Free Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss

there and give you a great job with the American Indians. How wonderful. Isn’t it wonderful, Gray? Max?’
    Max went to speak but didn’t have a chance, as Dad was already thumping his fists on the table.
    â€˜What are you talking about, woman? Romantic movies? What about The Godfather and Goodfellas and …’ – he put his cup down – ‘and what about all those crime shows we watch on television, most of them are set in New York!’ He turned to me. ‘Don’t you watch the news? They shoot each other in the street in America. They fly planes into buildings in New York. They never turn the lights off in that city, waste of bloody electricity if you ask me.’
    â€˜Come on, Gray, don’t be like that. Be happy for Lauren going to the Big Apple.’ Mum patted Dad’s hand; she was always worrying about his blood pressure.
    â€˜Big bloody Apple my arse. We’ve got Big Apples here, at Batlow, and there’s one somewhere in Tassie and another one in Queensland, so I don’t know why she’d want to go to some bloody big-noting apple in America.’
    â€˜Gray, c’mon love, you’re being silly. America has everything bigger and better than we have.’
    â€˜Bigger? Better? I’m sure the Yanks don’t have a Big Banana, or a Big Avocado, and you can bet your bottom dollar they ain’t got a Big Mango or a Big Pineapple!’
    â€˜And I bet they don’t have a Big Poo like Kiama either,’ Max said, which made us all laugh – except for Dad, who took a deep breath and just kept going. ‘Oh and they wouldn’t have a Big Prawn, would they? They’d have a bloody shrimp, which doesn’t even sound big.’ Dad waved his arms in the air with frustration.
    Max was laughing hard and even I had to chuckle. Being his favourite, I always took Dad’s side, but this time he was just too outrageous, and Max seemed to be supporting his case anyway.
    â€˜Gray … stop it, please …’ Mum looked concerned that he was going to completely overheat, but he wouldn’t give in.
    â€˜There’s the Big Mushroom in Canberra, and there’s a Big Cow somewhere and a Giant Kangaroo, but ah, no, you women want to go to some Big Fancy Apple in America.’ Dad stood up and took his cup to the sink, running water into it as he spoke. ‘I’m sorry, love, but the Big Merino has been good enough for our mob for the longest time – no big piece of fruit is going to make me let any daughter of mine go to New York.’
    â€˜Gray, Gray, don’t be so silly.’ Mum went over and put her arms around Dad’s belly. It was what she always did to make him calm down. It mostly worked. ‘Gray, come on, this is something we should be happy about. Our only daughter gets the kind of opportunity we worked all our lives wishing we could give her. This is what she studied for.’
    All of a sudden Max stood up, as if to give himself more authority, and put his hands on my shoulders. ‘I’m with you, Dad – I’d rather the Big Merino.’
    Dad tried to wriggle out of Mum’s embrace. ‘You know I can’t think straight when you get that close to me, woman. Give a man a chance.’

    That night Dad took us all to the Goulburn Workers Club for dinner. I felt sick the whole time, because it was where I had first met Adam.
    As we queued at the bistro Dad ummed and ahhed about whether to have the barra or the lamb’s fry.
    â€˜Sit down, Gray. You know you always have the mixed grill.’ Mum knew Dad better than he knew himself. ‘Go grab table number forty-two, and, Max, you get the drinks.’ My mum always had everyone organised and kept the family together.
    â€˜I think it would be good for you to go to New York, Lauren, to see the world, to meet new people, to move on from Goulburn and Canberra, at least for a little while.’ That’s all Mum said