I'm Yours

Moving from one street to another in the same suburb is not that big of a deal and is somewhat expected; but moving interstate is so much more of a pain –especially when that state is in an entirely different country altogether.

My shock of a lifetime came one night after I’d wandered through the front door all flustered from work, having ridden all the way home in a panicked adrenaline rush, scared of being snatched up by the dark of night.

I yawned and sighed as I crammed the bike into the tiny space waiting in the garage, stretching quickly before walking through the front door.

“Hello? Mum?... Greg? Is anyone home?” I yelled around the house, peering around the front rooms, the lights were on but the house held so signs of movement.

I shrugged and made my way into my bedroom before changing out of my work clothes deciding on sweat pants and a singlet.

“Could you come in here a moment please darling?” my mother hollered from the downstairs lounge.

“Oh good you are home” I was welcomed lovingly by a middle aged, warm facedand smiling women in very similar attire to myself and beside her was her second husband, Greg.

I smiled in reply and seated myself on the arm of the chair, watching them in curious silence.

Greg, the man I had known since I was very young had always been one of my mothers friends, and having only realised they had feelings for one another when my parents divorced; he was like a second father to me. Sure I had my real dad and I loved him to death but I rarely ever saw him unless mum was on a work trip through California, which was something that hardly ever happened and maybe lasted a week.

I would go to my dad’s for summer holidays each year, which was a pain since I would be flying from Melbourne airport all the way through Dubai and then San Francisco airports. A good 20-something hour trip was always the go.

Mum and Greg were both marine biologists so their job required us to be on the move constantly; but it was never really further than the next state and it was easy to keep it touch with friends, after all they were only a small plane ride away.

I shook the memories from my mind and tried to focus on what she had to say, I just knew it wasn’t going to be great news. She was probably announcing when I was flying out to California next, great.

“Hun, Greg and I have been thinking. Maybe when you go back to San Diego.. “
She paused to look at Greg than at myself again before she continued “Maybe when you get back there, you’d like to start college and live with your dad for a while?”

“We’ve been offered jobs in Zimbabwe for a new wildlife reserve and we’d rather not take to Africa, and well we know how much you miss your dad and Shontei”

I was speechless. I didn’t want to leave my mum, Greg and all my friends but on the other hand I absolutely adores San Diego’s laid back attitude and beaches.

I weighed my decisions up. If I stayed with mum I would have to live in dry, boring –even though beautiful Africa far away from any English-speaking civilisation watching my parents build a wildlife reserve from a hut.

Or… I could go to San Diego with it’s wonderful hot beaches and beautiful bays, smack bang in the middle of all American civilisation all a five minute ride from my dad’s house on the hill. And I could enrol into college next semester.

Mum looked anxious but before she could say a thing I said “San Diego would be great mum. Don’t worry I actually think it will be a good thing for me to do”

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