Out the window, I noticed Lizzie’s green car pull into the driveway. Grabbing my mobile phone and dropping it into my bag, I stood. I strolled out of my bedroom and across the hallway to the study, where Mum was hunched over the computer. I kissed her on the cheek.
“I’m off with Lizzie now,” I told her. “I’ve got my phone and I think that we’ll be home a bit after lunch. We’ll probably have lunch when we’re out, I reckon. Call if you need anything.”
“I will,” Mum promised. “Have a good day. I love you, Nina.”
With a grin, I waved goodbye.
“I love you too.”
Departing the house, I slipped into Lizzie’s car. She drove us to Seven Hills Station. There we parked the car, emerging and locking the vehicle behind us. I noticed that a train was arriving.
“Oh, I think that’s our train.”
“It’s alright,” Lizzie assured. “We’ll get the next one.”
I nodded. Lizzie and I checked both ways, then made our way across the carpark, tapping on with our Opal cards and heading down to the platform. Thankfully, another train arrived. The train doors parted, only one traveller stepping off. Once he’d passed, we entered the carriage and headed upstairs. I sat down and looked out the window into the dazzling sun. Out of the corner of my eye I could tell that Lizzie was glancing at me, like she wanted to say something but was holding back. Finally, I blinked.
“How are you?”
“I’m OK,” I answered with a shrug.
It was a deception, but I smiled to reinforce the lie. I felt OK enough.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s just that I care about you.”
Lizzie and I stepped off the train at Central Station, then scurried down the stairs to the low tunnel.
“Mitchell always struggled with this tunnel.” I giggled at the fond memory. “It’s not that much taller than his head. He could easily touch the ceiling.”
“If only we could have that problem,” Lizzie lamented.
She was even shorter than me, now that we’d stopped growing. Still, even though I was just over a month younger than Lizzie, she’d always been smaller than me while we were children.
Abbey Sim is the founder of Huldah Media. She is a creative writing, law and theology student who lives on the lands of the Dharug people in Sydney, Australia. Abbey desires to explore themes of hope, love and longing through her storytelling. She is the author of 'Shadow' and 'From the Wild'.