by Mark Stewart
WADE JUMPED onto the wharf, tied the bow and stern line of his one million-dollar forty foot white coloured yacht to the posts before bounding back down the steps into the belly of the yacht. For a few moments, he stood on the bottom step appreciating the inner workings. Off to one side was the galley which included a small bar. The small lounge on his right consisted of a mini TV had mounted on the wall. Two comfortable bean bags sat neatly on the dull red carpet. The small table and two chairs were in one corner. A leather chair looked at home in the other. At the front of the yacht, the door led into the bedroom. A king size bed filled half the room while a door next to the bed led to the shower.
Wade looked out of the porthole window, enjoying the orange coloured sunset. Darwin’s temperature hit the monthly average again, failing to drop a degree the entire day. He shaved, showered and dressed in comfortable, smart casual attire. Walking past the mirror glued to the inside of the wardrobe door he stopped to check his appearance.
He hoped for the perfect night.
Wade arrived in Darwin for only one reason; find Anneli, the young lady he kissed on the bridge.
Before closing the door on the mirror, he nodded at his reflection. Included in the eleven months of hard digging and endless phone calls to unearth Anneli’s last name, the mystery woman’s timely message helped him to be in Darwin to stop the so-called farce of a wedding. Meeting the mystery woman plagued heavy on Wade’s mind. Switching his thoughts to the identical message left for him in Sydney and again in Queensland when he stopped to restock his provisions, both handwritten messages contained a photo. Wade felt convinced the messages were from the same woman. She’d taken more than a casual interest in his voyage to Darwin.
Wade walked up the steps to the deck. “I wonder if the mystery woman is Anneli’s sister?” he said louder than he should have.
“What did you say, young fella?”
Wade looked up at the old fisherman. His clothes reeked of fish. He swung a red bucket while shuffling along the wharf to the end.
“Good luck in your fishing tonight.”
The man stopped to stare at Wade. “She’ll be right. Me and me Mrs will have fish for breakfast. If I don’t catch anything, there’s always room at the café. While I have, your attention is your name Wade?”
“Yes.”
The old man shuffled over. He gave Wade a toothless grin before handing over a note.
“Who gave you this?”
“Some dame back at the start of the wharf; she must be rich; gave me a hundred bucks to deliver a piece of paper.”
“Anneli will be at a disco,” said Wade reading the note out loud. Glancing towards the beach, he saw no one loitering around.
“Have a good night Sonny.”
“You too,” echoed Wade. He waved casually at the man before slipping the note deep inside his pants pocket.
Marching off the wharf towards the main street, Wade heard music coming from the closest disco nightclub, noting a small group of late teenagers who were picked up either by boys or girls for the night emerging from the doorway. Before walking off, the girls scoffed at the throng of people queuing at the entrance to the night club.
Wade slipped behind the last person, tapping two young ladies standing in front of him on the shoulder. Both wore a skimpy sequined mini skirt which sparkled from the light of the streetlight behind him. Long thin legs, feet sitting snugly into stilettos were twirled as the young ladies, no older than seventeen, turned to face him. One leaned closer battering her eyelids.
“I apologize in advance,” Wade started. “Have you seen the young lady in this picture? Her name is Anneli.” He thrust the photo under their noses, waiting for a response.
The two girls shook their heads.
One of the girls leaned closer, whispering seductively. “You don’t need her. You and I can dance all night. After plenty of Tango, we can watch the sunrise in the morning.”
Wade raised his hand at the young lady. “Thanks for the offer. I respectfully refuse your request.”
Focusing on the bouncer, Wade watched the stocky man usher the next six couples into the nightclub which made the queue rapidly dissolve. The girls turned their back on Wade and started gossiping in low whispers. Feeling happy they didn’t insist on chatting him up; he turned his attention to a few others now standing in the queue behind him. After shaking their heads at the photo, they quickly brushed him aside.
Eventually, the bouncer tapped Wade on the shoulder. “You have four seconds to enter before I send you to the rear of the line.”
Wade faked a grin, paid the entrance fee and stepped into the building. Walking around the carpeted area close to the dance floor, searching for Anneli, he could feel the reverberating thump of the upbeat through the floor. Wade stopped numerous times to flash Anneli’s photo. Everyone he talked to shook their heads
Disappointed, Wade moved onto the next disco directly across the street then onwards to the next. By midnight, he stood loitering near the ladies, powder room searching the sea of faces on the dance floor in a disco situated up a side lane.
Two young ladies walked past in a rush to get back to the dance floor. They didn’t notice Wade’s gaze glued on them. One of the young ladies started to giggle at what the other said. The tone in the voice of one of the girls forced Wade to zero in on her walk. She wore a white blouse, a black mini skirt which clung to her tiny waist and black stilettos on her feet. Her left hand clutched a small shiny black bag. Wade watched them step onto the dance floor. Both girls looked stunning. Wade focused on the dark brunette more than her blonde-haired friend. Two burly security guards grabbed him by the shoulders. Wade jumped, instantly losing sight of the girls.
“You not here to cause trouble?” spat the first bloke.
Obviously, the guard used his broken English to make his voice sound more threatening. Using the push-pull method the guard spun Wade in a half circle. The two men glared at each other almost nose to nose.
The security guards were the shape of gorillas. They looked to have the strength to match. Wade glanced over the shoulder of the first man. He saw the second guard brandishing a two-foot long metal rod.
“I’m here only to have a good time,” advised Wade, confidently, hoping decorum might help defuse the scene.
“I’ve been watching you closely from the moment you stepped into this homely establishment,” spat the first bouncer.
“I wholeheartedly agree,” replied Wade. “This place does make you feel at home.”
“So far I’m not impressed by what I’ve seen.”
“I mean no disrespect,” said Wade quickly. “This is my first time in here. So far the scenery is amazing.”
“I think it might be wise if you exit this place. At the other end of the main street, you’ll come across a three storey building. Take my advice, enter it. I’m sure you’ll find someone real nice to talk to.”
“I’m only here for a good time,” advised Wade repeating himself. He took a punt, gambling the two gorilla-sized men won’t remember he said the same sentence twice.
“Have a good time somewhere else.”
Wade certainly didn’t want to be tossed out into the street. He continued his elucidation. “Please, I’m looking for a woman to pick up. If you’d be kind enough to give me thirty minutes and I don’t have any luck, I’ll leave.” Wade checked his watch. “It’s now exactly eleven-thirty-five.”
“We’ll give you fifteen minutes,” growled the second guard, stepping forward. Using his left hand, he squeezed Wade’s right shoulder.
The vice like grip wasn’t a flippant gesture. The act signaled, ‘if the receiver caused trouble of any sort he’ll be taken outside through a side exit. A few broken bones may accompany the receiver’s body into the closest dump bin.’ Wade’s inmate friend tried to tell him to be extra careful if it ever happened.
The bouncer let go of Wade’s shoulder. He sent him a snappy grin before stepping back.
“To make life easy for the three of us, what
do you say to a trade-off?” quizzed Wade. “Can we agree on midnight as the kick out time; it’s a nice even number. It’ll help to overcome any confusion on my part.”
Both guards snorted at each other before giving a sharp nod. They walked off to stand at the door, watching the clock.
For a few seconds, Wade stood observing their military stance before refocusing his attention on the dance floor. He scoured the faces and the variety of coloured heads of the multitude of young ladies bopping to the rhythm of the newest song playing. In the middle of the floor, under the large mirror ball suspended from the ceiling, he spied two ladies. Both were dressed to impress. He knew any man at the disco would be more than happy to escort either of them home.
Wade stepped onto the polished wooden floor. The young woman he walked towards appeared to have long slender legs which were partially covered by a black mini skirt. Her long black hair glistened under the mirror ball. He boldly started to march over. The closer he got the weaker his knees felt. His nerves were trying to get the better of him. Sweat broke out between his shoulder blades. A trickle of water worked its way down to the nook of his back.
The young lady he’d focused on glanced his way. Almost instantly she stopped swaying to the beat of the music; a smile not only swept her cheeks, her widening grin never waned. She tapped her female dance partner on the shoulder, raising her eyebrows to signal; ‘I’ll see you later.’
“Bonjour Anneli Vandenberg,” announced Wade, stepping up. “At long last, I’ve tracked you down.”
“You’re here.” Anneli stared up into his blue eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. “You don’t strike me as a person who can speak French.”
“It’s the only word I can say,” confessed Wade, giving her his usual friendly luring expression.
The young lady dancing next to Anneli slipped away to the other side of the dance floor. She found a seat at the bar to watch.
Anneli grabbed Wade by the hand and led the way off the dance floor to a dark corner. She never once looked back to where her dance partner went.
The DJ cranked the music up at the start of the next song. Wade had to yell in Anneli’s ear so that she could hear what he was saying. He raised his hand to signal a halt to the attempted conversation. Ushering Anneli towards the main entrance, Wade gave the two security guards who were gathering their jaws up off the floor a casual wave. They waited for Anneli to retrieve a pair of black runners and a light jacket from the cloakroom before politely escorting the two outside. Both guards wished Wade and Anneli a good night. They winked at each other before stepping back inside the disco.
“I finally found you,” Wade started, praying Anneli still wanted to know him.
“You picked a strange time to show yourself. It has been almost a year.”
Wade could feel tension building between them. His high emotions were plummeting fast. If he didn’t change the direction of their meeting, he knew the night would end in a disaster. He’d wiped the word, ‘failed,’ out of his vocabulary years earlier. He needed to work harder if he ever wanted to win Anneli’s heart.
Making sure his voice flowed like a seductive Rumba dance, Wade continued where he left off. “I’ve been working hard to find you. I only knew your first name.”
Anneli wore a sheepish expression. “I happened to be drunk up to my eyeballs the night we met on the bridge. I couldn’t remember if I told you my full name or not. For nearly a year I’ve lived in hope I did. I apologize. I’m deeply sorry.”
“It’s okay. The only thing I’m concentrating on right now is you. Please accept my invitation for a walk?”
“Yes, the idea sounds nice.”
Anneli slipped her feet into her runners and placed her dance shoes into a small bag. Grabbing hold of Wade’s hand, her eyes sparkled at thinking what the remainder of the night might bring.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ten hours before cyclone Tracy hits.