Fast Forward (11 page)

“Let’s see …” I eyed the e-menu, but the words blurred slightly under my gaze. I leaned in closer, but they blurred even more, so I tucked my chin to my chest and leaned back. That made things clearer, but I could barely make out the words.

“What are you doing?” Kasey giggled.

I must have looked like a right idiot. “I can’t seem to read the menu. Is yours blurry too?”

“Put your glasses on,” she replied.

Glasses? I wouldn’t be seen dead in glasses and besides, I’d never needed them.

“Honestly Kel, I know you hate wearing them, but presbyopia is a normal condition for people your age. You need the glasses to help focus on things up close.”

Geez, not another bodily defect. I’ll add that to the list of thirty seven other afflictions for the middle-aged, shall I?

I pinched my e-pad and reopened William’s message. I had no problem reading that, but the text was three times the size of the e-menu, so no wonder. “I forgot to bring my glasses.”

“Then enlarge the screen.”

“Oh.” I tentatively pinched the screen on the table and hoped it functioned like the e-pad. It worked and a listing of the available food choices came into focus. “Hang on,” I looked up at Kasey. “You’re not much younger than me, how come you can read the menu so easily?”

“I had the surgery, remember? The surgery you were too chicken to have, so you opted for the glasses which you’re too chicken to wear?”

“Ah yes. Well, if everything can be enlarged, why even bother with the surgery or glasses?”

“Not everything in the world is written in holo-ink, Kelli. Technology hasn’t come that far.”

I stifled a chuckle. Kasey may have grown with the technology, but when you’ve been shoved into the future suddenly you realise how far it had come. I assessed the menu options and resisted the urge to express shock at the prices. Not to mention some of the strange food combinations. By the looks of it, genetic modification really did take off, despite all the protests. Turken, cranberry and camembert melt on broccolato rosti. What the heck was that? Turken … aha! Turkey Chicken. Broccolato … ah, so someone had found a way to genetically combine a potato with broccoli, huh? Ingenious for all the vegetable haters/potato lovers out there.

“What will it be, madam?” the waiter asked me as he approached.

Madam—or in other words … old woman. I was used to being called
Miss
and
Love
and
Sweetie
.

“I’ll have the turken, thanks.” I swallowed a giggle.

“And I’ll have the steamed salmon with roast vegetable salad,” Kasey said.

Wow. She was much healthier than I remembered. She’d always ordered things like fish and chips, pizza, or hamburgers. Salmon and vegetables? I was impressed.

The waiter disappeared into the kitchen and for the second time that day my stomach grumbled. Geez, what was wrong with me? Before, I could go all day without eating and now I couldn’t even last a couple of hours.

“So, how’s business? I hear you’re meeting
the
Mr Turrow this afternoon,” Kasey enquired.

Mr Turrow … that was the guy’s name! I still didn’t know who he was or what the meeting was for but at least I wouldn’t call him Mr Tugboat now. “Yes, that’s right. Um, it’s going well I guess.” For all I knew, business could be on a downward spiral and Mr Turrow could be some kind of debt collector.

Hang on … business … assuming she meant my business, then I must actually own KC Interiors!

“Who would have thought all those years ago that it would turn out so successful, huh?” Kasey added. “Must be the fantastic name we came up with.” She winked.

We
came up with it? But it obviously stood for Kelli Crawford, my maiden name.

“I’m glad you eventually surrendered the ‘Kelli’s Designs’ idea and went with mine. I mean, KC Interiors—it’s just so brilliant how we combined our names. Poor old Will, not getting any naming rights, but he does own more of the company than I do and keeps the boat floating so to speak. We couldn’t have done it without him.” Kasey leaned forward. “Although, he couldn’t have done it without us. Your talent, my money and his business skills … perfect!”

So much information circled around my head trying to be processed, new revelations continually added to the proverbial merry-go-round in my mind. So, my sister was part owner of my business … and William and I were not only husband and wife, but business partners. Whatever happened to not mixing business with pleasure? And the name, KC … aha! Kay-Cee … Ka-sey … Kasey Interiors! We used our initials which just so happened to sound like Kasey’s name. It
was
brilliant.

Despite momentary pride at my success and the relief that I wasn’t just a housewife after all, I still didn’t understand why I hadn’t become a successful model. Mum would have loved it … would have been so proud. I remembered what the psychic said about her being sorry and I felt all weird inside, so I made the effort to push the memory from my mind.

When the waiter arrived with our meals I was anxious to check out the turken and broccolato. I immediately sliced off a tender chunk and pierced my fork into the flesh, along with a fragment of the crispy rosti.

“Holy crap!” I exclaimed after a deep moan. “This is freakin’ delicious.”

Kasey’s loaded fork paused near her open mouth and her eyes widened. A serious looking woman with lips like a taut rubber band glared my way from the table near us.

“What?” As I asked the question I realised I had spoken like a twenty-five-year-old as opposed to a mature woman of a certain age. Oh, and
freakin’
probably wasn’t the word of the moment in the future … although had I heard Ryan saying it earlier? I couldn’t remember. Nothing new there.

From then on I used more appropriate words like divine, mouth-watering and heavenly, while Kasey simply said her meal was great as usual. When we’d finished our lunch and a dessert of—get this—oyster ice cream on honeycomb wafers, I downed a mouthful of the rich, warm liqueur-free affogato I’d decided to indulge in, despite having had more than enough caffeine and adrenalin for one day. Not to mention dairy. Whether it was the melted cheese on the turken or the oyster ice cream or the affogato I didn’t know, but my stomach was bloating like a balloon. Well, considering the fact that I woke up with a balloon-like stomach anyway, it was filling up like a large helium-filled balloon. With any luck it would continue inflating and float my cumbersome body back to the past. Hopefully it wouldn’t suddenly deflate with a high-pitched squeal.

“Did you forget to take your enzyme tablets?” Kasey asked, gesturing towards my stomach as I rubbed it a little. “You’ve probably overdone the lactose.”

“Damn.” I nodded. I didn’t know where to find any tablets as I wasn’t even carrying a handbag. No one seemed to carry handbags. Poor Prada must be out of business by now. Just me and my e-pad. Unless the e-pad also stored tablets, as well as glasses for my failing eyesight? It could be like a Mary Poppins e-pad.

“I’m sure it’ll pass,” Kasey said, indulging in an affogato too and for the first time since I sat down opposite her at the table I noticed the diamond glinting on her left hand. On
the
finger … as in the engagement-wedding-marriage finger. A single stone cradled by a spiral of gold melded perfectly alongside a plain gold band.

My sister was married! I couldn’t believe it. Kasey … a wife? I never thought I’d see the day. Well I’d guessed it was always possible, but I never saw her as the marrying type. Once, when she was about seventeen, I even thought she might be gay because she seemed to brighten up whenever my friend Rachel came over. But it turned out she just wanted to be one of us, although she never was. She was and always would be in my eyes, Kasey the bug-obsessed tomboy … which, as it seemed, had worked out well for her.

“How’s hubby?” I couldn’t resist asking. I wanted the goss.

“He’s great. Busy with his new anti-skin cancer campaign. I’m so proud of all the awareness he’s raised.”

Twenty five years later and skin cancer remained a problem by the sounds of it. Probably due to that global warming stuff. Kasey’s husband was probably a medical type too, some kind of doctor or researcher perhaps? I bet he and Kasey were like twins. Two little (well, not that little) scientific types discussing bugs and … holo-ink over the breakfast table.

“Sounds like he’s been a busy boy,” I added, hoping for more details.

“Yes, but not too busy to come to your party tonight, of course. We’re both looking forward to it.”

Oh yay, I’d get to meet her husband. How cute! I smiled at my little sister, feeling suddenly protective and big-sisterly and guilty for the many times I’d made fun of her as a child.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kasey asked with one eyebrow cocked.

“It’s just, well, do you remember the night before my twenty-fifth birthday (last night to be exact, but what could I say?), when you got upset at the bar and stormed off during my speech?”

Kasey’s eyebrows drew together and she tapped at her chin. “Oh yes, you were talking about your fantastic life, while I was thinking how crappy mine was.”

“Well, I can’t remember if I ever apologised for whatever it was that upset you and for any times I made you feel left out. So, I’m apologising now. I’m sorry.”

Kasey flicked her hand towards me. “Oh, don’t be silly, it’s all in the past. And besides, I was really only upset that night because of Dad.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah. You would have been a mess too if you’d just found out the father you thought was flesh and blood wasn’t your biological father after all.”

Whoa, what?

A splatter of coffee escaped my lips and I wiped it away quickly with my hand.

“I didn’t want to disturb your birthday celebrations by telling you I was only your half-sister, which is why I waited till the day after your birthday to tell you.”

I wanted to yell out at the top of my lungs,
Mum had an affair?
and
We have different fathers?
but it took all my effort to remain composed. Besides, if I let loose my stomach probably would too.

Kasey looked concerned at my spluttering, so I lied and told her some coffee went down the wrong way.

“So I wasn’t really upset with you at all that night, I was just feeling … like a reject, I guess. But at least it all made sense after that. I mean, you and I, we were always so different. And with Dad being a builder, a practical man who never finished high school, and Mum not having a scientific bone in her body, it was strange how I didn’t resemble them. Even though I had Mum’s genes too, I obviously took after the scientific, enquiring mind of Mum’s physiotherapist.”

Oh man, I couldn’t believe it! Mum had an affair with her physio and the result of that was Kasey. Dad probably believed she was his child.

“So when did Dad find out about the affair again, I can’t remember?”

“Just before Mum died she confessed. Said she didn’t love the other guy, just fell in love with the pain relief he was sometimes able to provide.”

“I can’t believe he waited so long to tell us.”

“Yeah, but I guess he was only looking out for me in his own way. Not wanting to tell me until I’d finished school and got my degree. But then I told him I was going to keep studying for my Masters, followed by a PhD and the poor guy probably thought he’d never find a good time to tell me the truth!” Kasey took a quick sip of her coffee which had now melted the ice cream in the affogato.

“So,” I began tentatively, “Do you know if he’s coming tonight?” I really wanted to talk to Dad and understand everything that had happened all those years ago.

Kasey looked at me with morbid disgust. “What do you mean is he coming tonight?”

“I mean, I’m not sure who’s on the guest list so I was just wondering …”

“Stop joking around, Sis. I wish I could see him again too sometimes but at six feet under, I doubt that’ll be happening anytime soon.”

It was as though my heart was in an elevator that had just plummeted from top to bottom of a thirty storey building.

“Dad’s … dead?”

“The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”

–
Muhammad Ali

“Kel, are you okay?” Kasey leaned forward and placed her hand on my arm. “Will texted me earlier to say you were feeling … vulnerable.”

“I … I don’t understand how Dad could have … died.” My voice shook.

“Kel, the pancreatic cancer took him a few years back. I know we haven’t discussed it much, but I feel bad too, not having been there to say goodbye.”

“Why? Why did this have to happen?”

“Just life, I guess. If he hadn’t expanded his building company overseas to work on those commercial developments, maybe we would have got to him sooner. But there’s no point feeling guilty now.” Kasey gave my arm a light squeeze.

I shook her hand from my arm, too raw for human touch.

“The disease came on so fast there was nothing we could have done to help. He wouldn’t have wanted us to see him suffer. It’s understandable he didn’t contact us till it was close to the end.” Kasey shook her head slowly from side to side. “It’s such a shame that he’d gone by the time we arrived at the hospital, I often wonder … if only we’d left a day earlier.”

The emptiness sat heavy in my chest like a brick, weighing down my lungs, unable to breathe. Both my parents. Gone. I had never felt so alone in all my life.

“Oh, sorry Kel. I shouldn’t be dredging up the past on your birthday,” Kasey said, a look of concern on her face.

“No, it’s okay,” I replied. “I need to talk about it. I don’t want Dad to be forgotten.” I paused, silent for a moment. “When did I last see him?” I asked, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. “I need to remember the last time I saw him.”

“I think it was about a year before he died, when you took that quick trip? I didn’t go of course … too caught up in my work.”

“Oh, yes. That’s right.” How could I have let a whole year go by without seeing him again? Kasey must have been absent a lot longer. “Did you ever actually visit him, overseas?” I asked with a curious eye, as though it had simply slipped my mind.