12:45am Sydney, Australia – 1972

 “But I don’t want to leave mum!”

 “Don’t worry, honey, it’ll be better this way.” Replied the distraught mother as she stuffed the back of her car with suitcases and boxes. She looked at her 6-year-old daughter standing on the gutter in her nightie holding her teddy bear. She rubbed her eye with her free hand since her eyes were itchy after what felt like hours of crying.

“Just be quiet and we can leave soon.”

 "I’m tired mum!”

 “Shush! It’ll be okay soon, I promise!” The mother looked up the house with fear and her stomach twisted when she saw a light in the bedroom had been turned on. “Shit...”

 Soon enough, the front door violently swung open and a man in a singlet and boxer shorts came storming out.

 “What the fuck are you doing, Joan?!”

 “Daddy, you said a bad word.”

 “Shush, Phoebe. I’m leaving you, what the fuck does it look like?” She replied harshly as she picked up her daughter, kissed her on the head and placed her in the back seat of the car.

 “You’re not fucking leaving me, bitch!” He took a swing at Joan but he missed and she ducked her way around him and rushed to the front of the car and jumped into the driver’s seat, shoved the keys in the ignition and slammed her foot on the accelerator.

 “Where are we going mum?” whinged Phoebe in the back.

 “Remember that movie you saw Barefoot in the Park? Well we’re going to that country, America. Remember?

 She stopped sobbing and she said quietly “I think so...”

 “Yep, well we’re going overseas! Except instead of being in New York we’ll be in Los Angeles."