Mary Orleans has dreamt of a white Christmas since she was a child. Every Christmas they spend at home in Australia, between sheep and heat. Just one Christmas in New York, that's all she wants.
Lenny Darwin hates Christmas. The cold, the family, th...
My excitement was actually limited. Although I didn't expect to get an eye, I slept through. I was quite relieved to leave the sofa behind and sleep in a real bed again. I was looking forward to Australia and I was ready to leave New York behind. But I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Mary. We had hardly exchanged a word since I heard about her boyfriend, but still nothing had changed. I didn't stand between two people, as I decided when Dad died. But when I looked into Mary's eyes, I knew it was an impossibility. I always told myself the first thing I'd worry about was being okay. But for Mary, I'd drive 10 hours to be with her. But there wasn't a chance for us, it just wasn't the right time.
"Have a good time, big boy," Mom said goodbye and hugged me tightly. I bent down to Sina and took her in my arms. I would miss her terribly. Where would my little whirlwind be? Mary didn't have any siblings. Maybe that's why I'm so homesick. But Australia has been a dream for years. After all, I had to live for Dad. Make his dreams come true because no one else could. I got up again and my eyes fell on Mary. The expression on her face didn't tell me how she felt. But their eyes spoke more than a thousand words. I needed her. For a long time, I hadn't felt as alive as when she was with me. Not since Dad died. I took a step towards her and spread out my arms. Mary's mask fell and I saw a tear running down her cheek. Then she fell into my arms and cried softly on my shoulder.
I buried my face in her dark hair and inhaled her sweet smell. I'd like to never let her go again. Mary disengaged from the embrace and I ran my thumb over her cheek to wipe away a tear. Mary looked up at me and smiled, only slightly. Sina exaggerated and pulled us both out of the situation. I took a look at the clock. I really had to go. "See you soon," I said to my family, glancing at Mary again. "And Merry Christmas, Mary." Then I disappeared into the security check and looked back at the people who were waving at me. A new chapter had just begun.
When I landed in Alice Springs 30 hours later, I had hit more than I'd ever hit before. My back hurt and I had a cramp in my neck – but I was warmly welcomed by the Orleans family. Paul Orleans was a middle-aged, friendly man with a mustache and dimples in his cheek. He looked exactly like you imagined a farmer. Ella Orleans, on the other hand, hardly looked at her age. She seemed content and happy. Not a single wrinkle indicated that she already had a nearly twenty-year-old daughter. The car ride that followed was incredibly long, but very pleasant. Not least because I learned a lot about Mary's childhood. When we arrived at the farm another three hours later, I felt like I was in a movie. Around the farm was wide steppe and the only thing you could see far and wide were the huge flocks of sheep.
But I enjoyed the fresh air, the country life, the sheep and the warm weather. And I enjoyed being able to find out who Mary really was.
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