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| Clever Girl... >> Writing >> Natalie This is another HSC assessment task... I'm not sure if it actually counted towards our final mark or not. Anyway, my English teacher submitted it to a magazine, so... "Next stop - Maclean," a voice came over the train's loudspeaker, startling Natalie from her comatose state. She quickly picked up her handluggage and made her way down the aisle, stumbling as her stiletto heel was caught on the carpet. The train came to a stop and Natalie jumped off, her heels clicking as she walked down the platform. Finally, after ten years away in Sydney, she was home. Well, almost home. She still had to take a taxi before she'd finally get to see her father again and tell him exactly how she felt... unless it was too late. The platform quickly gave way to grass and Natalie's heels sunk in. She groaned. She wasn't used to these things. While she had grown up in Woomba, Naralie was a city girl now, ever since she'd left her parents ten years ago to pursue the ever elusive dream of movie stardom. Natalie quickly ran across the grass to where her taxi was waiting, trying not to get too much dirt on her heels. She climbed into the car and placed her luggage on the seat beside her, not wanting to make eye-contact with the driver. He spoke to her anyway. "You don't look like you're from around here," he said in a broad Australian accent. She forced a smile. "No," she replied as the car started. "I grew up here. I just decided to leave for the city." Natalie's parents had not been pleased when she'd left. They'd been hoping she'd stay in Woomba with them, or at least venture no further than Byron Bay - Surfers Paradise at most. But as much as Naatalie adored her parents she had a passion. "Really?" the driver asked. "Why would anyone want to leave this place?" He gesutred at the trees and clear sky. Natalie looked for the nightclubs but just saw mud. Who wouldn't want to leave? "Work," she replied curtly. Natalie wasn't a housewife or farmer like her parents wanted her to be, she was an actress. it had caused so much pain for her parents and so many arguments in their house, but Natalie had the 'bug'. Anyway, when she'd left she'd been eighteen- old enough to look after herself. And the fact of the matter was that there weren't any acting jobs in Woomba... unless she wanted to be 'Miss Dairy Queen' at the supermarket in Iluka. "What do you do?" the driver continued. "I'm an actress," Natalie answered with conviction. "Right..." the driver replied disdainfully, shaking his head. The driver wasn't actually that far from the truth. While there were more acting jobs in Sydney than in Wooba, they weren't exactly in abundance. Natalie wasn't technically an actress, she was an aspiring one. Technically... Natalie was a waitress. "Why are you coming back? Not enough work?" the driver asked, a smile playing on his lips. "There's been plenty of work," she replied in a clipped tone. Well, she had gotten a few jobs. She played Disney characters in shopping malls every school holidays. And she had been in a couple of plays. "It's my father," she added, choking back her tears. Natalie's mother had died three years ago - rather young, Natalie thought - leaving her father alone in a house in the country, his daughters living in Sydney and Brisbane. He'd begged Natalie to return, she'd spent seven years chasing her dream. It was time to get back to reality. Natalie's sister Melissa was married with two children - she couldn't just pack them off to Woomba to look after their father. That was Natalie's job. But Natalie wasn't able to return. Every week there was another audition, another audition that could be her ticket to being the next Nicole Kidman or Cate Blanchett. Natalie kept telling her father to wait. Soon she'd return to Woomba - or buy him a plane ticket to join her in her spiritual home, Los Angeles. But another three years had passed and Natalie wasn't able to return. Until now. And now it was possibly too late. Natalie's father had informed her four months ago, but she hadn't been able to get there until now. She'd called Melissa and cried to her about it on the phone - she had to be strong in front of her father - but Melissa had told her there was nothing she could do about it. It was inevitable. If Natalie tried to interfere she would only make things worse. The driver stopped the car in front of an elegant tan-coloured stone building. "Thanks," Natalie said weakly, handing him the money. Thanks??? She didn't mean that at all! The driver had been nothing but trouble. Natalie ran up the lawn to the door step of the building where Melissa stood with tears in her eyes. "Am I too late?" she asked nervously. Melissa smiled warmly. "No Nat. Go on in. The wedding won't start for another five minutes." "Thanks Melissa," Natalie said hugging her before walking into the church. Melissa was right. There was nothing Natalie could do about her father remarrying to that stupid old cow from the boules club - but that didn't mean she'd be happy about it. back |
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