Coming Home

by Rosie MacDonald

  ********

  Adelina really was a beautiful girl, and Jim couldn’t help but be flattered by her attentions - even though he knew full well that the girl was just trying to give Tom a taste of his own medicine. Having her snuggle up to him, and have her ask for his assistance with her mask and tank, made him feel pretty good. He was happy to play along, having taken an instant dislike to the arrogant and spoilt young man. Tom was a bit too smooth for his own good, and Jim felt that he needed to be taken down a peg or two.

  Jim couldn’t help but think it odd that someone as loving and wise as Daphne had managed to bring up her son with so little concern for anyone else’s needs and wants. It must have been something to do with his father leaving when he was thirteen, but that didn’t give anyone the excuse to be so cavalier with the feelings of others. Jim would only be in Wallaby Creek for a while, but he truly hoped that he might have some kind of impact on the way that the two girls behaved around the cocky, little git in the future then he would be really pleased.

  Melanie grinned at him, noting too just how annoyed Tom looked that he was no longer the centre of attention, and clearly decided to join in. Jim was ecstatic – maybe they had finally seen the light and would no longer let Tom walk all over them.

  ‘Hey, Jim! I’m done diving. Can you put some lotion on my back? I don’t want to burn,’ she said, with a wink and a distinct purr in her husky voice. It was odd, Jim thought, but the little lilt at the end of her sentences that seemed so common amongst Australians, that annoyed him on Neighbours or Home and Away back home, seemed charming out here.

  ‘Sure, not a problem,’ he responded as he could see Tom on the verge of exploding. Adelina giggled.

  ‘My turn next?’ she asked, as she peeled off the wetsuit, and her strong, athletic body was revealed in the skimpy bikini she wore underneath.

  ‘I can do it, Adelina,’ Tom said, trying to appear nonchalant, but clearly fuming.

  ‘Oh it’s no trouble. I’m done here now,’ Jim said, as he finished smoothing the cream into Melanie’s back, and Adelina went to join him in her place.

  Tom threw them each a look that could kill, and stormed off down the jetty. His action wasn’t quite as dramatic as he had probably intended, due to the limp where he still needed to build up his strength again in his bad leg. The girls laughed, and Jim smiled. He hoisted himself up and made his apologies to the girls for abandoning them too, and went off to talk to the frustrated young man.

  ‘Tom, wait up,’ he said, as he ran up behind him.

  ‘Why? You want to humiliate me even more?’

  ‘That wasn’t anyone’s intention. What’s eating at you?’

  ‘You. You come here, and Anna is different, everyone else is different - and I am fed up of hobbling around like a cripple. And quite frankly mate - I just don’t like you.’

  ‘Fair enough, you don’t have to like me. I won’t be here long. But why do you treat the girls so badly? They are just trying to get you to see that they are human beings, and deserve a bit of respect.’ Jim saw the look of utter rage in the younger man’s eyes, and wondered if he had ever really got past being the kid whose dad ran out on him, and his mum, for another woman and a new son.

  ‘They aren’t your dad. They both care for you, so stop messing them around and pick one. Be loyal to her, and you may even find you get enough respect from the other one to get a great friend, too. Or pick neither, and get two great friends, and wait for the right girl to come round, or go out and find her – but be worthy of her, mate.’

  ‘You think you know everything, right? That you can come here and tell me I’m doing it wrong – but my girls are still here. That’s girls plural!’ Tom said, childishly petulant. He clearly wasn’t enjoying the dressing down.

  ‘Yours fled to the other side of the world to get away from you. Why the hell do I need to listen to a thing you say? Go home Jim, and remember Anna is just as much one of mine as those two.’ Tom nodded dismissively to the girls now heading slowly towards them down the jetty. ‘You won’t get any one of them. Girls don’t want the nice guy, mate. They want the bad guy – they want to reform us, be the one who finally tames us. You are never going to get the girl until you start being more like me, mate, and you know it. And I can see that pisses you off! It must really suck being you. Always the kind, patient, older brother - their best buddy, right? The one they use, to get guys like me jealous. But I don’t see any of them trying to get you jealous, do you?’

  Tom had hit the nail square on the head, though Jim hated to admit it and tried not to let it show on his face, but from the sneering chuckle the younger man gave as he limped away, Jim knew he hadn’t managed it. Tom was the kind of guy that girls fell for, and Jim the kind they kept around as a fall guy. He was sick of being Mr Nice Guy.

  Maybe it was time to toughen up and be a bit more aloof, and demanding? He was getting nowhere with Anna, and he could see how attracted she was to the egotistical brat who had so easily put Jim in his place. Well, at least now Tom was out of plaster, Anna would no longer have a job and he could demand that they head home immediately. If she chose to stay, he would know once and for all where he stood.

  Chapter Eight

  Tom returned from the beach, a simmering volcano of frustration. Anna could hear him taking it out on the barrels of beer outside. She had to admit that she was grateful that she wouldn’t be working with him tonight, or with a set of kegs that could blow at any moment from the brutal treatment they were receiving. She was looking forward to a night out with the girls, as her last hurrah, and was truly glad that it would be in Geraldton.

  She was a little apprehensive, too. It had been a while since she had been out in a town, and certainly a while since she had been out clubbing with friends. She knew that both Melanie and Adelina would secretly be glad to see the back of her. Oh, they liked her well enough, but Tom would be all theirs again once she was gone – not that she had ever done anything to encourage him.

  Jim had decided to spend their last night in Australia on the beach. Anna presumed he wanted to do something daftly romantic, like see the sunrise, or be at peace with nature or something – but, from her experiences sleeping rough on many nights over her travels, she could certainly assure him that there was nothing romantic about it, even if he still refused to believe her.

  She pulled on a strapless top from the bottom of her rucksack, and a tiny pair of hot pants an acquaintance in Saigon had dared her to buy. This would be the last chance she would ever have to just do whatever she wanted, after all. Going back home would mean she would have rules to conform to – and even without them, it would never be warm enough for such an outfit again. She grabbed her makeup bag and popped on a bit of tinted moisturiser and some mascara, a quick slick of cherry lip gloss, and gave her curls a quick scrunch. She glimpsed at her reflection in the mirror, and was satisfied. She felt ready to flirt and dance the night away. A car horn honked outside, as the girls arrived. Anna ran downstairs, through the bar – barely even noticing Tom’s catcalls and wolf whistles as she did so.

  ********

  Adelina brought the car to a screeching halt on the main street, parking outside a trendy looking bar. The trio giggled and, with their arms around each other, went inside. The place was packed, even though it was still pretty early. It was filled with young people, and the music pounded out onto an empty dance floor that nobody would approach until much later, and much more alcohol had been consumed. They headed for the bar, and ordered three bright blue, sickly sweet alcopop drinks, that didn’t deserve a name they were so appalling - but they were certainly popular, as most of the girls present were pouring them back at a rate of knots.

  Not wanting to let the side down, the three girls downed their first two, and then moved onto the cocktail menu as the Happy Hour began. A Long Slow Screw on the Beach; a few Tequila Slammers; some Slippery Nipples and a Strawberry Daiquiri later, and they were absolutely pickled. A few brave souls had begun to gingerly fill the
dance floor, and, fuelled by the alcohol, the girls headed out to join them.

  Anna hadn’t drunk, or danced, in so long and she was having a really great time, until the inevitable happened. A drunken letch decided to try and get in between the three of them, and sidled up close. He reeked of beer and nicotine, and seemed to think he was irresistible. The girls had to disagree and decided to retreat from the bar, and to head for their next destination.

  Macchio’s was a great beach front club, and Anna had to admit she was really glad that Melanie and Adelina had suggested it. She wasn’t sure why, but something about it seemed to attract a better calibre of male, and they were soon enjoying flirtations with three young guys who taught Scuba and took tourists out on wildlife tours, down the coast at Shark Bay. Anna was really pleased to see the girls being treated respectfully, and hoped that the swapping of telephone numbers meant that Tom would lose his little harem.

  By the end of the night, the girls and their besotted looking beaus were kissing and dancing very close to one another. The guy talking with her, well, he was a sweetie. His girlfriend was apparently teaching English out in Africa, and he missed her terribly. Anna was grateful that he was taken, because though it was fun to flirt and giggle with this handsome young man, she really didn’t want to make her tangled love life any more complicated than it already was.

  ********

  Exhausted, they all piled into Adelina’s Honda as the club started to wind down at about 2am. They dropped the boys off on the way, dates were planned, and even a day of diving together discussed for the boys’ next day off work. Anna smiled happily as they pulled up outside the bar in Wallaby Creek.

  She was surprised to see the lights still on. She couldn’t think why Tom would still be here. Midweek evenings were usually pretty slow. She unlocked the door, and made her way to the bar. Finding nobody around, Anna checked the doors were locked, flicked off the bar lights and headed up to her bed. But as she opened the door to her room, she was surprised to see Tom, fast asleep on her bed. He jumped, almost out of his skin, as she entered, and Anna had to admit he did look quite sweet, all sleepy and disorientated.

  ‘Hey, what are you doing up here?’ she asked. She was too tired, and still a little too drunk to get all het up and she figured that the sooner she could get him out of the way, the sooner she would be enjoying some rest herself.

  ‘I wanted to know you were ok. I didn’t expect you to be back this late,’ he said, looking genuinely concerned. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to crash out like that, but first shift back alone, I was kind of beat!’

  ‘That’s okay,’ Anna said. ‘You’d better head off now though, your mum’ll be worried.’

  ‘I doubt it. Couldn’t we just talk for a bit? I’ve made a bit of an arse of things with you, and I want to know that things are good between us before you go home. Sorry if I’ve been a bit of a drongo at times,’

  Anna laughed at the juvenile description. Tom grinned wryly.

  ‘I just fancied you so much, but you just never seemed to even notice me. I think I met my match with you,’ he admitted.

  ‘Tom, it’s not that I didn’t like you, though yes at times you have been a complete arse – I just couldn’t afford to lose my job, and I didn’t want to lose a friend while I was here. I have had a pretty lonely time of it at times while I’ve been travelling.’ Anna was surprised she was telling him so much - clearly the alcohol hadn’t worn off yet - but she also hoped that if she gave him a tangible reason, his ego might just take the rejection better. She realised though, too late, that it had been a bad ploy, because he took her words at face value.

  ‘So, you do find me attractive then? Well, you don’t work for my mum any more, and you are heading back to the UK tomorrow evening, so whatever happens, you have nothing to lose any more,’ he crowed, triumphant that he was finally going to get his way.

  ‘Tom, that wasn’t what I meant,’ she tried to protest, as he pulled her down to him on the bed, and began to kiss her, hard. He pinned her down, and she started to feel panicky, and scared.

  ‘Tom. Tom!’ she said, her voice getting louder. She so wished that Jim hadn’t decided to spend the night elsewhere. If he was here, there would be no way that this would have happened.

  ‘Tom,’ she shouted, ‘I do not want this. I will not sleep with you.’

  He continued to force his lips on hers, and his hands were scrambling at her tiny shorts, and had already managed to rip the tiny, strapless top to reveal her bare breasts.

  Anna tried to clutch the pieces together, and push him away, but he really was so much stronger than her, and that air of menace that she had always felt around him, that thing she couldn’t quite put her finger on, that had made him so undesirable to her, despite his looks and great body, was viewed in its horrifying and paralysing reality.

  She simply couldn’t resist, and no matter how many times she tried, and how many times she said no, he just wouldn’t stop. She cried and raged, tears pouring down her cheeks, but her resistance seemed only to inflame his desire more. She screamed as he reared up over her.

  His eyes pinged wide, and he thrust a hand over her mouth.

  “Anna, there’s no need for that,” he said, finally seeming to understand that Anna simply did not want him there, that he had gone too far this time. He moved awkwardly away from her.

  “I thought you were just teasing. I truly thought you wanted me.”

  He stood up and pulled on his trousers.

  “I’ve no need to force myself on anyone,” he said arrogantly, then just walked out, his slight limp barely noticeable, but the sound of his steps echoed around Anna’s head long after he was gone.

  He knew she would never say anything. He knew she wouldn’t want to break his mum’s heart. And he knew that she had nobody who would even believe her that he had tried to rape her. They had been flirting for months. They would all just believe that she had led him on, that she got what she deserved.

  And how could it be seen as an attempted rape when she had so obviously wanted him, and him her? Everyone wanted him – nobody would ever believe her word over his. This was his home after all, and she was just a stranger they had allowed to stay for a while. She curled up into a tiny ball, pulled her sheets up over her abused body, and cried herself to sleep.

  ********

  The night was warm, and the beach was quiet. Jim knew that his choice to stay out of the way would give Anna the chance to see whatever it was that was between her and Tom through - without him being in the way. Jim wanted her to get it out of her system. He could only hope that once she saw the arrogant, self-serving, little prick for exactly what he really was, she would be free of her attraction to him. Jim was no fool, he could feel the chemistry between them, but he had also sensed that Anna was torn between her love for him, and her passion for the sexually incontinent Australian.

  Despite his raging thoughts, and his anxieties that Anna might just change her mind about going home, Jim enjoyed the peace and quiet here on the beach. The sense of tranquillity that had struck him as the sun went down in a dramatic show of golds and oranges had been exhilarating. And he was wise enough to know that if he ever hoped to claim Anna for himself again one day, he would have to let whatever would be play out. She was coming home with him after all. He had a lifetime to win her back, and he had already proved to himself over, and over again, that he was a patient man when it came to Anna.

  He awoke with the sunrise, and the equally dramatic display of blues, greens, purples and pinks that accompanied it. As the sun appeared to come up out of the ocean, he found himself feeling more at peace than he had done since Anna had left home. He got to his feet, dusting the sand from his clothes and the hair on his legs, and sauntered slowly back up towards the bar.

  To his surprise, Anna was already sitting outside in the Ute, with both his case and her bag waiting for him.

  ‘Fancy hitting the road before it gets too hot?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘Sound
s a good idea. You okay?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine,” she said sharply, turning her face away from him so he couldn’t read her expression. “Just don’t like long-drawn-out goodbyes. Let’s get going before everyone gets up.’

  Jim had the strangest feeling that she wasn’t telling him something really important. She seemed distracted and very anxious. But he had decided long ago to take his lead from her. He started the engine, and was surprised to see her edge herself as far away from him as possible. Anna was usually so close he could barely change gears, but she was definitely closed off from any kind of discussion today as she stared out of the window.

  The drive was long, but they took turns at the wheel, and made it to the airport that evening in plenty of time to get their flight. Anna curled up on one of the uncomfortable, metal mesh chairs in the departure lounge, and appeared to sleep. Jim failed to get comfortable. His long legs made airport sleep impossible, but he watched as Anna seemed to doze, and felt that somehow or another he had managed to let her down. He just wished he knew how and what he could do to make it up to her.

  ********

  They both managed to get some sleep on the flight home. Again, a generous flight attendant spotted Jim’s cramped up legs, and suggested they move into a couple of free seats in business class. Jim could hardly believe his luck; such things had certainly not happened to him ever before. Drifting in and out of sleep, he occasionally glanced over to where Anna slept beside him.

  It wasn’t until they touched down that Jim realised that, even though they had spent over forty eight hours together, the bubbly and non-stop chatter that was usually such a part of Anna still hadn’t returned. She simply wasn’t talking – not just to him, but to anyone. It was if she had withdrawn into a shell where he just couldn’t reach her, no matter how hard he tried.