‘No, I’ve changed my mind. I can’t go.’ Skye shakes her head as she says it, the movement making silky ripples in her hair. They’re sitting in the car outside Skye’s apartment. The engine’s off, but Adam grips the steering wheel with both hands.
‘Why not? He’s your Dad, isn’t he? All you’re asking is to meet him. He owes you that much, at least.’
Somehow it’s become vital that Adam help Skye meet her father for the first time. But now, after all their planning, she’s suddenly getting cold feet. Skye runs her fingers over the air vent, rubbing out the dust there. She turns to look at Adam.
‘Over the years, my dad has made it pretty clear he isn’t interested in getting to know me. Maybe I’m just not meant to meet him.’
Adam throws his hands in the air.
‘I can’t believe you’re saying this.’
‘Look, Adam,’ Skye says earnestly, ‘your mum stuck around long enough for you to know her. Wherever she is now, she left you with good memories. What if meeting my dad isn’t that good? For all I know, he could be a real jerk. Aroha seems to think he is. After all, he took off at the first mention of me, and he weaselled his way out of paying child support. Hasn’t even bothered to send me a card for my birthdays or Christmas or anything. And it’s not like Mum and I are that hard to find. We’re in the White Pages!’
‘I don’t believe this, Skye!’ Adam says, indignant. ‘You’re giving up a chance to meet your father. Do you know how much I’d give for just one more conversation with my mum? I wouldn’t even care if all she did was nag me about my French homework. She could be gone forever. She could be dead. There are things I’ll probably never ever be able to ask her. And here you are, you’ve got an opportunity to meet your father and you’re going to walk away? Jesus!’
Livid, Adam turns the key in the ignition. Skye can get out now. After everything, all their talk, she decides to pike out now. There’s nothing more to be said. He grasps the gear stick, puts the car in drive and waits, his foot on the brake, for Skye to get the message and clear out.
‘Adam!’
‘What?’
‘Don’t be like that. Please!’ Reaching out, she places her hand over his.
‘Like what? I need to get home. I’ve got stuff to do.’ He’s lying. It’s the last day of term.
‘Adam, please listen to me.’ Skye doesn’t get out of the car, just sits there quietly waiting for Adam to listen. Eventually, he puts the car back in park and turns off the ignition.
‘Go on, then.’
Skye sighs deeply. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to meet him,’ she says. ‘I do. I’ve always wondered, you know, what he’s like. And whether I’m like him.’
‘So let’s do it!’ Adam explodes. ‘Let’s go and find out what he’s like. Come on, Skye.’
‘Aroha will kill me if she finds out. I’ve never lied to her before.’
‘She won’t find out. And even if she does find out, you’ve got a right to know who your dad is. She can’t deny that, can she?’
Skye drops her gaze to her lap, as if the answers are written on her hand.
‘S’ppose not,’ she admits.
‘So we’re going?’
Skye shakes her head again. ‘I can’t.’
Adam bangs the steering wheel in disbelief.
‘Why not?’ he shouts. ‘What’s stopping you? Even if he’s a jerk, at least you’ll know he’s a jerk.’
‘I know. It’s just… it’s just...’
‘What?’
‘I...’
‘What?’ Skye gives a little jump.
‘I haven’t got a passport.’
At home, the icon for Morterain’s Curse beckons Adam from the corner of his screen, but today he pushes away the temptation to lose himself in that labyrinth. Instead, Adam searches the government websites, downloading an application form for a new passport. Good thing Skye is over sixteen and is entitled to apply for her own, but looking through the site information, Adam realises they won’t have time to go through the standard processing procedure. If they want to see Whitworth during the school holidays, they’ll need to pay the urgent fee. It’s over three hundred dollars.
Still online, Adam checks his bank statement. He has around nine hundred saved from while he was still working at the yard last Christmas holidays. He’d earned more, but then he’d had to pay for his iPhone, a couple of must-have apps, and a totally useless séance. Not that he ever got paid much. Creighton’s pays strictly youth rates, and Dad’s always been draconian about recording Adam’s hours. He maintains that anything you have to work for is all the sweeter when you finally get it. Adam wonders if it’s the norm in couples to have one frugal and one spendy partner. In his parents’ marriage, Mum’s been the indulgent parent: handing out cash for Adam’s trips to the movies or blokarting or laser tag. She’d even signed Adam up for a debit card, so he could ‘practise being a responsible adult’ as she put it, and in case of emergencies. Adam feels a twinge of guilt. In return for Mum’s generosity, he’d give her an occasional kiss, a glib “Love you, Mum” and a promise not to tell Dad. Anyway, hopefully $900 will be enough for an in and out trip to Aussie. Adam pulls up the Air New Zealand website and looks at the price of flights to the Gold Coast.
Shit a brick!
He had no idea plane tickets were so expensive. And it seems prices have jumped to coincide with the start of school holidays. What a scam! Conning families looking to enjoy the warmer Aussie spring. Hang on. What about Grab-a-seat? Adam checks the online auction site. Yes! It’s just $129 for a one-way flight to Brizzie. Eighty-six of the cut-price seats have already sold. There’s no luggage allowance, but that won’t matter. Adam and Skye aren’t going for the theme parks—they won’t need their flippers and rash shirts. A bit more clicking and Adam discovers that the same cheap deal applies for the return flight. But what about the added cost of taking a shuttle to the Gold Coast? Adam navigates away from the page to look up the bus prices, then returns to the Grab-a-seat site.
Bummer!
In the time he’s been logged on, another five seats have sold for the outward journey. He’d better get cracking! Adam takes the debit card out of his wallet and transfers all the money in his Kiwibank account to his debit card. He books the cheap flights in and out of Brisbane for himself and Skye, realising as he does so that after he pays the fee for Skye’s passport, he’ll have cleaned out his account. Thank goodness New Zealanders don’t need a visa to travel to Australia. Presumably they have backpacker accommodation and Subway outlets in Australia? Adam hopes so, or they might have to wander in and out of hotel lobbies for a night.
The plan is simple. Project Go Walkabout is scheduled for the two days in the middle of the school holidays. Apart from studying his arse off for his Level 3 NCEA exams, Adam is supposed to be attending Reece’s boot camp in the back of beyond near Whakatāne. Reece has plans for some infamous Lydiard-style training on the coastal Toi track. Lots of grunty hill work. The guys are already grumbling about it. Reece isn’t accepting any notes from people’s mummies either. He’s already warned them that any team member who doesn’t show, doesn’t get selected for the end of year regional fixture. No exceptions. End of story. Adam reckons that’s a load of crock. Recently, his times have been the best on the team. Reece is far too competitive to field a slow team. It’s not in his nature. Anyway, so what if Reece decides to make an example of him and excludes him from the fixture? Helping Skye connect with her dad is more important than some old track meet. Adam intends to send Simon down to the school to give his apologies to Reece, citing severe emotional meltdown or something. He’ll tell Simon to bring a signed permission slip too. Hopefully, Reece will take him along in Adam’s place since the food and accommodation is already paid for.
Skye’s plans are more complicated. She’s going to tell Aroha she’s spending a couple of nights at Donna’s parents’ bach, 30km along the coast at Pukehina. Adam once spent a day at Pukehina with Corey and Kieran. The tiny beachside community is a blast from the seventies: there are two dairies for milk and bread—one at either end of the esplanade—a bait shop, a concrete toilet block, surf club and nothing much else. It’s hardly a bustling holiday hotspot. Not at this time of the year. And Donna says her parents’ bach doesn’t even have a television because her family like to pretend they’re getting away from it all. Skye’s confident it’ll be a no-brainer to convince Aroha a stay at Pukehina would be beneficial to her study. The masterstroke is that Donna is actually going to be staying at the bach while the rest of her family swan around a resort in Thailand. According to Donna, her parents are thrilled that Skye is planning to keep Donna company. Although Adam’s fairly certain that in Skye’s absence it will be Donna’s boyfriend, Brandon, a bowler from the First XI, doing the honours.
But the whole plan is dependent on Skye getting her passport in time.
Awarriorx: Kieran. You there? [ENTER]
KCClarke: Yep. [ENTER]
Awarriorx: You still getting in some hours at Domino’s? [ENTER]
KCClarke: Not so much. A few. Why? [ENTER]
Awarriorx: Could you lend me some cash? A couple of hundred? [ENTER]
KCClarke: Why? What’s going on? [ENTER]
Awarriorx: Little trip to Aussie. [ENTER]
KCClarke: You’re kidding? Who with? [ENTER]
Awarriorx: My girlfriend. [ENTER]
Adam smiles when he types those words. He imagines the look on Kieran’s face.
KCClarke: You sly bastard. Skye, right? Tell me everything. [ENTER]
Awarriorx: Can you lend me the money? [ENTER]
KCClarke: No problem. I know about girlfriends. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, right? When are you going? [ENTER]
Awarriorx: In a week. Middle weekend of the holidays. [ENTER]
KCClarke: What about boot camp? [ENTER]
Awarriorx: Not going to make it. What are you doing now? Can you come over? I’ll tell you all about it, but it’s STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. [ENTER]
KCClarke: Intrigue! Awesome. Mum and Gary have gone out. There’s only me and Kayley home. I can be there in ten. [ENTER]
Awarriorx: Great. Stop at the money machine to get the cash first. [ENTER]
KCClarke: Okay. [ENTER]
Awarriorx: You still get a staff discount at Domino’s? [ENTER]
KCClarke: Yep. [ENTER]
Awarriorx: Get some pizza too. [ENTER]