Free-Falling (2 page)

She kept her hands in her pockets and her eyes on the ground until she was almost home, and then she saw it. A small, dark shape on the side of the road, near the front of her apartment block. There was her puppy, curled up in the gutter. Splattered with blood. It must have been hit by a car or something.

Inconsiderate little bastard, just let the poor dog out into the street on its own.

It was easier to blame the teenager over the road than herself. Easier not to think about how ridiculous she'd been, knocking on some random person's front door, handing over a puppy and just expecting them to take care of it.

It's always easier to blame someone else.

Like him.

She took off her shirt and wrapped it around the small body of the puppy, averting her eyes from the sticky, matted clumps of fur as she did. There was a twenty-four-hour medical centre around the corner from her apartment. She had no idea where there was a vet because she had never had a pet here in Sydney before. Back home on the farm was a different story, of course, but not here. She walked towards the medical centre with the puppy held against her chest and felt no guilt. She felt nothing at all.

‘I'm almost done.'

‘Okay.'

‘I just thought I'd tell you.'

‘Okay.'

‘That's all really.'

‘Okay.'

‘So I'll see you soon then.'

‘Yep.'

‘Okay . . . bye.'

‘Bye.'

But she didn't see him soon. She didn't see him ever again. And their final phone call had been so
mundane
. So . . . nothing. Her voice, clipped and irritable – she was concentrating on other things, she didn't know that that was going to be the last time they would speak, didn't realise she should have been professing her undying love for him.

She sat in a hard plastic chair and wondered, with genuine curiosity, how he could have lied to her like that. How could he have promised that they would see each other soon when they were never going to see each other again? Deep down, she knew she wasn't playing fair.

She noticed a couple about her age, staring at her. She looked down and realised that she was sitting under the bright, unforgiving lights of the medical centre waiting room with no shirt on, no shoes, just jeans and one of her old bras – one that had gone
a pale shade of grey when she had washed her whites with her colours. She knew her short, dark hair would be jutting out all over the place as well.

Her hands were covered in dirt, there was grass between her toes and there was puppy blood smeared on her bra. She lifted her arms to cross them over her chest but, changing her mind, let them drop either side of her, palms up. She stared back at the young couple until they looked away. She felt another set of eyes boring into her and turned to see the receptionist gazing quite unashamedly at her too, her mouth slightly open. A flash of sparkling red caught her attention and, looking up, she realised there were Christmas decorations on display already, just above the front desk.
For Christ's sake, it's
September
people.

‘Merry Christmas, Bambino!'

‘Merry Christmas to you too.'

‘Look at the time. I suppose we should get up. You know, last few presents to wrap and what-not.'

‘Or we could stay in bed for just a tiny bit longer. What difference is fifteen minutes going to make if we're already late?'

‘Ahh, I see, you want a few more minutes sleep, do you?'

‘Ha! No, that's not exactly what I had in mind.'

‘All right, fine, but you're on top.'

‘Lazy.'

‘No I'm not. I just know what works best for us, babe.'

‘Lazy.'

‘Shut up!'

She got up from the plastic chair and walked out of the medical centre and back towards her apartment. She thought maybe the receptionist called out for her to wait, but she really couldn't be sure.

When she got to the door of her apartment block, she realised she didn't have any keys. She walked around the back and looked up at her balcony. Just three floors up. Not so high. There were ridges in the bricks every four rows. There was also a huge tree growing right next to the building. Some of the higher branches stretched right across, the leaves caressing the railing invitingly. Still, she decided to start with the wall first.

She couldn't climb any higher than a couple of ridges. She kept trying but her feet kept sliding back down, her toes kept scraping against the bricks. Her fingers wouldn't grip. She was definitely no rock climber. She scratched against the wall desperately, then banged her fists against it angrily.

Where are you? I'm stuck and I need you. You're supposed to be here for me.

Let me in.

‘God, what a gorgeous night, babe, this has been so romantic! All right, what's going on? All this effort? Totally not your style!'

‘I'll have you know I've taken every one of my ex-girlfriends on romantic, moonlit picnics at the cliffs above Clontarf Beach. And look, over there is where I pushed each one off the edge when they started whingeing that –'

‘Shut up, you big jerk! Stop ruining the mood.'

‘Okay, okay. Here, this might help get the moment back. Open it.'

‘Um, I know they say chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but really, Andy, a block of Cadbury Snack isn't going to do it for me.'

‘Jeez, you're impossible. Who said I was trying to get you “hot and bothered”? Just open it, wench!'

‘All right, all right, I'm opening the . . . Hey, check this out, the first row are all pineapples, how cool is that? The pineapple pieces are the best ones!'

‘I know they are, babe, have a look at the rest of the chocolate.'

‘No way! Did you do this? How did you get an entire block with just my favourite bits?'

‘I have my ways . . .'

‘You're hilarious. This is so cool. Why on earth did you go to so much trouble?'

‘I had to make sure you were in a good mood . . . So you'd be more likely to say yes when I gave you this.'

She kicked the wall. Just once, because it hurt her bare foot so much that she couldn't handle doing it again.
I can do this on my own.
She turned her attention to the tree and took a deep breath.
I can do this.
She grabbed the first branch and hauled herself up. The branches were thick and close together. She wound her way through the leaves, around the trunk, branch after branch, methodical and determined. The branches were getting thinner and eventually she reached one that wasn't strong enough for her weight. Inevitable really. It snapped under her foot and she grasped the branch above just in time. She was left hanging, ridiculously, in the middle of the tree.

A light flicked on in the apartment directly below hers and
someone walked out onto the balcony.

‘Shit, do you need some help?' A guy was peering incredulously at her.

She stared back at him for a moment and then her hands slipped and she fell. She rushed through the leaves, bumping against branches and eventually landed hard on the ground, her legs crumpling beneath her and her head banging painfully against the dirt.

She lay still and looked at the tree above her.
This was just too priceless.
Minutes later, the guy was squatting on the ground next to her. He put his hand gently on her arm.

‘Are you okay?'

She shook her head and let a tear slip from her eye.

‘Fuck me! You fell a long way. Maybe I should take you to a doctor?'

God, no, not another medical centre.
‘Take me inside, please, just take me in to your place.'

He positioned her arm around his neck, then lifted her effortlessly. He carried her inside, into the lift and up into his apartment, where he laid her with great care onto the couch. But when he put her down, she wouldn't let go of his neck. She pulled him towards her and started to kiss him, softly at first and then harder when she could feel him resisting her. He leant back.