by John Kelly
Julian Knowles pulled his taxi up outside Michelle's house in Mitcham. He had arranged to take her to see Maria Stewart who had improved dramatically since regaining consciousness, and her doctor was even suggesting the possibility of an early discharge. He tooted and within seconds Michelle appeared at the front door. "I'll only be a minute," she called out.
As he sat in his taxi waiting for her, Julian reflected on this lovely young woman who had entered a corner of his world. Twelve years his junior, she had somehow captivated him from the first moment he drove her home that morning two weeks earlier. He then saw her again, at Pastor Doug's prayer meeting. 'Pastor Doug? Hmm, not sure about him,' he thought. Michelle played the organ and was obviously a close member of his community. 'What did the old woman from across the street say when I dropped her off last week?' Julian tried to recall the conversation with the old lady. 'Something about a regular visitor driving a dark blue falcon.' Julian chose to ignore the reference as he recalled the occasion he and Michelle had met once more at the hospital when he visited Maria and lo, he discovered she was Maria's niece. This seemingly coincidental, but constant recurrence of chance meetings, played out a pattern in his mind and with it came a longing to be closer to her. He did not know how to manage this longing, this unexplained but welcome intrusion into his world. It confused him, when it rested in a parallel position alongside thoughts of his wife, Annette. It did not yet occur to him that the two might be connected in some way. His heart suddenly jumped when she came out the front door, danced down the steps and walked toward his car. How lovely she looked, her shoulder-length hair swinging gently in the breeze, her dress swaying to and fro. He felt a wonderful thrill when she climbed into the front seat. She was sitting alongside him. "The hospital please driver," she said with a giggle. "Certainly miss," he answered with a serious look, pretending she was a fare-paying passenger. "Well!" she said as he began to drive off. "Well what?" he replied. "Turn the meter on," she said. "No", he replied. "This is not a fare." Michelle countered with a look of surprise. "Oh yes it is," she said, "I can't have you giving me a free ride. I have to pay."
"Won't hear of it," he said, "besides, it's only a short distance. And I don't want you to."
"Why?' she asked. "Because, I just don't," he said. "Well, I'll have to make it up to you some way," she said innocently. Julian's heart jumped again. This was an unexpected delight. The very thought that Michelle might in some way feel indebted to him was exhilarating. "Won't hear of it," he said with a commanding authority, as if that was the final word on the matter. A short silence ensued while Julian converged with the traffic on the main road and each of them gathered their thoughts. He was thinking of her. She began thinking of Maria. "Won't it be wonderful if Aunty Maria can go home in a few days," she said. This remark brought him back to earth. "Yes, it certainly would. She certainly looked better yesterday. So bright and cheerful, almost her old self again," he replied. "She'll need a bit of looking after for a while," Michelle said. "Michael is very good, he will take care of her, but he has to work so I might spend some time with her each day," she continued. "Don't you work too?" he asked. "Yes, but I can take some time off. I have plenty of holidays owing," she replied.
Another silence settled comfortably, until Michelle asked, "How long have you been driving taxis then?" Julian grinned with a resigned look on his face, "Too long," he answered. "I fell into it, when I was retrenched about ten years ago." Michelle thought for a moment. "What was your best day?" she asked. Julian might well have answered, 'Today, taking you,' but he thought better of it. "I got a trip to Albury once," he said, "from the airport. That was probably the longest journey I've had," he said. "But they don't come too often," he hastened to add. "And what has been your worst experience?" Michelle asked. "Having to deal with drunks, I suppose?"
Julian thought for a further moment. "A man once had a heart attack in the car. That was the worst day," he answered. "That's awful," Michelle said. "What on earth did you do?" she asked. "It was more a case of what I couldn't do," he answered. "I found out later, that if I had administered CPR, I could have saved him. That bothered me a lot." Michelle noted a change in Julian's voice. "Did he?" she asked, unable to say the word. "Did he die?" Julian asked the question for her. "Yes, he did. Not in the car though. I raced him to hospital and he died there shortly afterward. It wasn't a good day at all. I had only been driving taxis for a few months at the time. So I decided to do a course in CPR after that," he said. "Ever needed to use it since?" Michelle asked. "No," Julian answered. "I don't expect I ever will, but at least I know how to do it now."
It was early afternoon. Julian would shortly begin his afternoon runs with the clients from Elm Tree Cottages. The traffic was light and he was distracted by Michelle's soft perfumed scent. Thoughts of Elm Tree Cottages naturally included Maria and he decided to indulge his curiosity. "How are you related to Maria?" he asked. "Is it on your mother's or father's side?" Michelle suddenly began ransacking her handbag. "Oh damn. I left my tissues at home," she said as she sneezed. "Oh my goodness, sorry," she said as she sneezed again. Julian reached across her to the glove box, where he retrieved a small packet of tissues. "There you are," he said. "Oh gosh thanks so much," she said. As she took the tissues from him, her hand brushed across his, and his heart jumped once more. "What was that you asked?" she said. "Oh, she's on my mother's side," she answered. "Where is your mother now?"
"My mother is dead," she replied. "She passed away five years ago, when I was seventeen. We lived in Adelaide then. My father is still there. We came from Queensland and moved around a lot with his work. A few months ago, I wanted to come to Melbourne, so my father decided it would be best if I came to live with Aunty Maria. I had finished University, and I was able to get a job here, so I agreed and here I am."
"But you don't still live with Maria?" Julian asked.
"No, I found a place of my own after a few weeks. I like living alone. It suits me. I'm still very close to Maria. We have a good connection. I just thought it was time to move out," she replied. The word 'connection,' jolted Julian's memory back to the prayer night at Pastor Doug's. "How did you get involved with the prayer group?" he asked. "Oh that just happened. I used to go to the Sunday services at another church where Douglas was the pastor. Then he left and started up this other prayer group and I sort of followed him."
"Douglas?" Julian queried not having heard the pastor referred to in such an informal way. "Well, I call him that," she replied. "Others are more formal, but they don't have to be. He's just an ordinary man like you. Nothing special." As the hospital came into view, Michelle asked, "Are you coming in to see Maria?" Julian looked at his watch. "No, I can't. I have permanent work at Elm Tree Cottages. Would you say hello to Maria for me, tell her I'm off to pick up Richard, Rowland, and the others and take them home. She'll like that. I'll give you my telephone number and if you need to get in contact with me you can," he said handing her his business card. The car pulled up alongside the main entrance to the hospital and Michelle made to leave. "Thank you for bringing me. I will make it up to you some way. Are you going to come to our prayer meeting tonight with your wife?" she asked. "Not sure about that. I don't really think it's my style," Julian answered honestly. "Well, have a think about it. Sometimes it grows on you if you give it a chance. Anyway, I'll call you and let you know how Maria is," Michelle said as she climbed out of the car. "Thanks. That would be great," he replied, thrilled again that he had established a genuine link with this young lady. As he watched her enter the hospital, he realized he was becoming increasingly besotted with her, infatuated in the most stimulating way. He sat there staring at her until she disappeared. The drivers of the cars banking up behind him were unaware of his longing thoughts and romantic dreams. The honking brought him back to the reality of the day. "Get a move on fella," the hospital porter called out, responding to the din from the traffic behind. Julian drove down the driveway and out onto the street, uplifted and light in the head, setting a course for the she
ltered workshops to pick up Richard, Rowland, Daphne and Loretta, and return them to Elm Tree Cottages.
When Julian arrived at WAS (Walter Adult support), Mary-Anne Roxburgh, supervisor for both Richard and Daphne, was waiting outside the front entrance with Daphne by her side. She greeted him with the news that Richard was not there. He had been returned to Elm Tree Cottages earlier in the day, suffering from a seizure.
"Why didn't you ring me?" he asked Mary-Anne.
"It all happened very quickly, just after his swim," she replied. "When we contacted his house supervisor at Elm Tree, they said they had a vehicle in the area at the time and that they would come and pick him up. They arrived fifteen minutes later," she explained. Julian nodded and helped Daphne into the car. It was not unusual for Richard to suffer seizures. He was an epileptic, and although they were rare, they could occur at anytime. Having the client return to Elm Tree Cottages was the normal procedure although on most occasions, the seizures were mild and no further medication was deemed necessary. "Was it a bad one?" Julian asked. "No, not really. He just went into that vacant stiff daze as he does occasionally, but we can't take any chances or assume too much, so we called Elm Tree," she answered. "Okay, I'll probably see him when I arrive there with this lot," he said. With Daphne safely secured in the back seat, Julian drove off and headed for EAD (Eastern Adult Development) to collect Rowland and Loretta.
It had been a party day at EAD, to celebrate the birthday of another client. All the clients were treated to cakes baked on site that morning and lemonade. The staff had provided paper party hats and balloons, music to dance to, and games to play. When Julian arrived to collect Rowland and Loretta, the din from inside attracted Daphne's interest and she insisted on joining them. Without waiting for Julian's permission, she quickly removed her seat belt and hurried inside, quick to absorb the party atmosphere. For just a moment or two, this sudden intrusion unsettled the joviality of the group inside and the noise subsided to a hush. While the music continued playing, a dozen or so clients stood motionless, unable to continue until they had sufficiently comprehended this unexpected arrival. Then, as if satisfied that Daphne's presence meant no threat, one after the other they continued their celebration. Daphne, ever the extrovert, began to dance on her own, until offered a piece of cake and a glass of lemonade by a carer. She was to all intents and purposes, a stranger in this small community, but her disability also made her a sister to everyone in the room, and the staff welcomed her as they would one of their own. It was a good fifteen minutes later, before all of Julian's charges were guided back into the taxi to continue the journey back to Elm Tree.
Twenty minutes later, Julian dropped Daphne off at Unit 50. He then continued on to Unit 33 to return Loretta home safely, and then on to Unit 49 to deliver Rowland and to enquire about Richard. As he escorted Rowland into the lounge at Unit 49, he noticed an elderly lady whom he had never seen before, sitting on the sofa with Richard. The elderly lady held Richard's hand and she was speaking to him in low, soothing tones, as would a loved one visiting a sick friend. Richard sat there, calm and alert, listening to her. Julian looked around for a carer just as Helen Woods, who had assumed the position of Unit supervisor in Maria Stewart's absence greeted them both.
"Hello Julian, hello Rowland, did you have a good day today?" she asked. Rowland nodded and immediately removed his shoes and sat on the floor.
"I guess you found out we brought Richard home earlier," she said to Julian. "Yes, how is he?" Julian asked looking across toward both Richard and the elderly lady.
"He's fine. It was just one of his usual seizures. It didn't amount to anything," Helen replied.
"Who is that lady with him?" Julian asked.
"Oh that's his mother Elsie. We always ring her if anything happens with Richard. She always wants to know. She came down to see him. Actually if you are available, I was just about to call a taxi for her. Could you take her home?" Helen asked. "Yeah sure, where does she live?" Julian asked. "Oh somewhere in Albert Park, a housing commission place I think." Julian looked at his watch. "Okay, I'll take her. I should have enough time before shift changeover. You let her know and I'll go wait in the car outside. See you tomorrow," he said as he walked out the door and back to the car to wait for Elsie Steedman.
24.