The Reef (21 page)

‘And what would you like as your own space now?' probed Mac. His eyes didn't flicker as he
studied her.

‘Oh, my needs are simple,' she answered lightly. ‘A desk, a quiet corner to set up my laptop and stuff and leave it there. Rosie thought she might find a corner in an office for me. I really do have to start working again. I've dropped out, it's terrible. I've never missed a deadline before. Professor Dawn must be mad as hell.'

‘You'd be better working around here. I'll see if we can find you a quiet corner.'

‘I don't want to put anyone out. I mean, space seems at a premium. You're working on the diningroom table, for goodness' sake!' Jennifer wished she hadn't said anything.

‘Ah, I like the company,' grinned Mac. ‘Actually, I like to be accessible. And a lot of useful stuff comes out of what we call the kitchen conferences. The rest of the year I'm in my study, my office at the university, lecturing. Removed from the nitty-gritty hands-on and . . . intimacy, if I may use the word without being misinterpreted.' He got up. ‘Bring your toast, I'll give you a tour.' To the others at the table he waved a hand. ‘Giving Jennifer a bit of background. Rudi, I'll see you in the lab later and we'll transfer those coral colonies.'

While the two labs were rudimentary, they had all that was needed for the work being done here. The long Besser block rooms were air conditioned, had good lighting, and tables and benches. The floor was filled with temporary large tanks while along one wall was a glass aquarium reproducing a section of the reef. It was temperature controlled
and well lit. Jennifer could have spent an hour watching the activity of the little fish, seagrasses and strange squashy sponges that looked like brilliantly coloured slugs. Small jellyfish, iridescent and transparent, moved with pulsating movements like a heartbeat.

Mac showed her how new data were added to the comprehensive monitoring information that would be analysed, with comparative studies and tests done later.

‘Jennifer, I know there are people out there like your mother who think all this is a bit of a wank and why aren't we trying to feed the poor, cure cancer or stop wars.' Mac perched on a stool at a work bench. ‘We are created in water. A lot of scientists believe the sea is the birthplace of life, that answers to questions about the creation of the planet lie at the bottom of the ocean. And, say, four billion years ago energy from the centre of the earth began to create life.'

‘How? In what form?' asked Jennifer.

‘Water is an extraordinary substance. Molecules of water helped to link more and more complex proteins together to form DNA, the complex chemical and cellular formation that is the basis for life. So when life forms emerged from water to land they carried water in their cells, as we do.'

‘But how does investigating a theory of evolution and creation apply to what you're doing today?' Jennifer was intrigued.

‘Sorry to bore you with a lecture . . .'

‘Oh, it's not boring at all,' exclaimed Jennifer.

‘To get the word out about the state of the reef we need the media, and there's a wall of silence. It was a hot topic in the eighties and a bit in the nineties with the crown of thorns seastars, but now they don't want to know what's really going on. Been there, done that,' sighed Mac. ‘The other thing is, we don't know what's down there, on the floor of the ocean. We have more idea what's on the moon than what's on the floor of the oceans of the world. And frankly, we can't keep treating it as a dump and pouring crap into the ocean. There are things down there that are not only worth knowing about and protecting, but that might hold answers to our own future.' He stood up. ‘End of lecture . . . for the moment.'

‘Mac, I'm really interested. I can't explain but I feel like the world just turned upside down. Like the sea is on top and we are down in some abyss . . .' An image from the dream flashed into her head and she closed her eyes.

‘What is it? You okay, Jennifer?' he asked softly.

She opened her eyes that were filled with tears. ‘I nearly drowned once, and I remember being underwater, like I
belonged
there. I could
live
there . . . That's why I'm so frightened of being in water, in the sea. I have this uncontrollable desire to stay down there. It's some kind of death wish I suppose, as my brother drowned. And my father, well, took his own life in the sea. Just disappeared. They never found his body. Maybe I'm drawn into the
sea looking for him.'

Impulsively Mac wrapped his arms around Jennifer. ‘I understand now. But I think your interpretation of your dream isn't right. It isn't a death wish, or that you feel guilty you survived and they didn't.' He was quiet for a moment as Jennifer caught her breath, and he loosened his arms to allow her to wipe her eyes on the edge of her sarong.

‘So what do you think is wrong with me?'

‘Jennifer, I'm no psychologist but you're a lonely girl who has always tried to please everyone and taken on the burden of being the one left with your mother. I bet every time she looks at you she's reminded of what she's lost. That's a heavy trip to lay on you.'

‘I've never thought of it like that,' said Jennifer quietly.

Mac smiled and touched her cheek, ‘Sweetie, you're a girl who misses her dad. Her brother. And everything that was safe and secure. We all have holes and pain in our lives – to a lesser or greater degree. My wife and I lost our little girl when she was three. I miss her too.'

‘Oh, I'm sorry.' She looked at Mac's kind face and saw the pain in his eyes.

‘We have two great boys and we're happy. But there's always that shadow of the one who isn't there. Wondering what she'd look like now, what she'd be doing. She'd be eighteen next month . . .' he caught himself. ‘Jennifer, there's someone arriving next week I insist you meet.
And also, go and spend some time with Gideon. Now he's the one who can tell you about the unseen sea.'

They left the lab and closed the door. ‘What's the unseen sea?'

‘The deep seas, way down in the darkness where no light has ever been. So far down you could put Mount Everest down there and sail right over it miles beneath you.'

In the bright sunlight of the sandy square Jennifer saw her new friends hanging over a large tank housing sea snakes. ‘Mac, thank you.'

‘Any time. Listen, I'll find you a spot to call your own. Check in tomorrow.'

‘I will. Say goodbye to everyone.'

‘No probs.' He headed back to his shack and Jennifer wound her way back to the resort through the dappled pisonia forest of fluttering, ever-busy, noddy terns.

Blair was dressed and walking out the door as she came along the sandy path. ‘You're late, you coming to breakfast?'

‘No thanks, I've had it. I'm going to shower and get my laptop out.' She was about to ask what he was doing today but knew he'd give the response he always gave: ‘More of the same.' Which depressed her. But this morning she felt as if she'd awakened from a long snooze and now she was refreshed and energised.

‘Okay then. See you at lunch maybe, eh?'

‘Maybe.' Jennifer headed for the bathroom.

Blair stuck his head in the door. ‘You all right?'

‘Yes. Why do you ask?'

‘Oh, nothing. You've been funny since we came back from Sooty . . .' His voice trailed off. He didn't know how to, or he didn't want to raise the subject of her pregnancy.

Jennifer whipped off her sarong with a flourish and spun around. ‘I'm fine, Blair. In fact, never felt better.'

Blair closed the door, thinking so far, at least, the terrible things he'd heard about mood swings and morning sickness hadn't arrived.

Jennifer slipped out of her swimsuit and looked at her body in the mirror. Turning sideways only showed her lean flat belly. She rubbed her breasts. Now they definitely felt bigger and slightly painful. She arched her back, sticking out her stomach, and pretended to waddle. Giggling, she stepped into the shower.

After working for a while on her laptop in the rear courtyard she felt too hot and decided she'd print out the notes and draft chapter and work on it inside. She shut the doors, turned on the air conditioner and headed for reception with her disk to ask Rosie if she'd print it out for her as she had no printer with her. Rosie was outside wearing a hat and sunglasses. After Jennifer explained what she wanted, Rosie handed the disk over to Heather at the desk.

‘Could you please print this out for Jennifer when you have a minute?' She turned to Jennifer. ‘Do you mind waiting a little while? We're just checking out the last lot and getting
ready to welcome the next group. In fact, I'm walking down to the wharf to do the meet, greet and goodbyes. Come along.'

They walked to the waiting area at the end of the wharf. Departing guests, surrounded by their hand luggage and souvenirs, waited and exchanged addresses, looked at photos and swapped stories. Rosie chatted, shook hands, hoped they'd return. Jennifer strolled along the wharf behind the laden carts carrying all the luggage to be loaded on the big cat when it arrived.

There were several boats getting ready to head out with guests going diving, snorkelling and fishing. Three or four were always berthed on one side of the wharf out of the way of the cat, which docked on the other side where a gangplank made it easy for people to embark and disembark. The boats continued the colour theme of the resort, clean white hulls and decks, turquoise upholstery. The crews were always neatly attired, as spick and span as their boats. Jennifer admired how competent some of the young women were. One day they'd be driving the submarine giving a commentary, that night they'd be behind the bar on the terrace, and the next day she'd see them behind the wheel of a boat. Blair told her three of them had their captain's ticket.

‘Hello again!'

Jennifer looked at the boat tied at the steps and saw Tony Adams with Lloyd. They'd been fishing and Lloyd was putting several fish in a plastic crate with ice while Tony hosed the deck. ‘Looks
like you've done well. So you decided to come and play and socialise after all,' she said. She went down the steps for a closer look.

‘Come on board,' called Lloyd. ‘We were about to have a cold drink.'

Tony held out his hand and helped her onto the transom and into the boat. ‘I'd be happy to share my fish with you. I'll be leaving this afternoon.'

‘I talked him into an outing,' said Lloyd, handing round cold soft drinks.

‘It's been very interesting too,' added Tony.

‘Great,' said Jennifer, pleased to see that the withdrawn man she'd met on Sooty seemed a lot more relaxed and outgoing.

‘There's Methuselah,' said Lloyd, pointing to the great dark shape with the massive head and mouth that could swallow a child in one gulp.

‘That's a hell of a big grouper,' said Tony.

‘Yeah, we have a couple of them around,' said Jennifer, looking at Lloyd, who explained to Tony.

‘There's this big grouper here at the wharf, and there's an old codger who's a part-time handyman who's a bit of a lech. Pervs on the girls. But he's harmless.'

‘Some people look harmless but aren't,' said Jennifer tartly, thinking of Willsy.

Tony raised an eyebrow. ‘You sound, shall I say, a bit touchy?'

Lloyd chuckled but Jennifer was not amused. Both men looked at her. Jennifer gave a dismissive wave. ‘Oh, forget it.' She took a gulp of her lemon drink. ‘So, Tony, do you do much fishing? Where
are you based now?'

‘I've had a flat in Sydney for years, but I'm moving north. Bought a beach house to contemplate the great novel. Might do a spot of beach fishing,' said Tony casually.

‘I've been telling him about Gideon, the research centre and what they're doing,' said Lloyd.

‘I went and had my first look around this morning. I think Mac is brilliant. I wish I'd had him as a professor,' Jennifer said.

‘Why don't you do a course with them while you're here?' said Tony. ‘Whether it's official or not, I mean, some of the stuff they're looking into is pretty amazing.'

‘That's a great idea. Why don't you, Jennifer?' Lloyd said enthusiastically.

‘Oh, I hadn't considered anything like that. I don't know if it's possible. But I'd like to spend more time with them all.'

‘Ah, just talk to Mac. He'll fix it,' said Lloyd.

‘Well, he did say he might be able to find me a corner to work in. That would give me an excuse to hang around at least.'

‘You'll find it a lot more interesting than the resort, I imagine,' Tony said.

‘I'm trying to persuade Tony to come back and write about it all,' said Lloyd. ‘Wouldn't Blair think that good PR?'

‘I wouldn't mention that to Blair, Lloyd. He'll be putting the pressure on Tony to write up the resort. I don't think that's your sort of story, is it?'

‘Not really. Though the future of Branch Island, well, the whole reef, from what I'm hearing, could be a big story. We'll see.' He put his empty can in the garbage bin and shook Lloyd's hand. ‘Been a great morning. Thanks.' Turning to Jennifer, he smiled and held out his hand. ‘If I do come back I hope you'll be doing your research forty fathoms deep, or snorkelling anyway.'

Jennifer laughed. ‘I doubt it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.'

‘That's the hard part. Deciding. Please, take some of the fish we caught. See you, Lloyd.' He stepped off the boat.

As the reef cat approached, Jennifer took the two coral trout Lloyd handed her and made her way back along the jetty. Tony was talking to Rosie but she headed for reception to see if she could collect her printed pages and get back to work.

Jennifer ploughed through the notes, drafting Professor Dawn's research on the East Australian Current into coherent prose, but her mind kept returning to the research station. How she'd love to work there. Would it be possible to do some sort of course? She must be able to get credits for it. And how much she wanted to be in Mac's orbit. The camaraderie of the research station group made Jennifer realise how lonely she'd been. Except for Rosie.