5- Sydney

“Welcome to Belle Airlines. As our valued passenger, We would-“ the recorded voiceover from the overhead speakers blasted out but was instantly cut off by the captain’s voice “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking, in behalf of the Belle Airlines crew, Welcome! This is your flight BCA182 flying to Sydney, Australia"“ Cali was exhausted from all her graduation preparations, the numerous senior parties she’d attended, and preparing for this whole trip so she instantly fell into a deep sleep way before the plane took off.

***

“Caaali..Caaali..” “Hmm..” she groggily turned to the other side “Cali, wake up, we’re here!” Marissa said in a soft but excited voice.  Upon hearing those words she instantly got up her eyes wide open and the bright glistening Sydney sky greeting her.  Was she really here? She barely felt anything during the flight and no one even woke her up for meals.  With that thought her stomach grumbled.  But famished as she was, Cali couldn’t help but feel the excitement slowly crippling in.  She was finally in Sydney and it was definitely going to be a summer to remember.

***

After a couple of days, Cali and her Mom got to know the city more.  They visited all the usual tourist spots like the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge, they spent their days exploring shops and restaurants at The Rocks, while dinners were spent along the breathtaking Darling Harbour.  As a nature lover, Cali also visited the Royal Botanic Gardens and Taronga Zoo instantly became one of her favorite places in the city.  ‘Cal, remember your aunt Jenna, my friend from High School?’ Marissa asked her daughter as they strolled along Circular Quay “Yeah I do, I remember how she used to give me all those fairytale books when I was little, She visited us a lot back then. How is she?” Cali inquired. “She’s doing great, in fact she was absorbed by the company she was working for part-time and was assigned to work here so she moved to Brisbane a couple years ago and I told her we were coming here for the summer and she actually invited me, us to go visit her. Just for a week or two maybe.” Marissa said excitedly.  “Brisbane?” she threw in “But you’ll need to fly there!” not completely into the whole idea. “I know, but I was thinking of taking the train instead. I’ve heard some good things about the beautiful sceneries and your Aunt Jenna suggested it too if we had some extra time.  I think it would be nice for us to see more of Australia by land.  What do you think, Cal? It’s going to be fun!” The idea of going from one state to another in such a short time span did not appeal to Cali as much as it did her mom. Yes, she wanted to visit other parts of the country but her mind was set on exploring Sydney for this trip, and only Sydney.  She didn’t want to upset her mom and as much as she loved her Aunt Jenna, she wasn’t looking forward to be kept under her care for two straight weeks. Selfish as it sounded, Cali wanted to have her freedom. She was 18 after all and this was her graduation present so she had the right to her own decisions.  “Mom,” she started “Would it be alright with you if I stayed? You know how long I’ve been wanting to come here and staying with Aunt Jenna will leave me with only less than a week to explore Sydney.” She looked down apprehensively “I hope you understand Mom. I really want to go with you and visit aunt Jenna but at the same time, I want to be here…so bad.” Cali was anxious that her Mom would disagree and force her into going to Brisbane. She listened intently, Her expressionless face and pursed lips made Cali worry even more but then her expression slowly softened “I understand Cali. We planned to come here and it won’t be fair if I brought you to another place all of a sudden.  I’ll let you stay but you’ll be all by yourself here"“ “Mom, don’t worry about me. I’m old enough and I can handle this, you know it.” She said beaming to her mom. “Yes, I know you can handle it, Cal. You’re a smart and responsible girl.” She smiled, giving Cali’s shoulder a tight squeeze as they walked side by side along the city, the afternoon sun quickly descending revealing the stunning twilight sky.