Just like that, we are off

An adventure eighteen years in the making.

My alarm goes off at four o’clock in the morning.

Oh, crikey.

With the utmost willpower I can muster, I kick off my blanket and roll out of bed. It is pitch black outside, and I can hear Rick already moving around downstairs.

Feeling my way along the wall, I stumble into the ensuite. I flick on the light and try not to peer at myself in the mirror. I already know that I have bags under my eyes and that my cheeks lack any colour whatsoever. I’m exhausted but pumped full of adrenalin.

I wash my face, layer on my creams, comb out the ends of my hair, brush on my mineral powder, and apply my lip balm. Without thinking, I pull on the outfit I laid out last night: a fitted black singlet, a white thermal top, my wide-legged black pants, and thick woollen socks to go with my chunky Chelsea boots. It is the same outfit I wore for the plane trip to Las Vegas back in September. I skip the contact lens and pop my glasses on instead.

I make my bed then pick up my phone to check my emails and immediately notice one from Cathay Pacific: ‘Your flight CX 110 has been re-scheduled.’

Uh-oh.

I scroll down.

‘Your flight CX 110 has been delayed due to the late arrival of your operating aircraft. Scheduled departure: 08:45. Revised departure: 9:40.’

Okay, I think to myself. It’s just an hour. We can cope with an hour’s delay.

I emerge from the bedroom and see that the whole family is already up. Jake is brushing his teeth in the other bathroom. Andy is in his bedroom, making the bed. ‘Morning,’ I say to them both, as I walk past in the dark corridor. ‘Morning mum,’ they reply in unison. ‘Tired?’ I ask them. Andy nods, but Jake just stares at me blankly through bleary eyes. I chuckle softly. ‘Me too, boys. Me too…’

Satisfied that everything is tidy upstairs, I finish packing my own carry-on then head downstairs for breakfast. Lenny is at the dining table, munching cheerfully on his Weet-Bix. We grin at each other. Pip is sitting with his eyes closed on one of the armchairs with the unicorn travel cushion clipped around his neck—it was a Secret Santa gift from youth group, and it adds the perfect touch of whimsy to his otherwise neutral outfit. I take a few steps down the hallway and see that Ewan is dozing on the leather couch. In the kitchen, Rick is quietly doing the washing up. He glances up at me and we, too, grin at each other.

‘Good morning, family!’ I exclaim. (The chorus of replies varies from Lenny’s enthusiastic ‘Good morning, mum!’ to Pip’s ‘Hey mum…’ to the quiet grunt from the couch in the other room.)

‘Did you see that the flight’s delayed?’ Rick asks.

‘Yup. Can we ask the driver to pick us up a bit later? Otherwise we’ll just be hanging around at the airport for hours.’

‘Maybe just half an hour. I’ll message him now.’

While Rick goes off to reschedule our ride, I pour myself a coffee and make marmalade on toast. Lenny finishes his breakfast and brings his bowl over, and we chat excitedly about the trip. I give him a big squeezy hug before he runs off to the front room where some of the boys have gathered for a friendly wrestling match. I smile to myself, listening to their squeals. As I pop the last piece of toast into my mouth, I look around the house and can’t believe this will be my last meal at home for the next month.

By quarter past five, the kitchen is clean, the bins are emptied, the blinds are down, all the power points are off, and our bags are packed, zipped, and ready to go. We pile everything into the garage and start pulling on our shoes. We stack the five suitcases and the two enormous duffel bags next to our car and snap a photo for the grandparents. Rick posts the photo on WhatsApp with a caption: ‘Packed and ready for departure!’

Our driver John arrives promptly at half past five. His mini bus is huge. With the boys’ help, Rick and John load all the luggage into the back of the vehicle. I snap final selfies of the seven of us on our driveway, and we climb on board. Rick sits up the front with John, while I opt for the front row. Behind me, Jake and Pip each choose a single seat on the left hand side, while Ewan sits on his own in the double seat in front of Lenny and Andy.

We buckle our seat belts and wave goodbye to the house. And just like that, we are off.

John is very friendly, and Rick starts a jocular conversation with him about his work.

‘Where are you guys off to?’ John enquires.

‘Hong Kong,’ Rick tells him. ‘That’s where Rhonda is from. Her cousin is getting married, and I was due for long service leave, so we’re headed there for about a month. The boys have never been before.’

‘So it’s kind of a big deal,’ John surmises.

‘Definitely a big deal. Rhonda hasn’t been back in eighteen years.’

As the two men continue to chat, I glance back at the boys with my Fujifilm in hand. Jake is staring out the window. Pip is already asleep. Ewan catches my eye, smiles briefly for the camera, then looks back out the window. The other two, hidden from sight, are whispering and chuckling with each other. I face forwards once more, lean my own head on the window, and close my eyes.

Definitely a big deal. Rhonda hasn’t been back in eighteen years. Rick’s words echo in my mind as I drift off to sleep.

Twenty-seven minutes later, I hear Rick’s voice once more.

‘Ronnie, it’s time to wake up. We’re here.’

p.s. This post is a prelude to a travel series that I plan to share over the coming year. Lots more to come, so watch this space.