Long Way Home (Ashton Irwin)

1.

"Take a good look around Gracie girl this is our home now." I stopped typing my message out to my best friend Thea, whom I'd left behind. Along with the rest of my life that hasn't been squashed and crammed into cardboard boxes labeled, 'the good old life.'

It was a sultry summers day in the early December. The sun was shining freely against the cloudy, blue sky making the road ahead appear wet and steamy. The warm wind had carried the ocean and with it, the taste of saltiness as it blew my hair behind me in every direction causing it to tangle and frizz.

I had been stuck in the car for 3 and a half hours and I could already see my pigment becoming darker and slightly red. Dad's dorky 'Summer Tunes from the 80's', that he insisted in singing along to and the permanent smell of Baxter, our brown border collie who decided to take a quick dip in the ocean before we set off for our trip weren't much entertainment. I know it sounds awfully tragic but the only thing that did kept me occupied was a small pile of seagull crap that had splatted on the window roughly an hour and a half ago as we were rising along the seaside. Thea was taking forever to respond to me so she wasn't much help at all and my brother Troy was with my mum. He was probably having the time of his life right now.

Naturally, when dad words left his mouth it was like a gift sent from the heavens.... Or so I thought.

When I looked up from my phone dad had the car travelling mid speed down a semi crowded town street. "So what d'ya think?"

"Well I can't really say much about it. I haven't really been paying attention." I looked around, past the people gossiping away or enjoying the sunshine at the various shops lining the road. "I mean there's a surf shop, that's a start." I turned to dad shrugging as he half smiled.

"Oh look. There's a music store." Dad was leaning forward against the steering wheel peering over at the small store.

"Oh good. Maybe you can buy some modern music." Dad waved off my sarcastic comment as he looked around, pulling into a vacant park. "What are we doing."

"I just have to grab a few things."

"Okay. Don't be too long." I called out resting my forearm on the door. "So buddy what do you think?" I turned around the look at Baxter who was happily sitting up in the back seat with his tongue hanging out. He sat there letting out a yawn and lying down spreading across the seats where there was room.

"Yeah me too buddy." I reached over and ruffled up his fur as he whined. "Remind me to give you a bath later." I smiled watching as he gave me his cute puppy dog eyes whilst his ears perked up. "God these seats are hot." I repositioned myself in the leather chair of dads old convertible. I fiddled with the radio trying to pick up a decent station. Anything was far better than 'Jessie's Girl' dad has played it more times than I can count.

'...Your coming close now, swear I can't taste it. You got me tongue tied, I can't escape it...'

"Yeah good enough hey Baxter boy." I started tapping on the door where the window was wound down slightly head banging.

"Didn't you like my music?" Dad appeared seconds later carrying a slab of beers and a bag of nuts.

"Maybe if I lived in the Stone Age." Dad slid the case on the floor of the back seat before getting back into the drivers seat. "Was it really necessary to buy beer and a big bag of nuts?"

"Of course, it went straight in my basket." Dad let out a little chuckle thinking he was a first class comedian. "Okay serious now, I might invite the neighbours over for a beer." Dad reversed out of the park and started driving down the road.

"Very. Funny! But that's if they can put up with the crap you pass off as music."

"What? This isn't?" Dad scoffed as the song on the radio ended and transitioned into the next one.

"This is true music." I punched his arm lightly smiling as he accepted defeat. "They call that a school?"

We were driving past a large Grey building with a 'Norwest Christian College' sign out the front. "It looks so dull. Fancy but dull."

"Good thing you've finished school."

"Not really. If I hadn't, we would still be in Victoria. And I would have all my friends with me."

"Come off it. Your friends are more than welcome to stay."

"Yeah if they want to travel 3 bloody hours."

"Grace I know you don't like moving but you have to accept it. Your 18, your young, independent and adventurous. You'll meet plenty of people."

"Yeah well I sure hope so." I sighed resting my left check in my hand looking at the houses we drove past, this time accepting defeat.