Don't Close Your Eyes by Holly Seddon

Author:Holly Seddon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2017-07-04T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SIX

SARAH|1994

I was so excited to show Robin everything I’d learned to love about Atlanta.

When we got home from the airport, Drew was waiting inside. He shook Callum’s hand vigorously.

“You’ve grown!” he said, almost sounding proud.

“Yes,” Callum agreed, nervous.

“We’ll make a real man of you yet!” Drew added. Callum said nothing and the rest of us held our breaths, but Drew walked off to make a frothy coffee with his new machine.

That first afternoon, Callum and Robin wanted to sleep. After they’d gone to bed, I ate my dinner with Mum and Drew like I always did. The visit wasn’t turning out how I’d imagined.

Still on English time, Callum and Robin rose early the next day and were in happier spirits. They’d agreed to come on a tour of the city while Drew worked. Everything was up for ridicule. Robin and Callum were constantly nudging each other, pointing. When I asked, “What?” they said, “Oh nothing, sorry,” and then carried on giggling.

That night, we went to the Varsity, and when we pulled up and the voice crackled through—“What’ll ya have?”—they fell apart laughing, while I burned.

I’d written Robin so many letters, had so few in return. Desperate for her to want to visit, I’d painted what I thought was a rosy picture. I’d exaggerated my credibility at school, talked about the horse-riding lessons and ballet classes that Drew paid for. Sometimes I said that if Robin lived here too then maybe she’d get guitar lessons and we’d be able to share a car when we were sixteen. She’d never responded to that.

The third day of the visit, Mum took us to the mall and insisted on buying Robin some new outfits. She refused to try anything on, of course, and forced Mum to buy a bunch of T-shirts for Callum too. “Your husband owes him” was all she’d say as Mum rummaged for the credit card.

On the drive home, while Robin did bad impressions of my city’s sweet and lilting accents, Mum turned up WSB Radio and stared forward while tears dragged lines through her makeup.

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