Deep Blue Sea

1. Old Friends

1

Old Friends

Kate did her best to cheer me up last night when we reached the hotel, but my sadness was too heavy even for her lightness of touch. It was my turn to look after Sukey for the evening. Bathing her and watching her eat her supper did lighten my mood for a while, but a quick game of kang’roos and a bedtime story didn’t fill my evening. Feeling too maudlin to venture downstairs to the public rooms, I ordered room service. Kate offered to stay with me, but I didn’t think it fair that she should miss out on any fun going to keep me company. I spent a few minutes working out how many days it’ll be before the Captain and the Albion reach Southampton, and I’ll be able to see him again. Thirty-five days. That’s ages.

I thought a long hot bath would relax me, but the isolation only reinforced my sense of grief. It wasn’t long before the tears fell. I’m ashamed to say I lay in the bath sobbing until the water was so cold it forced me to get out. Two hours passed with me slumped in front of the television watching images bounce on and off the screen while my thoughts circled and circled round in my mind. I must have fallen asleep on the sofa for I awoke in the early hours of the morning to find Kate had covered me with a bedspread and put a pillow under my head. She was fast asleep in her bed. I stroked her cheek softly as I tiptoed past on the way to mine. Such a good friend.

She’s sitting in my bed with me now while we have our breakfast. I love having a best friend with whom I can share everything — well, almost everything. These moments together when we both gain comfort and support from our closeness are precious. She knows I’m here for her come rain or shine, and I know she’s always there for me. Kate takes the place of the sister I never had.

“What’s the latest on Tony?” I ask her.

She gives a soft shrug. “Yesterday was so busy and complicated, I didn’t get a chance to check up. But I thought I would try to Skype him today. What do you think? The bandwidth should be wide enough here on land for us to use the video stream. I’d like to see his silly old face and his idiotic grin.”

“You should definitely do so. Phone the hospital in England and ask them what time to call. You’ll have to fit in with their hours and work out the time difference, but I don’t see any problems. I might try to reach the Capt—”

“Oh I wouldn’t do that. Not yet, anyway. Give the poor bloke a chance to do his job for a couple of days.”

“Whose side are you on? I don’t want him to forget about me.”

“Not a chance. But give yourself a few days to think about things. You know what they say about distance lending enchantment?”

The phone rings before I can counter with the danger of out of sight, out of mind. It’s Clara. She wants me to go to her room now, alone. I protest that I’m eating my breakfast. She tells me to bring it with me. It must be something serious. As if I can’t guess.

Clara signs for me to sit down on her bed. She reaches for my hands and clasps them tightly. “Merry, darling, to say that I was alarmed to find out that Kempton is here in Perth is an understatement. I was terrified. He’s not giving up, is he?”

Yes, I was right. It’s about Kempton.

I tense up, my fingers rigid in Clara’s hold. Kempton, my personal bogeyman. I have pushed him to the back of my mind while I try to deal with the pain of the Captain’s departure, but I know Kempton’s there, ever-present, lurking at the edge of my life. And now he’s physically close once more. More than an unpleasant and frightening memory.

“He thinks I’m his personal property. He’s never going to give up. Once upon a time I hoped he would do so. But it’s obvious, in his mind, he has rights over me. Evil and deluded he may be, but he is persistent. What are we going to do about him?”

“You know what I’d like to do, don’t you? Kneecap and castrate the bastard. And that’s for starters. But we can’t do that.”

“Don’t tempt me, Clara.”

Clara gives me a rueful smile. “If only…. On a more sensible note, I’m going into town today to meet with the local office of the investigation agents I employed in England. See what they know. Find out what the possibilities are. Check up on Australian law.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Not this time, darling. You should stay here in the hotel and lie low until I can decide what we should do. There’s no point flying back to England in a rush if Kempton is going to follow us there. We need to learn as much as we can about what he knows and where he is getting his information.”

“And Kate? Do we tell her what’s going on?”

“I don’t think we need to do that yet.”

“Won’t she wonder why I’m insisting on staying in the hotel with Sukey?”

Clara gives a sigh of exasperation. “Merry, really sometimes I wonder about you. Can’t you tell her you have a headache, or you feel too upset about the captain? Make up an excuse. But whatever you do, do not leave the sanctuary of this suite. Do you understand?”

I say I do.

“Go and get dressed, and come back and help me with Sukey, please.”

Kate believes me when I tell her I have a headache. Why wouldn’t she? We never lie to each other. We’re playing a game of I spy with Sukey when Reception rings up to say we have visitors. It’s Pete and Doreen. Kate brightens up and rushes down to collect them.

They bring their happiness into the room with them. Bright wide smiles. Their new life in Australia agrees with them. Sukey dances around them telling them all about the zoo and how much she likes ‘Stralia.

Kate settles them down and orders coffee, tea and cakes, and a small ice cream for Sukey.

“Well, go on tell us your news then,” she says.

They both start talking at once. As usual, Doreen defers to her older brother.

“Everything’s working out fine. We were met at the docks by a property agent. Apparently, while we were still in England, my father had engaged him to hunt for a suitable hairdressing business in the suburbs of Per—”

“And a house within easy reach of the business,” Doreen interrupts.

“And the Veterinary School,” adds Pete.

“And?” I prompt.

“The agent took us to a hotel for the night. But then he whisked us off to view a hairdressing salon in Winthrop.”

“Winthrop?” Kate asks.

“It’s a neat and tidy area north of the university and south of the city. In between the two.”

“Dad liked the business and the price,” says Doreen. “So we visited a couple of houses in the vicinity. We all liked the same one. It’s super. A bungalow. The right price. Not that expensive, but it looks out over a park.”

Pete smiles at his sister. “Compared with where we were living back in England, it’s paradise.”

Sukey comes over to me and tugs my arm. She doesn’t understand what we’re talking about and wants some attention. Fortunately, there’s a knock at the door and a waiter comes in with our order. I sit Sukey at the small dining table and place the ice cream in front of her. She’ll be happy for a few more minutes now. As I return to my friends to hear the rest of their story, Kate asks Pete if he is going to stay at home rather than live in residence or in rooms on his own.

“Oh, I never had any other idea. It’s cheaper, and my parents need some support while my father gets his new business up and running.”

Doreen has been fidgeting, desperate to tell us something special. When Pete stops talking she says, “The best part is we moved in yesterday. The vendors were happy for us to do that. So no hotel bills… and we get to live in a beautiful house straight—”

Pete breaks in. “That’s why we’re here. We’ve come to take you to see the house. Mum’s fetching a take-away and a couple of bottles of wine. What do you say? Lunch in our new garden. After lunch we can visit Albi at the Veterinary School.”

I’m about to accept the invitation when I remember Clara’s instructions. “I’d love to, but I have the most awful headache.”

“Nonsense,” says Kate. “The fresh air will do you good. Won’t it, Doreen?”

Doreen nods her agreement. “And the park is fresh and green. It’ll clear your head in no time.”

“And…,” says Pete. “There’s a playground with swings for Sukey.”

Sukey jumps down off her chair and comes running across to me. “Please, Merry. Please can we go?”

I’m torn. How can I refuse them all? It’ll make me seem selfish and unappreciative, but even waiting around for a cab could be dangerous, if Kempton has tracked us to the hotel. At the very least, he could cause a scene, and I hate to think what his worst could be.

Doreen puts her hand on mine. “Merry, please do come. We have a hire car downstairs. All you have to do is come with us and have a wonderful day.”

So, of course, I give in to peer pressure. My friends mean well. They don’t know about the threat that hangs over me. We should be safe being collected and dropped back at the hotel door by Pete. But we must be back before Clara returns. I’ll send her a text every hour saying we’re fine so that even if she does return before we do, she won’t worry.

I give Sukey a quick wash and brush up and make sure she has her beloved Bunnylugs. We are soon on our way out of the city, traveling south towards Winthrop. It’s a pleasant area with well-maintained houses, bungalows for the most part. Quite a few three and four-car garages. An affluent suburb, I would guess. The yards are simple but clean and well-cared for with swathes of green lawn running down to the street—no fences or hedges on the front edge. I wonder in passing if this is the result of a municipal regulation, or whether it’s because Australians are such an open and friendly people.

Pete turns into the drive of a house more modest than most in the street. It’s clear to see that his parents have managed to find a gem: a house priced well below its neighbors due to its smaller footprint, but with equal access to the amenities.

We’ve met Pete and Doreen’s parents before, of course, on board the Albion, a friendly couple who make us welcome with a picnic set up on a garden table in the yard behind the house. Sukey enjoys the fuss they make over her and eats a good lunch. After visiting the house, we leave the parents behind and cross over the road for a walk in the park and a try-out of the playground area. It’s a clean well-equipped playground. Although Sukey is tired and missing her afternoon nap, she wants to try everything. After a quarter of an hour, it’s time for us to leave to visit Albi at the Veterinary School.

Sukey doesn’t want to leave. And she’s irritable. She bursts into tears and hangs back when I take her hand to walk her back across the park.

“Please Merry, want to stay. Want to play,” she whinges. She’s turned into a stubborn little mule, resisting me with all the force her tiny body can command.

“Don’t you want to see Albi? See how he’s getting better?” I coax her.

She stamps her foot. “No, I don’t like that scary big bird.”

I can see Sukey’s point of view. She’s tired. With his curved beak and eagle eyes, Albi must look fearsome to a small child. And she’s been cooped up on a ship for weeks. She’s starving for green spaces. This is one battle I don’t mind losing.

“Why don’t you three go ahead, and I’ll stay here and play with Sukey. You can come back and fetch us when you’ve finished at the Vet School.”

“Sounds good to me,” says Pete.

Sukey watches them walk away. Her little face breaks into a big smile. She pulls her hand out of mine and runs over to the swings. She tucks Bunnylugs onto one swing and climbs onto the other.

“Push me, Merry. Push me.”

We spend a happy time on the swings, and try out all the other equipment, everything except the jungle gym which has an age restriction of six years. We run around, play tag, roll down the grassy banks, whizz round on the roundabout, and bump up and down on the seesaw. It makes me realize how much Sukey has missed being on land.

At last, Sukey begins to tire physically and we’re both thirsty. We start on the journey back to the house. Sukey’s so exhausted that at the halfway point I have to pick her up and give her a piggyback. We join Doreen and Pete’s parents in the yard again.

“Would Sukey like a glass of squash?” asks their mother.

Sukey comes over all shy but does nod that she would. By the time Mrs Johnson returns Sukey is fast asleep, stretched out on the seat of the canopy swing with her head in my lap. It’s so peaceful in the Johnson yard, and I feel so safe, that before long I find myself nodding off, too.

I wake with a start when Doreen gives me a gentle nudge. “Come on sleepyheads. Time Pete was getting you back to your hotel. I’ll take Sukey to the bathroom while you say your goodbyes to my parents.”

Kate takes Sukey’s place on the seat beside me. “Merry, do you mind if I stay on here with Doreen while Pete takes you back? He says he’ll drop me off later tonight. It would be fun for me. I know you have to bath Sukey and get her ready for bed.”

Of course, I don’t mind. I’m happy for Kate.

When Doreen brings Sukey back, Sukey breaks away from her and runs up to me, her little face all screwed up. She’s on the point of tears.

“Whatever’s the matter, darling?” I ask as she climbs onto my lap and puts her arms round my neck.

“Merry, where’s Bunnylugs. I can’t find him.”

Doreen tells me they’ve looked all over the house and all around the yard but without success.

Sukey’s crying now. Pete comes over to see what’s wrong. When we tell him that we can’t find Bunnylugs, he tells Sukey that she’s not to worry. Doreen and her mother will have another hunt for him.

“Perhaps you left him in the park,” Doreen says. “Mum and I’ll go and have a look after you’ve gone. I’m sure we’ll find him somewhere.”

Sukey settles for that. She’s too tired to hold out much longer. I’m anxious to get back to the hotel as soon as possible now, as it’s getting late. Not only do I want to get Sukey to bed, but I want to be back before Clara misses us.

As soon as we put Sukey in the car, she falls asleep again, fingers in mouth, a tired little girl.