Thirty-two
The day after Boxing Day, it was as if Christmas had never happened, the only reminder was the large Christmas tree still sitting in the window of the living room, looking very out of place amid Bob’s austere furniture.
Luke was still trying to come to terms with the news of the new baby, but neither Josh nor Abby seemed to notice they’d thrown his world into chaos. They were heading back to Sydney today, and although Luke would be sorry to see them go – and sorry they hadn’t had the chance to take up Troy’s invitation to go sailing – he’d be glad to be alone with Nelson again to digest the news.
The clinic was closed today, and Luke wanted to use his time to visit Agnes. He needed to fulfil his promise to check up on the spaniel… and he wanted to ask Agnes about his grandparents. He was still puzzled as to how they came to be living in Pelican Crossing. Bob’s book hadn’t provided him with any answers.
Josh had picked up the book and asked why Luke was reading it. On being told he was checking out some family history, the younger man merely shrugged. Luke suspected he’d have had the same reaction at Josh’s age. He wished now that he’d asked more questions when he had the chance, before his mother passed away.
Soon after breakfast, the young couple packed up their car and headed off, leaving Luke and Nelson gazing after them.
‘How about we go to visit Lady and her mistress?’ Luke asked the dog who barked his agreement, sensing an outing was on the cards. A quick call confirmed Agnes was home, and they set off.
Luke entered Agnes’s address into his car’s satnav. His memory wasn’t good enough for him to find his way there unaided, though he remembered spending time by the river as a teenager not far from where she lived. As soon as he reached the gate, he remembered it, remembered how he and his mates had hassled the old woman who hadn’t done them any harm. Now he was ashamed of his behaviour. He hoped Agnes hadn’t recognised him back then.
Agnes must have heard the car, because she came out to greet them, her white hair streaming out behind her, her skirt trailing in the dust.
‘How’s Lady?’ Luke asked.
‘She’s good. I’ve been giving her the tablets, and she seems to be recovering. But she’s still a little weak.’
‘It’ll take some time,’ Luke said. ‘It’s lucky she seems to only have ingested a small amount of the poison.’
Agnes turned pale, the implication of his words clear – a larger dose could have proved fatal. ‘So, no more cases?’
Luke shook his head. Another case of poisoning was the last thing he needed.
‘That’s good. Come on in and you can see Lady. I’ve been keeping her inside. Your dog can come in too, if he behaves himself.’
Seeming to understand the old woman’s words, Nelson stayed close to Luke’s side as they entered the old house. Agnes took them into the kitchen, a room which reminded him of Rachel’s kitchen, but this one looked as if it hadn’t been changed for the past fifty years. Lady was lying in a dog bed beside an old Aga stove. She made an effort to rise when she saw Nelson, who went across to sniff her gently.
‘Hey, Lady,’ Luke said, crouching down by the dog to examine her. He pushed Nelson away. After a few minutes he got up again. ‘You’re right,’ he said to Agnes. ‘She’ll be fine now. Just continue to do what you’ve been doing, and I’ll see you both in three weeks’ time.’
Agnes beamed. ‘I know my birds,’ she said. ‘Dogs aren’t too much different. All creatures need tender care when they’re sick. Lady and I have been together for a long time, haven’t we, girl?’ She leant down to ruffle the dog’s ears. ‘Now you wanted to have a chat?’
‘You said you knew my mother.’
‘Sonja? Yes. We went to school together. I travelled in from here and she came from out of town.’
Luke’s ears pricked up. Out of town ? ‘Where exactly?’
‘Why don’t I make us a cup of tea while I gather my thoughts. It was a long time ago.’
‘Sure.’ Luke took a seat at the worn scrubbed wooden table which looked as if it was as old as Agnes herself, and Nelson, seeming to sense they were going to be there for some time, lay down at his feet, his head on his paws.
Agnes handed Luke a cup of tea with an unfamiliar smell and joined him. He took a sip. It tasted like grass, but he was prepared to do what it took to get the information he wanted.
Agnes took her time before she began to speak. ‘Sonja’s parents were Italian. They’d migrated after the end of the war. I remember this little girl arriving in my class one day – I must have been around eight or ten. She didn’t speak much English, and the teacher asked me to be her buddy. I think they had a market garden or worked in one. I do know they ran a market stall on weekends. Sonja used to help there. I’m afraid that’s about all I can tell you. The family moved into town when her parents became older. That’s probably how you remember them. They were well thought of by then, though Sonja had to suffer a lot of name-calling at first. It took time for people to forget the war, and the Italians had been the enemy. Those who came before the war were interned, some for years.’
That fitted with what Luke had read. ‘Do you know which part of Italy they came from?’
‘I’m sorry. Sonja was more interested in her new life in Australia than in talking about where she’d come from. She wanted to fit in, not to be seen as that Italian kid, or called a wog. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.’
‘Okay, thanks.’ Luke sighed. Perhaps he’d never be able to discover any more about his family background. He knew his mother had been proud of her Italian heritage. He’d been christened Luca. It was only when he started school, he’d insisted everyone call him Luke. For the first time he wondered how his mother and grandparents had felt about that. He’d looked up the meaning of his name one day. It meant bringer of light. He liked that.
As he and Nelson made their way back to the car, Luke thought that perhaps he should abandon his search. It seemed he’d hit a brick wall. Agnes had been able to shed a little more light on his grandparents, but he was still in the dark as to where they had come from or why they’d left. From his reading, and now he knew they had worked in a market garden, it was likely they’d come from the south of Italy. Perhaps he should add an Italian trip to his bucket list. But once there, where would he start? His mother’s name had been Sonja Russo, and he suspected Russo was a common surname.
Deciding to focus on the present, as soon as he arrived home, Luke made a booking for dinner on New Year’s Eve at the yacht club, before picking up the phone to call Rachel.
*
Luke’s call had taken Rachel by surprise. She’d still been mulling over the conversation the previous evening and her own realisation on Christmas Day, so his invitation to dinner on New Year’s Eve seemed like a sign. She’d tried to suppress the dizzying current racing through her as Luke suggested they could perhaps finish the evening with a nightcap at Bob’s. When the call ended, she felt like a breathless girl of eighteen instead of a boring matron of fifty-eight. If Luke could make her feel like this with one telephone call, what might it be like to spend the night with him?
But was she ready for the next step in their relationship? No matter how much she might want Luke, how much her body ached for his touch, she still hesitated. Kirk was the only man she’d ever made love with. She was no longer the slim young woman she’d been when she and Kirk got together. In bed, there would be no shapewear to disguise the bulges, no loose garment to hide the ravages of the years. What if Luke didn’t find her attractive, or worse, if he was repulsed by her middle-aged body?
She needed to talk to someone, someone who would understand her misgivings. Her mind immediately went to Poppy again, the one friend with whom she could share her worries, Poppy, who had sensed her attraction to him before she’d acknowledged it herself. Alexander and Verity were spending the day with Jess and the twins, so Rachel picked up the phone to call her friend.
‘You just caught me. I was about to go out,’ Poppy said breathlessly, when she answered.
Rachel’s heart sank. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I was hoping we could catch up.’
There was a pause, then Poppy said, ‘I’ve promised to babysit the twins for Amber while she meets some friends. But if you don’t mind two babies.’
Relieved, Rachel laughed. ‘Not at all. I’m used to having littlies around, and it’ll be good to see Amber’s two again. They must be getting big now.’
‘Double trouble… according to their mother.’
‘Don’t I know it. Just wait till they’re running around.’
‘I can’t wait,’ Poppy said. ‘Amber waited so long for those two. Anyway, you know where Amber lives, and she assured me Jack and Andrew would be ready for a nap. Why don’t you come straight over? We can have a coffee and chat while they’re asleep.’
‘Perfect. I’ll see you then.’ As she ended the call, Rachel realised Poppy hadn’t asked why she wanted to see her. Perhaps her friend had an inkling that it was about Luke.
Rachel was feeling nervous as she drove across town to the house in the new development which Poppy’s daughter and her husband had purchased when they knew they were having twins. She hadn’t visited this part of town before, but there had been a splash about the development in the local paper when it had first been proposed. Not everyone had been in favour of it, but to Rachel’s eyes, it appeared to be a positive addition to Pelican Crossing, with its tree-lined streets and neat gardens. The homes had quickly been snapped up by young couples like Amber and Chris. Today there were several small children playing in the front gardens and a few older ones speeding along the footpath on scooters which were no doubt Christmas presents from doting parents. It wouldn’t be long before Gemma and Indie would be demanding them too.
‘Come in,’ Poppy whispered after the two women had hugged and wished each other Merry Christmas. ‘They’ve just gone down. If we go through to the kitchen, we won’t disturb them.’
‘This is nice,’ Rachel said, entering the kitchen. The house was too modern for her taste, but similar to where Jess and Paul lived, a good spot to bring up children.
‘Now, why did you want to see me?’ Poppy asked, when they had exchanged news of their respective Christmases and were drinking coffee and nibbling the shortbread biscuits Amber had left out for her mum.
Rachel took a sip of coffee. Now she was here, she didn’t know where to start.
‘I suspect it’s about a man,’ Poppy said, smiling gently. ‘You know you can ask me anything, and whatever you say will go no further.’
‘Thanks, Poppy.’ This was another reason she’d chosen Poppy to talk to. Poppy was much like herself in that regard, unlike Liz who had the reputation of being a gossip – not entirely unfounded. ‘It’s difficult.’
‘Try me. I have brought up three girls and lived through their doubts and traumas.’
Rachel smiled at this. She’d had similar experiences with her two, but this was different. ‘As you’ve guessed, it’s Luke Findlay. Despite what I may have said in our earlier conversation, I do find him attractive – very attractive. And…’ she hesitated.
‘Go on. He finds you attractive too, doesn’t he?’
Rachel blushed. ‘So he says. And… I know he’s only here for three months. That hasn’t changed. But I’ve thought about what you said. You’re not the only one – Jess and Lou said the same. The thing is, Poppy. He’s invited me to dinner on New Year’s Eve with the implication that afterwards…’
‘And you’re worried about…?’
‘I’ve only ever slept with Kirk. We grew old together, accepting the changes in our bodies. What if…’ She blushed again, unable to put her concerns into words.
Poppy did it for her. ‘You’re worried your body’s not as young as it used to be.’
‘Yes.’ She heaved a sigh of relief. She knew Poppy would understand.
‘None of us have the body we had in our twenties, Rach. I bet Luke doesn’t either. I wouldn’t worry if I was you. When Cam and I…’ It was her turn to blush. ‘Well, let’s say there were other things on our mind than what our bodies looked like. I’m sure you’ll find the same.’
‘Other things?’ Rachel found herself asking, though she already knew the answer.
Poppy winked. ‘Trust me, Rach. Your curves are gorgeous. No wonder Luke wants you. Once you, you know, get started, you won’t want it ever to stop.’
At least Poppy wasn’t going into gory detail, but still, Rachel felt herself burning up inside, imagining being in Luke’s bed, imagining her arms folded around him as they…
‘And you can always keep the lights off,’ Poppy added with a chuckle.
But Rachel wasn’t laughing. She was smiling. Suddenly, her worries disappeared at the prospect of those other things . ‘Thanks, Poppy,’ she said.
‘My pleasure. And be sure to enjoy it.’ She grinned. ‘Luke’s still pretty hot.’
Rachel grinned. He really was!