In my old apartment, I look around at my packed bags. The place has been emptied. All that’s left behind is the couch and the TV. All I need to do is cross the road with my suitcases, to our new apartment block in Eastvale, or as everyone is now calling it,Little Rapture.
I hear the sound of a key in the lock. I snap out of my reverie, and walk over to the door, checking the spy hole.
‘Hi,’ I say, as I open the door, staring in surprise at the sight of my dad, standing there with his leather holdall slung over his shoulder, along with a suitcase of his own, his hand on the key already in the lock. ‘What are you doing here?’
His cheeks redden. ‘Sorry, I… thought you’d be gone by now.’
‘I was just about to take the last of my stuff across. Come on in.’
He removes his key from the lock and pulls everything through the door.
I look him over. ‘Everything okay?’
He shakes his head, a little flustered. ‘I… I, um, just asked Evelyn for a separation.’
My brow creeps up my forehead. I blink, just once. ‘You did?’
He throws down his holdall and rakes his fingers through his hair until it’s all mussed up, then wipes his hands over his face. ‘I… I couldn’t take it anymore. The impending court case. Her whining on about how unfair it is she’s been stripped of her mayoral title. The way she treats her loss of status like she’s practically lost a limb. The way she looks down her nose at absolutely everyone. Her incessant complaining. The way I make her coffee all wrong… or any drink for that matter. The way she calls me ‘Rick’, when she knows I much prefer ‘Rich’. The way she likes to degrade me when we’re having sex, like it’s something she thinks I actuallyenjoy…’
He raises his eyes to me, taking in the look of slightly-grossed-out-horror on my face, and swallows. ‘Sorry. Too much information for that last bit. I apologize.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ I say with a nod, because I’m happy to see him expressing emotion and not acting all repressed. ‘You clearly needed to get all that off your chest.’
‘I love her. I do, but…’ He shakes his head again. ‘I’ve told her I can’t go on like this.’
‘You know she won’t win, Dad? The court case? She’ll go to jail. And you can’t blame Echo Salinger… for the civil lawsuit. Has she accepted she’s at fault yet?’
‘She doesn’t want to face reality. Even Doug can’t make her see sense. She told me if I left, then not to come back. That’s why I’m here. You don’t mind if I stay awhile? Just while I work things out?’
‘Sure, Dad. Of course I don’t mind. I won’t be here. There’s no bed though.’
‘I’ll order a new one and sleep on the sofa for the time being. When is AJ out?’
I brighten. ‘Three o’clock.’
‘You must be excited.’
‘I am. He gets to see our new apartment. Chase, Nicole and Balthazar are coming round this evening for a little welcome home party.’
He smiles. ‘I’m happy you’ve finally made friends here, sweetheart. Any word on the application?’
‘Tawny’s submitted everything from Sunset Pines. She says now all we can do is wait. But if all goes well, I’ll be on a fully sponsored working visa. Mrs Huxley insisted on writing me a glowing reference to become a nurse on the sponsorship programme.’
‘That’s very kind of her.’ He looks away. ‘If wish you’d have let me help you a bit more.’
‘I know, Daddy. I know you do. But I wanted to do this for myself.’
He smiles, but he looks a little heartbroken. ‘I’m very proud of you. And I’m sorry Evelyn didn’t go easy on you. I know she wasn’t always very… welcoming.’
I say nothing. ‘I called Noah,’ he adds.
My eyes widen. ‘When?’
‘Two nights ago. We had a nice chat.’
‘I thought you didn’t have his number.’
‘I did some detective work. Plus, I spoke to your mother in Paris. He’d been to visit her.’