nothing unmanageable. Nothing drunken. No blackouts and no hangovers. Hey! Maybe I can do this after all. Maybe I don’t have the problem I thought I had.
Julia is the unexpected delight. I came here to get to know my father, and while Brooks is warm and kind, and exactly the sort of father I always wanted, it is Julia I find myself gravitating toward.
I’m in the kitchen when Julia comes downstairs, two rolled-up towels under her arms and a straw bag over her shoulder.
“I’m taking you to the beach.” She opens a drawer and takes out a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic. “It’s a beautiful day, and you and I need to get tanned.”
“You’re already tanned.” I point out her dark skin.
“Never tan enough,” she says. “And as my sister, you should really be doing the same thing, in solidarity.”
“What about Ellie?” I ask dubiously, for Ellie’s skin is lighter, Ellie goes nowhere without a hat, and does not, as far as I know, sit on the beach unless covered by an umbrella.
“That’s the point. She’s freaked out about the sun aging her skin, I need someone like you to live on the wild side with me. You ready? Let’s get moving!”
We climb on bikes and cycle down to the beach, a boom box stuffed in Julia’s straw basket, Julia chattering away, shouting back over her shoulder as I laugh, unable to hear half of what she says. I love this girl’s energy. I love her enthusiasm and warmth, and that it feels as if I have known her forever.
“Tell me more about you.” She stretches out her arms and sighs with pleasure at the warmth of the sun hitting her oiled-up skin. “Boyfriend? Dating? What’s the story?”
I tell her about my disastrous love life, and then mention Jason, my un-boyfriend, my hopefully future boyfriend, Julia hooting with laughter when I recount the story of how we met.
“You actually don’t remember how you got there?” In anyone else I would expect to see shock, because God knows waking up in a stranger’s bed is not exactly something I’m proud of, but Julia thinks it’s hysterical. “That’s wild!” she says. “Imagine if he’s the guy you end up marrying! What a great story to tell your kids!” And she goes off into peals of laughter while I smile.
Imagine.
We talk, and laugh, and giggle, and confide secrets. I don’t remember the last time I did this with anyone; I had forgotten just how much fun girlfriends can be. I have had it at work, with Poppy, with Jackie, but they’re all so busy now with their boyfriends, husbands, other couples, I had forgotten how great it is to just hang out with someone just like you.
* * *
“It’s just a weak Bloody Mary, for God’s sake,” says Aidan, sliding it off the tray and putting it on the table. “I promise you I’m not going to get you drunk again. And I’m really sorry for that, by the way. But I can tell by looking at you that you need a drink. Hell, everyone needs a drink. Isn’t life just more fun with a drink under your belt?”
He’s right. Life is more fun with a drink under your belt. I’ve managed not to drink anything for ten days now. Surely I deserve one small drink as a reward?
“I’m just going to have the one,” I say, first to him, then to Julia, who is reaching out for a Bloody Mary of her own.
“Whatever.” She grins. “Cheers!” And we clink glasses and my God, but it feels good. Who would give this up by choice?
One leads to another, to another, and soon whatever mortification I felt the other day is forgotten, and whatever shame I felt has disappeared, and life is not only good again but huge amounts of fun, and Aidan is working, and Julia and I sit together and laugh and share stories, as Aidan brings us drinks, and food, and I love life again, and most of all, I love that I have finally found the one thing I always wanted: a sister.
* * *
The restaurant has closed; the staff is sitting around, all of them drinking, smoking, telling funny stories. It is late, and I am drinking, and thinking I should stop, although I’m not sure why, when the peal of the restaurant phone interrupts the raucous telling of stories, and Julia is called to the phone.
“Shit. My dad just passed out at the bar. I have to go and