Riding the Storm

‘T
HIS IS GREAT
,’ Ryan sighed contentedly, looking at the clear, turquoise waters slapping the hull as his friend steered the motor launch towards their favourite offshore fishing ground. ‘All we need is for the fish to be biting today.’

Mike pulled a wry face. ‘Time was when putting a boat in the water meant the certainty of catching a fish. But between the crown-of-thorns starfish and the coal mining, very soon there won’t be much left alive on the Barrier Reef. Some of the islands already have nothing but dead coral—’

Ryan cursed himself for setting Mike off on his favourite hobbyhorse. A fierce conservationist and keen amateur fisherman, he despised the politicians who were selling out to big business and allowing dredging and coal mining far too close to the reef they had grown up on.

‘This is one of the remaining wonders of the world,’ Mike went on. ‘Those stupid old men in Canberra don’t care. They’re still in denial about global warming, but it’s obvious that the ice caps are melting and some of the snow grounds in the northern hemisphere are green again. Tourists have been going to see it.’

‘You’re preaching to the converted, mate.’ Ryan’s
sympathies were with Mike but he’d heard these arguments too many times before. ‘Maybe you can make a difference when you’re a world-famous surgeon. Perhaps people will listen to you then.’

‘That’s still a long way off,’ Mike sighed. ‘I’ve only just completed my bachelor degree. Sometimes I wish I didn’t care about this place so much. If only I could be more laid back about it, like you.’

Ryan shook his head. ‘I do care, I just don’t believe in stressing about things that I can’t affect.’

‘Because you live here all the time. You don’t notice the subtle differences in the shoreline but I saw it straight away.’ Mike was back home in Canesville to visit his father after spending a gap year travelling, before heading back to Melbourne to study medicine. They had known one another since primary school although Ryan’s family lived more simply, unable to afford such luxuries as this elegant boat; a rich man’s toy, built for speed.

They were close as brothers although Mike had been sent away to boarding school when his parents split up. They had always supported each other, falling into the same easy friendship whenever Mike came home.

At twenty years of age, both lads were the picture of muscular good health but the brooding, dark-haired Mike was always first choice with the girls, who seemed to find Ryan’s open-faced, sandy-haired looks less appealing. Ryan didn’t care; he was amused by his friend’s almost legendary success with the opposite sex and his own heart had never been touched, let alone broken.

‘Anyway, how’s that girl you were seeing in Brisbane?’
Ryan asked. ‘I’ve forgotten her name—’

Momentarily, his friend’s smile faltered and he looked less than comfortable as he cut the engine and gave his attention to dropping anchor in a safe spot. Avoiding Ryan’s gaze, he set about baiting some hooks. ‘It didn’t work out. I just wanted to have a bit of fun – but you know women.’

‘Not the way you do. What happened this time?’

‘When I told her I was heading back down south to study, she wanted to come too, said we should get a flat together. Like I said, I just wanted to have some fun, it’s too soon for me to start setting up house with someone.’

‘Thinking about all those new hotties you’re going to meet in Melbourne?’

‘Well, I may have wanted to keep my options open.’ Mike smiled cheekily. ‘I told her I’d be back to see her during the holidays.’

‘And that wasn’t enough for her, I suppose?’

He shook his head. ‘Next thing I know she’s making up some story about being pregnant.’

‘But she wasn’t, right?’

Mike shrugged. ‘Probably not, we were always careful. Who knows? I’m done with her now anyway.’

‘That’s a bit harsh, even by your standards. I thought you were crazy about her.’

‘Yeah, turns out she was the crazy one. The girlfriend from hell.’

‘And that’s not the first time I’ve heard that from you.’

‘Well, at least I’ve had some girlfriends,’ Mike snapped defensively. ‘Unlike you. But I suppose it’s not easy with Mum and Dad hanging over your shoulders at home all the time.’

‘No, it’s not easy. I’ve been pretty busy working around the stables, and I don’t get to meet many new people.’

‘Yeah, I know. I feel sorry for you stuck out there in the bush, poor kid.’ Mike gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. ‘So, how are your parents doing?’

‘Actually, they’re at each other’s throats at the moment.’

‘That’s not like them. Who’s having the midlife crisis?’

‘I dunno. Dad, I suppose. He took Silver Sprite down to Sydney for a listed race to try and get her a bit of black type. Money was tight as usual so Mum didn’t want him to go – said Sprite was a country horse who couldn’t compete against city-class runners. Long story short, his hunch paid off and Sprite won the race at long odds. It was decent prize money and Dad cleaned up in the bookies’ ring too.’

‘Great. So what does she have to complain about now?’

‘Because Dad went to the bloodstock sales and blew the lot on one new horse. Mum wanted to install a new kitchen and get someone to fix the roof but Dad doesn’t care about things like that.’

‘Life would be easier if he’d share the ownership of his horses,’ Mike said. ‘I’d take a slice of the action.’

‘Dad’s not interested in selling shares, he wants that horse all to himself. Uncle Robert came up to Sydney from Melbourne for the sole purpose of buying that colt – a big grey with good bloodlines – I think he’s related to a horse Robert used to train. Anyway, you know my father and his brother have never got on. They’ve never been able to work together and Robert just loves to beat him on the track, even though he’s always got five times as many horses in work. So, when Dad won all that money he couldn’t help himself. He just had
to outbid his brother and buy that colt. Even got it cheaper than expected in the end.’

‘Good on him.’

‘He might have had enough money left to make a start on the roof but he spent the rest on renovating the old stables and building a new one as well. He says a good horse needs a decent space to live in.’

‘Insult to injury, eh? Putting the needs of the horses ahead of his wife.’

‘Well, that’s how Mum sees it, of course. But wait until you see Tommy – anyone would be proud to own him. He’s beautifully bred – tall and strong, shoulders like a carthorse.’

‘Tommy? Is that what you call him?’

‘Only at home. His registered name is Hunter’s Moon. Dad says if this one lives up to his expectations, we could have a champion on our hands. If he’s right, then Mum can have the whole house done up and go on a cruise as well if that’s what she wants. But all she can see is the money already spent. I’m trying to keep the peace but they’ve scarcely spoken a word to each other all week. Mum’s completely lost her sense of humour and finds fault with everything. Not like herself at all.’

Mike nodded in sympathy. ‘That’s what happened to mine before they gave up and decided on a divorce.’

‘Oh, I’m sure it won’t come to that.’ Ryan’s eyes widened in shock. The love that existed between his parents had always been part of his own security. Until recently, anyway.

Mike shrugged, shaking his head. ‘These things blow up quickly. I should know. Look at my old man. After Mum left, he lived in happy bachelorhood for years – or so I was stupid
enough to think. But now he goes to the gym every day and he’s talking about getting married again.’

‘To someone half his age, I suppose?’

‘No, worse than that. Fiona used to be Mum’s best friend. He says he met her again only recently but you have to wonder how long it’s been going on. Dirty old bugger.’

‘He’s done alright for himself though, like this boat,’ Ryan said, admiring the gleaming chrome and white luxury that surrounded them. ‘I’m surprised he let us take it out today.’

‘This boat isn’t his. He’s just brokering it as a favour for some friend of his down the coast. Wants me to deliver it to someone in the Whitsundays. Can’t do it himself as Fiona expects him to go to some charity dinner in Cairns.’ He brightened, suddenly struck by a thought. ‘Hey, why don’t you come with me? We’ll only be away a couple of days. Catch a plane back to Cairns – Dad’ll pay.’

‘Sounds good, but it depends when you have to go. Tommy has a few trials lined up and we’ve entered him for a race at Eagle Farm.’

‘We can work around it, I’m sure. Go on, it’ll be fun. We’ll have a big night out afterwards, get horribly drunk and meet a few girls. Come on, I’ll show you how the other half lives.’

Ryan’s line gave a sudden jerk, catching his attention. ‘Whoa – hold that thought, I’ve got a bite. Feels like a big one, can you pass me some gloves?’

Mike tossed him a pair and Ryan settled in for a long battle, playing his fish and gradually drawing it closer and closer to the boat. This was the excitement they’d come for. They saw occasional flashes of luminous pink scales as the fish drew closer to the boat until all of a sudden, the frantic
activity stopped and the line went slack.

‘Damn.’ He swore softly. ‘It’s gone. Didn’t even get to see what it was.’

‘Not your fault, bro. There’s the culprit. Look.’ Mike pointed to a dark shape in the water, cruising a few yards behind them. ‘Tiger shark. Might as well up anchor and find ourselves another spot. If we stay, he’ll just hang around waiting for us to catch another for him.’

Ryan searched the horizon, noting a fresh, cool breeze coming in from the east. ‘We might not want to be out here much longer, the weather’s going to change soon.’

Mike followed his gaze and spotted the same dark clouds. ‘Should be OK, it’s just a bit of rain. Give it another hour or so, then we’ll head back.’ So saying, he pressed various buttons to bring the anchor up, started the engine with a satisfying roar and they set off again at speed, hoping to leave the shark and the storm behind them.

C
HRISSIE AROSE TO
a beautiful sunny morning, cooled by a soft southern breeze. Summer in Melbourne could often be hot and oppressive, forcing people to live behind closed curtains and blinds, praying for the hot winds from the north to abate and the stifling heatwave to come to an end. But this was a perfect day for the shopping expedition she had been planning for weeks, timed to coincide with her father’s absence in Sydney. As well as racing a mare, he had gone to check out a promising colt he was hoping to buy and wasn’t expected home for several days.

For his wife and daughter, life at home was less tense without his critical, often unnerving presence. When they were done with their shopping, Chrissie thought they might stay in town to see a movie or perhaps have dinner at a pub on the way home. A pair of confirmed shopaholics, they were known for encouraging each other’s impulse to buy.

‘It’s only money.’ Val would laugh recklessly. ‘Plenty more where that came from.’ But all too often it would end in tears when Robert caught sight of her bills. It suited him to forget that he owed much of the prosperity of his stables to the large sum of money Val had inherited from her father.

But this morning their expedition was justifiable and guilt free. Chrissie needed shoes and accessories for her wedding, due to take place in less than six weeks. She wanted Valerie, as the bride’s mother, to shine for once and wear something stunning. Her mother’s taste in clothing leaned towards the conservative, favouring neutral colours like navy and beige – as a rule she tried not to stand out from the crowd. But Chrissie intended her to wear something other than the dowdy little suits she wore to the races. And afterwards, if they had any energy left, she wanted to choose something glamorous to wear on her honeymoon in Paris. Paris! Her heart lifted at the thought of it.

The honeymoon in Paris had been Tony’s idea and she loved him for it, in spite of the fact that she would be paying for most of it herself. As he reminded her constantly, as a newly qualified lawyer, she earned far more than he did, so wasn’t it only fair that she should pick up their bills? All the same, this was a closely kept secret. She didn’t want her parents – her father particularly – to find out she would be paying for their visit to France. She could hear him now, making sarcastic remarks and saying Tony was marrying her because she was an easy meal ticket. She didn’t like to think that it might be true.

To gain the most amount of time at the shopping centre, they would have to leave home early. The fashionable boutiques they craved were a long way from the outskirts of Melbourne where they lived. The thought of a whole day to shop at their leisure stretched before them invitingly and they were fortifying themselves with a light breakfast of coffee and toast before leaving. Instead of the casual clothes they usually wore at home and around the stables, they were fully made up
and dressed in their black city suits, complete with stockings and high heels. Tempting as it might be to face a long day at the shops wearing trainers, T-shirts and jeans, experience had taught them that shop assistants judged their customers by the cut of their clothes. They’d receive better attention if they looked businesslike and well dressed.

Just as they were about to leave, they heard someone burst into the house through the back door, slamming it hard enough to make the windows rattle. Chrissie looked up, meeting her mother’s startled gaze. It could only be her father. No one else would treat their home with so little respect. Damn, she swore silently. Trust him to come home two days early and in a foul mood. She watched her mother’s expression fade and all the pleasure and anticipation drain out of her as she sighed and slumped in her seat. Home early, Robert would take over, filling the room with his presence, demanding a meal and expecting Val to put her own plans on hold to attend to his needs.

They already knew the horse he had taken to Sydney with such high hopes had failed miserably in a listed race that she had been favoured to win. Now the disappointed owners wanted to sell her rather than pay the expense of transporting her back to Melbourne, leaving him with one less horse to train. But even that setback wasn’t enough to account for his evil mood.

Chrissie recovered more quickly than her mother when Robert came into the room.

‘Hi, Dad!’ she said, sounding a lot more enthusiastic than she felt. ‘You’re home early. That’s great.’

‘Is it?’ he said, not offering a greeting to either of them. ‘And
where are you off to, all dressed up while my back is turned? I hope you’re not thinking of shopping again, Val, with that maxed-out credit card?’

Valerie blushed and flinched. It was Chrissie who came to stand between them, answering him.

‘And hello to you too, Dad. No good asking if you had a pleasant trip. Just don’t take it out on Mum. If things didn’t go so well for you in Sydney, it isn’t her fault.’

Robert scowled but she went on before he could speak. ‘And in case you’ve forgotten, I’m getting married to Tony in less than two months. I want Mum to have something decent to wear that’s not over ten years old.’

Robert grunted. ‘Waste of money, I call it – all that fuss for one day.’

‘You don’t have to call it anything because I’m paying.’

Robert’s expression cleared. ‘You mean it? For the whole day?’

‘No, Dad, of course not.’ Chrissie felt suddenly weary of his stingy attitude. ‘Just for the clothes.’

He nodded and sat at the table, leaning back and addressing his wife. ‘Rustle us up some bacon an’ eggs, luv. I’m starved.’

Obediently, Valerie stood up and went to open the fridge.

‘Leave it, Mum,’ Chrissie said, taking charge and reminding herself that she was, after all, a professional in her own right and capable of standing up for herself and her mother as well, if need be. ‘If Dad’s hungry, I’m sure he can make breakfast for himself. He’s probably already had one on the plane. I can’t put this off any longer. I’m going shopping for my wedding and I don’t want to do it alone. I need your
opinion and you’re coming with me as we planned.’ She folded her arms and looked from one parent to the other, hoping her mother wouldn’t back down.

Valerie bit her lip. ‘Oh, Chrissie, now your dad’s home I’m not so sure. Maybe this time you should go on your own.’

‘Leaving you here with him in this mood? I don’t think so.’

‘What are you implying?’ Robert’s face reddened with rage. ‘I’ve never raised a hand to your mother and don’t you dare suggest it.’

‘Not that you haven’t come close.’ Once more Chrissie squared up to him. ‘Children aren’t deaf, you know. As a kid, I used to lie under the covers and cringe when I heard you raging at her when you were drunk.’

‘I can hold my liquor – I never get drunk.’

‘Haven’t been caught yet, you mean. I’ve seen you driving under the influence more than once.’

Robert sat back and smiled. It wasn’t pleasant but Chrissie held his gaze. ‘I hope young Tony knows what he’s let himself in for. You’re turning into a proper bully, my girl.’

‘Yeah, well. I’ve had a good teacher, haven’t I?’ This was Chrissie’s parting shot as she headed for the door. ‘Come along, Mum.’

‘But don’t you want to know why I’m home early?’ Robert was grasping at straws now, sounding almost plaintive.

‘I’m sure it’ll keep till tonight.’ Chrissie thrust her mother’s handbag into her hands and gave her a push towards the door. ‘Just hold the thought until then.’

As they drove towards town, Valerie had little to say, remaining lost in her thoughts. Chrissie couldn’t help thinking
how different it would have been if they’d been able to get away before Robert came home. Her mother would have been chattering happily, looking forward to window-shopping as much as anything else. It was a long time since she’d seen anything resembling luxury or visited a boutique. Chrissie had been looking forward to giving her mother this treat and was silently cursing her father for ruining it.

She and Valerie were two of a kind, not exactly beautiful but also far from plain. The Welsh heritage they shared had given them small breasts and plump thighs. Chrissie had soft, brown curls, framing even features and a small but determined chin. Her greatest asset was a pair of soulful, dark-brown eyes, fringed with long lashes. It annoyed her when people assumed they were false. She tried to remember to smile, as she had been told often that she could look quite fierce and forbidding when her face was in repose. People were always making a joke of it, saying, ‘Cheer up – it might never happen’ and children in shopping centres would burst into tears when she glared at them for having tantrums and making a noise. Heads didn’t turn when she walked through a crowd and she knew herself to be unremarkable, forgettable even. But by some miracle Tony loved her and in less than two months now they’d be in Paris on their honeymoon. A warning voice at the back of her mind kept telling her it was all too good to be true but she did her best to ignore it.

With a jolt, she realized they had both been lost in their thoughts for some time, almost hypnotized by the motorway and the drone of the cars alongside them.

‘You OK, Mum?’ she said at last. ‘You’re awfully quiet.’

‘You never said.’ Valerie sounded choked. ‘You never told
me you heard all those arguments – when you were small. I always tried to keep you from hearing those rows.’

Chrissie spoke softly, hardly daring to ask. ‘Did he ever lose his temper and hurt you, Mum?’

‘No, not really. Sometimes he came close but it was mostly all bluster and noise.’

‘Why did you put up with it?’

‘Chrissie, it was another era. People saw things differently. And he hasn’t really threatened me – not for years now.’

‘But he used to?’

‘Chrissie, I’m not comfortable talking about this. It’s all in the past, anyway.’

‘I’m sorry, Mum. I know he’s my dad but there’s precious little love lost between us. And I hate the way he treats you. Expecting you to shelve all your plans just to wait on him. You know damn well he’d be off to the stables as soon as he’d eaten and you wouldn’t see him for the rest of the day. He treats you like an unpaid servant or worse.’

‘Maybe. But he has old-fashioned expectations – “A woman’s place is in the home” and all that.’

‘It’s downright medieval. And in any case, you grew up with horses just as he did and you’re far more intuitive. You could be a much better trainer than he is, if you were allowed to be.’

‘But that wasn’t my choice. I took a back seat when I found I was pregnant with you. Robert isn’t to blame for everything.’

‘No. Just ninety per cent of it.’

‘You don’t understand. I wasn’t his first choice and I knew it. I’ve never told you this before, but he wanted to marry Joanne.’

‘Uncle Peter’s wife? You’re kidding me.’

‘Oh, no.’ Valerie sighed. ‘I suppose you can hardly remember her. You wouldn’t have been more than an infant when they took off and went to North Queensland. When the brothers fell out for the last time, Pete wanted to put as many miles between them as he could. He said he didn’t care if he never saw Robert again.’

‘I think I remember Joanne. Or I have an impression of her. A pretty woman with long fair hair who always wore floaty clothes. I thought she looked like a fairy.’

‘She was fey all right. Beautiful, artistic and with no practical skills at all. Poor old Pete. She won’t have improved with age. People don’t, you know. We were all kids of racing people, so we went around in a gang when we were young. Joanne was Robert’s girl to begin with but he came on too strong and frightened her off. It was Pete who picked up the pieces and comforted her. The rest you know. Feeling he’d somehow lost face, Rob took it out on Pete, making his life a misery. So Pete sold his share of the stables to him – for next to nothing, of course – and took Joanne to make a new life up north. It must have been a struggle for them, starting again from scratch. Not that Robert cared. I think he wanted Joanne to suffer for giving him up.’

‘But, Mum, if you knew how Dad felt about her, why did you take him on?’

‘Oh, I had my reasons at the time and I needed to be married – I was expecting you.’

‘Of course you were. Too much to expect Dad to wait until after the wedding.’

‘I persuaded myself that I was in love with him, too.’ Val giggled at her daughter’s incredulous expression. ‘Stop it
– don’t look like that. He was quite something when he was young. Not always this grumpy, red-faced git with receding hair.’

‘Oh, Mum.’ Chrissie echoed her mother’s infectious giggle. ‘But he shouldn’t have treated you badly even if you were a second choice.’

‘Well, I disappointed him, didn’t I? You arrived easily enough but I couldn’t get pregnant again to give him the son he wanted. The boy he dreamed would succeed him and take over the stables.’

‘Why? There’s no guarantee a son would fit in with his plans. He might have been a desk jockey – a lawyer, like me.’

‘Either way, it just didn’t happen. And a year or so later, some busybody told him Joanne had given Peter a son – Ryan – making him more angry and resentful than ever. He was furious that his younger brother succeeded where he had failed. It was an awful time. He wanted sex every night, trying to get me pregnant; but I was miserable and he was tense, so it never happened. After a while he gave up altogether and blamed me for that as well. And then – after a long, lonely time—’ Valerie hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to go on with her story or not. Finally she sighed. ‘I had an affair. And was stupid enough to own up to it when Robert found out.’

Chrissie blinked, rendered speechless for the moment, forcing herself to concentrate on her driving. It was hard to believe that her mother, who never did anything worse that max out her credit card, should fall in love with someone and have an affair.

‘Who was it?’ she said at last.

‘Nobody in our immediate circle, thank God. A visiting
trainer from England – here for the Spring Carnival. He kept urging me to leave Robert and go back to England with him. I wanted to, I really did, but I wasn’t quite brave enough to leave home and face an uncertain future with him.’