After what seemed like hours they drew apart and again hugged. Only as he glanced to check what the others were doing did Andrew realize that his right forearm was pressing against Muriel’s bosom. As she made no move to remove it he left it there, preparatory to the next move. A glance along the line revealed that Blake and Shona were kissing passionately. Shona had her arms around his neck and Blake now had his left arm tightly around her front, holding her against him.
‘Now, how do I shift so that Muriel will put her arms around my neck?’ Andrew puzzled. He decided he had to shift so sat up and moved to half turn towards her. She looked at him and smiled, then did exactly what he wanted. The feel of those silken arms against the skin of his neck made Andrew even more excited. He hugged her tightly to him, his right arm sliding around her side and back to do so. For several more minutes they kissed, she as apparently eagerly as he. Then, when they eased apart and she settled back, the bottom of her breast came to rest on the top of his arm.
Andrew was acutely aware of this, his heart hammering even harder as his body stiffened in response to the touch. The breast was soft, yet firm. To Andrew that touch held all the promise of ecstasy and his hopes rose even higher. That she must have been aware of it emboldened him to contemplate the next step, the actual touching, or caressing.
‘But not here,’ he reasoned, noting that Tina was able to watch every move if she looked. Another glance showed Blake and Shona locked in another embrace and kissing as though their lives depended on it. ‘But how to get Muriel on her own?’
For lack of a better plan Andrew kissed Muriel again. During it he gently but firmly pressed upwards with his arm. That drew no resistance or reproach so he was even more encouraged. When they drew apart again he opened his mouth to whisper a suggestion to go outside. However this was not uttered as he noted with dismay that the movie was ending.
Where had the time gone! Andrew was astonished, and also worried. The usual problem of not wanting the others to see his aroused condition got him squirming to try to hide it as the lights came on. Then he was standing, luckily at the back of the line. As he did he kept hold of Muriel’s hand and she snuggled against him, making him even happier.
As they walked side by side up the aisle Andrew was further thrilled to have Muriel keep holding his hand. When she kept holding it out in the full glare of the foyer lights he knew it was a very public declaration of her acceptance of him. The other girls clearly noted this and smiled indulgently; except Tina who looked a bit withdrawn. Blake and Shona hurried outside and Andrew urged Muriel towards the door, wanting a few more minutes of passion and hoping for privacy.
They did not get it. Out on the footpath it was well lit and he could not summon the courage to lead her away from the others. Instead they stood and talked. Even so Andrew was happy and Muriel snuggled against him, keeping his body aflame with desire.
“Can we meet again?” he croaked.
“Yes please,” Muriel answered, sending his spirits soaring even higher.
“When? Where?” Andrew asked.
That drew a wry smile from Muriel. “Not this weekend, I’m sorry. Mum says that I have to get all my school assignments done if I am to go on the diving weekend.”
The thought of that gave Andrew a momentary spasm of anxiety but he thrust that aside, thinking that it wouldn’t be so bad, and not wanting Muriel to guess he was a coward. “What about one night during the week?”
She shook her head. “No chance. I will be able to phone, that’s all.”
“What about next weekend?” Andrew asked, becoming more and more desperate and anxious.
“Yes. If I have done all my work,” Muriel replied. Then she said, “What about a sleepover?”
That was a wonderful idea to Andrew. He smiled and nodded. “Where, your place or mine?”
“I was thinking of Gran’s,” Muriel replied.
“At Bosuns Bay?” Andrew asked. He liked that idea even better. ‘There should be plenty of places and opportunities there for us to get away on our own for a while,’ he thought.
Muriel nodded. “Yes. We often stay there on weekends. We could ask the others to join us.”
Andrew wasn’t quite as keen on that, until he thought about it for a moment. ‘If there are only the two of us then our absence will be really obvious,’ he thought. ‘But if there is a group we will be less noticeable.’ He asked, “Who did you have in mind?”
“Shona and Blake, and maybe Carmen, and Tina and Jennifer.”
Andrew wasn’t keen on his sister being there but did not know how to say so. Instead he commented, “That’s a lot of girls. I will feel a bit outnumbered.”
“Then bring a friend to give you moral support,” Muriel replied with a teasing grin.
“Will your grandparents mind having such a crowd?” he asked, while wondering what other boys he could ask.
“They will love it,” Muriel assured him. “And there is plenty of room, if you don’t mind sleeping on a mattress on the floor.”
“To be with you I will happily sleep on the tiles,” Andrew answered, then realized what he had said and what it implied.
Muriel blushed and giggled. “Don’t you be naughty!” she chided, but without any heat, encouraging him even more. Suddenly she let go and stepped away from him. “Uh oh! Here’s my mum. I will phone you and let you know what we organize.”
Andrew wanted to kiss her goodnight, as Blake was doing to Shona, but under the interested gaze of Mrs Murchison he could not bring himself to do that, as he not sure if it would get Muriel into trouble or not. The girls all giggled and chattered happily as they said goodnight, then climbed into the car. A minute later they were gone, leaving the two boys standing there.
Blake grinned at Andrew, then smirked and said, “That was pretty good. I think I am going to win with Shona. How are you getting on with Muriel? Do you reckon you will get on?”
Andrew grinned back and nodded but did not answer. His male pride demanded he act that way but in his heart he knew his idea of winning with Muriel was to gain her love and affection, not a sexual conquest. ‘If we are truly in love then other things might happen naturally,’ he reasoned. To keep the conversation going he put the idea of the sleepover to Blake. He was enthusiastic and nodded eagerly.
“Great idea! We could have a real party,” he agreed.
Then Andrew’s mother arrived and he was able to say goodnight. By then his heated body had cooled and relaxed but he was put on a spot when his mother asked what the movie was like. Luckily he was able to describe the incident when Stephen had grabbed Louise and that diverted the conversation. His mother wasn’t amused but did not pursue the topic of the movie.
At home Andrew again related the story of Stephen and Louise for Carmen’s benefit while they had supper. Carmen made a wry face and said, “Poor Louise. That Stephen can be very silly sometimes.”
Andrew agreed but still chuckled. It was actually Graham he felt sorry for. ‘He should choose his friends more carefully,’ he mused as he cleaned his teeth. Then it was into bed and a replay of the night’s events. Reliving every moment quickly got Andrew hot and excited and he drifted off to sleep hoping there would be another chance to be with Muriel. ‘And this time alone!’
CHAPTER 11
TINGLING ANTICIPATION
All Sunday Andrew felt as though he was being charged by electricity. His poor young body seemed to be quite outside the control of his mind. With embarrassing frequency he found himself having erections, even when he wasn’t thinking about Muriel. To avoid embarrassment he stayed away from his mother and sister as much as possible. Much of the time he played computer games but eventually ‘Carriers at War’ and ‘Up Periscope!’ palled.
Out of boredom Andrew lay on his bed after lunch and began reading Hector Holthouse’s book: Cyclone. That was a revelation to him. He had never experienced a real cyclone, only been on the edges of a few, but he knew enough to have a healthy respect for the gigantic tropical storms. As
there were usually four or five a year in the Coral Sea each summer he was aware that one could affect his life, but he hoped the eventuality would not arise.
What particularly struck him was the number of ships, big ships some of them, that had been sunk by cyclones. That got him paying particular attention to the account of the sinking of the S. S. Yongala. He was still hoping that something would happen so that he did not have to do the advanced diving course but equally he was half-consciously trying to mentally prepare himself for the ordeal. The concept of winds blowing at 120 kilometres per hour, or even stronger, he could not grasp. All of his daydreams allowed him to heroically save his ship (and the fair maiden aboard).
Waves that were so big that they could cause a 3,000 ton steel steamship to founder he had only ever seen on movies or videos. That left him with the uncomfortable thought that maybe, if he actually had to face such things, he might be found wanting, might crumple from pure fear.
Another diving nightmare that night did not help. It made him feel relieved when the sun came up and he was able to push the ugly fears into the back of his mind. Then it was off to school. Once there he enquired of Graham exactly what had happened at the movies. Graham was short tempered and did not want to talk about it and only said it had not been a very enjoyable weekend.
The diversion from what had developed into an uncomfortable conversation was provided by Anthony Simmons. He strolled over and grinned at them. “Have you heard about that mad bugger Willy Williams?” he asked the group.
“The Mad Professor in Year Eight?” queried Peter Bronsky.
“That’s the guy,” Anthony agreed.
“What did he do?” Graham asked.
“Blew himself up with a rocket,” Anthony explained. He then gave a colourful account of how Willy had made his own ‘space rocket’ out of aluminium tubing, stuffed it with home-made solid propellent, then tried a test firing. Apparently the rocket had not gone ‘woosh!’ up into the sky but instead had gone ‘bang!’
“Is he alright?” Andrew asked.
“In hospital,” Anthony replied. “Blew up some old farmer too,” he added.
“How did he do that?” Graham asked.
“Apparently he and his mates took the rocket out into the country to some farm near Kuranda. They set the rocket up and lit the fuze, then got under cover. But then this old codger came wandering along, heard the noise of the fuze burning and went over to investigate. Just as he got there the thing blew up.”
Most of the boys laughed at the description but Andrew was appalled, and puzzled. “So how did Willy get hurt if he was back under cover?” he asked.
“Ran forward to try to warn the old bloke,” Anthony explained.
At that Andrew’s estimation of Willy, who he thought was a noisy little show-off, went up considerably. The incident was discussed at length, during which Graham slipped away. Andrew watched him go with some anxiety, wondering how he could help his friend. No opportunity arose during the day, even though they were both in the same classes for Maths A, Physics and Maths B. Maths B was last period for the day and both Graham and Stephen were among those kept in by Mr Ritter to finish their homework.
‘Poor old Graham. He’s not having a very good time,’ Andrew thought as he walked down the stairs away from the classroom. As things like Maths were simplicity itself to him he could only half understand Graham’s problems. With a shrug he thrust his friend's difficulties from his thoughts and instead concentrated on Muriel. That got him all a-tingle again and he hoped she had been able to get permission for the sleepover.
At home he did his homework. Part of this was working on his history assignment on the Merinda. Not having any more information yet he could only edit and re-write and plan. ‘I need a good map,’ he decided. A search of the house did not uncover any suitable one so he decided to go to Lieut Commander Hazard’s chandlery the following afternoon to buy one.
That night Muriel phoned. To Andrew’s delight she said that the sleepover was approved by both her parents and by her grandparents. That got Andrew plotting. “Will your mum and dad be there?” he asked.
“Some of the time,” Muriel answered. “At night anyway. Why, what does that matter?” Muriel asked in a teasing tone.
The husky timbre of her voice vibrated through Andrew like and electric charge and he became instantly aroused. He could only mumble that they might not like him. Muriel laughed and said, “Are you thinking of doing something they might not approve of?”
Andrew instantly blushed. “No.. er.. no,” he denied.
Again Muriel laughed. “Spoilsport!” she said.
That really got Andrew’s mind racing with speculation. ‘Is she wanting me to try something?’ he wondered. That got him both very aroused and very anxious. To keep the conversation moving he asked about the administrative details.
Muriel then asked, “Have you asked Carmen?”
“No, not yet,” Andrew replied, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
“Ask her please,” Muriel requested.
“Ok,” Andrew reluctantly agreed.
So he did. It took an effort but at last he went into her room and put the idea to her. Carmen was delighted. “Great idea! I was wondering what to do next weekend. Have you asked Mum yet?”
Andrew shook his head. “No, not yet.”
“We will do it now,” Carmen said. She stood up and walked through to the lounge, where their mother was busy sewing while watching TV.
Andrew followed, now anxious lest his mother say no. To his relief she agreed. “But only if all your homework and assignments are done,” she added. Then she asked, “How will you get there? Are they picking you up, or do I have to drive you?”
“We could sail over Mum,” Carmen suggested.
Mrs Collins looked thoughtful, then nodded. “Alright, but no sailing out to sea or anything.”
“No Mum,” Carmen agreed. “Thanks Mum.” She hurried away, saying over her shoulder, “I will phone Muriel right away and let her know.”
That was fine by Andrew. He just shrugged. When his sister took control he knew from experience it was easier to just go with the flow. Feeling happier he went back to his own room. That night in bed he again fantasized about Muriel, picturing daydreams of rescuing her. To his annoyance he kept getting images of Endeavour Island, and of a nude Letitia. It took a real mental effort to push her image out and replace it with that of Muriel. The memories got him all horny and he went to bed tingling with arousal.
Tuesday at school was similar to the day before. Andrew heard via the gossip mill that Stephen and Graham were both in trouble for a silly prank the previous afternoon. After being kept in they had tried to sneak out through the sliding divider to the next room. Stephen had been caught and Graham had got away, except that his absence had then been noted. He was now at the office in trouble. All Andrew could do was shake his head and wonder how he could help.
The day was a repeat of the previous one. Andrew spent time in the library and on the internet searching for more information on the wreck of the Merinda. He found almost none but did get a lot on the Yongala. It amazed him to see the advertisements by diving companies and it dawned on him that the wreck was a world famous dive site. Even so he was still scared of diving to see it.
When he read that it was in open water and that diving on it was very weather dependant he cheered up. ‘If the waves are 2 metres or more then it is unsafe,’ he read. “With a bit of luck the wind will get up,” he muttered. That got him worrying about the other wreck that Sub Lt Sheldon had mentioned and he hoped that it would turn out to be unsuitable.
Last period was again Maths B with Mr Ritter and once again those that had no done their homework were kept in. As Andrew stood up to leave he saw Graham and Stephen still seated. Graham had a look of misery in his eyes but Stephen just looked annoyed. ‘Poor old Graham. He should have done his homework,’ Andrew thought. Still puzzling over a strategy to help his friend he left the room.
&nbs
p; This time he did not go home but made his way down town to Lt Cdr Hazard’s shop. This was a chandlery and Andrew always found it a fascinating place to visit. The sheer variety of nautical objects, allied to the medley of smells, kept him interested. The CO was quite a different person in his normal civilian guise and cheerfully asked Andrew what he wanted and showed him around. A copy of the chart of the coast and Great Barrier Reef between the Palm Islands and the Whitsunday Islands was quickly extracted from a huge map cabinet.
It was expensive but even so Andrew hesitated over buying the one for the next section of coast south past the Whitsunday Islands to Mackay. “According to the reports I have read the Merinda went down somewhere near the join of these two charts,” he explained.
Lt Cdr Hazard chuckled and said, “That’s how life always is, at the corners of four charts, with a headwind, and raining. Well, let me know if you want this other one.”
“Thanks sir,” Andrew replied. He paid for the chart and then hurried home to study it in detail. As always he was amazed at just how cluttered the Coral Sea was. There were hundreds of reefs, many not part of the long chain of reefs inaccurately labelled ‘The Great Barrier Reef’. As he scanned the chart his eye caught an odd purple symbol and the words ‘Historic Wreck (see Note)’. That caught his interest and he quickly scanned the note in the margin. To his disappointment it was merely a legal warning that all historic wrecks were protected by law.
Then the name of a nearby reef caught his eye. Morinda Sh. it read. ‘Morinda? Is that a miss-spelling of Merinda?’ he wondered. That got him speculating that the historic wreck might be the Merinda. Then he shook his head. ‘I thought nobody knew where it was.’ Then his gaze picked up the name Cape Bowling Green to the west of the historic wreck. ‘No, not the Merinda. Must be the Yongala.’
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