Once again I'm so sorry for taking so long to post a new chapter. I've been crazy busy with school, and travelling over seas (I know, poor me. :P). But I'm back now and eager to really get into this story again.
Chapter Thirty- Eight
So life went on. Ella and I got on with things after dad left. We only really ever talked to him every now and then on the phone on special occasions and holidays. And the sat thing was, we didn't mind.
He was happier in Sydney. Ella and I both heard it in his voice. We had thought it was because he finally came to peace with loosing mum, now that he was away in a new state, new town, new house, new job, away from, us... but then we found out about Celia Ryes.
Celia Ryes was a divorcee ten years dad's junior. They met, I found out years later, at Celia's book signing. Celia was a first time author trying to get publicity for her 'how to book', and dad, new in town, walked in off the street to see what was going on, and the rest, as Celia says, was history.
Dad married Celia fourteen months after meeting her. They married at a registry office with three witnesses, Celia's elderly mother, and Ella and I. Dad had rang us the weekend before the wedding to invite us. Ella and I had spent the week leading up to it switching between wanting to go and not, and arguing endlessly. In the end I made the final decision to go. I knew we'd regret it if we didn't.
Fang, Iggy and I finished our second year of university. I got a job straight out of university with the newspaper I had done work placement with during my last month of uni. It was only as a secretary, but I planned to work my way up.
Iggy went on to do his last year of university, as Nudge had wanted him to do. He worked part time in the science department of his university when he had any spare time. Things were tough for him and Nudge for awhile, but they made things work.
Fang was recommended by his photography teacher to help out the teachers brother as a wedding and special occasions photographer. It wasn't exactly what Fang wanted to do with his life, but it payed the pulls for awhile.
Ella graduated high school and got excepted into Melbourne University to become a Vet, like mum.
Angel finished her first year at Melbourne University and went on to do her second year. She worked part time at a restaurant close to her and Ella's apartment block. That was also the year she started dating Pete Marley, who was a carpenter two years older then her and a regular at the restaurant. He came to the restaurant every day to see if she was working that day and would ask her out every time, until she finally gave in.
Gazzy came back from his year away at Bondi beach and got a job at a popular local beach as a regular life guide.
And Nudge, well, she had her baby on the 28th of November at eleven in the morning. We had all been at Nudge and my apartment lounging around with the curtains closed and the air condition blaring. It was the end of spring but felt very much like the middle of summer. It was already 42 degrees Celsius and still early.
We all went up to the hospital with Nudge and Iggy and met Nudge's parents up there.
We waited the whole twenty-nine hours during the birth of the first baby in our group, Iggy and Nudges beautiful boy.
Levi.
Age Twenty-One
"Gees, Angel, Well done girl." Nudge says with a small smirk directed at Angel.
Angel, Nudge, Ella and I are standing in front of the construction site Pete Marley, Angels new boyfriend, is working on. All of our eye's are glued on a fit, tall guy with tanned skin and dark brown hair.
"Why have you been hiding him from us?" Ella asks, not taking her eye's off Pete.
Angel laughs. "I haven't"
"You've been dating him for how long?" Ella asks looking at Angel with raised eyebrows.
"Six mouths." Nudge answers for Angel.
I look back over at Pete. "He's coming over here guys." I say in a hushed tone, trying to talk from the corner of my mouth, as if it matters if he hears us, well...
Ella, Nudge and I quickly look away trying to look casual. Nudge turns away from Pete tripping over a tool box, that sits discarded on the muddy ground.
"Smooth." Angel says with a smirk. Nudge recovers quickly and gives Angel a 'I don't know what your talking about' look.
"Well hi there." Pete says when he's a couple meters away from us. He smiles. I think Ella just sighed.
"Hi." Angel smiles sweetly, blushing slightly. Angel blushing. Now that's something I haven't seen before.
"Hey Ladies." He says, looking between Ella, Nudge and myself. He holds his hand out to each of us, saying his name and that it's nice to meet us. We each shake his hand, and introduce ourselves.
"I've heard a lot about you guys." Pete says. "Are the boys here as well?" He looks up over our heads at Angel's car behind us parked by the foot path.
"We've lost them." Nudge replies. "Unintentionally, of course." She adds as an after thought.
Pete laughs.
"We were following their car when we past your work site and Angel pointed it out so we decided to stop and say hi." I say, smiling at the still blushing Angel. "Isn't that right Angel?" He had planned this lie.
"Hm, we were passing by." Angel nods her head her blond curls falling over her face, she pushes them back quickly and Pete smiles at her.
The truth was we were headed back to our home town to visit Nudge's parents. It's their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and their having a big party. We only wanted to take the two car's so we decided on having a boy's car and a girl's car for the trip. Before we left though us girls had a meeting and said we would loose the boys and find Pete's work site. We had Angel ring him and find out where he was today. So as we were following the boys we took a 'wrong' turn and twenty minutes in the wrong direction found ourselves here.
"So, what are you, Greek?" Nudge asks. I turn to look at her serious face and can't help a snort of laughter, I try to cover it with a cough.
"Italian." Pete answers looking amused, but slightly baffled.
"Nice." Nudge says giving Angel a thumbs up. Angel rolls her eyes. And I try to suppress another laugh.
"Big family?" Nudge questions looking too interested.
"Yes. Very big. I have twenty-five first cousins alone."
"Twenty-Five?" Ella repeats. "How is that even possible?"
"Stop interrogating him!" Angel exclaims.
"Oh, I don't mind." Pete says with a easy going smile.
Nudge grins. "See, he doesn't mind. We just want to get to know him." As she's saying this her phone begins to ring. She pulls it out of her pocket and looks down at it, squinting in the sun. "It's Iggy." She finally says before pressing the answer button and putting it to her ear.
"Hey." She says, then listens for a minute. "Oh... yeah, yeah we got lost, you know, car full of girls, it was bound to happen. Where are we?... we are somewhere?" She pauses for a moment. And we can hear Iggy's voice, we just can't make out what he's saying.
"What? No of course we're not harassing Angels boyfriend. I'm ashamed that you would suggest such a thing... I am a respectable woman, I am a mother." She looks up at Pete and shrugs her shoulders having the decency to look sheepish for a moment before putting on her best hurt voice. "Okay Ig, yep, we know where we're going now. See you in half an hour." She hangs up and looks at us smiling.
"He knows your lying." I say.
"I know." Nudge laughs. "We better get going." she starts to push Ella towards the car, but turns back, "Oh, Pete my parents are having their twenty-fifth anniversary party this evening. Your welcome to come. You can meet the rest of us and my son Levi."
"Thank you. I'd love to." He says then looks at Angel and they share a smile.
"I finish here in two hours I might be a little late." He says.
"Oh, that's no worries at all, come when ever you can." Nudge waves her hand dismissively. "I'll see you later." She beams.
The four of us head back to the car and once we're in site erupt into squeals of girlish laughter and giggles.
Ella looks at Angel as if she's won the Nobel Prize. "He just has this kind of... effect on you, I can't explain it, well, actually I can, he oozes charm."
"Down girl." I say rolling my eyes.
I just want to quickly thank everyone who's taking the time to review, even if I don't get time to message back and thank you please know that I really love to see your reviews and I try to take on what you say. So thanks.