Finding Maya

Chapter two

An hour later I heard Dad's heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. I smiled to myself thinking that the man was such an elephant, he'd always give himself away when we used to play hide and seek when I was younger.

I hadn't moved an inch in the last hour, my tears had finally subsided and I was just left with what would undoubtedly be the worst case of puffy eyes in the history of the universe. Gosh, I wish I was one of those girls that could cry and look pretty, I just looked like a smacked backside instead.

I listened to Dad let out a deep sigh as he started to trudge along the hallway. I could hear him knock once on one of the doors. Not waiting for a reply I heard him turn the handle and open the door.

"Ok, wrong one" I could hear him mutter as he closed the door again.

I stifled a giggle as I knew that he was just as lost as I had been. Why my parents refused to just live in apartments is beyond me. Why rent ridiculously large family homes when one, we are just going to move within six months and two, there are only three of us. Their logic behind their house choices is an oxymoron really; they have no logic when it comes to their homes.

"Oi, Maya? You up here mate?" Dad calls out.

Ah, I think I'll make him suffer, I think to myself. Covering my mouth so that I don't give myself away I start to shake with pent up laughter.

Upon hearing another door open and Dad's curse word following soon after, I can't contain myself anymore and let out a laugh.

"Ha!" he yells throwing the door wide open and bashing me with it in the process. I hold the side of my head and yell at him

"Crap Dad, next time you want to take my head off do me a favour and please do it with a guillotine instead, at least it's over and done with. Ow" I laugh and rub my sore head.

Now a normal father would be sympathetic to the damage done to my head. My Dad on the other hand would never miss an opportunity to have a laugh at my expense. According to my father no Aussie man in his right mind would ever sit and talk about 'feelings' or let an opportunity go by where you can 'have a laugh at someone else's expense'.

As I keep reminding him, he's not in Australia anymore so how about acting like a normal human being once in a while, you know, when in Rome and all that?

Sometimes it feels like Mom and Dad are from a completely different planet to me, from their accents which even after living in the states for longer than I've been alive to their sense of humour. Personally I think that they are insane, but that's just my unqualified opinion really.

"Did I hit your head darl?" he smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him while grabbing hold of his arm to pull myself up off the floor, grasping hold I pull my weight up.

"Yeah Dad, I've got a headache now" I complained grimacing.

Dad let out a laugh "I'm not surprised you've got a headache with a head like that no wonder it aches!"

"Oh my God Dad! You do realise that I'm a teenage girl right? You can't say things like that to me! I'm at my most vulnerable age, stop teasing me all the time. Get yourself another hobby will you?" I said with exasperation.

Dad pouted at me making me laugh at how silly he looked "Oh my God Maya, I can't believe you, you're so embarrassing." He tried to imitate me by putting on a fake squeaky voice and an awful sounding American accent.

That's the thing with my Dad, I have a lot of trouble staying mad at him when he mimics me and he damn well knows it.

He smiles at me and goes over to his computer desk, rather than taking a seat though he starts to dismantle the cords that are plugged in.

I slump over to the nearest chair and throw myself into it, kicking off my shoes without untying the laces, I then prop my feet up on the chair beside it.

"Oh, that's charming" starts Dad "that poor chair is going to smell like stinky teenage feet now." he turns his nose up and makes a horrified face and fakes a shiver.

"Ha ha, Mr Comedian. Stop making me laugh so much, you're killing me." I say drily, rolling my eyes at him.

Dad doesn't say anything, just smiles as he's pulling the cords together and pulls out zip ties from his top drawer. I watch his big hands which really shouldn't be so nimble make quick work of his task. Once he's finished this job he moves on to the next part of his dismantling the computer.

"What's going on Dad?" I ask "Why the sudden haste in packing already?"

Dad stops what he's doing and stretches his back slightly. Standing up straight he looks down at me from his great height and rubs his eyes wearily.

"Maya, I don't know how to say it without you chucking another tanty but sweetheart, we actually have to leave by morning" This is all said to me as if it's not really that big of a deal.

I laugh at him, he must be joking.

"Good one Dad. Let's pack up a house and move all before morning. Sure." I smile at him "You want to tell me the real reason that you're packing that up?"

Dad folds himself in his computer chair and pulls himself forward so that he can rest his forearms on his desk.

"Maya darl, I wish that I was joking. I wish to God that I could have let you finish your school year out here but sweetheart, we are leaving by the morning. The sooner we can get out on the road the better. Your Mum has bought our tickets and our flight is at nine tomorrow morning." He looked me dead in the eye while saying this "I really need you to just pack your suitcase and a carry on. Everything else that isn't essential we will be having packed up and shipped over to us, I've organised a moving company to pack the house."

I stared at him for a moment and let out a loud sigh, groaning louder than necessary I swung my feet back down to the ground and dragged myself out of the chair.

"Right then, I guess I'd better get a start I suppose" I say as I'm walking out the door not looking forward to the task ahead of me, I turned my head back towards him to see if my over the top dragging of my feet was having the desired effect on him.

Sure enough he was smiling at me

"You're a clown Maya, go get started and I promise you, you're going to love the Gold Coast." He turned away from me already looking for what to do next.

The Gold Coast? Hmm sounds promising. With a name like that there would have to be beaches right? Not that I knew how to swim or anything but hey, how hard could it be?