Bilgarra Springs

by Rotondo, Louise

  He paused to draw breath. Before he could start on another round, Aurora cut in.

  ‘It’s fine. Stay as long as you need to. Would have been too quiet here on my own anyway after being surrounded by fifteen people twenty four seven for the last month. All good.’

  Relief was written all over Tim’s face and he perked up a bit.

  ‘So how was it? Did you enjoy it?’

  With that she came over and dropped onto the other sofa, putting her feet up on the coffee table, leaning back and closing her eyes, Orinoco still clutched in her arms.

  After a couple of moments she opened her eyes and regarded Tim.

  ‘It was really great. Not at all what I expected but an absolute experience. But back to more important matters, I thought you and Becky might have patched things up while I was away. Guess that didn’t happen?’

  Tim looked out the window, before meeting her eyes.

  ‘Becky has started dating someone else and he has started staying the night at the unit, so don’t think there is any hope of that. And no, I haven’t been stalking or observing or had her under surveillance. Anthony my gym partner lives in the building and has seen the two of them coming and going and the guy leaving in the morning.’

  Aurora gentled her voice.

  ‘I’m really sorry Tim. I know how much she meant to you.’

  ‘Thanks Aurora, but this time alone has given me the space I think that I needed to see the situation for what it was and it was never going to be a ‘to death do us part’ deal. As my mother says, these things have a way of working themselves out.’

  Aurora replied before she thought about it, not that Tim could have know that she was referring to her own situation.

  ‘Yep they do. Or at least I hope they do.’

  With that she got up off the couch, placing Orinoco on the floor. There was a certain flatness to her voice and a lethargy in her movements she knew, but she hoped that Tim couldn’t pick up on it. They were work colleagues and weren’t close aside from that, so chances were he wouldn’t. She didn’t want him giving her the third degree.

  ‘Worst thing about being away is the unpacking and washing when you get home. I will give you the ins and outs of the last month later if you want to grab something to eat together. I want to get this stuff unpacked and the first load of washing on. I don’t have the urge to cook, so eating out or take away it will be if you are keen.’

  Tim’s reply was immediate, ‘Works for me,’ before his eyes widened and he continued, tripping over his words in his haste to make himself clear.

  ‘I didn’t mean that I don’t like your cooking, I am sure that you are a great cook it’s just that you have an excellent Thai place on the corner and...’

  Aurora cut him off again, chuckling as she grabbed her bags off the floor and moved to the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

  ‘All good Tim. No offence taken. Thai it is. Do you want to phone and make a reservation since it is Friday? I’m sure you have their number on speed dial. Just give me a bit of time. It’s ten past four now, so say sevenish, which will give me time to do the things that I have to do, including a long indulgent shower.’

  Tim’s face lit up.

  ‘Cool.’

  Even though she had her back to him and was walking away the enthusiasm in Tim’s voice was a bit hard to miss. She did what she had promised herself on the plane flying home she wouldn’t do and compared this life to that out on the station. She couldn’t help wondering if Callan had ever even eaten in a Thai restaurant and after a couple of seconds, couldn’t escape the conclusion that it wouldn’t be something that would be that important to him anyway.

  Callan.

  She missed him already and it had only been a few hours. She dropped her bags onto the bed and turned to look out the windows. The view was fantastic, but it failed to move her. The water with the power boats zipping about, ferries crossing, or the silent sailing vessels, was full of movement. Much less restful than the long grass rippling in the breeze.

  She had noticed the noise too, on her way back from the airport. No crows, frogs and cicadas here. Well none that you could actually hear anyway. The general hum of the traffic drowned out everything else.

  She drew in a breath and moved away from the window, grabbing the phone from beside the bed. She had promised Cal and the others that she would call when she got home to let them know that she had arrived safely. Speaking to him wasn’t going to help with the hopeless longing to be with him, but a promise is a promise and she desperately wanted to hear his voice. She laughed at herself there. When had she become one of those women who made calls to hear their partner’s voice? The word partner pulled her up. Was he her partner? Was it going to survive long enough for him to become her partner? That thought didn’t help the heaviness in her heart.

  Aurora sat on the edge of her bed, the home phone in one hand, her mobile in the other. She decided on texting Libby to see if they could catch up tomorrow before dialling Bilgarra Springs, partly as a delaying tactic and partly because she felt badly about forgetting about her planned catch up with Libby while she had been away.

  They had known each other since prep and whilst they didn’t spend much time together, each time they caught up they simply picked up where they had left off. In terms of friends, Libby had to be Aurora’s closest, which was a bit of an oxymoron as Aurora didn’t really let anybody too close, but she desperately needed to talk to someone. Normally she would have turned to Gran, but obviously that wasn’t an option now.

  She texted Libby and drew in a deep breath, dialling Bilgarra’s number before she lost her nerve. Callan picked up on the second ring. Aurora had a mental picture of him sitting by the phone which was so far removed from his normal attitude to the thing as to be hilarious. Aurora could imagine Trudy and Fiona’s reaction to Cal’s sudden fascination with the phone.

  It was so good to hear his voice; she fell backwards on top of the bed and let it wash over her. Logic told Aurora that it was only this morning that she had lain beside him, but it felt like months. Given that they had never spoken by telephone, there were a few awkward moments and the whole conversation felt very stilted. After a bare five minutes they both hung up, all avenues of conversation exhausted.

  As she lay there, the events of this morning flashed through her mind. When she had been about to leave Callan had held her like he was never going to let go, kissed her very gently and tenderly, then opened the car door for her. They had both been lost for words. Aurora had been fighting back tears and Callan hadn’t looked like he was holding up much better.

  Aurora’s eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t believe the irony of the situation. She had finally met someone that she could really relate to and who made her feel more alive and circumstances had conspired to keep them apart. She couldn’t help but wonder at the parallels with her grandmother’s experience. She could accept that situation now for what it was, an accidental falling in love that didn’t have a chance to go anywhere. She didn’t envy her grandmother’s circumstances at all. To not be able to be with the man that you loved above all others because you also loved, albeit in a lesser way, and were married to, another man, would have been a private hell. At least she didn’t have duty and love for another to consider in her own situation.

  She reluctantly pushed herself up from the bed. Best to get on with things. She did choose to come back after all and her bags weren’t going to sort themselves out and she didn’t want to keep Tim waiting. There was no enthusiasm to her movements though, and she felt like one of those kids you see on the TV that drag their feet along, trying to delay the inevitable.

  Libby texted her back and their coffee session tomorrow was confirmed. It was going to be interesting. Aurora had accidentally stood Libby up: the two of them had arranged to have coffee before Aurora had found out about the clause in her grandmother’s will and everything had been so hectic leading up to her departure that she had simply forgotten to text Lib to let her know
that she couldn’t make it. The first that she had thought about it had been when she had reached Charters Towers on their way to Townsville and her phone had had reception again and the messages had started pouring in, a few of them from Libby. Libby was not the sort of person that anyone was allowed to forget, which meant she was going to be in fine form and the morning certainly wouldn’t be dull. With that in mind, Aurora made her way to the laundry to tackle her mountain of washing.

  Seated in the cafe the next day, Aurora saw her as she came through the door and waved her over. Libby as usual was dressed all in black. This time it was a black singlet, short black skirt with black leggings underneath and black Doc Martens at the bottom. Libby flung her black string bag under the table and lowered herself gracefully onto the chair, smiling broadly. Aurora grinned back.

  ‘Hey Lib.’

  Libby leaned across the table, her arms crossed on the edge of it, her green eyes boring into Aurora’s.

  ‘Spill it Aurora. All of it. You never go away for the weekend let alone a whole month and the text that you sent me, when you could be bothered I might add, didn’t tell me much. You can’t just tell me that you had to go away for a while and will be out of mobile range and not expect the third degree when you get back. So spill it. By the way, hello, you look well. Maybe I should get a very large coffee first as I think it is going to be a long session. Have you ordered yet? What do you want? The usual?’

  Without actually giving Aurora a chance to reply to any of the questions, Libby got up and strolled over to the counter, enjoying the attention that came her way. She was a striking red head with legs that went to her armpits, a fact that the short skirt and leggings accentuated. Aurora smiled to herself. Libby was a force to be reckoned with and the poor barista on the other side of the counter didn’t know what he was in for. At this point the poor young guy looked dumbstruck. Aurora dropped her head so he wouldn’t see her laughing. His reaction was so typical it was funny.

  When she returned, Libby flashed Aurora a triumphant look before settling herself down at the table.

  ‘Jonathon will bring our coffees over when they are ready. I took the liberty of ordering passionfruit and raspberry cheesecake for us both as well. May as well make a morning of it.’

  Aurora shook her head, incredulous at her friend’s behaviour.

  ‘How do you do that? They don’t give table service here, yet every time that we meet here you manage to sucker the guy behind the counter into waiting on you. You could sell ice to the Eskimos. As for cheesecake, bring it on. I forgot to have breakfast this morning, so the worms are biting. Thanks.’

  Aurora pushed a twenty dollar note across the table. Libby flicker her hand, waiving away the money.

  ‘Aurora, my gut tells me that this story is going to be much higher in entertainment value than the cost of a coffee and cheesecake. Last time I saw you was at the funeral, we had agreed to meet, then ‘poof’ you disappear, standing me up in the process. Standing me up was so unlike you I nearly called the police but I called around at your place after work one night and a man answers the door, and originally I thought that was why you were unreachable which is also very out of character for you, but then he tells me you have taken off for a month. He was not very forthcoming either I might add, despite my charms. I did ask where and he just shrugged. I was dumbfounded. He may as well have said that you had been abducted by aliens. And I will admit I was quite miffed that you didn’t at least tell me you were leaving, but I’m over that now. I then get a text message telling me that you are in Townsville and sorry, and you won’t be back for a couple more weeks. So spill it. Where did you go and why?’

  Aurora glanced down at her hands and back up, opening her mouth to speak just as the barista brought the coffees and cheesecakes over. By this stage, Libby looked fit to burst.

  ‘Enough with the stalling. You texted me to meet, remember?’

  Aurora grinned.

  ‘Ok. Ok. I will start at the beginning. The lawyer called me into his office a week or so after the funeral I can’t remember exactly and told me that under the terms of Gran’s will, before they could transfer anything, I had to go and live and work on a cattle station in Queensland for one month.’

  Initially Libby’s jaw dropped. When recovered, she cut in.

  ‘Your grandmother did what? I can’t believe it.’

  Aurora shrugged.

  ‘You aren’t alone. I couldn’t either and the lawyer wanted me to challenge the will. He made it for Gran but he must have thought that she would come to her senses and make another one before she died. Who knows? At the time it seemed easier to go along with it, what with the funeral not long being over and things being so different...’

  Libby cut in again.

  ‘You mean to tell me that when you disappeared you went to western Queensland. Crap. We should have met at the bar three doors up. I am not sure that coffee is going to be enough to get my head around this. I should have got the triple chocolate mousse cheesecake. ‘

  Sadness flicked through Aurora’s eyes at the mention of the cheesecake. The memory of it and that last night at Bilgarra triggered a longing for Cal. She placed a spoonful of the passionfruit and raspberry cheesecake in her mouth and sighed, hoping Libby would take that as enjoyment for the cheesecake. Libby didn’t seem to notice and she mentally congratulated herself – her skills as an actress must be improving. Aurora finally spoke.

  ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures.’

  Libby wasn’t buying the delaying tactics and levelled her gaze at Aurora, narrowing her eyes.

  ‘So, what happened. You don’t get to stop the story there.’

  Aurora started to laugh quietly.

  ‘I was telling you before you interrupted me.’

  ‘Ok. Point taken, please continue. I will do my best not to interrupt.’

  ‘So I went. Flew to Townsville, hired a car and drove to a station called Bilgarra Springs outside Greenvale.’

  ‘I know that I said that I wouldn’t interrupt, but, you, who won’t come to Melbourne with me, left here, on your own, to drive to a place in the middle of nowhere. I understand why you were out of mobile range now. It sounded silly at the time, but yeah, makes sense.’

  Aurora looked at Libby, and raised her eyebrows.

  ‘I know, I interrupted but cut me some slack. First your grandmother does something seriously out of character and then you do too. But anyway, I will do my best to shut up.’

  Libby flicked her hand in the air.

  ‘Please keep going.’

  ‘So I went. I spent a month there, learned to ride a horse, went mustering with them, did basically everything that they did, as far as I was capable. Even learnt to cook. Can you believe it?’

  ‘Frankly, no. I have eaten at your place a few times over the years and I had completely written you off as ever being able to produce anything with more skill required than toast. Crap. You on a horse. I can’t picture that either. Seriously, with every minute the bar is seeming the much better option. It’s Saturday Aurora. No work tomorrow...a few drinks would have worked well’

  Aurora pointedly ignored Libby’s rueful comment.

  ‘Turns out Gran and Pop spent some time there many years ago. I think Gran wanted me to learn something, which I did.’

  ‘Well that’s obvious. You just told me that you can ride a horse and have learnt to cook. I would say that definitely classes as learning something.’

  Aurora looked earnestly at Libby.

  ‘I don’t mean like that. I think that she wanted me to learn to put things into perspective and give me a reality check.’

  Libby looked at her quizzically.

  ‘I don’t get you. You are the most level headed person I know. Why would you need to have things placed in perspective?’

  Aurora looked out the window of the coffee shop and flicked her hand in the general direction of outside.

  ‘Here, we get so caught up in the trappings of city life the rig
ht clothes, the right shoes, the correct brand handbag, having the right look...’

  With that, Libby’s eyes opened wider and she looked like she was about to take offence.

  Aurora held up her hand in front of her to stop the tirade that was about to pour forth.

  ‘I am not criticizing you. As an advertising consultant, you wouldn’t be able to do what you do without looking like you know what you are doing. What I am saying is that things here are all about knowing the right people and being popular and acceptable. I am just as much to blame.’

  Aurora pulled her own bag up and pointed to it, with its prominent Dolce & Gabanna insignia.

  ‘But I can honestly say that in the month that I was out there, I think I took my handbag with me once, when we all went to Townsville for the weekend, and quite frankly, nobody cared a damn that it was the latest in D&G. I wore jeans just about every day. They don’t care about brand names. All that matters out there is that you treat people with respect, are honest and don’t bludge. As for the rest, it didn’t matter who my grandparents were, or how many letters I have after my name. They judged me by me. And yes, I learnt something. For that I am very grateful that Gran had the insight to send me there. Also, I fell in love.’

  With that last statement, Aurora put a large spoonful of cheesecake into her mouth so that she wouldn’t be able to talk for a bit and fixed her attention firmly on the plate in front of her.

  Libby didn’t miss the remark.

  ‘Excuse me? Did you just say what I thought you did? And you tack it on at the end, like it is something that you give the ‘by-the-way’ treatment to.’

  Libby dropped her head onto the table top, glaring at Aurora when she raised it.

  ‘You suggest that we catch up for coffee, fully knowing that you are about to drop the biggest bombshell ever on me. I so want to hit you right now. In fact, I want to hit you so much at the moment for not telling me that bit first and for just throwing it oh so casually at the end, that I am going to sit on my hands.’