Page 18 of Pieces of Us

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Text Uncle Jacob for his birthday

Just because his son obliterated me to pieces doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to stay in contact with his dad, who is like my second father.

When my tea is sufficiently seeped, I take it with me and trudge to the lounge to encase myself in a thick woollen blanket before stepping on my balcony and repositioning myself on the lounge chair. As the seasons slowly start switching, I can feel the weather starting to cool down in anticipation of winter.

As I take a sip of my tea, I’m interrupted by melodious sounds of Dad’s personal ringtone, ‘Guardian Angel’ by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Having personalised ringtones is so old-school, but it’s one of the ways I can identify if it’s urgent or not, and Dad’s calls will always be urgent.

‘Princess.’ My dad’s jovial voice fills my ear. ‘How was the Barbie premiere? Your interview with Margot was iconic. It’s everywhere. Both of you in pink bikinis is going to go down as legendary. Two Aussies. I’m just so flipping proud.’

I laugh with pure joy at Dad’s ramblings. He has become quite the entertainment expert, and even though he gets shit from the guys at work, he couldn't care less.

‘Thanks, Dad.’

‘What’s next, kiddo?’ I think I detect a slight wince in his voice, but it could be that he’s multitasking while we’re talking.

‘I’m off to Ireland in a couple of days to interview Cillian Murphy and the rest of the cast of Oppenheimer. We’re going to do the interview in an Irish bar.’

‘You need to get Uncle Jacob an autograph. He lives and breathes Peaky Blinders. He and Linc have been rewatching the entire series again.’ A jolt of something prickles in my heart. Sadness? Sorrow? Anger? Anxiety? Disappointment? Desire? Nostalgia? Numbness? Heck if I know. Choosing not to dwell on it, I change the topic but make a mental note that this would be a perfect birthday present for Uncle Jacob.

‘Enough about me. What about you? Anything new?’ I sip my tea, savouring the flavours. The Ackee is meant to promote digestive health, stabilise blood sugar, enhance weight loss naturally, improve heart health and bone health, strengthen the immune system, and protect against macular degeneration.

‘Someone spray-painted Hump pink.’

Spitting out my tea, I gasp. ‘What?’ Hump is one of Gold Coast’s famous camels who frequents the camel racing scene. How could someone do that to a national treasure?

‘Yeah. Made headlines all over Australia. She’ll never be the same again,’ Dad says wistfully.

‘What else? What else?’ I thrive on the normalcy of our conversations. Sometimes I get so swept up in the Hollywood scene, I forget that I’m not living in the real world.

‘A couple got married at the Chinchilla Watermelon Festival. He wore a suit with watermelons all over it, and she carried a watermelon bouquet.’

Cracking up at the visual, I can’t help but shed a tear. ‘Get out of town. Send me the pictures now,’ I demand. ‘Tell me more.’

He pauses before sighing.

‘What?’ There’s an urgency in my tone.

‘Don’t overreact,’ he warns.

‘What?’ I use my don’t-mess-with-me voice.

‘A week ago, I had an accident on the building site. The scaffolding wasn’t erected properly and I shattered my knee. Just got out of the hospital after surgery.’ He says the last part so sheepishly, like he knows he’s in a world of trouble.

‘Excuse me!?’ I shriek, scaring the birds on the balcony away.

‘You had your big Barbie week. I couldn’t tear you away from that, honey,’ he explains exasperatedly.

‘Dad, what the fuck?’ I’m livid, but I’m also sick with fear that he’s not going to cope.

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