Damaged Memories

Part 2

Grace sat motionless and in a state of absence as she gazed out the window from the antique tartan armchair in the study. The only sound that interrupted the desolate silence was the cuckoo clock that ticked rhythmically behind her, a subtle reminder that time was in fact passing and not sitting static as it often felt like. When the phone rang in the distance it jolted Grace from her trance and transported her back to her dismal life in the present day, a reality she hadn't yet quite come to grips with.

"Sweetheart?" her mum said as she appeared next to the armchair, startling her. "Your sister's on the phone. You'll want to take this; she has some good news for you."

Grace forced a feeble smile to feign her delight before she took the phone, highly doubting her words. She never received good news anymore and she already knew what Emma was going to ask – it was like a reoccurring bad dream every time she called, at least three times a week.

"Grace, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing ok, just like Monday. You really didn't have to call, again."

"Don't believe a word she says Emma!" interjected their mum before she swiftly left the room, leaving Grace to explain herself.

She shook her head and twirled a section of hair between her fingers that had been dangling over her face, faded and limp. "Mum's overreacting, I'm feeling much better," she said, trying her best to sound upbeat. "You shouldn't waste your money calling me so often."

"That's bullshit Grace. You and I both know it. I've known you for thirty-two years and I can always tell when you're lying. So, have you thought any more about coming to Los –?"

"I have," Grace interrupted, her standard response already falling off her tongue before her sister had even finished speaking. "And the answer is still no."

"Ugh, Grace! I can't believe you! You're miserable over there, what on earth is stopping you from moving? You guys had been planning this for years! I mean, Sam and I went to all of that trouble to sponsor you, and now that your visa's arrived, you're going to throw that dream away?"

Grace closed her eyes to try and subdue the angst that crept over her every time she thought about the visa in the envelope sitting on her desk. Much like a three-month overdue credit card bill, it made her sick with worry and regret. She knew her family only wanted the best for her, elsewhere, but leaving Devonport also meant leaving Michael behind, a move she wasn't sure she was ready to make. Perhaps packing up her life into a suitcase and moving half way across the world didn't sound like a big deal to everyone else, but for Grace it was a major feat, because not only would she be leaving her mum behind, but also a home full of memories and a large chunk of her heart that she knew she'd never get back.

"Emma, he was supposed to be coming too! All of the plans that we had –travelling to London and then around the US, getting a house in LA – I have to do that by myself now, and to be honest I'm not sure if I'm up to it yet."

Emma sighed and Grace could just imagine the face she was pulling on the other end of the line, her brown eyes no doubt rolling in annoyance. "But you don't have to do it on your own Grace. Sam and I are here, and you know that you can stay with us for as long as you need to."

"I know that, but –"

"And," Emma interjected this time, "what if I told you I've shown your manuscript to a literary agent and he loved it?"

There was silence as Grace digested the news like a velvety square of chocolate, slow and indulgent. "Really?" she eventually asked, her curiosity overcoming her annoyance that Emma had shown her prized manuscript to someone without her permission.