Dear Diary,
Today is 5
th
January, my parents returned to work today, so now I can start my holiday. Last year was a big year for me. There was my sister's wedding, my 18
th
birthday and the hard work I did to complete Year 12 at school. Of course the house seemed very busy with the Christmas-New Year festivities that my parents created. Now I can chill out in the quietness, although the summer heat makes relaxing difficult.
*
That is where my story starts. It is a strange one; I try to avoid telling it because I find it confusing, even now. I still feel embarrassed when I think of my naivetΓ© at age eighteen. This day started out to offer some peace and quiet in the house, the first time since the end-of-year school holidays. The summer was hot with constant reminders on radio and TV to stay prepared for bushfires and the threat of water restrictions as the water storages dwindled. I was home alone, so in an effort to be comfortable I chose not to wear underwear; just a loose T-shirt and very skimpy shorts. My parents both worked so I had the house to myself all day and I had been looking forward to catching up on things I let slip by.
I sat down in front of the television to look at some DVDs. I particularly wanted to see my sister's wedding album, consisting of some 400 photos on a DVD arranged in two files. The main file was the wedding service, followed by all the events and happiness of the reception, until my sister and her new husband left in a limousine, a going away gift treat from by mum and dad.
The second file was not to my mother's liking, but she was persuaded by the photographer, who told her it would be nice to have a record of the wedding preparations and all the work behind the scenes. Mum reluctantly agreed, but I had some misgivings about getting my clothes off and getting dressed in my bridesmaid's outfit in front of a camera β it just wasn't me! So, for my sister's sake, she saw it as a normal part of the wedding day, probably aided by discussions with her work colleagues who urged her to do it β "You won't get a second chance, Kaye. You should do it. You will regret it later on." And so it was.
Kaye's wedding was four months ago now and because of my Year 12 studies at senior school and the Christmas-New Year family activities I hadn't found time to sit back and enjoy the wedding DVD privately. Today was that day! I sat down with a large glass of ice cold cola, ice cubes floating in it and the remote control at the ready. I enjoy time alone, especially after the mad panic for those final exams, hoping for a good result. So, you can imagine my surprise at hearing the doorbell chime, which brought me back to reality.
Outside, I saw a courier delivery van, so I guessed the driver was at the door with a parcel for one of the others in the house. How wrong I was! It was my brother-in-law, Harold (we call him Harry). I opened the door and greeted him. He didn't have a parcel. He said,
"Good, I thought you'd be home. I just called in to say 'good day' and see how you were." To avoid my obvious surprise at seeing him and his unexpected interest in my health, I quickly said,
"I thought you were a delivery man delivering a parcel when I saw the van outside."
"No, I delivered a parcel in the next street over that way," he gestured vaguely with his finger, "but a cold drink would be good. The air-con in the van can't cope with hot days like this."
"Of course, what would you like? I have cola or lemonade."
"I'll have what you've got, it looks good," so I prepared his drink. "What are you watching?" he asked me.
"Oh, nothing much, just the wedding photos of your marriage to Kaye," I answered dismissively.
"Oh good, I haven't seen them since we went back to work after the honeymoon," he told me. "Go on, press play, so we can see them together. It will be a reminder of that day", he urged.
I pressed play and the photos started to show and change slowly. There was the wedding group, Harry, my sister Kaye, me holding the bride's train and my partner Steven, who is my cousin and the same age as me. The other two were Harry's best friend, Sid, and his wife, Sally, as Best Man and Matron of Honour, respectively.
"That's a great shot. Stop it there, Carol. I want to have a good look at it," Harry loud voice commanded me to pause the image. "Gee, that's great, isn't it? The wedding party all looking smart and ... sexy." His voice sounded excited, so I asked him,
"Why do you think that is sexy, Harry?" I couldn't see any displays giving him a reason for his surprising assessment.