‘Haven’t you heard; they’re barred.’
‘That’s exactly why we should invite them. Surely you don’t want to pass on the chance to rub their faces in it. Remember, they did make a real mess on our floor.’
Emmy took a deep breath to try and cleanse her head of any negativity. This was a big step to take and if it did not work out; things would only get worse for her. One of the reasons why she threw herself so deeply into her work was to help her get over the previous year. Back then, Lucas had been her rock. She wondered if she should give him a call and let him know her plans.
‘Okay,’ she told Charlie, ‘but you’re buying the first round.’
He could not have been happier.
Chapter 14
The pub was just getting busy when Emmy and Charlie entered. Despite her worries, their entrance went pretty much unnoticed. Rather than going to the bar, which was where most of the customers were, they sat down at a table in a corner of the room. Mindy came over to take their order and returned just moments later with their drinks.
‘It’s not often that we see you two down here in town,’ said the landlady. ‘To what do we owe the pleasure this evening?’
‘We needed a night off,’ replied Charlie. Then looking at Emmy, he added; ‘it’s a little crowded up at the observatory right now.’
Mindy nodded.
‘I met your house guests yesterday evening. They proved quite popular actually; bought drinks for everyone.’
‘Well, they haven’t made such a good impression on us,’ said Emmy, ‘or Lucas. It will disappoint you to hear that he’s placed one of his restraining orders on the pair of them. They are not allowed within fifty feet of this place.’
Mindy smiled curtly and then returned to the bar.
‘She doesn’t like me,’ said Emmy.
‘You’re imagining it.’
‘If I am imagining it; why was she so short with me just then?’
‘She wasn’t. It’s Saturday night and she has a bar to run. If you take a look over there, you will see that she’s already serving another customer.’
‘That may be true, but I still sensed a certain tone in her attitude towards to me. It’s easy for you; you have no trouble fitting in here. You’re not considered so...different.’
Charlie placed his drink down on the table and took a prolonged look at his colleague to make sure that she was being serious. He could not find a trace of irony on her face.
‘What’s up now?’ she asked.
‘Are you really so absorbed in yourself that you think you are the only person in this town who has trouble gaining acceptance? In case you have not noticed, there is not exactly a booming Chinese population here.’
‘What are you talking about? You come from Melbourne. You’re as Australian as I am.’
Charlie held out his hand and moved it down his face in indication of his oriental visage.
‘My family moved to Melbourne from Hong Kong. I was the only one born in this country.’
‘So,’ said Emmy. ‘This town may be a lot of things, but they’re not racists. Most of them would kill to try and entice a few foreign visitors here.’
Charlie shook his head, despairingly and then returned to his drink. Something over the other side of the bar caught his eye and he turned back to Emmy.
‘Maybe attitudes have changed around here,’ he said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Over there’, he pointed with a subtle nod of his head. ‘There’s a cute blonde checking you out.’
Emmy followed her friend’s prompting and saw that there was indeed a girl sat in a corner of the bar. She guessed that the stranger was in her early to mid-twenties, seemingly on her own and as Charlie had observed; most definitely cute. When Emmy looked over, the girl quickly glanced away, but it was not long before Emmy caught her looking over again in her peripheral vision.
‘Who is she?’ she asked.
‘I have no idea,’ replied Charlie. ‘This place does get the occasional tourist. Maybe she is only here for one night. How often are you going to get this sort of an opportunity?’
Emmy did not need to respond to the question. They both knew that the answer was never. In her whole life, she had only had one serious girlfriend. Of course, the relationship had ended as soon as she brought the girl back to her home town. The resulting scandal was made even worse by the fact that her grandfather was held in such high esteem. If he had been more supportive then things could have turned out differently. As it was; she ended up a virtual recluse, living in self imposed exile up at the observatory with her only friends being Charlie and Lucas.
‘Is she still looking?’
‘She’s practically blowing kisses at you. What are you waiting for? If you don’t go and talk to her soon, I may have to do it for you.’
Emmy took a deep, calming breath to settle her nerves. She was regretting not putting any make-up on and worried that her loose fitting jeans made her look frumpy.
‘How do I look?’
‘Like the beautiful geek you are,’ replied Charlie. ‘I’m already having trouble trying to figure out which of you is going to be the butch?’
If anybody else had made a remark like that it would have bothered her, but Charlie knew her well enough to know what he could get away with and he was well within his bounds. Emmy picked up her drink and crossed the room to where the stranger sat.
‘Do you mind if I join you?’ she asked.
‘Not at all,’ the girl replied.
Emmy noticed that the girl’s face had reddened slightly and it relieved her that she was not the only one with nerves. She had allowed her social life to slide for so long that she was not quite sure where to start. Although she was technically the one making the approach, the girl had clearly invited it, so she decided to try and allow her to lead.
‘I saw you looking over. I’m not normally this forward, but my friend noticed you were looking too. He sort of encouraged me to come over and talk to you.’
The stranger shrank back in her seat.
‘Was it really that obvious?’
‘In a good way.’
Emmy smiled as seductively as she could. Whilst she felt a definite attraction to the stranger, small talk never came easily to her.
‘You look so familiar,’ the stranger said. ‘I was convinced that I knew you from somewhere. I’m sorry if I creeped you out. This may sound silly, but we definitely have not met before, have we?’
‘Not as far as I am aware; unless you went to uni in Sydney?’
The girl shook her head. ‘I guess it was just my mistake. Perhaps you remind me of somebody, but I cannot think for the life of me who. I am grateful that you came over, though.’
‘You are?’
The conversation had started a little awkwardly, but Emmy felt it was finally starting to show some promise. Once she had a few more drinks inside her, it may even start to flow.
‘I’m kind of new to this town, but I guess you already know that. I arrived yesterday morning, but it feels like I’ve been here for weeks. This is the second night I’ve spent in this bar. I even got a job working here. I have another shift tomorrow and then I’m leaving Monday.’
‘You’re travelling on your own?’
The girl nodded.
‘That is one of the reasons that I was glad you came over. I kind of feel like a target otherwise. Two really obnoxious Americans tried to chat me up last night. It was almost comical really. They were so full of themselves, but they could not have been any farther from my type.’
Emmy could sense an opening.
‘So what is your type?’
‘I guess I’m looking for the same thing that anybody is; the same thing that you are.’
This time Emmy was the one who blushed.
‘You would not believe how hard it is to meet somebody in a town like this one.’
‘I had figured that out. I mean, where do you keep all of the eligible guys around here?’
‘Guys?’
She got a sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach.
‘Yeah, I mean, that policeman is okay, I suppose. What’s his name; Lucas? He’s attractive and well meaning, but I’m not sure if he really does it for me. Sometimes a guy can be a little bit too safe. Are you okay?’
Emmy was suddenly aware that the girl was looking at her strangely. She felt hot and clammy and sensed the colour draining from her complexion. Then she noticed what seemed like a flash of recognition shoot across the other girl’s face.
‘Oh God!’ the stranger said, holding her hands to her mouth. ‘You and he aren’t, I mean, I hope I haven’t offended you.’
Emmy swallowed hard, trying her best to stay composed and not let the humiliation show. She was well experienced in this regard.
‘No, of course not. He’s just a friend of mine. There’s nothing romantic between us.’
The other girl relaxed.
‘I see now.’
‘You do?
‘You’re with that guy over there. I saw you sitting with him earlier. I’m not keeping you, am I?’
‘No, it’s fine. He’s just a friend anyway. We work together at the observatory.’
The girl’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward excitedly.
‘You’re from the observatory! I’ve heard all about that place. Is it true that you’ve made contact with aliens, because today I met a guy who told me that his chickens were abducted and he would really like them back?’
‘Chickens?’
‘I’m sorry, I’m babbling, aren’t I? I just couldn’t resist it. You would not believe some of the gossip I have heard working here today. I’m Lucy, by the way.’
‘Oh, I see.’ To the contrary, she was actually quite confused. ‘My name is Emmy, but I usually go by my professional name, which is Dr Rayne.’
She extended her arm across the table and they shook hands.
‘I’ve never heard Emmy before. Is that short for Emily?’
‘Not exactly; if you knew what my first name was, you would understand why I prefer to keep it secret.’
‘Emmanuelle?’ Lucy tried, hopefully.
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Emberline?’
‘I don’t think that’s a name.’
‘Well, could you give me a clue?’
Emmy shook her head, but she could not resist smiling. She liked the girl’s persistence. This meeting may not have the romantic end she had been hopeful of, but it was the first real conversation she had shared with a girl in a long time. It made her think that she may still find somebody one day. It was just a real pity that Lucy liked men.
‘You may as well give up, because I am not going to tell you.’
Lucy let out a sigh.
‘I suppose I shall just have to call you Dr Rayne, but could you at least confirm if the alien rumours are true?’
‘That, I can definitely do. As far as I am aware, aliens have not abducted any chickens.’
‘But there are aliens?’
Emmy laughed.
‘Do you ever give up?’
‘Do you ever give a straight answer?’
Emmy’s heart sank once more. Lucy had just inadvertently reminded her of the problem that existed between them.
‘Sadly, I am incapable of giving a...straight answer,’ she said.
‘You are such an enigma,’ said Lucy, ‘but I like it. It’s a pity Lucas is not more like you. If he had a bit of mystique surrounding him, I may actually start to fancy him.’
Emmy cringed. Did this girl really have no idea of the effect she was having on her. She wanted to come clean and just tell Lucy the real reason why she had come over. It would be a risk, but she did not care. Even if this girl could never return her feelings, simple acceptance of them would be more than enough.
‘There is one thing I’d like to tell you,’ she said.
‘Can it wait?’ replied Lucy. ‘It’s just that I really need to go and pee. I’ll only be two secs, I promise.’
‘I guess so.’
‘Thanks.’
Lucy stood up and as she passed Emmy to go to the bathroom, she placed one of her hands on Emmy’s shoulder. It was not a gesture that was intended to be either sensual or romantic, but it filled Emmy with more confidence and reassurance than she had felt in as long as she could remember. She knew she was doing a really positive thing in coming out to this girl whom she had just met and she was really glad that Charlie had pushed her into coming to the pub. That was until her mood was broken by an all too familiar tone of voice from behind.
‘Why don’t you leave her alone?’
Emmy turned around to face the speaker. It was one of the local trolls. He was standing in a huddle with three of his pals. Each of them had the same arrogant, judgemental smirk on his face.
‘I’m just having a quiet drink and making friends,’ Emmy told him. ‘If the girl doesn’t want to speak to me, I’m sure she will tell me so.’
‘You’re trying to turn her,’ the man said. ‘I know how people like you work; corrupting innocents.’
Emmy was tempted to argue, but she stopped herself. It was not worth the hassle. He was just a man; a very small and ignorant man. She turned her back on him and returned to her drink whilst she waited for Lucy to come back from the bathroom.
The seconds seemed to drag by. It was like the time dilation from her experiments had spilled into the everyday world.
‘Don’t turn your back on me.’
His tone had changed from lairy to aggressive. Emmy did not want any trouble and tried her best to block him out. Once Lucy came back, he would give up. Men like this had no trouble exposing their ugly side to Emmy, but they would be careful not to show their true ignorance in front of a pretty, straight girl. No matter how unlikely the odds, idiots like these viewed every eligible woman as a potential root.
‘I am talking to you. How dare you turn your back on me - dyke.’
The insult seemed to hang in the air. Emmy had had enough. She stood up and turned around to tell this ape what she thought of him.
He was sipping from a pint and as she prepared herself to speak, he spat a mouthful of beer onto her face. The shock hit her first. It hit her hard and it penetrated deep. Then she experienced disgust. The beer was sticky, pungent and had come from the dirty, possibly disease riddled mouth of a complete scumbag. Lastly, she felt humiliated.
Behind the troll, his friends laughed with savage delight. The liquid stung her eyes and as she rubbed it clear, she became aware that more and more people were looking at her. None offered to help. She was a young woman, just twenty two years old, who had been assaulted by an older man in a bar and not one person offered her assistance. They all just stared with the same judgemental look on their faces, as if Emmy had brought this on herself. This was even worse than before. All that she could do was to flee. She knocked over a chair as she ran and with it laughter erupted all around her.
When she got outside, she carried on running until she got to the bottom of the street and then fell to her knees in a fit of tears. She did not attempt to hold them back. They were not only a release for her inner pain, but also helped to cleanse her face of the vileness that stained it.
‘Emmy, I am so sorry.’
She did not need to look up to know that it was Charlie. He had followed her out of the pub. Whether or not he saw what happened did not matter. If he tried to stand up to those men he would only have received a beating anyway. There was nothing that he could have done for her then and nothing that he could do for her now.
‘It’s not your fault,’ she told him. ‘You were only trying to help me. I knew this would happen, yet I came anyway. I brought it on myself.’
‘You know that isn’t true. You have done nothing wrong. We’ll go to Lucas and he can sort those goons out.’
‘No; that will only make things worse. These people cannot be changed; don’t you see that? If we involve Lucas, it will only make it harder for us
both.’
‘So you are going to let them get away with this?’
She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. Her knees were covered in dust and she could still smell the putrid mixture of beer and saliva on her face. She felt dirty and shameful.
‘The people of this town belong in the dark ages,’ she said. ‘And the dark ages is exactly where I intend to send them.’
***
Lucy came back from the toilets to find her table empty. She looked around for Emmy, but her new acquaintance was nowhere to be seen. She also noticed that the Chinese guy whom Emmy had earlier sat with was also absent. Mindy was close by, apparently dealing with some troublemakers, although Lucy had not noticed the men being rowdy.
‘Hi Mindy,’ she said, interrupting the landlady from giving what appeared to be some sort of lecture. ‘You didn’t happen to see where that girl I was with went, did you? She works at the observatory.’
Mindy shot one of the men a harsh glance, before replying to Lucy.
‘She left just a short while ago, dear. Her grandfather is very old and she often gets called away to look after him at short notice. If she comes back, I will be sure to tell her you asked after her.’
Lucy could not help but feel that something was a little off. She enjoyed making a new friend and was disappointed she had not gotten to spend more time with her. The encounter did, however, give her an idea. Emmy worked at the observatory, which obviously meant this area was a good place for studying the night sky. Following the trouble with her car she had forgotten what brought her to the outback in the first place; the stars.
She went up to her room and grabbed her rucksack, into which she placed her father’s urn, a pair of binoculars and some snacks. It was a clear night and there was no moon. The conditions could not be any more perfect. All of the constellations would be visible. It was time for Lucy to revisit some childhood friends.
Chapter 15
Upon her return to the observatory, Emmy was a bushfire of emotion. Her earlier humiliation had turned into anger. It was not a blind rage that she felt, but a much sharper, focused type of wrath. Her mind was set on an idea and nothing would dissuade her from that goal.
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 13