Page 25 of Indigo

I may have fucked up here…

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INDIGO

MY ENTIRE BODYrelaxes as I pass theWelcome to Scarlett Baysign. I take a deep breath and let the calm wash over me.

God, it’s been too long.

“You’re telling me that you packed all of your stuff in two days? All of it?” Mum asks, her voice booming through the Bluetooth speakers of my silver Kia Sportage.

“Mhmm,” I reply, looking in my rearview mirror at the moving boxes Pax and I strategically stacked in the boot, the grin on my face so wide it makes my cheeks ache.

Lowering all the windows, I allow the smell of salt water to fill my lungs and welcome me home.

Nothing beats this view. To my right are paddocks full of lambs and their mummas, frolicking around on the immaculate green grass, soaking in the sunshine, and to the left is the ocean. The beautiful, clear blue ocean.

I have to force myself to look away and focus on the road ahead so that I don’t crash the damn car, but with the way the waves hit the sand and the water ripples around the old, rickety jetty, it’s hard not to stare.

In saying that, if I did crash, it’d be into Pax’s beat-up ute. He drives like an old man and insisted on going 3kms under the speed limit the entire way up here, even on the damn freeway.

“How on earth did you manage that?”

I shrug, even though I know Mum can’t see me. “Sheer determination, teamwork, minimal sleep, Gilmore Girls playing in the background, and a shitload of coffee.”

By the time Pax returned to the apartment last night, I’d already called Mum to tell her off for not warning me about Pax, contacted Mr Reed and confirmed the rental agreement Pax had emailed me, and split my clothes in two.

Half were thrown into boxes to take with us, and the other half were stuffed into rubbish bags ready to donate on our way out of the city. I made sure to only keep items that made me feel like me, most of which were shoved into the back of the closet, hidden from Michael.

We had a quick cat nap around 3am and then continued on until the sun rose.

I didn’t have a lot, so it didn’t take as long as I assumed it would, and honestly, the apartment didn’t look a whole lot different when I walked out of the front door for the last time.

“You shouldn’t be driving sleep deprived, Indie-girl,” Mum scolds.

Pax gave me the same speech just before we left. I refused to take a nap before getting in the car, and after thirty minutes of bickering, he conceded and gave me my keys.

“I’m fine, Mum. I’m literally minutes away from home. Relax yourself.”

“Fine. Fine. Did you hear back from your father?” I don’t miss the malice in her voice when she asks the question.

I hadn’t bothered calling him again before leaving. I’d emailed him and my real estate agent, though, and advised them I was vacating the property. Thankfully, it really was that easy because my rent was paid and my lease was month-to-month.

I shrug. “He sent me an email this morning wishing me his best.”

It stung, opening his email after countless unreturned calls, but I’m not surprised in the least.

“Right.” Her response is short, and I know she’s pissed, but she won’t say anything else. She never does when it comes to him. “Well, how about I finish up here, and I’ll meet you at the house? I’ve got one more paper to grade and then I’m all yours.”

I grin from ear to ear as we pass Mrs Neil Diner, the hardware store, the little supermarket on the corner of George and Main, all of which look like they’re a thousand years old. Her words barely register, and as Pax indicates left onto Murray Street, I squeal with excitement.

I tighten my grip on the wheel and jump around in my seat. “Sounds good, Mum. Love you, bye.”

I disconnect the call and hold my breath as I pull into the driveway of my new house.

Once the car is parked and I’ve tossed Pax the keys, I lean back against the passenger door of Pax’s ute and smile to myself.

I remember running past this place when I was a little girl, amazed by the deep blue colour of the exterior walls. The paint may be falling off now, only remaining in patches, but it still gives me that warm fuzzy feeling.

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