They ate lunch off a small lane that served as Chinatown, enjoying the shade created by leafy trees and a wide verandah, then wandered past souvenir shops to catch the bus back to the hotel where Dot urged them to head to the beach.
“You’ve got to try out those new bathers, Natalie,” she said.
Faye made a wry face. “The pool’s right outside our rooms.”
“But we haven’t been in the ocean yet,” Dot persisted. “The tide’s in now so it’s the best time.”
“All right,” Faye huffed.
Natalie couldn’t resist Dot’s enthusiasm and the thought of wearing her new bathers. She’d better get some use from them considering the price. Back in her room for a quick change she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The bathers were patterned with green foliage and splattered with bright tropical birds. The neckline was far more revealing than what she was used to but behave had been whirling in her head when she’d tried them on. She was fifty-eight and while her gaze swept quickly over the bulge around her middle, she liked the way her bust filled them out. Behave indeed, she’d thought as she bought them. Now she decided she liked the shape the bathers gave her and the freedom of wearing so little.
Across the road from the hotel they looked down on the brilliant white beach that stretched away in both directions.
“We have to swim between the flags,” Dot informed her and pointed ahead to where the surf lifesavers were set up. It would be them and a thousand other people, it seemed. Faye led them down the steps and over the sand, her tall frame completely covered by a long-sleeved white shirt and beige linen pants. Natalie had tied the sarong around her waist and slipped on a t-shirt and Dot’s shorter physique was covered by a long-sleeved sundress patterned with vibrant pink-and-purple flowers. They must make an odd-looking trio for anyone watching on.
Natalie trailed behind Dot and Faye as they dropped their towels and both strode confidently towards the ocean, which surged up the beach in powerful waves. She’d only ever swum in pools and the calm waters of the bay where they took their annual summer holiday. The water was cold at first but once submerged Natalie relaxed. The three of them floated along, doing occasional lazy strokes, bobbing up over the waves, enjoying the ocean. Even out here Dot didn’t stop talking, telling Natalie how much she and Faye enjoyed swimming. They were both regular swimmers at home – Faye had a heated pool and Dot sometimes swam there or at her local swim centre.
“We don’t swim in the ocean so much any more though, do we, Faye?”
“No. Too damn cold for me these days.”
“What about you, Natalie?”
“I live a long way from the nearest beach and there’s a town pool but I never use it. It’s probably been well over a year since I swam last.”
Natalie floated on her back. Even on their beach holidays she rarely swam these days but she was enjoying this. Around them several people bodysurfed and Faye caught a wave and joined them. She made it look so easy that by the time she’d made her way back to them, Natalie had decided to give it a go.
“My ears don’t like it any more and I’m trying to keep my hair dry.” Dot patted her neat bob as a wave began to unfurl behind them.
Natalie lunged forward as the foaming water surged above her, suddenly looking much wilder than she’d expected. She’d hardly taken a breath when the roaring curve of the wave crashed over her and carried her forward in its turbulence then spat her out as it flattened towards the beach. She rose to her feet in shock. The power of it had surprised her but also woken a yearning to do it again. She caught her breath, shook the water from her ears and waded out.
Only half an hour later the three of them were staggering from the ocean, laughing, well, Natalie and Dot were. Faye was giving a kind of strangled chortle that could have been a laugh, though Natalie couldn’t hear properly for the swishing in her ears. They were all waterlogged. Dot had done her best to keep her hair dry but had been surprised by a wave and had ended up drenched. She’d been mid-sentence when the wave had struck and the look on her face when she’d finally surfaced had been hilarious.
Natalie turned back to watch the ocean as she towelled herself dry. The power of the waves had surprised her, frightened her sometimes, but left her invigorated and refreshed. She felt a surge of inner energy she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Back to the hotel pool now?” Dot asked. The other two had already covered up and were collecting their bags. Dot gave her an enquiring look. “We like to spend a few hours reading by the pool in the afternoon. Will you join us?”
Hours reading by a pool. Natalie had trouble comprehending such idle indulgence. Faye looked up and grimaced, which Natalie now knew was the closest she came to an encouraging smile.
“I’d love to,” she said.
“Oh good,” Dot said as they set off. “Then at four we order drinks. I had the most divine cocktail yesterday. I think I’ll try it again today.”
“You also had a headache last night,” Faye said.
“I think that was the second glass of wine at dinner. I should have stopped at one.”
Natalie trailed along beside them, enjoying both their company and the new sense of abandon the swim had unleashed. She wasn’t a wife, mother to three daughters, a teacher, a housekeeper or cook, she was simply a woman on holiday.
At home in South Australia, Laura had driven into town. The main street was quiet. All the shops were closed on a Sunday afternoon except for the cafe and another takeaway business further down the street. She smiled as she pulled her dusty Hyundai in to the curb beside the gleaming RAV4 already parked outside the cafe. She looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror and tucked a tendril of hair back in under her cap. Paul Brown had struck her as the conservative type and she’d thought it best not to flaunt her hair.
She let herself into the shop. Paul was the only other customer. He was sitting at a table studying his phone. Even on his day off he was dressed neatly in woollen jumper and chinos. She only had a few seconds to take him in before he looked up and saw her. He tucked away his phone and stood.
“Hi,” she said, then cleared her throat at the squeaky sound she’d made.
“Hello.” He nodded and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Laura couldn’t believe the simple gesture could be so sexy. “You brought the folder?”
“Folder?” She blinked. “Oh, Mum’s folder, yes. It’s in the car.”
He took a step as if he was going to head that way now.
“Coffee,” she said. “I promised you coffee.”
“Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got half an hour.”
“Right, well, I’d better order. What will you have?” Then she remembered the coffee she’d tipped all over him. “Flat white, right?”
“Yes.” And for the first time his lips curved up in a smile.
Once they were seated, with the table and two coffees firmly between them, their conversation was, at first, a little stilted. Then they got onto music and lost track of time. They both liked the same things, an eclectic mix of musicians and retro music, and realised they’d been at shows at the same venues.
“What was the last show you went to in Adelaide?” she asked.
Paul scratched his ear. She’d noticed he’d done that a few times when he was thinking. She thought it was cute.
“It was at the Thebbie back in March…” He stopped, fiddled with his empty coffee cup.
Her mouth dropped open. “No way. March. Don’t tell me you were at the ABBA show?”
He nodded sheepishly.
“So was I. I love ABBA music.”
He smiled widely then. “So do I, but not many of my friends do. I went on my own.”
“A couple of my girlfriends are fans too.” She laughed. “We could have been sitting right beside you.”
“You could have.”
They held each other’s gaze across the table.
He glanced at his watch. “Jeepers, it’s late, I have to get
going. Sorry.” He stood.
She was still hanging onto jeepers. Who said that any more?
“Thanks for the coffee,” he said.
She stood too and followed him to the door. He held it open for her and she shivered as she stepped outside into a blast of icy wind. It had been warm in the coffee shop.
“Well…thanks,” he said again and took a step towards his car.
“I’m home for a while,” she blurted. “We could catch up again, share some music.”
He stopped. “Sure.” He pulled out his phone.
“I’ve got your number.”
He nodded. “Of course. You rang me.” A quick smile and he hurried away.
Laura jumped into her car. Her door slammed shut with the wind. Wow, she thought and leaned her head back against the rest. She closed her eyes then flicked them open at a tap on her window.
Paul was there, leaning down, arms folded against the cold.
She lowered it.
“The folder,” he said.
“Oh yes.” She reached behind and grabbed the carry bag she’d slipped it into.
He smiled. “Thanks.” Then he hurried back to his car and drove away.
Laura nestled into her seat and sat a few more minutes, savouring the enjoyable hour she’d just spent, not looking forward to returning to the property, her gloomy dad and her despondent oldest sister. Lucky Bree had escaped for a day and a night. Laura recalled Paul’s smile and wondered how long she could leave it before calling him again.
Eighteen
Natalie closed the book on the final page, disappointed to be leaving the characters yet relieved to be released from the evocative story she’d been reading. She lifted her gaze to the pool where Dot and Faye were swimming up and back, as they liked to do every afternoon before drinks. Natalie usually joined them but she’d been so close to finishing the book and unable to put it down. She found it hard to take in, that among all the other things she and the other two women had done over the last five days, she’d also managed to read two books. She was hungry for more and glad that Faye and Dot had offered some of theirs.
The pool spread out before her and to one side there was a raised deck where people came and went all day, relaxing on the couches, enjoying company or simply snoozing the day away. The rest of the pool area was lined with padded sun-lounges like the one she lay on. There were small tables for drinks, and umbrellas and sails for those who, like her, sought some shade. Around her the steady but muted tones of cheerful music played, and she caught murmured conversations, the chink of ice and the distant whir of the cocktail maker. No-one splashed or called out in this pool, which was for adults only. The only raised voice was that of a bird trying to outdo the background music.
She rose, stretched languorously and felt the full heat of the Kimberley sun as she stepped from the shade and slipped off her kaftan, a new addition to her sun wardrobe after another visit to the shops. She’d swum every day, sometimes two or three times, between beach and pool visits. Now she stepped carefully into the pool, allowing her overheated body time to adjust to the cold. The pool wasn’t heated but was warmer than the ocean and a far gentler alternative.
She submerged herself to her shoulders as Dot and Faye came to a stop beside her.
“I’m going to miss this place.” Dot’s expression was glum. “We go home tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Natalie was brought back to reality with a painful thud. In this bubble world of her holiday, spending her time with Dot and Faye, seeing the sights, indulging herself, relaxing with not a thing to do but to wonder where and when to eat her next meal, she hadn’t given a thought to time passing but now she realised this would be her sixth night. She’d booked eight to get a special rate.
“How much longer are you here for, Natalie?” Faye asked.
“Three more nights.”
“I don’t want to go home. Perhaps we could extend our stay.” Dot’s face brightened.
Faye gave a snort. “We’ve already spent our annual holiday budget on one week here, and the flights! It would cost us almost as much again to change them.”
“I know, and we do have bridge tomorrow afternoon.” Dot smiled at Natalie. “I know everyone says it but it’s true, once you retire you become so busy you wonder how you fitted in work. I help out at an op shop and there are a few of us away at the moment so they’ll be looking out for my return, and Faye volunteers at a school for children with special needs.”
“And one of my sons will be home from overseas in a week. He’s planning on living with me till he finds his own place.” Faye snorted again. “Forty and still sponging off his mother.”
“Still, it will be nice for you to have company for a while.” Dot floated in the water between Natalie and Faye, and caught Natalie’s eye with a knowing look. “He’s been gone for two years; you’ll be glad to see him again.”
“Humph!” Faye sniffed. “I’m doing another lap then I’m getting out. This water is too cold for me.” She pushed away and began to stroke across the pool.
Dot watched her go and gave her own version of a snort. “She’d have you believe she doesn’t care two hoots about her sons but she’s only covering up how much she misses them. She was like a lioness protecting her cubs through a messy divorce from her alcoholic husband then raised them singlehandedly. Her boys both ended up working overseas and she misses them terribly. Although it has been handy for us to have a bit of free accommodation in London and Singapore over the years.”
“Do you have children?”
“No. It wasn’t to be for Ted and me. What about you?”
“Three daughters.”
“Are you going home once you leave here?”
Natalie’s stomach churned at the thought. She’d sent a dutiful text to her family each night. She’d kept it general, not sure how to say in a few words that she’d ended up in Broome instead of Brisbane. Milt responded briefly each time but they’d not spoken on the phone since she’d left home, and there’d only been a couple of short texts from the girls hoping she was having fun. She wasn’t ready to go home yet. So far she’d only seen the sights of Broome. There was so much more to the region.
“Perhaps I’ll find somewhere cheaper in another part of town for a few more nights. Or maybe take a tour to Derby and the Mitchell Falls. I haven’t booked my flight home yet.”
Faye arrived back then and they all left the water.
“What about that Horizontal Falls trip?” Faye said as they towelled themselves dry.
They’d perused many tourist brochures together over the last few days, looking for places they could explore together. “It did look fabulous.”
“A bucket list item, they say.” Faye turned her hard stare on Dot.
“You could have gone on your own,” Dot responded with an equally steely look. Natalie had learned over the last five days Dot wasn’t the pushover she’d first seemed. “You know I won’t fly in anything small. The plane here from Perth was bad enough and we have to get in another sardine can to go back yet.”
“Was it a little plane?” Natalie hadn’t looked at plane sizes when she’d booked. She’d simply picked the cheapest and quickest option to get her to Broome.
“If you call a Boeing 717 with over one hundred seats little, then yes.”
“Oh.”
“Why don’t you go up the Dampier Peninsula?” Dot said. “Visit that beautiful pearl farm we read about. They had accommodation, didn’t they?”
“Buy yourself some pearls,” Faye said. She wore no jewellery during the day but each night at dinner Natalie had noticed she wore a short string of pearls.
“A gift from my father to my mother,” she’d said when Natalie had commented on how lovely they were, prompting a long discussion about pearls.
“It’s not something I think I’d buy for myself,” Natalie said now.
“Don’t wait for your husband to do it,” Faye declared. “If you see something you like buy it. A celebratory gift to your
self.”
“What’s she celebrating?” Dot asked. “Is it your birthday?”
“No.” Natalie lowered her gaze under the scrutiny of both women. Yesterday, over afternoon drinks while Dot had gone back to the room for something, Faye had asked her outright why she’d travelled alone. For some reason, probably something to do with her second cocktail, Natalie had confided that Milt wouldn’t leave the property so she’d come without him. She may have also mentioned how cross she was with him but not gone into any detail. Faye had obviously read between the lines.
“Independence,” Faye said.
Dot’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “You’re not getting divorced.”
“No.” That word shocked her. Her marriage wasn’t over. This was another glitch surely, just a hiccup. She and Milt would work it out and yet – a dawning realisation hit her – did she care enough to want to?
“Good grief, don’t jump to wild conclusions, Dot. Natalie’s learning to take some time for herself, that’s all.”
“Oh, of course. Silly of me, only Faye has an independence celebration every year on the anniversary of her divorce.”
“And another on the anniversary of our joint retirement from the Education Department,” Faye said.
“There’s always something to celebrate,” Dot said.
“How long since you retired?” Natalie asked, glad to change the subject.
“Ten years.”
“Eight for me but we share the date,” Faye said.
“Are you thinking about retiring?” Dot asked.
The Model Wife Page 23