‘Freddie, Froogle! Hi!’ I said, and at the sound of her name Patrick stood very still over by the L-shaped sofa that occupied most of the joint living space, knowing this would be news about Carol.

‘We found her!’ Freddie said. ‘We found Carol!’

I exhaled and dropped my head, tears pushing at my eyes because only when Carol was safe could I admit I’d been terrified of losing her. I walked over to the sofa too, flopping down in relief.

‘Oh thank God,’ I said, pulling my feet up underneath me. ‘Excellent news, bug. Where was she?’

‘You won’t believe it,’ Freddie said. ‘She was next door! In their garden! I heard her barking this morning when I was getting ready for school. They said they found her at the park and brought her home, but that when they tried to call the number on her collar it was an international dial tone so they hung up. Look, here she is now. She missed us!’

Freddie pulled the dog to the camera right as Patrick looked at me and pointed to ask, Can I say hi?

‘Patrick!’ Freddie squealed. ‘We found Carol! You were right!’

‘I never had any doubt,’ said Patrick, settling in beside me in the nook of the ‘L’. ‘Annie told me how clever you are. I knew you’d figure out a way to track her down.’

Freddie beamed. ‘Okay I gotta go to school,’ she said. ‘What time is it there? It’s breakfast time here.’

‘It’s almost suppertime here,’ I said. ‘And as somebody who has already experienced the day I can tell you; it’s a good one!’

‘I just wanted to tell you she was okay,’ Freddie continued. ‘Mum and Dad said she can sleep with me tonight, like she does when I’m at your house. I never want to let her out of my sight again!’

‘All right, Frou. Thank you so much for telling us she’s safe. She looks really happy to see you. Snuggle her from me, okay?’

‘Yeah,’ said Freddie, letting Carol lick her face. ‘Okay.’

After we hung up, Patrick turned to me and asked: ‘Ready, ready, chicken jelly?’

I rolled my eyes at him playfully. ‘Are you still trying to make that happen?’

‘We have a whole new city to explore,’ he exclaimed, reaching out towards me and putting my cheeks between his hands. ‘And now we have an extra reason to celebrate: Carol has been found! We’re in Sydney! Let’s go eat!’

It was impossible not to get swept up in his enthusiasm.

22

Our first full day in Sydney was what Patrick had spent the previous night calling Paddy’s Perfect Surprise Day. After a buffet breakfast in one of the four restaurants in the hotel, I was instructed to pack for the day and be comfortable, but not ‘daggy’.