Pictures of Lily

grown-up things like getting married, but he’s still a messy dark-haired surfer boy at heart.
    When I met Richard, it didn’t take him long to introduce me to his friends: Nathan, Lucy, Sam and Molly. Sam is Nathan’s older brother and is married to Molly, and Mikey is their eighteen-month-old son. They welcomed me into their group with open arms, and for that I’m thankful. I had made friends in Sydney through work, but I never stopped missing my old pals Tammy, Vickie and Jo from school in Adelaide. Richard and his friends finally made me feel like Sydney was my home.
    At the moment I’m working as a receptionist in the city for a large publishing house called Tetlan. It publishes all sorts of magazines, from celebrity ones to women’s glossies, teen titles and lads’ mags. I sit with two other girls and it’s our job to make a good first impression on the visitors coming to the building. My colleagues, Nicola and Mel, are grab-life-by-the-horns individuals who always make me laugh. It’s a good job. I like it. Shame it’s temporary. The girl I’m covering for is only on maternity leave for a few more months. I don’t know what I’ll do after that.
    When Ben left, I couldn’t take photos any more. I didn’t have the heart. I thought my passion would return some day, but I try not to think about it too much. And now it all feels like I’ve left it too late. As for becoming a vet, well, that’s almost laughable. I didn’t go back to work at the conservation park. To this day I can’t think of our little koala Olivia without a lump coming to my throat. I never saw her again. She was relocated to another conservation park in South Australia and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.
    I put all these things into a little box inside my heart and keep it locked tightly shut. They only come out to bother me in the darkness of the night sometimes when I can’t sleep and when I allow myself to imagine what might have been if he hadn’t left . . .
    The wedding reception is being held at a trendy bar right on the harbour. Richard takes my hand and swings it enthusiastically as we follow the crowd.
    ‘Are you feeling better now?’ he asks, looking down at me.
    My Richard has short brown hair and warm brown eyes. I thought he was quite fanciable when he started chatting to me at a bar on the night we met, but I swear he’s become better-looking the more I’ve got to know him. At six foot two, he’s taller than me by just the right amount, and he’s tanned and toned from working outside on building sites all day. Even though he and Nathan own the company, the pair of them like to muck in and get their hands dirty, which is something I respect him for.
    Holy mother of God, I’m engaged. What will my mother say?
    I should go and see her. I haven’t seen her for ages. Not since Jeremy, and that’s saying something. She’s moved from man to man since we came to Sydney, but hasn’t settled into anything serious. Michael, on the other hand, is now happily married to Janine from the conservation park. She’s quite a bit younger than him, but apparently they hooked up after Mum and I left and Michael has never looked back. I’m happy for him. My mum is less so. Whenever I mention him she tells me off. ‘What are you going on about him for?’ I know it’s sour grapes on her part, but it’s not like she didn’t bring it all on herself. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if she’d stayed with Michael and I’d remained in Adelaide. I guess I would have eventually met a nice local boy. Or not.
    Josh and I are still good pals. We chat on the phone every so often. He’s coming over to Sydney in a couple of weeks, actually, for Easter. He’s doing really well for himself and I’m proud of him. He still works with cars, although now he restores classic cars that are worth bucketloads of money. He hasn’t got married yet, but he’s been with the same girl for almost a year. Tina. I’ve never met her, but she must be a catch to be able to pin Josh down for this long.
    Tammy, Vickie and Jo get over to Sydney for a girls’ weekend at least once a year. The rest of the time we spend catching up on the phone. Richard always tuts at me when the bill comes in. He doesn’t mind really. He knows I miss my girlfriends.
    I have met people through various temping jobs I’ve done – but I never seem to have the time to consolidate those friendships before having to move on to the next job. The work can