“Yes – don’t let the A.N.U. people hear you say that!” Louise laughed.
Peter shrugged. “Too bad. Melbourne University is officially the top ranking university in Australia. Look it up.”
Louise laughed and held her hands up in the surrender-pose. “I believe you!” she said. “So,” she continued, “I gather we are staying?”
James, Camille and Peter all agreed in unison. “Yes,” they said.
“But what about Peter’s eczema?” Louise asked.
Peter answered her. “I’ve been itchy and scratchy for this long. I’ll handle it.”
*
Everyone had arrived as scheduled. Louise had made a morning run to the airport, and then deposited her guests at the local salon, which she had booked out for the afternoon so that everyone could be coiffed and manicured in time for the Big Night.
“Is it too soon to open the champagne?” Rachel asked, as she popped the first bottle.
“No, but just one glass each,” Louise warned. “Champagne is provided in the limousine.”
“The what?” Jane had been chatting to Joan on the couch, but interrupted Louise when she heard the word ‘limousine’. She looked around at the other women. “Are we going in a limo?”
“Well,” said Louise, “Since so many of you had to fly to Melbourne to go to this ball, I thought it only fair that I get a limo to take us, and-“
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhh!” Jane squealed and bounced up and down on the couch. “I love limos!!”
Jane was wearing a black lacy top over a pair of black harem pants. The top had a smattering of sparkling beads and looked very dressy. And the thick, platinum, diamond encrusted ring she wore on the forth finger of her left hand was shown to advantage, too.
Cate wore a cream slimline cocktail length dress and black Jimmy Choo shoes. Since she was a tall size 6 she looked like a model.
Joan wore the silver satin suit she had worn to her son, Craig’s, wedding.
Rachel wore a purple satin dress which she had had specially made for the ball.
Kim wore a black, full-length, strapless dress.
Julia wore a copper coloured toga-style dress and looked perfectly statuesque.
Katherine wore a silky white single-shoulder gown with beaded detail across the diagonal neckline.
And Louise wore the violet satin bugle-beaded dress she’s bought in St Kilda.
Jane’s husband David and Louise’s son James were meeting the women in the foyer of the Crown Casino. Only the girls were riding in the limo.
When the chauffeur knocked at the door, there was a rush to collect handbags and lipsticks. The women filed sedately to the long, white car and bent to get in. The interior was a low room, with benches along four sides, enough room for all of them. The chauffeur – a woman – closed the door and they were away.
“Here –“Jane handed around the champagne flutes which she was filling with sparkling wine. “Let’s toast to our great big gorgeous ball!”
At that moment the “laser light show” began, and music thumped through the cabin. Everyone laughed, squealed, and clinked glasses.
The drive from Blackburn to the Crown casino involved driving down the Eastern Freeway and Hoddle Street. It was 6.30pm and everyone was either on their way out to dinner or the football game, so the streets were busy and the long white limo said “party in progress” to everyone driving past. They got toots and waves from the other motorists which they found hilarious for some reason.
“I wonder if the ball will be as much fun as the stretch limo?” Cate asked with a laugh.
“Oh – we’re not here already, are we?” Jane had been inspecting the empty bottle to ensure that no wine eluded her. Now she peered out the dark windows to see if they had reached their destination.
They had. The limo pulled in to the entrance and the chauffeur got our and opened the door for her passengers. One by one, like butterflies escaping the chrysalis, each woman disembarked and rearranged her gown as she tottered to the door. Doormen directed them to the main ballroom on the first floor.
Louise nudged Rachel. “Rach,” she whispered, “You know I said we would be with the “B” list of celebrates tonight?”
“Y-yes,” Rachel couldn’t really remember that at all, but wanted to hear what Louise had to say.
“Well, make that then “C” AND “B” list!” And she pointed discretely to a woman with enormous breasts which were almost-but-not-quite covered by a shimmering, skin-tight dress.
Rachel gasped. “Is that-?”
Louise nodded. “Brynne Edelsten. The ball is in aid of the Lighthouse Foundation, and the Edelstens are patrons.”
They were at the entrance to the ballroom now and it was clear that every female fashion model in Melbourne under the age of 25 had been hired to jazz up the event. Beautiful young women towered over the guests, taller even than most of the men.
“Oh, dear!” Jan put her hand to her mouth to hide her embarrassed smile. “Aren’t you glad you aren’t 6 feet tall like these poor girls?”
“They are gorgeous!” Cate was astonished at her mother’s comment. “I’d love to be that tall!”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Jane shook her head. “Too far to fall.”
“What?” Louise didn’t understand.
“When I fall over after drinking too much champagne, at least I don’t have far to go; and I have all this built-in cushioning for protection. If one of them falls over, they would break their skull from the sheer height of the drop and probably their skinny bones, too!”
“I don’t think they drink, actually,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “Too many calories.”
“Exactly!” Jane said triumphantly. “They can’t eat or drink – and they can never get comfortable on an aeroplane, so holidays are out. They might be nice to look at but isn’t there more to life than giving other people visual pleasure?”
“Hey – look at these cocktails!” Louise was looking at the drinks arranged for the guests to choose from. They seemed to be every colour of the rainbow. As they sidled up to the bar, a short man in a cowboy hat walked past, determinedly not making eye-contact with anyone.
“It’s Molly Meldrum!” Jane was off after the man, leaving the others to watch her being ignored by Mr Meldrum.
But Louise had seen a familiar face, and was smiling at the drop dead gorgeous man dressed in a black dinner suit, walking quickly towards her.”
“Hello neighbour!” It was Aidan. He looked so happy and surprised to see her – and so handsome. He touched her arm and kissed her cheek in greeting. Louise could smell his aftershave.
“Hi!” Louise was happily surprised to meet him. She noticed how well he looked, all dressed up in his dinner suit. “Absolutely divine,” she thought lasciviously.
Aidan smiled at her. “Wait here – I’ll get us both a drink. Champagne, isn’t it?”
“Please,” Louise nodded.
He returned with two flutes of champagne, both with strawberries.
“Thank you – I was dying of thirst,” she said, taking one from him.
“Mmm,” Aidan said as he sipped. “Me too.” He looked around at the busy room, and nodded. “Very nice, even if I do say so myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Aidan looked humble. “I’m on the Lighthouse Foundation ball committee – actually I was put in charge of the reception room this year.” He indicated the works of art and other paraphernalia collected for the silent fund-raising auction. “I organised this side off the event.”
“Really?” Louise’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s pretty impressive, Aidan,” she said
“Thanks. It’s actually a lot of fun. And –” Aidan looked behind himself and beckoned to someone. “You’re in luck! My son is here tonight.” A younger version of Aidan arrived at his side and smiled his hello to Louise.
“Meet Tim, “Aidan said proudly. Tim appeared to be about 20 years old. “Angela couldn’t come – she’s onl
y 17,” he explained.
“Hello Tim,” said Louise. “And will we be seeing you in Laburnum St?”
Aidan answered her. “Well, we live in Brighton, but perhaps we could entice you over to the beach one day?”
“Certainly.” Louise smiled at Tim. “You will have to come over and meet my son, James. He is about your age.”
“Great,” said Tim. “Look, I’ll see you both later. I’m running an errand.”
“Off you go then,” Aidan tapped his son’s shoulder affectionately.
Aidan waited till Tim was gone, and Louise could see that he had something to say.
She laughed. “What is it?”
Aidan smiled at her, and shook his head. “It’s ridiculous,” he explained, “and you will think I’m out of line, but I wanted to run something past you, even though this isn’t the right forum, or anything…”
“What is it?”
“Well, we are neighbours.”
“Fellow owner’s corporation members,” Louise sipped her champagne.
“More than that, really; we have a common wall.” Aidan glanced from his glass to Louise and back to his drink. Was he nervous?
“We do,” Louise agreed. She was trying to suppress her grin but failing. She could feel her dimple deepening.
“And I think we have both finished renovating the interior of our respective houses.”
“There’s nothing left to be done on the inside at my place,” Louise nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“So, I was wondering,” Aidan, cleared his throat, and looked hard at his drink, “if you might be interested in getting together, to re-landscape the front gardens of our houses. They need to be completely re-done, starting afresh. First we would simply remove what was there before, and together we could design a completely new garden, with plants we’ve chosen together, especially for the new layout.”
He looked at Louise, who was speechless, so he cleared his throat again and continued. “We could have them done as one garden instead of leaving them split in two, as they are now.”
“We could.” Louise wasn’t smiling any more. She blinked as she looked up at him. “It would look like one, big house, on the outside.”
“Yes. It would. One big house. And, you know, the feng shui people say that the exterior of a home is very important.”
“I’ve heard that,” said Louise.
“That first impression gives everyone – even the people who live there – a good feeling about their home.”
“Yes, of course.”
“And I was thinking of roses, and lavender,” said Aidan.
“I love roses and lavender,” said Louise.
“Perhaps some lilac too, so that whenever we opened our front doors, the perfume would waft into the house.”
“Both houses.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Louise put her head on one side and asked “So, our two houses would be joined by a common garden, making them look like one?”
“It would, yes, absolutely, one house. Just for starters,” Aidan smiled uncertainly at her. “I know that they are quite separate houses, quite individual.” He paused and looked at Louise, trying to judge her response. “But sometimes, often, and I think in this situation, the resultant single garden might be bigger than the sum of its two parts.” Aidan sipped his wine. “If you see what I mean,” he added.
“I do,” answered Louise.
The End
Morning in Melbourne Page 25