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I guess that was as good a term as any for being suddenly in charge of a nineteen-year-old girl who was nothing like the child she used to be. But I remembered right away all that Oliver had done for me. He taught me how to ride a bike. He got his nose busted in a fight when we were studying in Brisbane, a fight I got him into. I sighed and snuffed out my cigarette on the ground.
“We’ll work it out fine,” I said.
“Leah can take her bike to school. She usually spends her free time shut up in her room. I can’t get her out of there, you know… Hopefully everything will go back to normal. She’s got some rules; I’ll tell you about those later. I’ll be here every month, and…”
“Relax, it doesn’t sound that complicated.”
It wouldn’t be for me, not the same way it had been for him. All I’d have to do is get used to living with someone, which I hadn’t done for years, and keep control. Control over myself. The rest we would work out on the fly. After the accident, Oliver had felt obligated to give up the carefree lifestyle he and I had known when we were growing up to become his sister’s guardian, and work in a field he didn’t care for but that gave him a good salary and stability.
My friend sucked in a breath and looked at me.
“You’ll take care of her, right?”
“Shit, of course I will.”
“Good, because Leah…is the only thing I have left.”
I nodded, and with one look, we understood each other: he was calm and knew I would do everything in my power to make sure Leah was happy, and I realized I was probably the person Oliver trusted most.
5
_________
Axel
Oliver smiled and raised his glass.
“To good friends!” he shouted.
I toasted with him and took a sip of the cocktail they had just served us. It was the last Saturday before Oliver left for Sydney, and I had insisted we go out for a bit. We had ended up in the same place as always, at Cavvanbah, an open-air bar on the edge of town near the seashore. It was named after the aborigines’ term for the area, and it meant “meeting place,” which summed up the spirit and identity of Byron Bay. The building where they served the drinks and the few tables were painted an island blue that matched the thatched roof, the palm trees, and the swings hanging from the ceiling around the bar.
“I can’t believe I’m going.”
I nudged him and he laughed humorlessly.
“It’ll just be a year, and you’ll come back every month.”
“And Leah, fuck, Leah…”
“I’ll take care of her,” I repeated. I’d been saying the same words all day since that morning when I opened the door for him and we worked out our plan. “We’ve always done this, right? Stay above water, get ahead, that’s what it’s all about.”
He rubbed his face and sighed. “If only it was that simple.”
“It is. Come on, let’s have some fun.” I got up after one last sip. “I’m going for two more; you want the same?”
Oliver nodded, and I walked away from the table, stopping a few times to greet acquaintances. It was a small town, and almost all of us knew each other, even if just by sight. I leaned on the bar and smiled when Madison grimaced after serving drinks to the two people next to me.
“Back for more? You trying to get drunk?”
“I don’t know. Depends. If I do, will you take advantage of me?”
Madison suppressed a smile while she grabbed a bottle. “Would you like me to?”
“Always, you know that.”
She looked me dead in the eye as she pushed the glasses forward. “You want me to wait for you, or you have plans?”
“I’ll be here when you wrap up.”
