Chapter 15 - Emails From A Gardiner
From: Liadan Gardiner mailto: Sent: Sunday, 25 May 2008 5:28 PMTo: Lizzy BennetSubject: Amore
Lizzy baby!
I heard what happened, tough break with the stud muffins. Your mother called and told me everything! I can't believe Billy proposed to you, I can't believe anyone would for that matter. Kidding, kidding. Poor Charli though, lumped with that toad for life, she sounds happy though.
Everything is good at our end, your uncle won't let the twins out of his sight. it's a good thing he is his own boss or we would be on the streets. Lily and Rose are just learning to walk, and we had to baby proof the entire house. We're dying for their first words, I keep hoping for Mama and Gary wants Daddy. We've booked a holiday to England for the end of the year, we're determined our little girls will be the brightest, most cultured flowers in our garden. Just wait until you see them, maybe by then you will have given up teasing us on the fact we gave them the names of flowers. I still think its cute.
On to serious topics. How is Jane? I know she and this Charlie guy were getting close. You told me they hooked up a few times but nothing serious yet because he's significantly older, but how is she taking his departure? She's so fragile our Janey, too sweet for her own good.(1)
Your favourite, hip and cool aunty!
Lizzy smiled when she received an email from her favourite aunt. Liadan Gardiner was the wife of her mothers much younger brother and Liadan and Gary where barely into their mid twenties with two beautiful little girls.
From: Lizzy Bennet mailto: Sent: Sunday, 25 May 2008 7:41PMTo: Liadan GardinerSubject: RE: Amore
Amore? So we're speaking Italian are we? Hmm, how are Giglio and Rosa by the way? I still think you should have given them better names, or at least better than Lily and Rose. Maybe Arika and Rosie or something. Arika is so much more romantic, and you still get the whole flower-gardener thing, which is still ridiculous, do you know what your children will go through at school? I used to get teased because my named rhymed! With dizzy, so I was dizzy Lizzy until I beat up Jason Wiltshire in gr 2. Your just handing it to them on a silver platter. Your kids will hate you. (2)
I don't care that the 'stud muffins' (where the hell did you pluck that from? You really are getting old) are gone. Darcy was an asshole, Caroline was the devil child of an mentally disturbed oompaloompah and the wicked witch, and Charles for all his charm turned out to be an illusion. His oldest sister, Lousia and her husband Richard are awesome. Richie has been introduced to vegemite, and he taught me to make a yaga bomb, and Loulou has the best fashion taste ever. She got me this dress, I'll wear it at my 18th, you will NOT believe how perfect it is. She also helped me get my formal dress.
Jane is Jane. She pretends nothings wrong but we share a room, I can hear her cry at night. Besides, we're twins. We know when the other is upset, or happy or scared. Do you remember that time I got lost in the Grampians and Jane and I found each other because of 'a feeling'? She sits and stares at his house, under the pretence of reading, but this morning the book was upside down. I'm so worried about her.
Xoxox
Peace
Dizzy Lizzy, godmother of the two budding growths in the Gardiner home.
From: Liadan Gardiner mailto: Sent: Monday, 26 May 2008 10:28 AMTo: Lizzy BennetSubject: Ideas!
Jane is depressed your Mother tells me. Apparently your school counciller has suggested a holiday away from everything. Well send her up here on the Queens Birthday for the two weeks before the school holidays start. She can help me with the girls and have some time by herself in the city and just be away. How's that sound?
P.S How's that George guy? You and he seem to be seeing a lot of each other. He's cute but be careful.
From: Lizzy Bennet mailto: Sent: Monday, 26 May 2008 5:30 PMTo: Liadan GardinerSubject: RE: Ideas!
That sounds awesome! Jane would love that, I'll suggest it to her. Cause then she can spend the month with you, and won't have to put up with the three stooges while I'm visiting Charlotte! Plus your in Sydney aunty, just like someone I know who may, upon finding this out, come and see her. But I won't suggest it to her, for fear of getting her hopes up.
P.S He's good, he's dating Mary King, she inherited the hair dresser I work at recently, shes 22. Probably more his age. He's older than Darcy as it is. It doesn't bother me, he is a bit too charming and charismatic for me, but we'll stay friends.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
The end of term and passing of two months came quickly for Jane and Lizzy who scrambled hectically to get all their work submitted and studied late into the night for their mid year exams. Lizzy had an Australian history exam, Literature and bother girls had a practise English exam and the dreaded three hour GAT. Jane spent the whole three hours working steadily through the no study, multiple answer, general knowledge test while Lizzy quickly read over everything, circled the first thing that came to mind and scribbled erratic answers on her written task, knowing that she would have to be comatised to miss her final exams, and was out of there before anyone else.
That night she dropped her sister off at the Airport, proudly presenting their new car and P-plates to the world. She watched Jane walk into the airport alone, her lithe blonde figure finally disappearing into the crowds before Lizzy went back to the car and drove back home.
Two weeks of school without her twin were hard for Lizzy, though she was never without company. Her vivacious spirit and dry humour were in high demand and she spent the time socialising with people her sister didn't particularly approve of. (Friday nights she and her boys, Jason, Greg and Bobby would get drunk and the boys would do nudie runs around the park while she filmed peoples reactions.)
Finally came the last day of term, and Lizzy's plane to Sydney. She drove herself to the airport, leaving it in the long term carpark so that when she and Jane returned from Sydney together they could drive themselves home. She got through quickly, her suitcase went through without problem and her carry on was only divested of a pair of nail clippers she had forgotten were in there. Finally she was sitting on the plane, the headphone in and Inheritance (3) open on her lap.
"Now arriving in Sydney, please remain seated and we hope you enjoyed your flight with Qantas airlines."
Lizzy woke with a start, her face pressed up against the window and her hair escaping its messy pony tail, she blinked wearily and packed away the few things she had, waiting for the plane to land. After sitting around for half an hour because a suitcase had been left on the tarmac Lizzy was finally off the plane. She sneezed warily, some smell making her eyes water. She tugged her favourite two sizes too large men's hoodie down over her ragged jeans, and pushed hair out of her face as she looked about for Charli. Finally, standing with a huge sign over her head she spotted her best friend.
"Dizzy Lizzy"
(1) I want the Gardiners to be younger and hipper, more like a best friend than an aunt and uncle. They are meant to represent to Lizzy the ideal young married couple. Liadan is 24 and Gary is 26, they have twin little girls who are just a little over a year old.
(2) Giglio and Rosa are obviously Lily and Rose in Italian. Arika is an aboriginal name for a waterlily, its my favourite name, well one of them for a little girl.
(3) Inheritance by Hannie Rayson. It's a yr 12 English book for 2008. Pretty good, its about inheritance obviously and the issue of who gets it and who doesn't. It also addresses issues of race, gender, prejudice and xenophobia as well as drunkeness, politics and suicide. It's a play. I met the author today actually.
A/N Ok, I know this is short but I needed to get something done before I lose it completely. Yr 12 is hectic, for the last few weeks I've had two SACs a week and research SACs to do at home as well as more homework than I've done in my life, work and a suddenly booming social life. I'm going to try and get the first Rosings chapter up this week. don't get your hopes up, I have a Legal SAC tomorrow and an English Oral/ drama monologue on Thursday and this weekend is my 18th (yeh I'm hinting…so what?) and I have a full agenda. I will try though.
Btw anyone who gets the chapter heading, full kudos to you even if it isn't an Australian reference. I do American Revs at school. AND I totally have another idea for an Australian based PP that actually addresses the issues down under, so I'm going to get this done and start that and my modernised Persuasion. Read and Review guys.