Page 76 of The Vintage Dress Shop in Primrose Hill
Dear Ms Stevens
I am delighted to confirm your Australian citizenship by descent.
That was the headline. Sophy blinked again.
Your Australian citizenship certificate is now available from the Australian High Commission in London. Please arrange a time and date for collection, contact details below.
It really was true what people said aboutcarrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, because immediately Sophy felt a lightening as if that weight had been taken away.
Now she could just go to Australia. Didn’t need a visa. Didn’t need thousands of pounds in a bank account. She could just go, like she was getting on a train to go to Manchester. Though actually, going to Manchester didn’t cost huge sums of money, take over twenty-four hours and necessitate stopping en route in Bangkok, but still, same vibe.
There was so much to sort out; Sophy still didn’t know if she was going to emigrate, emi-visit or just have a super-long holiday. There were so many people she needed to tell, but one person she wanted to speak to more than any other.
Sophy expected it to roll to voicemail because he was incapable of answering a ringing phone, but he picked up on the third ring, his voice wary. ‘Sophy?’
She took a deep breath. ‘G’day mate, are you having a ripper afternoon?’
‘Are you on drugs?’
It was a reasonable question. ‘No, I’m talking Australian because I’m an Australian citizen, officially.’ Making her Australian heritage official had just been a means to an end; but now that she was on the books, Sophy was surprised at how emotional she felt. Her voice was seizing up and she brushed away a tear with an impatient hand. ‘I wanted you to be the first to know.’
‘Oh, kiddo…’ Johnno sounded as if it were an emotional moment for him too. ‘I tell you what, Australia’s bloody lucky to have you. Look, I’m sorry that it took me so long to dig out—’
‘No! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things last time I saw you,’ Sophy assured him. ‘I kind of got the feeling that you’ve been avoiding me.’
‘I had to go and see a man…’
‘…about a dog, Yeah, yeah!’Sophy gave a choked little laugh.
‘Maybe I’ve been avoiding you a little,’ Johnno admitted. ‘You had every right to be angry with me but things have been different between us these last few weeks and then we were right back to being in a not so great place and it was all my fault.’
It wasn’t like Johnno to be so introspective or offer up something approaching an apology and Sophy was touched. ‘I’ve seen more of you these last few weeks than I have done in years and I’ve loved it,’ she said simply.
‘Yeah, me too, kiddo. I think… Freddy said that was why I dragged my heels over finding my passport, because when you got your citizenship, I’d be losing you all over again.’ He grunted. ‘I don’t know. There might be some truth in that.’
‘You won’t be losing me. I’m going to meet your parents. See where you grew up. Find out if the sheep-shearing gene is actually hard-wired into my DNA,’ Sophy added because she knew it would make Johnno laugh. ‘Even if we won’t actually be physically close, we’ll still be close, right?’
‘I guess so.’ There was the sound of a door shutting, then the background noise cleared. ‘So, nothing keeping you here. You can just get on a plane soon as.’
‘It’s not as simple as that.’ The thought of getting on a plane soon made Sophy’s palms sweat and her heart start thudding frantically. ‘There’s still a lot to sort out. Loose ends to tie up. People I need to say goodbye to. You’re not the only person I’ve grown close to…’
‘I’ll phone Ma and tell her that she can book in for the op. They’ve had another cancellation, so they can move up right up the queue,’ Johnno said, and Sophy’s heart rate easily doubled. ‘What time is it now in Australia?’
‘Don’t call them now!’ she begged him frantically. ‘Anyway, it’s the middle of the night. There’s no rush. I need to leave it a little while before I get my ticket,otherwise I’ll get charged through the nose for a last-minute airfare. I need to know exactly when Jean’s operation is.’
‘She reckoned middle of June if she could move up the queue.’
‘The middle of June!’ Sophy all but shrieked. It was the end of April now, which would mean she had just over six weeks. Six weeks was no time at all to pack up her life and eke out every last hour that she could spend with Charles. Charles! He was still under the illusion that Sophy wasn’t leaving for another three months. At least. She hadn’t even told him about Jean’s scheduled hip replacement and how it kept getting earlier and earlier. ‘Six weeks. Wow.’
‘But you don’t need to wait that long,’ Johnno said. ‘If you’re worried about money, then I’d be happy to pay your airfare.’
It was a lovely gesture. Sophy could feel herself getting choked up all over again. ‘You don’t need to do that,’ she said firmly. ‘I’ve got the money saved up. Almost saved up.’
‘But if you go sooner then you get to spend some time with Mum and Dad before she has her op.’
‘Oh my God, it sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me.’ It was meant to be a joke but Sophy felt like she was about to cry again. Properly cry. Big ugly cry.
‘Of course I’m not. I don’t want you to think that I’m standing in your way and it makes me proud, Soph, that you want to explore your Australian heritage. You’re going to have to start drinking beer, love.’
