Flight of the Jabiru (42 page)

“There, there,” Bea said, patting her shoulder. “You let it out, dear,” she added. “Let it all out.”

Lara stayed in bed for the next three days, barely eating a thing. Bea stayed by her side, making sure she drank and took care of her after she had told her on the second day that it had actually been a huge crocodile which killed Rick. When Lara realized which animal it would have been she got a weeping jag. She cried for many hours before she fell into a deep, troubled sleep. Without Bea's loyal support, she probably would have lost her mind. On the fourth day, Bea insisted she get up and have a shower.

“I know you loved your young man very much, but would he want you to grieve this way? I doubt it. Now have a shower and then come into the kitchen,” she insisted.

There was something very motherly about Bea. She was firm, but kindly and protective, so Lara responded. Lara had heard her sending visitors away, even those who meant well, and she appreciated it. The only person she allowed in was Jerry.

After showering, Lara went into the kitchen, where Bea was scrambling eggs.

“I'm not hungry,” Lara mumbled, collapsing onto a chair because she felt light-headed.

“You can eat a little bit,” Bea insisted. She made a piece of toast and put some scrambled eggs on top. After putting it in front of Lara, she made her a cup of tea. “You need to get your strength back,” she said.

“I have no appetite. I can't stop thinking about Rick and ... how he was killed.” She began to cry again. “He'd never kill a crocodile, so why was he killed that way...?”

Bea sat down opposite Lara and took her hand. “Sometimes we don't know why things happen,” she said. “I lost my husband in a terrible train accident down south when Jerry was just a boy. Just like you, I kept thinking about the terrible way he died, but in the end I had to put it from my mind. Of course it wasn't easy, but he wouldn't have wanted me to constantly envision the way he died. He would've wanted me to remember him as he was when he was alive, smiling, and happy. Wouldn't your Rick want that, too?”

Lara wiped her tears and nodded.

“I believe he was a crocodile hunter who trapped them instead of shooting them.”

Lara nodded again, struggling not to cry.

“Then I'm sure he was well aware of the risks involved.”

Lara swallowed the lump in her throat. “But we were going to be married,” she said in a voice little more than a whisper. “We had our life planned and we would've been so happy.”

“I know, love,” Bea said. “Going on alone won't be easy, but you have all the people in this town to support you. I haven't been here more than a few days and I yet I can feel the love the townsfolk and the children have for you. They're feeling your pain and no doubt sharing it as Rick was also loved.”

Lara sniffed and picked up a fork. While Bea poured tea into cups, Lara ate a little. “I miss my dad,” she said when Bea put the tea in front of her.

“What about your mother?” Bea asked, sitting opposite her again.

“She died when I was little, so it's just been me and dad.”

“Is he in England?”

“Yes, I sent him a letter asking him to come out here for my ... wedding.” Lara dabbed tears again.

“Would you like me to write to him and tell him what happened? It might be easier than doing it yourself.”

“I'll think about it. Thank you for being so kind to me.”

“Oh, you're welcome, love. I'm here for as long as you need me.”

Lara went back to bed after eating half of the food that Bea made her.

Jerry called in. “How is Lara, mother?”

“She's sleeping right now, but I got her to have a shower and eat a little. She'll be all right. It just takes time.”

“I'm so glad you are here,” Jerry said.

Bea studied her son. “I was under the impression that you weren't happy to see me.”

“I'm always happy to see you, mother. I was just worried it wasn't safe up here, but you are just what Lara needs right now.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

June 1942

“I've got some good news,” Bea said to Lara excitedly, as she came in carrying fresh milk and eggs for breakfast.

For just a moment Lara hoped she'd brought a letter from her father, but it wasn't in her hand.

“Monty just heard on the radio that four Japanese aircraft carriers have been sunk off Midway Island near Hawaii. That should put a stop to their antics.”

“Do you think so?” Lara asked hopefully. She'd just come out of the shower so she was tying the sash on the light robe she was wearing.

“I certainly do. Monty said that's half their fleet and they can't replace such a big loss. Apparently the Yanks divebombed them after failing to torpedo them, and the fuel they were carrying ignited and blew them out of the water. I don't condone loss of life on any side of a war, and I'm sure many men were killed when those vessels went down, but more than two hundred innocent people were killed in Darwin and they didn't stop to think about that.”

Lara was waiting for a letter from her father, an answer to the first she wrote about becoming engaged to Rick. She'd asked him to come for her wedding and was still hopeful he'd visit her. Ten days after Rick's death she began writing another letter to him. It took a full week to complete because she kept shedding tears over what she wrote.

Bea had moved into the rectory. Since Lara had no room for Jerry, she marched up to Charlie and asked him if Jerry could sleep at his house for a while. “Of course Jerry can stay with me and Kiwi, love,” Charlie said. “Anything I can do to help, you just let me know,” he added.

“Thank you, Charlie,” Lara said, surprising everyone by kissing his cheek before she went back to the rectory.

The men gaped at Charlie enviously.

“I'm surprised you agreed to have Jerry,” Monty said, slightly put out that Lara hadn't asked him if Jerry could share his living quarters at the back of the pub.

“We're all surprised,” Jonno added. “How will you cope with Jerry every night?”

“That poor girl has been through enough and she asked for my help. How could I refuse her?” Charlie said.

“I would've helped if she'd asked,” Rex grumbled. He'd let Jerry sleep on his boat before. It wasn't very comfortable, but he hadn't complained.

“Me, too,” Jonno added.

“Well she didn't ask either of you, did she? She asked me,” Charlie smirked proudly and finished his beer.

Lara had insisted that Bea take her room, but she argued that she was quite comfortable sleeping on the camp bed, so they came to a compromise, and Bea made the living room her own.

“I'll make breakfast while you get dressed,” Bea suggested. She did most of the cooking, but sometimes Jerry pitched in and cooked something. Lara thought he was trying to impress her, which made her feel uncomfortable, but she appreciated his and Bea's company. It made her pain slightly more bearable, and going back to teaching also kept her mind occupied. Even so, many times a day she found herself glancing out of the kitchen window, or one of the schoolroom windows with a view of the billabong. Initially she'd wanted to put curtains up in the schoolroom so she wouldn't see the billabong during the day. She also kept closing the curtains in the kitchen but Bea always opened them again, telling her it wasn't good to be in denial. She told Lara it had taken her weeks to get on a train after her husband's accident, but it had been part of the healing process. Eventually, Lara found seeing Rick's boat gave her some comfort.

With a war going on, there wasn't much chance of selling the boat, and Lara had no idea how to contact Rick's family to tell them about his passing and ask what they wanted done with his boat. She only knew they lived in a small town called Geelong outside Melbourne. Bea said the Red Cross might be able to help, so Lara intended to find out once she felt up to going into the city. The men had offered to move the boat out of sight, so it wouldn't be a constant reminder, but after thinking about it, Lara told them to leave it beside the jetty, for now. One evening she found the courage to go aboard, and discovered a sense of peace she hadn't been expecting to find. She could almost believe that Rick was still alive, and out fishing with a mate. In her heart, she didn't feel that she'd lost him, but she knew that was wishful thinking.

August 1942

“Is Jerry back from the city yet, Bea?”

“Not yet and I'm worried, but he insisted on going to check on his place, and mine, and the hospital.”

“The city hasn't been bombed for quite some time, so I'm sure he'll be safe,” Lara said. It was the first time she was able to offer reassurance to Bea. It was usually the other way around.

“He's probably all right,” Bea said. “I know he's a grown man, but a mother never stops worrying about her offspring, no matter how old they are.”

“I understand,” Lara said.

“Jerry's a good man. I've always said if he didn't work out here in the wetlands with fishermen and Aboriginals, he'd have found a lovely wife by now, but he knows the people out here need him and he won't let them down. I admire his dedication, but he isn't getting any younger. He should have his own family by now.”

Lara didn't comment. Jerry wasn't good at hiding his feelings, so she knew he was still interested in a relationship with her, but he was treading carefully, waiting for a subtle, positive response. Her heart was with Rick, though, and she didn't know when she'd feel able to love again, if ever.

Bea studied Lara for a minute, reading her mind. “Your heart will be open to love again one day,” she said. “You can't see it now, but it will happen. To be honest, it's a mystery to me that someone as young and beautiful as you ended up in this backwater.” It was even more mystifying to Bea that a woman like Lara would fall in love with a rough crocodile hunter. She'd never met Rick, but as a former nurse, she'd looked after many crocodile hunters because they were often injured in their line of work. She'd never met one who wasn't uncouth, and that was being kind.

Lara remained silent. As much as she liked and respected Bea, she didn't want to talk about her past. She'd been in Shady Camp more than a year, and it had passed quickly, but that was because she'd been in love with Rick. She had the feeling the next year would drag, but eventually she'd be able to go home.

“Betty and Colin are leaving in September, apparently,” Bea told Lara. “More fuel is available, so Colin has been buying as much as he can from the store in Corroboree, and storing it for the drive to Alice Springs. From there they're going on the Ghan train to Adelaide, and then onto Melbourne, where they'll catch a boat to Tasmania. Betty has just been telling me all about it. She's really excited. I don't think Colin shares her enthusiasm, though.”

“He's a real Territorian, so he's definitely not happy about leaving,” Lara said. She was really going to miss Betty and her friendship.

“Well, Betty is determined, so he has no choice if he wants to keep the family together. Oh, look, Jerry's back,” Bea said happily, catching a glance of his car through the living room window.

Jerry came through the door a minute later. Even though Bea was the recipient of a warm smile, she didn't fail to notice that his face lit up when he saw Lara.

“What did you find out?” Bea asked Jerry.

“Nothing good, I'm afraid. The building my flat was in has been blown to pieces and I'm afraid your house suffered the same fate. I'm sorry, mother, but we've lost everything.

“We'd be in the same boat as everyone else,” Bea said sadly.

“That's right. Most of the city is a shambles. It's an eerie place. I did see one friendly face, though. As I was driving around I came upon Mr. Bradbury.”

“Why is he still in the city?” He was one of Bea's neighbors.

“Like many civil servants, he volunteered to be a warden. He even stayed in his own home for a while, while his wife and their son evacuated to Alice Springs. He told me a bomb dropped right in his swimming pool in the back garden. The force apparently shifted the house forwards several feet. He was in bed at the time, although he claims he's had very little sleep since February 19.”

“It sounds like he's lucky to be alive,” Bea said in astonishment.

“That's not the end of the incredible story, mother. Another bomb landed in the road in front of his house and the force moved the house backwards again. I drove past it when I was checking on your house and it was still standing, but he said it's no longer safe to occupy. Mr. Bradbury and the other wardens move around every night now, sleeping in places they think might be safe. He's aged years in a few weeks.”

“I can imagine. I wish my house was still standing,” Bea said dejectedly. “I'd be able to get all my keepsakes. So many memories will be gone, but I shouldn't complain. We're still alive, and that's what matters.”

“He said it's a constant battle to stop looters.”

“Looting is such a low act,” Bea said crossly. “Those caught doing it should be locked up and the key thrown away.”

Lara had breakfast and then went to ring the school bell. The locals knew if it was rung at eight o'clock in the morning it wasn't for an air raid.

“You're in love with Lara, aren't you, son?” Bea said as she poured Jerry a second cup of tea.

“Is it that obvious?” Jerry asked, his color heightening.

“You light up when you're in the same room, so it's pretty hard to miss.”

“I don't think Lara notices.”

“I'm sure she does. Her heart is just too broken to be open right now, but she fond of you, I can tell. And she'll be ready for another relationship one day. You just have to be patient.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. She just needs a little time to heal. But she's worth waiting for.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Jerry said, seeing real hope for the first time. “You've become very fond of her, haven't you?”

“I can't think of anyone more suitable as a daughter-in-law and the future mother to my grandchildren,” Bea said with a twinkle in her eye. “We get along very well.”

Jerry felt that his chances were much higher with his mother on his side. “I do believe that's the first time I've heard you talk like that about a young woman I'm interested in.”

“That's because it's the first time I've felt that way,” Bea said with a warm smile. “I like Lara a lot. She's strong and kind, sensible and intelligent. Anyone who would come out to this place to take up a teaching position is very dedicated to children, and it goes without saying that she's very beautiful.”

“I agree with all you've said. It's a mystery that she'd want to be here, but everyone in town loves her, including the children. The parents are very impressed with what she's achieved, and the children actually enjoy attending school. Imagine that? Of course, if I'd had a teacher like Lara, I would've loved school, too.”

“What about Miss Belcher?” Bea asked with a smirk.

“Ugh, mother! She was a fright!”

They both laughed at the memory of the spinster teacher who'd been extremely tall, as thin as a twig, with tiny eyes that were overshadowed by dark unruly brows, and had a nose a Macaw parrot would've been proud of. That aside, she'd been very strange indeed.

Then Bea became serious. “There isn't any competition in this town for Lara's heart, so I predict that Miss Penrose will one day become Mrs. Jerry Quinlan, and that day can't come soon enough for me,” she said.

Jerry drove along the very crude track that led to the Aboriginal community on the other side of Shady Camp billabong, not too far from Sampan Creek. He visited this particular community about four times a year, unless the ‘wet' had been severe and the track, no more than two wheel ruts in the earth, was impassable. The community consisted of about twenty members. They mostly handled medical problems with bush medicine, but Jerry liked to call on them now and again just in case someone had become afflicted with some kind of European illness, which was becoming more common, and then bush medicines were ineffective.

Jerry was greeted by one of the elders. “G'day, doc,” Warragul said.

Jerry smiled. “You've got more white hair since I last saw you,” he teased. He always had a laugh with Warragul.

The old man grinned, showing off the two teeth he had left. “White hair makin' me plenty smart,” he joked. He was sitting by his campfire with his long, thin legs crossed in front of him like a bow. His only exertion was to raise his hand now and again to casually flick flies from his face. Other members of the community were sitting under shady trees not far away. “How've you bin, Doc?” Warragul asked.

“I'm good. I just called to see if everyone here was all right?”

“Yeah, we okay,” Warragul said, poking a stick at something in the fire.