Burning with embarrassment Andrew made his way up the internal stairs to the patio, leaving Blake in the shower. At the top of the stairs he paused, noting that all the adults were already seated and eating but only Jennifer had yet joined them. The other girls could be heard giggling inside the house. Trying to act cool and unconcerned Andrew strolled forward and seated himself at the end of the table.
To his relief none of the adults seemed to even glance at him until he was seated. Then Grandma Murchison said, “Help your self young fella.”
Andrew did, selecting cold ham and chicken to go with bread and butter. As he spread the butter Carmen and Jennifer came out and seated themselves. Muriel’s father smiled at them and then asked, “What have you kids been up to this morning?”
“Oh, a bit of exploring and a swim,” Carmen answered.
“Exploring eh? Find anything interesting?”
Carmen answered, “Oh, only the dam up the creek where your water comes from.”
Mr Murchison nodded and swallowed a bite. “Good spot for a swim in the wet season,” he said. “I thought you meant looking around the house.”
“Oh we did that yesterday,” Carmen replied. “It’s a lovely house, and very interesting.”
Mr Murchison went ‘huh’, then nodded. “Certainly plenty of old junk around the place,” he commented.
Carmen spread some butter then said, “I love the old motor launch. Do you ever use it still?”
Mr Murchison shook his head. “Hasn’t been on the water for years, not since the bitumen road was put through. It was only used to go to town and now it is easier to drive.”
“Pity,” Carmen said. “It is a lovely old boat, all that varnish and polished wood.”
Andrew had been listening with interest while he placed slices of ham on his sandwich. Now he asked, “Does the boat have a name?”
Mr Murchison shook his head. “No, not really. We always just called her ‘Runabout’.”
Andrew nodded. “It is just that I saw a lifebuoy hanging up next to it and it had the name Deeral painted on it. I thought it might have been called that.”
Mr Murchison shook his head and looked at Old Mr Murchison. “That is the lifebuoy that saved your life isn’t it Dad?”
Old Mr Murchison pursed his lips and seemed to scowl, then nodded. “Yes,” he grunted.
Andrew took this as his cue. “Would you mind telling me about that?” he asked.
Old Mr Murchison turned his head to look hard at him. For an instant Andrew thought he was glaring at him. Then the old man emphatically shook his head. “No!” he cried. “I’d rather forget it. A terrible time, and I don’t want to talk about it.”
This was said with such vehemence that Andrew was shocked. Embarrassed he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I just wanted to know more about my Grandad.”
“And I don’t want to talk about it!” blazed Old Mr Murchison. To Andrew’s dismay he saw that the old man was shivering and he feared he might be causing him another collapse.
There was an awkward silence and Andrew met Carmen’s eyes. She gave a faint shake of her head and he burned with embarrassment. Then Muriel’s mother called to the other girls to hurry up and join them. Blake came up the stairs and the conversations began again. For ten minutes they ate and the talk was about school or the weather.
Then Grandma Murchison asked Muriel if she was coming over the following weekend. Muriel shook her head. “No Grandma. I am going diving. I am going to do my Advanced Open Water Diving Course,” she said.
At that Muriel’s mother looked up sharply. “Well, we haven’t agreed yet, young lady. You might be. It depends.”
“Oh please Mum! Andrew and Carmen are both going,” Muriel pleaded, looking at Andrew.
Carmen answered. “We might be. Mum and Dad haven’t agreed yet either. They are waiting for Sub Lt Sheldon to give them a report of some wreck down near Townsville.”
“Wreck?” Grandma Murchison asked. “Do you mean a sunken ship?”
“Yes Grandma. Diving on wrecks is part of the course,” Muriel explained. “We get taught how to safely explore them.”
At that Old Mr Murchison sat up. “Damned silly! Wrecks are dangerous places. You could get trapped and drown. I don’t think you should go. In fact, I don’t approve of this diving nonsense at all.” Having said that he trembled. His hand shook so much that his teacup rattled on its saucer and he had to place it on the table
“Oh Grandpa, you used to be a diver,” Muriel replied.
“Yes, and look what good it did me!” Old Mr Murchison cried. “I don’t think you should go diving, and certainly not on wrecks. I won’t sleep at night worrying about you.”
“Oh Grandpa, we will be alright,” Muriel replied.
Old Mr Murchison looked angrily at her parents. He was still visibly shaking. “I don’t think you should allow it. It is too dangerous.”
“Oh Grandpa! Oh Mum, Dad! Please!” Muriel cried.
Muriel’s mother pursed her lips and looked anxiously at Old Mr Murchison. “We will discuss it later. Now, does anyone want some of this cheesecake?”
Andrew was upset at the thought that Muriel might not be allowed to go diving but again he saw Carmen give a slight shake to her head so he wisely said nothing. After the meal he got Muriel aside and told her he really wanted her to go.
Muriel nodded, being almost in tears. “I want to go too. I will work on Mum and Dad at home. I will be alright.”
“Your Grandpa is very anti the idea,” Andrew commented.
“Yes. I’ve never seen him so angry. He has never said anything against it before. But then he hasn’t been well recently. Grandma says he is not sleeping well and has lots of bad dreams,” she explained.
They left it at that and the friends began preparing for the trip home. Carmen acted as spokesperson and thanked Grandma Murchison. The old lady beamed and said, “Anytime dearie. It is wonderful to hear young people having a good time. You are welcome to come again.”
“Thank you Mrs Murchison,” Andrew added. He really wanted to spend another weekend there. The friends then packed up. This got Andrew all sad and anxious as he was worried he hadn’t done very well that weekend. When they walked down to the catamaran with their gear Muriel and Jennifer walked with them. After the gear was loaded and secured the cat was lifted and slid into the shallows.
By then Andrew was very anxious. He badly wanted to say a proper goodbye to Muriel and wanted to ask her about next weekend but felt very embarrassed in front of the others. Finally the pair stood in knee deep water beside the catamaran while the others climbed aboard. Nerving himself to ignore the others Andrew looked into her eyes and reached out to take her hand.
“Thanks for a lovely weekend,” he said.
She stepped closer and Andrew saw her eyes were full of sparkle and tears. His own felt suspiciously damp. Steeling himself for the embarrassment he put his hands on her hips and gently drew her towards him. She did not resist but moved her lips to meet his. They kissed tenderly and then drew apart.
“See you next weekend,” Andrew said.
“I hope so,” Muriel whispered.
By now Andrew’s heart was hammering and he felt very much in love and very happy. “I will phone,” he said.
“Please,” Muriel replied. They came together again and this kiss was longer and more passionate. It was ended by Blake making smart comments. Reluctantly Andrew drew apart from Muriel. He pushed the catamaran into deeper water and clambered aboard. By then Carmen had the tiller and Blake had the mainsheet hauled taut. The cat’s sails picked up the gentle breeze and slid it out into deeper water. Andrew sat and waved to Muriel, his heart bursting with hope.
Blake teased him but he ignored that. He sat and watched Muriel until the cat rounded the headland. Muriel stood in the shallows waving until then. All the way back up the Inlet Andrew was in a state close to euphoria. Ideas of true love caused his heart to expand and for him to feel intensely alive and hap
py.
The mood survived unrigging the cat back at the Yacht Club. It even lingered during the drive home. It was 3:15 by the time they had to cat on its trailer and 3:45 before they arrived home. Then there were chores to do. The catamaran had to be washed and stored and then the gear washed and hung up to dry. By then it was tea time and after that came homework. Andrew had no time to call Muriel, or to daydream.
That night, in his bed, Andrew experienced fierce waves of passion. Much of it was lust, which bothered him a good deal but he tried to rationalize it as being normal. He fell asleep fantasizing about rescuing Muriel while diving: from her being entangled in the rigging of a wreck and with a huge shark circling. But even that caused Andrew twinges of anxiety and when he dreamt the same thing later he woke in a cold sweat.
Monday morning was back to school. That brought its own distractions and entertainment. Almost the first thing Andrew encountered was Blake and a couple of his friends teasing a Year 8 boy. Andrew sat down next to Blake and asked, “Who’s that?”
“Willy Williams, the Mad Scientist,” Blake answered with a laugh. Then he called out loudly, “Hey Willy! Willy’s wocket it not go woosh?”
Willy scowled, then grinned. Another boy added his share by yelling, “Willy’s wocket it go bang!”
Andrew now learned that Willy had just returned to school after a week in hospital. A closer look at Willy’s face revealed a dozen tiny pink scars where pieces of the rocket casing had been blasted into his flesh like shrapnel. That was all very amusing but of more concern was overhearing Graham Kirk being teased at morning break. The incident happened in the tuck shop queue. The person doing the teasing was a Year 10 boy named Derek.
He called, “G’day Kirky. Heard ya was out campin’ with the officers on the weekend. Where’d ya go?”
Graham smiled and shook his head. “Sorry. I can’t say.”
“Why not?” challenged Derek.
“Because Capt Conkey asked me not to say,” Graham answered.
“Oh yeah? Are you snivelling for a stripe already then?” Derek sneered.
Andrew watched this exchange with interest and some concern when he saw that the jibe obviously hurt Graham’s feelings. He found himself curious to know what had happened as well but did not ask him. Instead he asked Stephen Bell, but Stephen just shrugged and said he did not know. He was obviously peeved that Graham had been on some sort of a reconnaissance trip with the adult staff but would not say where to.
The teasing continued at lunchtime. This time Derek had his crony Wally Dru with him and both made unkind digs at Graham. Wally jeered and asked, “Heard you were camping with the officers on the weekend. What did they want you along for?”
Derek answered this, “He must be their bum boy, why else?”
This caused some cruel laughter from the assembled boys and Andrew saw Graham blush angrily. Graham retorted, “It wasn’t like that!”
“Oh yeah? So what was it like?” Derek taunted. He stood over Graham in a threatening posture, thumbs hooked into his belt.
By then Andrew was angry. He moved over and stood behind Graham. Derek looked at him in surprise. “What do you want?”
“Leave Graham alone,” Andrew heard himself say. He was breathing fast by this, expecting to have to fight.
Derek looked surprised and then doubtful. He curled his lip and said, “You’d know all about bum boys, being an Anal Cadet.”
That sort of insult really annoyed and angered Andrew. The constant play on the spelling of naval and on words which implied that everyone in the navy was a homosexual was a red rag to a bull for him.
Wally added to this by jeering and saying, “Watch this, it’s a navel salute.”
Wally then saluted across his waist to his belly button. It took a minute for the play on words to sink in but then the others all laughed. Andrew gritted his teeth and determined to wipe out the insult. He clenched his fists and stood ready. Derek looked at him and Andrew saw him swallow. ‘He’s scared,’ he thought. ‘He doesn’t want to fight.’ Then he noted Wally’s eyes flick over past his right shoulder. Both bullies drew back.
Two people ranged up on Andrew’s right. He glanced and saw it was Blake and Luke. Both were looking hostile. Peter Bronsky came and stood on Graham’s left. At that Derek gave a lopsided grin and said, “Only jokin’.”
The two bullies then walked off. Graham turned and mumbled thanks. Andrew nodded, glad that it had not come to a fight. For the next few minutes the boys discussed the bullies. Blake then told Peter that he now outranked him.
“We’ve been promoted to Able Seaman,” Blake explained.
“Able Seamen?” Stephen replied. “Able to do what?”
Blake snorted but Graham asked, “What rank would that be equivalent to in the Army Cadets?”
Blake didn’t know. Andrew wasn’t sure. Peter knew. “Lance corporal,” he said. He then added his congratulations. Graham also did but Andrew thought his looks were tinged by either resentment or jealousy. ‘Never mind,’ he thought. ‘He is in the Army Cadets now. Hopefully they will help him.’ He then left him with Stephen and Peter and went off with Blake and Luke.
The other thing Andrew did note during the day was that Graham seemed to be more relaxed and did not muck up in class as much as usual. ‘Maybe cadets is a good thing for him,’ he hoped.
But what Andrew was really fretting about was Sub Lt Sheldon’s report on the wreck near Townsville. Even though he was terrified of the diving Andrew was willing to do it, if it meant being with Muriel. At home that evening he worked on his homework, waiting anxiously for the phone to ring. When it did it was just one of Carmen’s friends. That got Andrew fretting even more and he made comments until Carmen ended the conversation and hung up.
There was then a half hour wait before the phone rang again. Carmen answered it. To Andrew’s satisfaction it was Sub Lt Sheldon. Carmen called their mother and she listened. Andrew tried to eavesdrop but only got snippets of the conversation. Then his mother said, “Thank you Mr Sheldon. I will discuss it with my husband and ring you back.”
“Oh Mum! What did he say?” Andrew asked. Carmen had joined him and brother and sister followed their mother through to the master bedroom.
“This sunken ship,” their mother said to their father, who lay on the bed reading. “It is a steel-hulled cargo ship and is lying on a sandy bottom about seventy five metres off shore in a small bay on the North West corner of Cape Upstart.”
‘Cape Upstart!’ Andrew thought. He had seen that name on his chart, and on the one he had been looking at on the weekend. ‘I know where that is.’ In his mind’s eye he tried to picture the coastline to the south and east of Townsville.
His mother went on. “The wreck is in very sheltered waters, protected from the prevailing winds and is sitting upright in about twelve metres of water. The deck at the bow is in only eight metres.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” their father responded.
“No. It is a lot shallower than that other one, the S. S. Yongala,” their mother replied. “Sub Lt Sheldon says it only has three compartments and all open directly into the sea. There is no extra deck or anything like that. Also all the doors and hatchways are open or missing. He says that apart from a couple of rigging wires there is nothing much to snare a diver, no fishing nets or such like.”
“Sounds OK. What is its name?” their father asked.
“Didn’t say. I don’t think they know,” their mother replied.
“How did it sink?”
“No idea.”
At that Andrew could not restrain himself any longer. “Oh Mum! Can we go for the dive trip please?”
His mother looked doubtful and looked at their father. He appeared thoughtful then nodded. “I don’t see why not. If they don’t we will never hear the end of it.”
Their mother turned to them. “Yes, alright, but only if you promise to very careful.”
“Oh thanks Mum!” Andrew cried.
He at
once raced off to phone Muriel. That produced a shock. Muriel had the same information but said her parents still had not decided. “They are going to talk it over,” she replied, sniffling. “I will let you know tomorrow.”
“Oh I hope so!” Andrew replied. “I really want to be with you on the weekend.”
“Me too!” Muriel answered.
They talked for a bit longer but then Muriel said that her father wanted to use the phone so she had to hang up. Andrew went off to tell Carmen, his hopes sinking as he thought of all the reasons why not. Then he went to his room and played on the computer till bedtime.
Tuesday passed in a state of gnawing anxiety. All day Andrew worried about whether Muriel would be allowed to go diving. Her phone call that evening did not settle the issue. “Grandpa doesn’t want me to do it,” she replied. “He is dead against me diving on a wreck.”
“So when will you know?” Andrew asked.
“We have to decide tomorrow so that Sub Lt Sheldon can book the trip and make the travel arrangements,” Muriel answered.
“Hope you make it.”
“So do I. I’ll keep working on it,” Muriel replied.
So it was in that unsatisfactory state that Andrew passed the next 24 hours. The only good thing he remembered was after school on Wednesday seeing Graham wearing his army cadet uniform for the first time and taking part in the cadet unit’s weekly ‘Home Training’ parade. ‘I hope he settles down,’ Andrew mused, watching from the sidelines as the platoon markers were called on parade.
By 8pm that evening he was in a state of restless anxiety. When the phone finally rang he pounced on it, beating Carmen by half a metre. It was Muriel.
“I can go,” she said.
That was wonderful news to Andrew. He would have liked to talk to her for the next few hours but she ended the conversation saying she had to get all her assignments and homework done first. Andrew had the same requirement so he was driven, reluctantly, back to his own desk.
Davey Jones's Locker Page 17