Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Cam’s black hair stood in stark contrast to the rock wall he clung to. Matilda stared up at him, holding the rope firmly between her hands. She checked her harness again, to make sure it was all connected and attached in the right places. Then, satisfied, returned her attention to her boyfriend’s ascent.
“You okay?” She called up at him.
He held out a thumb. “I’m going to come down now. It all looks good.”
“Thanks for that.”
She released the tension on the rope, and he swung to the ground beside her.
“You sure you want to be the one to climb up?” he asked.
“I’m the vet. I’ve got to assess the lorikeet when I get to the top, see what’s going on before I can decide on an approach.”
He shrugged. “It’s your call. I’m happy to climb, if you don’t want to. I can bring the bird down with me.”
“No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”
“The rock face is solid. It didn’t feel loose. I think you’ll be able to make it up to the place where I fixed the rope. And then, you should be able to reach the bird from there.”
“Thanks for your help. I couldn’t do this without you.”
She fixed the rope to her harness and covered her hands in chalk dust. Then stared up at the rocky ledge above her head. She raised her hands and leveraged herself up.
“That wasn’t so hard,” she muttered to herself. Only about ten metres left to go. She enjoyed rock climbing, but didn’t often make it out of the gym. Unlike Cam, who was always off on some wild climbing expedition with his mates. The thought of plummeting to her death was somewhat less appealing to her than it seemed to be to him.
“Did you see the lorikeet?” she called down to him.
He grunted. “I saw grey feathers. I don’t know if it’s alive, honestly. It wasn’t moving.”
A climber had called it in. And since she wasn’t far away, she’d said she would check it out. It was unusual for her to make off-site appointments like this, but she’d been rostered on for her monthly overnight for taking emergency calls, and she thought it might be a good opportunity to spend time with Cam. If she managed to rescue a bird as well, then that would be a bonus. Although it wasn’t sounding hopeful if there was no movement.
She reached the bird within ten minutes. The wall wasn’t difficult to climb, and she made her way up with ease. The lorikeet was alive but lethargic. She lifted it into her hands and then positioned it in a bag on her back before abseiling gently down the cliff face.
“I got him,” she said, puffing slightly.
He nodded. “Great. I’ll pack up.”
“Thanks, I’ve got to work on him.”
She took the bird to the vehicle and settled it on a towel before examining it. It seemed to have a broken wing and was probably dehydrated. But other than that, she couldn’t tell if there was anything else wrong. She gave it some water with an eye dropper, then wrapped it in the towel and nestled it into a box for the ride back to the clinic.
Cam drove while she held the box containing the bird. He looked over at her. “All okay?”
“He’s fine. Probably in shock though. I’m going to be honest, it’s hard for birds to come back from that. But we’ll do our best.”
“Should we grab some dinner after this?”
She nodded. “That would be nice, but I’ve got to do a few things first.”
“Like what?”
“I’m taking a trip to the U.S.A.”
“Really? What for?”
She inhaled a quick breath. It would sound ridiculous when she spoke it out loud. She knew that. But this was something she had to do. “I’m going to see if I can find my family.”
“Your family is here.” He frowned.
“My biological family. You know what I mean. I want to meet them, get to know them, discover where I’m from.”
“And that’s in America?”
“I’m not really sure. I think I have a relative there. And I’m going to see if I can track him down. Maybe he’ll know something and can help me. Maybe he won’t. But I’ve got to try.”
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I can come with you…”
“I’ve got to do this on my own. Sorry.”
His eyes narrowed. “How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’ve already filed the paperwork to take three months of leave from work. I’ve got long service time accumulated. So, they’re fine with it.”
“Three months?” he exclaimed. “You can’t be serious. You don’t want me to come with you, but you’ll be gone for months? How does that work?”
She chewed her lower lip, measuring her thoughts. Clearly he was upset, but she wasn’t sure exactly which part of her revelation bothered him the most. Lately, his temper had begun to flare up during seemingly random conversations. Was something going on with him she didn’t know about?
“I’ll call you and keep you updated,” she offered.
He shook his head and huffed. “Great, that’s just great. My girlfriend will be on the other side of the world for months, but I’ll get an occasional phone call. That’s not going to work for me, Matilda.”
He rarely called her by her first name. Usually it was Honey, or Tilly, or some other cutesy endearment.
“Are you upset about it being so long? Or the fact that I want to go alone?”
He glanced at her, anger narrowing his eyes. “You really don’t know?”
“No, I wouldn’t ask if I did.”
“I don’t want to be without a girlfriend for that long. When I started dating you, you had long blonde hair down to your waist, now you’ve cut it shorter. You used to wear mini-skirts and heels, now all you seem to wear are pants and leggings. You hardly ever want to go drinking with my friends anymore. And now you’re going to abandon me for three months. What am I supposed to tell my mates?”
She grimaced. That’s what he was upset about? That she no longer fit his image of who she should be, and that his mates might take issue with her absence? Who was this man? It was like she no longer knew him. They’d begun dating when she was twenty-three, only one year out of university. She was young, into the night scene, and enjoyed spending time with the party crowd. But she’d matured since then, mellowed and discovered her inner homebody.
“I had no idea you felt that way about me,” she said, sullenly.
“You’ve changed. I’m not sure we’re a good fit any longer. I want someone who looks good on my arm. It matters to my career, and you don’t understand how much. You’re still beautiful, but you don’t make an effort.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Did he really just say that?
“And besides, when I’m out with you … it’s bad for my reputation. People notice, they say things. They ask me why I’m dating someone like you when … well, when I look like me.” He pulled the car into the parking lot at the clinic and switched it off with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I know how that sounds. But it’s what I feel. People are always telling me to open up, say what I think. So this is me being vulnerable. I’ve kept it to myself for too long, it’s been eating me up.”
“Apparently,” she replied, pressing a hand to her forehead in disbelief. “So, are you saying you want to break up?”
He faced her, his countenance softening and took one of her hands in his. “You know I care about you, but we’re very different people. Let’s take this three months as a chance to get some space and think about what we want from life and from each other.”
Matilda sat on the bar stool at her sister’s kitchen counter, slumped forward, with her head in her hands. “I can’t believe he broke up with me.”
“I can’t believe he said those things. What a tool!” Stella declared. “You should’ve dumped him, not the other way around.”
“I should’ve ended things long ago,” Matilda agreed. “I’ve been hanging on because I thought he was better than he seemed. Apparently, I was very wrong about that.”
“So, you’re really going to America?” Stella asked, as she stirred slices of chicken into a wok. The chicken sizzled in the oil and steam rose into the air.
It smelled divine and Matilda’s stomach growled with hunger.
“I’m going. I’ve made the decision. I booked a flight last night. It’s all happening.” Matilda’s hunger pangs turned to anxiety and her gut twisted into a knot. “I’ve never done a long flight like that before.”
“Me either,” Stella replied. “I wonder what it’s like over there.”
“I wish you could come with me,” Matilda groaned. “But I’ve got to do this on my own. I felt really strongly about that earlier. And now I’m scared to death by it.”
Stella patted her arm. “You’ll be fine. You’re very capable. And besides, if you don’t find any of your family, you can simply come back home. Right?”
“Right, I’ll just fly home. It’s no big deal.”
“Nothing to worry about.” Stella gave a nod. “Regardless, I still think you’re mad, taking time off work, breaking up with your boyfriend—even if he is a jerk—and traveling to the other side of the world because of a DNA test.”
“Maybe I am crazy. I don’t know. Does a crazy person know if they’re crazy? Or do they need other people to point it out?”
“You’re not really crazy. I’d tell you if you were.”
“You would? You’re such a good sister.” Matilda winked.
Stella’s eyes twinkled. “I’d get you the best white jacket. All the other crazy people would be jealous.”
Matilda laughed. “You’ll stay in touch? Make sure I’m alive every few days?”
Stella’s nostrils flared. “I’m already anxious enough. You don’t have to make it worse. What if you die? I didn’t even think of that. There won’t be anyone over there looking out for you. You’ll be all alone!” Stella’s voice rose an octave as the realisation dawned.
Matilda couldn’t help goading her. “And what if I die in a shoot-out? They have gangs over there. I could stray onto the wrong street. Will you fly over to collect my body and bring me home?”
Stella glared at her. “That’s not even funny.”
“I thought it was a little funny.” Matilda reached for a sliced carrot and popped it into her mouth.
“You have a twisted sense of humour. You know how anxious I get.”
“Sorry, sis. I promise not to cross into gang territory. And if I do, I’ll make sure to wear the right coloured bandanna.”
“It’s not West Side Story,” Stella sniffed.
“Maybe you’re right. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”