. Those usually end with Eric Carr on speed dial to come fix our oven that I caught on fire, because he used to do that for a living. Fires aside, I love the normal stuff, every second I spend with Bruce.

Sally was showing us photos of Claire, when I heard the front door unlocking. “He’s here!” I shouted, jumping up from the couch. Debbie looked at me blankly, then continued her conversation.

“Yeah, as I was saying. She looks just like you. She’s got the Moore cheekbones...”

“He’s here, he’s here HE’S HERE!” I chanted, racing to meet him as he walked inside. In the excitement of it all, I rammed my hip into a hall table, knocking over a glass vase and smashing it. Hearing that, Bruce looked at me, curiously.

“Aud, what...” he began to say, before I leaped into his arms, planting a much anticipated kiss on his lips. “Hello to you too,” he smiled, lowering my feet to the floor so that I was standing with his arms around me.

“Brucie... you’re Hotter Than Hell ,” I said, playing with the collar of his leather jacket.

“ You just want my Love Gun,” he replied, smiling as he kissed my neck.

“Hmm all this KISS lyric dirty talk, you sure know how to put the X In Sex.”

“Shhh,” he put his finger over my lips. “That’s not even released yet.”

“Ahhm,” a voice behind us coughed. We turned to see Debbie and Sally standing there watching us.

“Oh, sorry. Sally, this is Bruce. Bruce this is Sally,” I poorly introduced them.

“Nice to finally meet you Sally,” Bruce said, hugging her.

“Wow!” she replied, a little star struck. He just laughed, I guess he was used to it.

“I can definitely see the resemblance,” he smiled, referring to how we both stare into space when confronted with awe inspiring situations.

“You are so much cuter in person than you are on tv and in pictures,” Sally finally said, gawking a little. Debbie rolled her eyes.

“Umm, thanks,” he said, not sure how to take that comment.

“You’re still coming to the concert tonight?” I asked Bruce. He nodded.

“You guys are going to a show?” Sally asked curiously.

“Well, I wanted you to come too. Ozzy Osbourne, you interested?” I asked.

“Of course! You know Ozzy?” Sally wondered.

“No, but we know people that can make sure we get front row tickets everytime,” Bruce smiled.

“C'mon, we've got some catching up to do!” I said as I dragged her away from my man.

For the first day or two, being with Sally was great. We caught up, discussed plans for the engagement party and wedding, and hung out just like we did when we were teenagers. But soon enough, just as it was growing up, her annoying traits began to take over.
I was half asleep and cuddled up next to Bruce, when suddenly I heard what sounded like gun fire and an explosion. I almost jumped out of my skin, and screamed, waking Bruce.

“Ah. Is that the tv?” he asked sounding very sleepy and irritated.

“I sure hope so.”, I said as we both got out of bed to investigate. Sally was sitting in our living room , watching some action movie with the volume ignorantly loud.

“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped. “It's 4am!”

“Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake.... Oh my,” she giggled as she became distracted by Bruce standing in the doorway shirt-less. With the realisation that my annoying little sister was checking out my husband to be, I pushed Bruce towards the bedroom and shut the door behind him. I joined Sally on the couch.

“Look Sal, I know you can't help it... but can you please try to be normal,” I asked, too tired to care if I offended her.

“Ha, why? Are you afraid that I might embarrass you in front of your rock star boyfriend.” she said in a mocking voice.

“I'm marrying the dude, there aren't many ways left for me to be embarrassed in front of him anymore,” I laughed. “I just don't wanna freak him out,” I joked.

“You're bringing him home to meet the family. The footy will be on, Dad will be drunk ... It doesn't matter that you're a semi-famous rock star now Aud. The fact is, in two weeks, you're bringing a helpless American City boy home to meet Dad and crazy uncle Gary – He's gonna be scared no matter what!”, she argued.

“ Well, for the sake of the little sanity I have left, could you please just try to not piss me off?”, I begged in a typical sisterly fashion.

“I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises.”

She was right, she certainly did not promise. For the next four weeks until we left for Australia, she drove me insane! Little things like barging in on me when I was in the bathroom and tormenting Bruce with her sick sense of humour that left him staring at me as if to say “what the fuck?”, annoyed the crap out of me! But the day I lost it was when she decided to bring a stray cat inside and put it in my bed, causing me to throw a tantrum, reflecting a side of me that I've never been proud of.

“Why? Why would you do that?” Bruce asked her, slightly amused, but confused also. I heard her laugh mischievously. “I mean you're her sister. You of all people should know about her freaky phobia of cats and rubber gloves.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot all about the gloves, hey thanks Bruce!”, she replied.

“No, no,no. Don’t even ... just don’t. Enough already, Aud’s goin nuts,” Bruce told her, then joined me in another room, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I'm going to kill her!” I yelled with frustration. He laughed, pulled me close to him and kissed me in the hope to calm me down. Of course he was successful.

“As a younger sibling, It's her job to be a pain in the ass. I’d know,” he joked.

“If she was fourteen, fine. But she's twenty six!”

“You're so hot when you're angry,” he said as he started to lift his hands up my shirt. I pulled them away and placed my hands on his cheeks, ensuring that his attention was on my face, and what I was saying.

“You do realise what you're marrying into, right?” He nodded. “You sure? I mean, she will be your sister in law!”, I said, trying to freak him out. He just smiled at me calmly.

“When I asked you to marry me, I did it because I love you , Not your family. As long as they don't try to kill me...” He stopped when I gave him a concerned look. “They're not gonna kill me are they?”, he laughed.

“No! They'll love you. How could they not?”, I smiled.

“I can't wait to marry you,” He said as he kissed me.

“Well, I can't wait to be Mrs Kulick,” I said with the emphasis on the surname. It's not that I wasn't proud to be a Moore, I just couldn't admit a blood relationship with my sister at that time. Despite this, I loved her, and couldn't wait to see my family again...