Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Coolangatta
The following week, Mima drove to the Coolangatta Airport to pick up Jack after his trip down south to Bathurst to visit his sister.
She pulled up to the curb outside the airport, and Jack climbed into her brand-new Corolla.
She adjusted the radio to turn down the volume on Gold FM, which played her favourite classic rock songs.
“Great Balls of Fire” blasted through the speakers, and she knew it would drive Jack crazy.
He’d say something like “I can’t hear myself think with all that racket. ”
He took off his Akubra hat and set it on the back seat of the car. “Nice ride.”
She pulled away from the curb. “Thanks, I like it. It’s got electric windows and door locks.”
He glanced down at the door beside him. “Huh… I hope we don’t get stuck in this contraption.”
“We’re not going to get stuck, Grandpa. You always think the worst will happen.”
“In my experience, that’s exactly what happens.”
She couldn’t argue with him. He’d been shot down in his Kittyhawk over the Bay of Tunis by the Nazis, captured as a prisoner of the Italians, and then lost his memory after being injured by more Germans while escaping from the POW camp where he’d been interned.
If anyone could claim that the worst was likely to happen, it was Jack.
Between the two of them, they’d endured far more than anyone should have to face.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Jack said as he settled into his seat.
She turned in the direction of New South Wales and merged onto the highway. “You’re welcome. I can’t have you hitching a ride at your age, and taxis are so expensive. You should park your truck at the airport if I’m not around.”
“Costs too much,” he replied. “It’s daylight robbery.”
“How’s Sylvia?”
“She’s fine. Kept asking me about her dogs.”
“What dogs?”
“Those two Pomeranians she used to have in that big house on the outskirts of town. Before she got sick. Their names were Banjo and Bingo. Can you believe it? What kind of names are those?”
“Dog names…” Mima offered with a palm raised.
He grunted. “All she could say when I first arrived was, ‘Where are Banjo and Bingo? Do you have them? Get them some treats. They love those treats.’”
“Poor Syl,” Mima replied with a shake of her head. “It’s sad things have come to that.”
“Yeah, I hate seeing her that way. She was happy I visited, though. Recognised me almost right away. Of course, she thinks we’re still young and that I live nearby, but that’s fine with me.
We got to reminisce about the old days, which was nice.
She’s one of the few people left in my life who knew me back then and can talk about what it was like growing up with Mum and Dad in Bathurst.”
“I’m really glad you had that chance. We never know how long we have people for. Did you get to catch up with anyone else?”
“My cousin and his son. Plus, I visited my parents’ graves and left some flowers, and I checked on my investment property. I’ve got a nice family living there as tenants, and everything looks good.”
“Seems like a worthwhile trip.”
“I think so. It was good to be back home again, even for a brief while.”
“You still call it home, huh?” Mima asked.
He grunted. “I guess I do, although it hasn’t been my home for a very long time. It’s changed, but not so much that I don’t recognise it. It’s still the same small country town. Still has a lot of the same buildings as it did back then. I even drove past the high school. It hasn’t changed.”
“So many memories,” Mima replied sadly.
“So many ghosts,” he agreed. “I visited your parents, like you asked.”
“Thanks,” Mima said. “I’ll have to go and see them again soon. They’re getting older, but they still have their wits about them.”
“They were sharp as a tack. Your mother was playing mahjong with the neighbour when I arrived. She gave me sponge cake with jam and cream with a cup of hot tea so piping, it burned my tongue.”
Mima chortled. “That sounds about right. She’s still playing that blasted game with the same group of ladies she played with in the 1950s. I can’t believe she finds it so interesting, but she swears they have a great time. She’s always been a creature of habit, unlike me.”
“Your mother couldn’t be less like you if she tried.
Your life motto is rules are for fools, and she’s a rule follower from way back.
” Jack’s eyes flashed. “She asked me about you. Asked if you were still getting into trouble. I told her you’ve never stopped, and it’s one of the things I like most about you. She wasn’t sure what to reply to that.”
Mima rolled her eyes. “She can’t accept that I’ve been an upstanding citizen for decades now.
In her mind, I’m still the wayward teen who left Bathurst alone to work at a hospital in the war, not to mention how I lived afterwards.
It was the height of indecency, to her way of thinking.
Imagine what people would say? That was her favourite catchphrase. ”
“It was good for you to get out of town and find your own way, Mima. You’re too much of a free spirit to plant yourself in that kind of soil.
” Jack exhaled slowly. “If the war hadn’t happened, we might’ve stayed there forever.
But life has a way of shaking things up.
Did you get to all your appointments while I was gone? And how about the inn? Any news?”
“Everything’s fine, I’m fine, the inn is great, and the girls are doing well. Reeda and Duncan’s foster children are giving them a run for their money, but I’m sure you heard all about that.”
Jack nodded. “I called the inn a few days ago and got the update. They have their hands full.”
“Other than that, you didn’t miss a thing.
” Mima hesitated. She wanted to tell Jack what had been going on in her own life, to get his input, his perspective on her situation.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
Where would she start? And the truth was, she didn’t know for sure what would happen.
She was going on a TV show, but what was it about?
Why had they contacted her? They’d given her a story about a baby, but she’d never had children.
None that lived, anyway. Anxiety tickled the pit of her stomach every time she thought about it.
She’d almost called a hundred times to cancel.
Why should she do it? She wouldn’t gain anything from it but more pain, would she?
She glanced across the seat at Jack. He would understand. He could give her advice. But she didn’t know how to tell him the things she’d kept to herself for so long that they were stuck in the base of her throat. Edie would know what to do, but Edie wasn’t here.
“I met someone in Bathurst, a man I’ve never seen before. He seemed to know you—wanted to know where he could find you.”
Mima frowned. “Did he give you his name?”
“I think he said it was Allen something. He was a mysterious kind of guy. A businessman, very dapper. Thin face, dark hair. I didn’t tell him anything about you—just said I knew you. I asked what he wanted to contact you for, and he said never mind. He’d talk to you himself.”
“Allen? Hmmm… doesn’t ring a bell. Did he look like a TV reporter?”
“Huh?” Jack frowned at her. “A reporter? I don’t know. Maybe. Why would a reporter want to talk to you?”
Mima shrugged. “No reason I can think of.”