Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
S he tried not to cling to her father when she said goodbye. His reassurances that she could visit once he settled in Sydney didn’t help. For all she cared, Sydney could have been London or Hong Kong. Sydney was miles away, and once they were in North Queensland, it would seem even further away.
Mother gave him a quick hug and promised to ring when they reached their destination. They would need to stay in regular contact until the house was sold, and Evie listened to them giving each other last minute instructions on money and house matters. People in town would realise they were moving, after all, there was a dirty big ‘For Sale’ sign on the front footpath. Father said he would tell anyone who asked that they were all moving north of Cairns. He would say that Mother and Evie had gone ahead and that he would follow once the house and business were sold and settled.
The car was packed with their suitcases and boxes, and as Mother pulled out of the driveway onto their street, Evie took one last look at the only home she had ever known. Father stood in the driveway with his hand held up high, waving to them. She took one last look at Mother’s gerberas, colourful against the white picket fence, and the hedge of camelias lining the driveway that were also out in full bloom. It was the picture of domestic bliss. A cute timber house, with a neat garden and the perfect-looking father waving goodbye to his beloved wife and daughter. Once, it was the picture of perfection, Evie thought, but now it was just the picture of a broken family.
Father, Chris, Layla, school, friends, her bedroom, the house and garden, father’s shop, the bush where they hung out, and the shed where she and Layla shared their secrets. Her childhood. Her family. Everything. Finished.