Distant Distance

Mondays Musical Musings

A story inspired ( or begun) by listening to:

Brisbane songstress Kate Miller-Heidke. "I Got The Way" the first song on her debut album "Little Eve.".

"Since you left things have been a changing... You sound distant on the phone. Distant in Distance and Distant in Tone."

Shelly bit her lip for the fifth time. Her feet shuffled unconsciously as she stood craning her neck searching across the sea of humanity, flowing through the airport terminal and into the waiting lounges.

Four years was a long time to be apart. Phone calls, the odd exotic postcard and a few Christmas and birthday cards – if they remembered, didn’t constitute a strong and growing relationship. Certainly not the intensity of what they had before had Pete left her.

Shelly didn’t expect things to stay the same; they never did. She knew they had both changed, grown apart, despite the promises they had made those years back waiting for Petes flight to London; backpack already checked in and tears in eyes.

They’d met at high school, gone through the whole uncomfortable teenage angst thing, dreamed of bigger things as they worked in no brainier jobs at harvest time. They’d planned to escape the small country town that caged and judged them. They had both been misfits, Pete was gangly and she was awkward.

“Flight QF 401 has landed and will be entering customs, exiting through lounge four”.

Shelly’s heart raced. Would they even recognize each other? Shelly was a long way from the farm; her long legs clad in simmering tights, her svelte figure in a designer mini skirted suit, her hair cut fashionably and highlighted.

After moping around in the tiny country town after Pete announced the world backpacking trip, Shelly decided to pack her bags, study and find a job in the city. The first few months apart were the worst. Shelly constantly questioned her decision in not joining Pete. She knew she had been afraid of change, even though they had planned the whole trip together; it was Shelly who backed out, who made the excuses. Pete had been so understanding, but so determined to follow the dream through. Shelly had four years of lost time; of guilt to deal with. Pete had wanted only Shelly to be at the airport. The postcard had been very specific – “ I want to catch up on our lost four years- alone”

The first passengers from the flight from London began to find their families in the lounge. Shelly’s legs began to tremble. Now a personal assistant for CFO in a major banking institution, Shelly was usually poised and collected in the face of crisis and was angry at her reaction and fear in meeting Pete again. She was suddenly that awkward embarrassed teenager, unaccomplished, plain and unfocussed, sporting a homegrown haircut and dressed in jeans and an old tee-shirt.

Shelly held her breath as she spotted Petes curly hair bobbing in the masses. Petes pale face was plastered in a grin. Shelly began to breathe. Pete still had that mess of curls that needed cutting, still had twinkling mischievous eyes and had outstretched arms begging for an embrace.

They both shrieked and ran to one another, laughing, crying and talking over one another.

Peta!

Shelly!

Four years washed away in a single tear drop. Vanished and vaporized with one giggle. The past eradicated as the two girls linked arms and walked towards the carpark.