Two
Life was good. Jamie Whittaker stared out at Pelican Crossing harbour and counted his blessings. Only two months earlier, his younger son’s girlfriend had presented him with his first grandchild, a son to carry on the Whittaker name. Mandy was a sweet girl, if a bit of a livewire. She and Gary made a good couple and between her personal training business and his dive school and kitesurfing school, they had much of the local outdoor industry sewn up. The only fly in the ointment was their failure to marry before the child was born.
But they were soon to remedy that. The wedding was to be held in two weeks’ time. It would be a small gathering, given the new baby, only the two families in attendance. On Mandy’s side, that meant her mother with her new partner, the editor of the local paper, her sister and brother-in-law, her half-sister and fifteen-year-old niece and, of course, her grandmother. Gary’s relatives were fewer – Jamie himself, plus brother Rory. There was some doubt as to whether Gary’s mother, Jamie’s ex, would attend, but Gary told his father he’d invited her.
This should have been another reason for concern for Jamie. He hadn’t seen Cindy since she’d left him when the boys were in their teens, angry at the demanding hours he spent on the fishing boat he’d inherited from his dad. It was the only life he’d known, and he’d loved it, loved setting off at the crack of dawn and heading out to sea, returning with nets filled with fish for the market. But Cindy had hated that he was never home, and she claimed he always stank of fish when he returned.
Now, all these years later, he could understand her anger and disappointment, how she’d resented his devotion to a life which didn’t allow much time for her… or their family. The irony was that, left with two teenagers to take care of, he’d sold the fishing boat and now owned a fishing charter and boat hire business.
These days Cindy lived in Melbourne. She’d kept in touch with the boys, and they visited her from time to time, always seemingly glad to get home. Neither were fans of the city. Jamie had expected her to visit when little Archie was born, but Gary reported she was on a cruise. Surely she’d be here for the wedding, wouldn’t she?
Jamie drained his coffee and rinsed the mug. There was no point in wondering about Cindy’s intentions. He had given that up years ago, long before they parted ways. The local girl he’d fallen in love with in his twenties had become an enigma to him, just as he’d been a disappointment to her. He had a busy day ahead. He was booked to take a group of Sydney businessmen on a fishing trip and knew from experience how demanding such groups could be. Despite his no alcohol rule, they inevitably managed to squirrel away a bottle or two which they’d slug when they thought he wasn’t looking. They didn’t have a clue about fishing and were only interested in posting photos of themselves on the internet with the big fish they caught, blaming Jamie if they failed to snare one.
Dressed in his usual work gear of a pair of cut-off khaki pants and black tee-shirt emblazoned with the outline of the big fish which was the emblem of his business and the words Whittaker Fishing Charters , Jamie headed out, glad the harbour was only a short walk away. He’d bought this place when the boys moved out, first Rory, then Gary, and he found himself rattling around in the family home. The two-bedroom cottage was one of a row of old fishermen’s shacks which had been renovated over the years and was perfect for his needs.
Jamie loved his walk to work, the scent of the ocean, the cries of the seagulls circling overhead, and the sight of the pelicans perched on the bollards by the water, hopeful of being tossed fish from the few fishing boats which still set off from the harbour each morning.
There were various rumours as to how Pelican Crossing got its name, and Jamie preferred the one about pelicans crossing the road to the fish restaurant for their daily scraps of fish. But it was more likely the town’s name came from the nearby Boodalang River, boodalang being the Aboriginal word for pelican and which had been anglicised by the early settlers. Whatever, it was a good name, and Jamie was proud of his town.
Gary’s dive school was located in the building next to Jamie’s office, and his son was standing in the doorway.
‘Morning, Dad.’ Gary grinned. The tall young man wearing a pair of board shorts and a tee-shirt with the dive school logo, his blond hair tied back in a ponytail, his chin and cheeks peppered with stubble, reminded Jamie of himself at that age.
‘You’re having an early start.’ Gary didn’t normally arrive at the dive school till after eight unless he had a dive organised, but there was no sign of him readying the dive boat.
‘Archie kept us awake again.’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Mandy’s taking care of him, so I thought I might as well get a start on the day.’
‘How is the little one?’
‘He’s good, apart from the fact he keeps us awake. But I wouldn’t be without him. Why don’t you drop over for dinner tonight?’
‘Can do, if it’s not too much for you both.’
‘We’ll get a takeaway. It’s easier these days.’
‘I can bring one, and a couple of beers.’
‘That would be great, Dad.’
‘Won’t be long now.’
‘ more weeks. I can’t wait. I guess we should have done it sooner, but…’ He shrugged.
‘No worries. I’m looking forward to it.’ Jamie had been delighted when Gary and Mandy teamed up. It was good to see his younger son so happy. If only Rory could find a partner too. But thinking of his sons’ happiness, only reinforced his own solitary existence. There hadn’t been a woman in his life since Cindy left, partly because of lack of opportunity, partly because he didn’t trust himself to make a good choice. He’d thought he and Cindy were the perfect match and he’d been wrong. The only other woman he’d ever been interested in had been Erica Harris, his teenage sweetheart. But she’d left Pelican Crossing as soon as she finished school and broken his heart.
There had been a time, late the previous year, when she’d returned to the town, and he’d had hopes… but her brother proved to be very protective of her – something about her marriage – then she was gone again.
‘One thing, Dad…’ Gary said, as Jamie was about to open his office door. ‘Mum called. She’s coming to the wedding.’