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Allee mingled and chatted with her soon-to-be ex-colleagues, waving goodbye to them as they went back to their offices one by one. Soon, the only ones left were Allee, Gareth, and Antonio. Antonio found a large file box for Allee to pack her few belongings and gifts into before taking it and telling her he'd wait at the elevator.
She looked at Gareth, the affection she'd come to have for him warring with her self-doubt before Gareth embraced her in a gentle hug.
“Allee, you take care of yourself. Here,” he pushed a sealed envelope into Allee's hands. “Take this but don't open it until you get to Brisbane. Promise me?” Allee nodded, her throat constricting, tears clogging up behind her eyes. “If you need anything, anything at all, let me know. And please, keep in contact?” Gareth took one of Allee’s hands in his, patting it gently. “Don't make an old man worry, okay?”
Allee smiled tearfully and nodded, whispering a choked, “Thank you” as she hugged him one last time, before turning to collect her handbag and walk out the door.
Antonio was patiently waiting for Allee at the elevator banks, quietly whistling to himself. When he noticed her approaching, he elbowed the button and gave her a little half smile.
“I bet Cass is pretty pissed that she can't take you out for one last bender tonight, isn't she?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Allee grimaced in a mockery of a smile. “Cass told me that since she couldn't send me off in style, she'd come over and stay the night to help pack the car and make sure I got off safely.” Antonio nodded. The elevator doors opened smoothly, and they entered, faint strains of Tchaikovsky floating out from the speakers.
As they settled in Antonio's car, Allee turned and said, “Y’know, I've never really thanked you for finding me the job with Gareth. I know he didn't really need an assistant and that you both created the position for me, but I've never told you just how grateful I am.”
“I've known you for a long time” Antonio shrugged. “When Cass told me you needed help, I was happy to. We all were. Why else do you think Uncle Dom was happy to let you rent his place month-to-month?” Allee blushed. She didn't realise how much Cass' family had come together to help her out.
“I'll never be able to repay you all for this.”
“Yes, you can. You can repay us by being happy. Do whatever you have to do to get this creep out of your life. Find some decent, responsible, non-psycho guy, settle down with him, and have a bunch of kids. Bring them to Melbourne for a visit and introduce them to their Italian ‘family’. That’s how you can repay us.”
Later on that evening, Allee and Cass sat cross-legged on Allee's bed, Piddle curled up asleep between them. Two empty pizza boxes, a couple of empty soft-drink bottles, and an empty tub of ice cream sat on the end of the bed. The two women had been discussing the route Allee should take. The company were not only providing Allee with a hire car for her trip north, they were also providing accommodation for her and Piddle. It was going to be a very long trip. Allee had decided to make the journey over two days rather than three giving her the Monday to explore her new home city, and recover from the intensity of the previous week. They decided she would go inland, stay overnight in Dubbo, before heading to her accommodation in Springwood. Allee stretched and yawned before looking at her watch to check the time.
“It's getting late, and I've a long day ahead of me tomorrow. We should probably hit the hay,” Cass nodded, noting the late hour on her own watch.
“Yeah, you've got two days of driving, and I've got two days of Uncle Dom complaining about the loss of his beloved tenant while we pack up the rest of your gear. Okay, I'll get rid of the rubbish, and you make sure you've got everything ready.”
Cass walked back inside, locking the back security door before closing and locking the wooden door, ensuring the deadbolt was latched. Then the two women headed back to Allee's bedroom, turning off lights as they went before propping themselves up on the pillows on the bed to talk quietly before they drifted off to sleep.
Two long and tiring days later, Allee arrived at her short-term apartment in Springwood. 1700 kilometres separated her starting point at her former house in Lalor to Brisbane, and after volubly protesting for the first forty minutes each morning, Piddle had faced away from Allee and sulked for the rest of the trip. It was just as well, as Allee had spent much of the drive locked inside her own mind, ignoring the changing landscape outside.
Adrenaline fuelled her as she refused to delve into the happenings over the previous week until after she arrived in Brisbane. She operated mechanically, only taking a break when she stopped for petrol.
Upon the final arrival at their apartment, Piddle had launched herself out of the crate and straight under the couch, hissing at Allee when she tried to lure her out. It had taken some large chunks of BBQ chicken before Piddle emerged, and she spent the next hour thoroughly investigating her new, albeit temporary, dwellings, before holing up in the bedroom.
It took Allee about half an hour to move everything from her hire car to the apartment, and once she was done, she opened her bedroom door and collapsed onto the three-seater couch in the living area. After a couple of minutes of her stomach's noisy sound effects, Allee got up and looked in the folder that was provided, deciding that the Indian restaurant downstairs was tempting. She called down to place her order, and while she was waiting for it to arrive, she fed Piddle and started unpacking.
Allee's dinner arrived, and the smell of hot food enticed the disgruntled feline out of the bedroom, but when Allee bent down to give her a scratch behind the ear, Piddle turned and stalked away. Allee sighed, realising that her cat was going to be sulking for the next couple of days.
Venturing back to the lounge, Allee dialled Cass' number, settling herself down for a long conversation.
“Hey hun, you made it there okay?” said Cass.
“Yeah, long journey, the cat's cracked the shits with me, but I'm here.”
“What's the apartment like? Is it nice or crap?”
“No, it's pretty nice. It's open plan, plus there's a balcony off the lounge, with a table and a couple of chairs. How did you and Uncle Dom go with the rest of my stuff? Have you figured out what you're going to do with it?”
“You, my dearly beloved, are in luck! Uncle Dom has decided to buy all your old furniture and rent the place as furnished. He's written me a cheque to deposit into your account tomorrow, I think you'll have a pleasant surprise once it's cleared.”
They made some more small talk, before ringing off. Allee yawned and stretched before checking the lock on the door, turning off the lights, and making her way into the bedroom.
She was physically exhausted from the long trip, but mentally she felt numb. So much had happened in such a short space of time, and she hadn’t processed it all. After gazing longingly at the spa bath, Allee opted for a shower, as she didn't want to fall asleep in the tub. Ten minutes later, she was back in the bedroom, crawling underneath the sheets, and within moments she was fast asleep.
Allee awoke to a cold, wet nose pressing lightly on one of her eyelids. Apparently, she had been forgiven enough to be reminded that Piddle wanted breakfast. The clock on the kitchen wall read 7.27am, and she was surprised at how long and deeply she had slept. For years, Allee had always woken before six to ensure that she was up and dressed and making Stuart's breakfast. Today, she made herself her coffee and then walked over to the sliding glass door that opened onto the balcony. She drank in the view and took in a deep, peaceful breath. It was a new day, in a new city, and a new chance at life.
Inside, she sorted through the boxes, opening them up and removing some of the contents. One contained some of her favourite books that Stuart had never approved of; her box set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Douglas Adams' Hitch-Hiker series, about two dozen Terry Pratchett novels, and the complete Kit Davenport series by Tate James. Another held a box of loose photographs, photo frames and albums containing pictures of her family and close friends, padded with some of her old stuffed toys.
