Simply Audrey

Part 2

Chapter 6

The flight from Connecticut to Los Angeles is short, but for me it stretches on for what seems like eternity.  I tried watching a movie and looking out the window, but thoughts of what my new life will hold kept creeping into my mind, demanding attention.

As someone who loves to be prepared and knowing what's about to happen before it does, I feel absolutely clueless. I don't know what my new life will be like, I don't know if my father remarried or if he has any other children, I don't know where he lives or anything like that. I looked up Michael Edwards and nothing came up, yet my mother told me he was an actor which seems strange to me. The only thing I remember about the man was when he was still living with us, I remember him staying at home most days writing, walking me to school and taking me for milkshakes after ballet practice, I remember his face - a lot of which reflects in me, and mostly I remember when he left and the hurt it caused me.

Rain splashes hard against the window as my plane touches down on the runway. Arriving in Los Angeles in the middle of the night in the pouring rain - wow, it really does look like I'll be living the Californian dream.

At the arrivals gate I see a man who clearly isn't my father holding a sign post for Audrey Edwards, he takes my trolley for me and without saying a word walks towards the parking areas. I am amazed by how big LAX airport is and force myself to ignore the siren call of the stores and the amazing smelling coffee and follow the man to his car.

He gets in his car and signals for me to do the same, feeling uncomfortable in an unfamiliar city with a stranger I decide to hop into the back of the car. Every muscle in my body is tense from the realisation that I have just gotten into a car with a complete and utter stranger who for all I know could be a psychopath. I immediately remember a scene from my mothers favourite movie, 'The Bone Collector' and shiver.

I nervously look out the window and tap my fingers as he drives, willing myself to calm down. I notice him clutching tightly to the steering wheel and occasionally glancing at me through the review mirror. I have never seen someone looking as incredibly awkward as he does right now. It takes another 30 minutes before either of us says anything.

"So, you're Michaels daughter," he says awkwardly attempting to make conversation.

"Ye," I say, not looking away from the window.

There's a few seconds of awkward silence before he continues, "Well, uh, I'm Dean... Your new chauffeur."

"I'm perfectly capable of driving myself."

 "Oh," he says, sounding unsure of what to say. "It's another 20 minutes until we get to your dads house."

"Oh."

"Been a long time since you've last seen him?" he asks, still trying to make conversation.

"I haven't heard from him for over eight years."

"Oh..." he says, and I see him awkwardly nodding his head but now keeping his eyes peeled on the road, avoiding looking in the review mirror. "Uh, I have an AUX cable."

"Great," I say reaching into the front of the car and plugging my phone in.  Turning the music on full I lean back in my seat and close my eyes, grateful for no longer being obligated to speak.

***

I don't remember falling asleep but I am suddenly being shaken awake by Dean. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and stretch as I get out of the car, the rain seems to have stopped but the air is still frosty cold. I look around and see a brightly lit ring road surrounding a fountain in front of a house, slightly smaller than my old one.

Dean grabs my bags from the trunk of the car and walks me to the front door, I can feel my heart beating like a drum inside my chest. Dean rings the door bell as I take in the front of the house, cream coloured walls, well kept hedges and clean windows, a large oak door. We wait for a few moments before a gorgeous lady with caramel skin, bright green eyes and the longest legs I have ever in my life seen opens the door.

"Oh my god," I say, the realisation of who it is settling in, "You're Storm Noel, like Victoria's Secret Model Storm Noel."

She smiles at me warmly before saying, "Hi yes, you must be Audrey."

"Yea," I say, in shock that she knows my name.

"Uh, come on in," she says, moving aside and ushering me through the door, the house is lovely and warm.  "Your fathers in the kitchen, but you can come put your bags down and then you can go say hi."

We enter into a foyer with cream tiled floors and patterned walls, staircases go up from both sides of the room meeting at a balcony. A table with a flower vase stands in the middle of the room and an expensive looking crystal chandelier hangs above it. 

"The kitchen is through there," Storm says, gesturing to the door at the far end of the foyer, "and the entertainment room is on the opposite side. There's a pool and a hot tub out back which is much nicer in the summer and your room is up here." She continues, walking up the staircase and leading me down a corridor. She stops outside a room with a double door and gestures for me to go in. The room is a decent size, only slightly smaller than my room back in Connecticut, my walls are white washed and boring and a plain white duvet cover has been thrown over my queen sized bed. The one wall has been taken over by massive glass doors which open onto a balcony, there is a small bathroom to the left of my room and right next to it, thank god, is a large walk in cupboard.  

"So what do you think?" Storm asks, sticking her hands into the pockets of her jeans and shrugging awkwardly.

"It'll do," I say, unsure of what else would be appropriate, "I'll need to decorate it a little more though, make it more me."

"I completely understand that, your father and I thought it would be best to leave it plain until you got here so you could pick out what you want, choose paint for your walls, new bedding, curtains and whatever decorations you want, we weren't sure what you'd like."

Something about that sentence makes me feel uncomfortable and heavy, it takes a moment before I realise what it was, "I'm sorry, what do you mean by 'your father and I thought it would be best'?"

"What do you mean?" she asks, confusion plastered to her face.

"I mean, you said it as if you guys were a thing..." I say, suddenly feeling awkward. "Like you said 'we'... I don't understand."

She looks hurt for a moment before she starts speaking, "Didn't your father tell you?"

"I haven't spoken to him in over 8 years," I say, a lump rising in my throat.

"Ah Audrey, so good to see you," I hear a voice from the doorway, I turn to see my father. "I see you've met my wife Storm, your new step-mother."