Hey. I’m Liberty. I’m your daughter.
Seeing Michael Reyji Ray up close, this famous musician with my face … it’s strange and scary and exciting all at once. Michael looks like me. I was prepared for that. But the energy around him – that, I wasn’t excepting. He’s sort of like a planet. He has a gravitational pull. I wonder if I have that energy.
You’ll like him when you meet him, Liberty. And then he’ll turn you against me …
For some reason, my legs don’t want to move.
Michael stands on a partially constructed stage, strutting back and forth over a boardwalk of platforms with little nests of silver struts piled around.
‘Great, guys,’ Michael says, his voice smooth and clear. ‘It’s coming along great.’ His silk dressing gown is wrapped tight around him, and Ray-Bans cover his eyes. Up close, his bleached-blond hair has salt and pepper roots.
‘How are you feeling?’ Diane asks me.
‘Um …’
‘A little bit daunted, are you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Just remember he’s a normal man with a heart and skin and bones like the rest of them,’ says Diane. ‘I knew him when he was a schoolboy in short trousers. He’s not Jesus. The rest of the world would do well to remember that at times, I can tell you.’
My father.
This man is my actual father.
I’m half him.
Michael turns as we approach.
‘Diane?’ He glances at Skywalker. ‘You didn’t go and get a rescue dog without telling me, did you? We said we’d go together.’
Up close, Michael’s tanned face looks friendly. There are smile lines. His voice is kind.
‘We’re not getting a dog,’ says Diane. ‘Forget the dog. Look who’s with the dog.’
Michael smiles, nods at me, but barely looks up. ‘Oh. Right. You’re here for the internship, are you? Welcome to Michael Towers. Don’t let Diane boss you around too much. She can nag for England, this woman.’
I clear my throat. ‘Um … my name is Liberty. I’m your daughter.’
When I rehearsed the words in my head, they sounded profound. Now they just sound like a weird thing to say to someone I’ve just met.
Michael looks up then. He looks up so sharply that his neck clicks. ‘You’re … What did you say?’
‘I’m your daughter.’
A pause.
‘My … what?’ Michael’s eyebrows lift above his sunglasses.
‘On today of all days, right?’ says Diane. ‘You said she’d find her way home eventually, and here she is.’
‘Oh holy Jesus.’ Michael lets out another blurt of laughter. ‘Oh Jesus. You’re … Oh, wow.’ He clambers down from the stage, mouth twitching into something like a smile. ‘I can’t believe it. I didn’t know … I mean I never imagined you’d just show up here …’ He turns to Diane for clarification.
‘She was right outside,’ says Diane. ‘I found her by the gates.’
‘You look like me. Doesn’t she, Diane? She looks just bloody like me.’
‘There’s certainly a resemblance.’
‘So … what did you say your name was? Liberty?’
‘Liberty.’
‘I called you Reign. Reign Janis Ray. God.’ Michael looks up at the sky and throws his hands together. Tears glisten on his cheeks. ‘Thank you. Thank you. You were born right here on these grounds. Did you know that?’
‘I … No.’
Michael nods, voice fading to a whisper. ‘The best and worst day of my life. To be given something so precious. And then have it taken away. Listen, I know you’ll have been told all sorts of stories. But the woman you grew up with isn’t what she seems, Liberty. She isn’t what she seems.’
‘That’s … uh, sort of why I came here,’ I say. ‘To hear your side. But Diane said today is your wedding anniversary. Maybe it’s not the best day for all this.’
‘It’s fine,’ says Diane, eyes soft and warm. ‘Our wedding anniversary is day one. That’s what we always call it. A fresh start. We let go of everything on this day. That’s how we survived your mother. So what better day for you to come? A new beginning.’
‘Diane is an incredible woman,’ says Michael, eyes clouding. ‘My better half, as they say. I’ve put her through a lot. But she’s always stuck by me.’
‘For better or for worse, Michael Ray.’
‘Wowsers.’ Michael places chubby hands on my shoulders. ‘I can’t believe you’re here. This is a dream come true. Listen, are you tired? Hungry? Have you … did you fly from somewhere to get here?’
‘I didn’t fly from anywhere,’ I say. ‘I took the bus.’
‘From where?’
‘Taunton Wood.’
Michael turns to Diane, hands falling from my shoulders. ‘Jesus Christ. She didn’t …’
‘It’s so near to us. Practically down the road.’
‘Do you live on a lot of land there, by any chance?’ Michael asks. ‘A big patch to yourselves? I can’t imagine Lorna wanting to live cheek by jowl with other people. Not with everything she’s trying to hide.’
‘Yeah, we have some land. I mean, nothing like what you have. But yes.’
‘Funny to think of Lorna living in the British countryside,’ says Michael. ‘What has she got? One of those old-fashioned houses with the quirky English names. Back O’ Beyond or Forty Winks. Who’d have thought that would be her scene?’
‘We live on an old farm. It’s called Iron Bridge.’
‘I bet it’s like Fort Knox.’
‘You can say that again. Mum has more security than you do.’
‘That woman,’ says Diane. ‘Just when you think she won’t stoop any lower—’ She notices me then and her pink lips snap shut.
‘Lorna never could let go,’ says Michael. ‘It makes sense, when you think about it. We should have guessed.’
Diane shivers, despite the warm day. ‘For her to be so near, she must have been watching us this whole time. It gives me the creeps.’
‘It’s okay,’ says Michael. ‘It’s all going to be okay. We’re starting again, right? Liberty and I have the rest of our lives from this moment on.’
‘Lorna told Liberty you’re some kind of monster, Michael,’ says Diane, shaking her head. ‘Tried to poison her mind, like she did with everyone else. Liberty – don’t you listen to a word of it. I’ve been with this man for twenty years. He’s got the biggest heart of anyone I know. Too big sometimes. He lets people take advantage. Don’t get me wrong, he’s far from perfect. I’ve had cause to hit him with my handbag on more than one occasion. But the shit that woman says about him … and Lorna is still at the Nazi propaganda, Michael. All these years later.’
‘I don’t believe everything I hear,’ I insist. ‘Not even from my mother. I can make up my own mind.’
Michael claps me on the shoulder. ‘Still, must have felt like you were walking into the lion’s den, coming here today. Am I right? A big scary monster ready to eat you up.’
‘Something had to change. Life is unbearable at home.’
Michael takes off his sunglasses, and I see his face is soaked with tears. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. God. I’m so glad you came, Liberty. I can’t tell you how happy. I’ve been waiting sixteen years. Hey, listen. Come into the house. I’ve got something to show you.’
‘Show me what?’
‘Well, that would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?’ Michael bites his lips. ‘You’ve been so close this whole time? This whole time?’
I nod.
‘And you didn’t know I lived in the same county?’
‘I didn’t even know who you were until a few weeks ago.’
‘That must have been quite the surprise.’
‘A big one.’
‘Your mother is good at keeping secrets.’ Michael puts an arm around my shoulder, steering me through the trees. ‘And she certainly knows how to the twist the knife too, keeping you so close by. I turned San Francisco upside down. LA. New York. London too. But you were right here. Hiding in plain sight.’ He takes in a deep breath. ‘But hey. You’re here now and that’s all that matters. Listen. Are you ready to see something special?’
‘Sure.’
‘It’s inside the house. Come on, I’ll show you. You’re gonna love this. Just you wait and see.’