Not long to go.
Almost there,I text Beth.I'm so nervous. But in a good way.
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for her response.
It pings just as the bus pulls into the depot.
You've got this, kiddo,she says.Call me tonight. Everything's gonna be fine.
“Everything's gonna be fine,” I whisper.
???
There’s a lot of honking on this street.
Perhaps drivers are saying hello to each other?
I yank my suitcase from the luggage compartment below.
The space where I once hid.
“Everything's gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine.”
Wheeling the case behind me, I whisper it over and over.
Beth has printed a tiny map with directions.
I follow them as best as I can.
It’s like a puzzle.
A game with clues.
Roma Street Train Station, reads the sign above me.
Fortitude Valley, points another.
Maybe that valley will be a good place for stargazing.
No beach signs yet, but I’ll find it.
Real traffic lights, just like in the photos.
Real foot paths too.
I can’t stop looking up.
A jungle of concrete towers claw their hands across the sky above me.
Shuffling my way through the crowd, I’ve never seen so many faces at once.
Someone grabs my sleeve when I step off the curb.
Bugger.
Forgot to wait for that little green man on the signal.
Don’t wanna get squished by a moped.
