Page 17 of Eva Reddy’s Trip of a Lifetime

What Eva Did Next

The house is deathly quiet but for the relentless ticking of that damned carriage clock.

Slowly, I begin to formulate a plan. It’s crazy. It is entirely unhinged. But so is my life.

I am going to India to retrieve my parents. And I’m going there in business class.

Because fuck Jonathan.

And how hard can it be to find a Bollywood-dancing septuagenarian? Even in the world’s second most-populated city, Debbie Reddy will stand out. She is a one in thirty million kind of woman. And I don’t mean that as a compliment.

As I pack to leave my old life behind, somewhere deep inside, I feel the old Eva awaken.

And I like it.

From the journals and miscellaneous paperwork of Eva Reddy (Age 17)

Monday, September 17th, 1989

SCHOOL’S OUT

By Gazette Editor Eva Reddy

There are just a few days of school left. Twelve years—almost our entire lifetimes—and suddenly everything is about to change.

It’s exciting. And also, a little scary.

We’re all focused on the upcoming exams. They’re important, of course they are.

But they should not dictate the rest of our lives.

Whatever our final mark, let’s promise each other that we will keep following our dreams. Perhaps the path to our goal will be a little more circuitous than we planned.

Or maybe we’ll arrive at a different and even more brilliant destination.

All that matters is that we get there. Somehow, someway. No excuses.

We have our whole lives ahead of us. I can’t wait to go to our reunions and hear about all the amazing things we’ve achieved.

It’s been quite a ride and I want to thank you all for making my school years so wonderful. I’m sad to be saying goodbye and signing off as your editor for the last time. But I’m leaving with the best memories and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next. We all should be.

And remember …

Every one of us can do and be anything. We just have to believe in ourselves.

We are all amazing if we let ourselves be.

Promise.

From: Me

To: Debbie Reddy

I’m on my way to India. Please let me know which hotel you are staying in and don’t go anywhere. I can take you wherever you want when I get there.

Eva

From: Me

To: Jonathan Moore

There’s been an emergency. Mum and Dad have gone missing in India. I’ve jumped on a flight to Delhi to find them and bring them home.

You’ll find 3–4 days of meals in the garage freezer. Take them out overnight to thaw. Scoop them onto a bowl or plate and give them 20 minutes in the microwave.

Eva

From: Me

To: Katie Taylor; Rachael Ezzy

Dear Friends,

I am emailing you as I wait to board my flight to India. Surprise!

Yes. I realise this is an unexpected turn of events. But not quite as unexpected as seeing my husband of 26 years with his tongue down the throat of someone who would have attended our wedding in a stroller, if she was born at all.

But you don’t need to know the ugly details and I don’t need to relive them. So, let’s get straight to the chase, shall we? And I have no doubt, I’ve got quite the chase ahead of me.

I’d love to pretend that I have left Jonathan for good, cleaned out our bank accounts and am off searching for enlightenment on the subcontinent. The truth is far less impressive. Although I did locate those passwords, so the joint account has taken a pummelling.

My parents have gone missing in India and given my dad’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and my mother’s penchant for a drink or ten, I need to find them and bring them safely home.

As I negotiated my way through immigration, I realised that I’ve never actually travelled by myself before.

I went from childhood trips to the Gold Coast with my parents to luxury holidays in the Pacific with Jonathan every other Christmas.

Travelling to India is going to be next level, but I’ll be fine.

I would have owned this back in the day.

Plus, I picked up a book from the airport store that’s full of helpful travel tips.

It’s called A Single Girl’s Guide to India .

I’m more a scorned wife than a single girl but I plan to read it cover to cover before I get off the plane.

And I promise I’ll keep you up to date on my progress.

So please don’t worry about me. Sure, I was an absolute mess earlier today.

And I’m still fragile. But I’m also relieved.

It’s so much better to know the worst than to imagine it.

Plus, I’m feeling strangely free. It is liberating to just do something without worrying about how Jonathan will react.

I didn’t realise how much time and energy I spent tip-toeing around his moods.

So, let’s put a positive spin on this disaster.

I’m a week into my fifties and I’ve finally started to make inroads into my ‘by the time I’m fifty’ goal list. My career is over.

I haven’t written a book and I’m not a size 8.

But I am travelling the world, and I might even be single. Next, I’ll work on being fabulous.

I’ve decided to do some writing while I’m away. And I’m going to use you guys as my sounding board. Maybe I’ll turn it all into a blog one of these days.

Love, Eva

PS I left a note for Jonathan telling him to heat up meals in the microwave for 20 minutes. Burn, baby, burn! Of course, I won’t be laughing when I come home and have to clean up the mess. Still …