Free Avoiding Mr Right by Anita Heiss

having a party
of a life down there.'
    'Now you're being silly. I'm settling in. And don't sit by
the phone, go out and have fun, catch up with your mates.'
    'I thought I'd visit next weekend.'
    'Oh right, well, I'll need to check that it's okay with
Shelley, I mean I just moved in. I'll call you back later.' I
wasn't sure how I felt about James visiting so soon. I felt
like he was gatecrashing the chicks' slumber party. But I did
miss him – and the sex.

ten
Painful piercings
    James arrived at Shelley's at ten am on Saturday; she was out
shopping so we had the place to ourselves. I hadn't realised
how much I'd missed him until I saw him and we kissed.
    We spent that day seeing my St Kilda. I wanted him
to see the area the way I did, so he could understand how
I loved being in Melbourne so much, and why I hadn't
missed Sydney as much as everyone thought I would,
including me. We walked along the pier and it was romantic;
we held hands and laughed like we'd never been apart, like
we were still a couple, like the couple he wanted us to be
back in Sydney.
    'It's so great to be here with you, Peta.'
    'Mmmm, it's really good, eh?' I was truly content.
    'We can have all this again you know, when you come
home. I've started looking at some places for us in the
eastern suburbs near the sea. I know that's what you like. I
love it there too.'
    'Why are you looking already? Twelve months, that was
the deal.'
    'What deal? It wasn't a deal with me, it was a deal you
made with the department. I miss you. I miss us.' He
stopped and looked me in the face.
    'I miss you too, but I need this time alone to learn to
fend for myself, to take care of myself. I need to know who
I am before I come back.'
    'And by then you'll be ready for us again, right?'
    'Yes,' I said softly and as sincerely as I possibly could. I
truly hoped that I would be ready for us by then.
    'And kids and a dog and big diamond, right?'
    Why did he have to go and ruin it?
    There was a long silence.
    'The water's really flat, isn't it?' James offered.
    'Yeah, it's a far cry from Bondi and Bronte and Maroubra,
eh? I really miss the surf beaches back home.' He squeezed
my hand tightly.
    'Yes babe, but they don't have piers to stroll down, do
they?' Like me, he had begun making the trade-offs. Sydney
had something, Melbourne had something else, but it was
like measuring apples and oranges so there was just no point
in even trying.
    'Let's take a photo and send it to Alice and Gary,' he
suggested. I felt like he was trying to prove something to
them – that we were as happy as they were. But I did it
anyway because I wanted to please him.
    We watched lots of families making their way along
the promenade, kids in prams and on rollerblades, babies
screaming, spoilt kids throwing themselves on the ground
having tantrums.
    'That'll be us one day, sweetie,' James whispered in my
ear.
    'You think so? Whiny kids make me want to get my
tubes tied.' James looked deflated, and I knew I had to do
some damage control. 'Anyway, I don't want to share you,'
I said, cuddling into him until he smiled.
    We went to Chinatown for dinner, then to a bar called
Eurotrash with a groovy red velvet Harem Lounge with
chandeliers. James was too conservative to try the Red Light
District for two because the bar was packed and everyone
was watching who entered the confined porn booth.
    It was nice to be around so many straight men, which was
rare in Sydney, so without even knowing it I was ordering
drinks with a certain girly spark.
    'I'll have a Pimm's and lemonade, thanks,' I smiled
cheekily.
    'This one's on the house, love, for being so pretty.'
    'Why thank you, sir, I do believe I might have to come
back here.'
    'Can you stop flirting with everyone?' James said with
gritted teeth.
    'What?'
    'You seem to take their flirting personally – they probably
give every girl a free drink like that to make sure they do come back.'
    'I know that. What? Are you