Free Hayley Westenra by Hayley Westenra Page B

that Costa would watch me sing before coming to see us at home in Christchurch afterwards. I met him briefly
at the hotel. He seemed a very charming and stylish man, the sort of person whose authority you instantly recognise. He was just that sort of guy and I was in awe of him because I knew that he was a big shot from the UK.
    When he flew down to Christchurch, it was a huge deal in the Westenra household. Mum put Dad in charge of organising a restaurant where we could take him out to dinner. He booked a place on the Strip in Christchurch, an area filled with lots of cafes, bars and restaurant. When Costa was picked up at the airport, we noticed that he had taken one of Christchurch's posh cabs.
    Suddenly, Mum started to panic that the restaurant that we had booked was not posh enough. So, at the last minute, we changed the booking to an Italian place called Palazzo, which is one of Christchurch's smartest eateries and is well known for its extensive wine list. It was a stroke of genius and we all got on exceptionally well there. It turned into a very successful evening, which was a real relief for all of us.
    Costa is a very cultured man and he charmed the restaurant owner when he came over to chat. The waitresses were very knowledgeable about the food and wine and Costa, who appeared to be a man who liked the finer things in life, really appreciated this. Throughout the meal, Mum, Dad and I gave each other little glances of approval. We were very pleased with ourselves that we had chosen the right restaurant.
    Costa was very jovial and showed a lot of interest in the whole family, and he went out of his way to include Sophie and Isaac in the conversation. I could sense that Mum and Dad were warming to him as well, because he was interested in what my brother and sister had to say, as opposed to directing all his attention on me. Mum was very proud when he commented on the fact that we all looked like healthy children. It was something that she reminded everyone of regularly for some time afterwards!.
    Costa also came to visit us at home and this was the cue for even more nervousness from the Westenras. I have to admit that I was really embarrassed about his coming to see our house because I assumed that he had been to the absolute top places around the world. Here was this international record-company big shot coming to little old Hayley's home, a regular house in Christchurch, with clutter all around the place – even though as many of the offending items as possible had been put away out of sight before his arrival.
    Looking back on it, I realise I probably shouldn't have felt like that. I'm much more comfortable with who I am and where I've come from these days. And it didn't seem to make a difference to Costa what sort of house we lived in. He made everybody feel very much at home, which was odd because we actually were at home and he was the visitor.
    Now that I've travelled around the world, I've seen the sorts of houses in which people live in other countries and I've come to realise how lucky we are in New Zealand. In fact, our home in Christchurch is in a beautiful location, with a large backyard in a grassy area surrounded by trees. It may not be a mansion in New Zealand terms, but it's huge compared with the space that most people have in a city such as London and it's absolutely massive compared with the space in which people live in somewhere far more densely populated, such as Hong Kong.
    Now, I can understand that I should not have been embarrassed at all because there's nothing wrong with our house. But, at the time, I just assumed that Costa was going to be kind of disappointed in it.
    Mum really picked up on Costa's view that I should not just be plucked out of my family unit and flown halfway around the world. Instead, he stressed how important it would be for the whole family to be involved. This reassured
Mum, since it had been something that had been gnawing away at her.
    It was a pretty big thing