Free Up Over Down Under by Micol Ostow Page B

vintage clothing store where Jess tried on a pair of flared jeans that hung perfectly on her hips. Eliza found a very cute blousy top to wear over jeans when the weather turned a bit warmer. They picked through the offerings in a funky little jewelry shop where Nomes grabbed a pair of dangly earrings with some sort of purple stones in them.
    Too quickly, however, evening was approaching, and the girls had to find their way back home. Eliza stuffed her new shirt in her school bag, and they hopped a tram through downtown, back over the bridge just after dark, and on into South Yarra and Toorak, where they parted.
    Eliza found herself alone on the tram for the last few stops. As she looked at the people walking along Toorak Road, heading into restaurants for dinner, she thought back on what a great day she had had. It hadn’t taken long for her to make great friends, she loved Melbourne already, and she didn’t miss suffocating D.C. one bit.
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    The following week passed quickly for Eliza. After spending a day of her internship up to her thighs in the muck of the bay collecting enough specimen jars to start her own museum, she had caught a pretty good head cold.
    But she’d recovered quickly and now was looking forward to spending a Saturday afternoon with her new friends.
    She met Jess at the tram stop, and the two rode all the way down to the beach at St. Kilda. There, they walked to the Espy—the famous Esplanade Hotel—to listen to some bands. It was a gray afternoon, and there was a strong wind blowing from the sea. As they strolled easily along the boardwalk, Eliza noted the palm trees she had complained about to Estelle. They waved so… tropically … mocking her. The imposters.
    â€œStupid palm trees.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Jess asked.
    â€œNothing…” Eliza shivered, but she tried not to let it show. “I’m just glad I’m by the bay this Saturday and not in it.”
    They crossed the street and hopped up the steps of a big, old Victorian building. They opened the front door to a blast of music and voices from the inside. It was warm and inviting, the music sounded rocking, and in they went.
    The place was crowded. Jess led the way toward a back room with a small stage and some old velvet couches lining the walls. The music from the band in the front room faded, and they found an empty couch with a couple chairs across from it and sat down. Jess pulled out her cell phone and rang Nomes.
    â€œWe’re in the back room. It’s crowded as all get out, but we’ll save some seats for you. When are you getting here?” She paused and then rolled her eyes and made a hand-puppet yapping symbol with her free hand, smiling to Eliza.
    â€œRight, see you in a few.” She snapped the phone shut.
    â€œOi, the girl can yammer on something fierce. So, you stay put, and I’ll get us some drinks.” Jess tucked her cell phone back into her handbag.
    At the mention of “drinks,” Eliza suddenly realized that there was one small problem with Jess’s plan: she didn’t think her friend was talking about lemonade or iced tea. The drinking age in Australia was eighteen, and though Eliza had tried on various occasions to procure ID, she’d never been able to get her hands on one. Thus, drinking was, regrettably, off the table for her this evening. She sadly shared that fact with Jess, who promptly threw back her head and laughed.
    â€œThat won’t be a problem, mate. Nobody has fake ID here. We don’t need it. You Americans are so prudish about some things. Just sit tight and guard our seats, okay?” She grinned.
    Eliza nodded and spread out their coats to cover as much of the empty seating as possible. She sat back and picked an invisible piece of lint off of her jeans. This afternoon’s wardrobe had required careful consideration. She had told the Echolses that she was spending the day with the girls, but she