by Helene Young
Ken’s manipulation had been subtle at first. She should have nipped it in the bud the first time he asked her to settle accounts at suppliers in town. She should have insisted that he repay her. Now he’d left her no option but to tell the girls the true state of play. And that was going to open a can of worms – a positive compost heap of worms. Ivy couldn’t believe she’d procrastinated for so long.
She was no longer as sharp as she used to be. Old age sucked. Ivy rolled that word around her tongue. No wonder Ella used it so much. Old age had sucked the life out of her, sucked the joy from living, sucked the power from her mind. It sucked all right.
There was a knock at the door again. ‘Granny D, it’s me.’
‘Who’s me?’ She tried to find her sharp humour, shore up the armour around her heart.
There was a giggle. ‘Ella-Bella. Who else would brave the dragon’s lair?’
Ivy smiled. She was a dragon no more. ‘Come in, Ella.’
Her granddaughter brought life with her wide smile and the smell of the outdoors and fuel. Somewhere in the mix was the hint of a youthful perfume. Her hair was piled on her head in a messy nest of spun gold. Ivy envied the strength in her long limbs as she strode over and wrapped her up in a hug. ‘It’s never as bad as it seems,’ Ella whispered.
‘Some days it’s much worse, but don’t tell your aunt that,’ Ivy whispered back, loving the feel of her granddaughter’s smooth cheek pressed against her own, the silky slide of her hair. She remembered being vital and alive, but now the memory taunted instead of giving comfort. Never again would she march on a parade, whirl around a dance hall or make love in the soft dark of winter.
Ella patted Ivy’s back before she straightened. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘That would be nice, dear.’
‘I’ll bring it in. Unless you want to have it on the front verandah. It’s a glorious afternoon. You know that light that makes everything look like fairy dust has blown in on the breeze? So stunning. And the hills in the distance are all visible.’
‘I remember the first time I saw that. It was breathtaking. Your grandfather was with me. He said it was the image he kept in his head while he was surviving that dreadful Kokoda Track. “Roseglen edged in gilt”, he called it.’
‘You know, I could take you for a fly,’ Ella said. ‘Mitch wouldn’t mind. Bet you haven’t been up for ages.’
‘I used to love going up with Charlie.’ Ivy’s heart leapt at the thought. Charlie had sold the aircraft years ago, when manhandling the machine to and from the tiny hangar became unmanageable. ‘But I’m too old, darling. I’d never be able to get into it.’
‘I bet Dan could lift you in easily.’
Hope flared. ‘Really?’
‘Looks like a fit dude to me. I’ll make us a cuppa and then we’ll hatch a plan.’ She flashed a smile as she left, taking the sunshine with her.
The tingling rush of love for her granddaughter left her lightheaded. The best of the best, her Ella. Felicity’s compassion mixed with Georgina’s drive and ambition. Ivy’s head nodded, eyes drooping. She just needed a little moment to gather herself. And she didn’t want to think about the Rolex.
‘Granny?’ Ella was standing in front of her. ‘Granny?’
‘Yes, dear. I must have nodded off.’ Ivy sat up, smiled even though her lids were weighing on her eyes.
‘Your tea’s out the front, then let’s go flying! Dan said he’s game if you are and Mitch asked me to check out the boundary down near the caves. Said you might find that interesting?’ She quirked an eyebrow at Ivy who sat a little straighter.
‘Did he now? Let’s have tea and get started then.’
An hour later Dan drove them all to the airstrip. He lifted Ivy down from the four-wheel drive. ‘It’s been a very long time since a handsome man swept me up in his arms,’ she said, enjoying the moment.
She could feel his laughter in his chest. Ella was checking out the aircraft, and Georgina held the passenger door open. She took a step back so Dan could place Ivy on the front seat. Ivy reached out to her daughter. ‘I’m a silly old woman and I’m sorry I yelled. I know you’re only trying to help, Georgina.’
Her daughter nodded. Ivy hoped Dan hadn’t been too hard on her. He fussed with the seatbelt and once it was clicked in he stepped away to stand by Georgina.
‘Righto, Granny. You know the drill. In the event of an emergency you open the door, hop out and run as fast as you can.’ Ella grinned as she handed over the headsets. ‘You have a press to talk on the control column.’ She pointed at a little black button.
‘That’s a bit different.’ The aircraft was similar to the one she and Charlie had owned, but the cockpit instruments were all new and everything looked more complex.
‘Makes it easy. Pop them on.’
Ivy slid the headset over her ears, the soft cups more comfortable than she remembered.
‘Got me?’ Ella’s voice was crystal clear. Ivy turned in wonderment to look at her.
‘Your grandfather would have loved these,’ she said.
‘Wait until I start the engine.’
She sat back watching Ella’s capable hands move over the controls, checking, trimming, adjusting.
‘Good to go?’ Ella asked.
‘Yes, I believe I am.’ Ivy glanced across at Dan and Georgina. They’d relocated the car to beside the hangar.
As the aircraft bounced down the runway Ivy let the memories soar. Her first flight with Georgina in their own brand-new aircraft. Her girl was so very proud and Ivy was so very scared. No doubt her abruptness was taken as a criticism instead of the deep-seated fear that she would embarrass herself and throw up.
That flight with Charlie when he’d reached across and placed her hands on the controls and said ‘You’d better know how to land this thing, love, just in case.’ Ivy came to love it almost as much as he did, but never on her own.
And now with her precious Ella. She glanced across at her granddaughter’s profile. So serious, but so vibrant, with a mouth that was all Felicity. Dark lashes against her dusky skin from her father.
The aircraft lifted, the earth drifting away beneath them. Ivy loved this moment. Free as a bird, her failing body irrelevant.
‘Special, huh?’ Ella’s smile was the size of the sunrise.
She nodded, her heart too full for words. The fence posts were grey dots on beige paddocks. Ahead, the greener pastures of Trethowan beckoned. Ella turned right and, for a moment, they were looking down at the homestead roof with its faded sign – ROSEGLEN.
‘We need to repaint that, Granny D. I ordered some supplies which should come out with the next delivery to Trethowan.’
‘You don’t need to do that,’ Ivy protested, but warmth spread through her bones at Ella’s thoughtfulness.
‘I remember Granddad getting up that rickety ladder of his. Remember when the bottom rungs broke? All we heard was “bugger, bugger, bugger” as each one snapped under his weight.’
‘Yes, and then the stupid fellow turned it upside and used it anyway.’
Ella laughed. ‘That ladder’s still in the stables. I found it the other day.’
‘He never could throw anything out.’
‘Clearly.’ Ella nodded at the pile of rusting machinery, corralled into an enclosure at the back of the line of outbuildings. She turned left then and they skimmed over the chapel and its graveyard. The family skeletons, Ivy thought, resting in peace despite what they may have done in life. And she’d join them one day.
The hills seemed to soar above them. She searched for the dip where the caves started. Still a little way to go.
‘Could we fly over Arran Downs, do you think?’
Ella was surprised. ‘Yeah, of course. We can do that first if you like and then onto the caves.’
‘No, no. The caves will be fine first. Let’s see what Mitch keeps talking about.’
‘What’s going on at the caves, Granny?’
‘You’ll see soon enough.’
She did hope Felicity approved.
The nose of the aircraft dipped and minutes later they shot over the top of the hill that housed the largest of the limestone caves.
Ivy gasped. ‘Are you allowed to fly this low?’
‘Have you ever known me to break the law?’
‘No,’ she was forced to admit. ‘I’ve always thought you could do with taking a gamble or two.’
‘Well, there you go. I’m cutting loose. Sit back and enjoy the ride.’
Ivy’s knuckles took some time to regain their colour. Ella climbed to 1500 feet above the ground and flew them over what looked like a campground.
‘Is that it?’ she asked.
‘I presume.’
‘So tourists?’
‘Yes, but there’s a new cave, Ella. It’s a surprise so don’t tell your mother. It’s so deep that the cave-divers haven’t reached the bottom.’
Ella glanced sideways. ‘So after all this time the caves are being opened up properly?’
Ivy nodded. ‘Charlie will be turning in his grave, but it’s about time, in my opinion. No room for ghosts.’
‘Was Grandad really that superstitious?’
‘He wasn’t superstitious, but he believed that we shouldn’t profit from them, that they belonged to everyone – the traditional owners, the Trethowans, the Dunmores. And I have no problem with that. Joint ventures aren’t always easy, but everyone could have done with some help. I believed he was worried that the story of the tragedy would be dragged up again. He never really got over the death of Ernie and his family.’
‘Must have been tough for him. And you. But tourism’s a great idea. Maybe I can do some scenic flights for them. The escarpment is inaccessible by road. Pretty amazing stuff, especially from the air.’
‘It’s been years since I last saw the escarpment.’ She craned her neck, feeling young and optimistic. This was the way to get Roseglen back on track.
‘Then let’s go see. Mitch won’t mind. If I tell him you asked, he’ll understand.’
‘Let’s do it then.’ Girlish joy flickered to life. ‘Over the edge.’
‘Thelma and Louise, eh?’ Ella knew all Ivy’s favourite movies.
Ivy laughed. ‘Sometimes in life you have to make a leap of faith and see where it takes you. I’ve been telling your mother to throw caution to the wind for years. Do it for the right reasons and even a wrong can be righted.’
‘Thelma and Louise found the bottom of the Grand Canyon and not a lot would have been left of them or their car, Granny D.’
‘But how much better to go out in a blaze of glory than to go with a whimper in a withered body unwillingly to let go.’
‘Hey, Gran, don’t be thinking of doing that.’ Ella touched her hands, which Ivy realised she’d been twisting together. ‘You’re the strongest person I know. And Mitch thinks the world of you. Even Aunty G, who gives compliments to no one, reckons you’ll be going toe to toe with St Peter if things aren’t as they should be in heaven.’
‘That’s as may be, but I didn’t want to shoulder the burden of being the last of my generation. No more Dunmores, no more Majors. Just Kenneth to carry on the name and he has no sons. It will die all too soon.’
‘Were family names really that important to the Majors and the Dunmores?’
‘Yes.’ She nodded. ‘When we lost Frank and Robert, my father was most upset that the Majors’ name was going to die with him. It hit him hard, maybe even harder than it hit Mum, and she was devoted to her boys.’
‘You must have been devastated too.’
The dark abyss had opened up again. ‘Frank was my favourite, my champion. He stood between me and . . .’ Ivy trailed off and looked out the window. Ella held her peace.
‘My father could be tough,’ Ivy said finally. ‘Robert was always joking around, never without a smile. I don’t believe he realised what he was signing up for when he went to war. When the reality hit home it was too late to back out.’
‘This was World War Two, right?’
‘How old do you think I am, dear? I wasn’t even on this earth when the first world war raged.’
Ella laughed. ‘Sorry.’ She changed course and the fall of the escarpment was ahead. It formed part of the boundary with Arran Downs. ‘We’re almost there.’
They were flying along the crest with exposed rocks dropping a thousand feet into thick savannah forest. After a storm the cliffs would shimmer and glisten with waterfalls. Today their grandeur was enough to be mesmerising, the rocks carved by a giant hand, the striations and colours weaving intricate patterns. Ivy always felt as though she was looking at a slice of history, each layer holding its own story, its own tragedy.
‘Hey, what’s that down there?’ Ella stabbed her finger at the windscreen.
Ivy had to sit tall to see over the dash. ‘A demountable stockyard?’ There seemed to be movement.
‘Yeah, and cattle trucks. Who the hell is that? Mitch hasn’t started yarding them yet, let alone trucking them out.’ Ella was outraged. She banked the aircraft sharply and pointed it down.
Ivy’s stomach swooped. ‘Be careful, dear.’ She wasn’t sure she meant her granddaughter’s flying.
It took several minutes to reach the yards and Ivy counted three trucks, one of them already on the move. This was tiger country: hard to access and difficult to muster. And not somewhere that Mitch would check regularly until it came time to round up the outlying cattle.
Ella flew over the top at what felt like a dangerous level. As she came around for another run she banked over so Ivy was looking at the ground. She clutched her seatbelt and hoped she wouldn’t see any familiar faces, but she did. It drove out her breath and her vision blurred.
‘Can you see anyone you recognise?’ Ella asked, focusing on flying the aircraft.
‘No, dear. No one from around here. Best we go back and let Mitch know. He can get the Stock Squad on to it.’ Ivy couldn’t believe her voice came out so level.
‘I’ll do better than that.’
Ella held up her mobile phone in one hand to take some photos as they hurtled over the top again. Ivy’s eyes closed, her hands trembled. She’d been a fool for so long. In denial that all that she’d done, all that she’d sacrificed, all that she’d lost, had been in vain. The apple, as they say, doesn’t fall far from the tree.
The iron roof groaned and shifted in the heat of the afternoon. A couple of bees searched vainly for pollen in the pruned rosebushes. The dogs had retreated to their run, panting in the shade. At least it was cooler on the back verandah. Ivy and Ella were due back from their flight soon. Georgina squinted against the light as she read the email on her phone.
‘Dammit,’ she muttered. Dan, sprawled in a chair with his feet propped on the rail, looked up from his iPad.
‘The lawyer’s finally replied,’ she said. ‘Apparently it’s going to be messy to dissolve the company. He mentions intercompany loans. Not sure what he’s talking about there. Guess we could always have Ivy certified incapable of managing her affairs and invoke the Power of Attorneys.’
Dan slanted her a glance. ‘You couldn’t do that to her. It would destroy her.’
‘That’s what Felicity says. But what if it’s the difference between no money and having enough to pay for home care?’
‘Based on the very brief chat I’ve had with her about the property she has an expectation that you girls will solve it and no —’ He angled his head to forestall her protest. ‘No, I don’t think she’s expects you to put your hand in your pocket even though you and I both know we could sell some shares and invest in this place tomorrow. You don’t think Mitch has pulled a swifty, do you?’
‘Mitch? Why?’
‘I get the sense they’ve cooked something up between them. Something to do with the caves and whatever it is Mitch is doing on his property?’
Georgina nodded. ‘Yeah. We’ve been wondering about that too, but Mitch hasn’t volunteered anything.’
‘Have you asked him
outright?’
‘Felicity has, but she’s lousy at being direct.’
‘So maybe you should ask.’
‘It’s possible Mum still has savings herself that we don’t know about. She’s always been thrifty, the master of recycling. I had a pair of shorts that started life as long pants and the length crept up as I wore out the hems.’
He laughed. ‘I remember some oddly shaped jumpers she knitted for you too. You left one behind. It was purple, with uneven arm lengths.’
‘You’ve still got it?’
He looked down at his cup. ‘I didn’t think it was my place to throw it out. Besides . . .’
Georgina changed the topic. ‘Thanks for carrying Ivy to the aircraft. She loved to fly, especially with Dad. He made her take lessons so she could land if something went wrong with him. She was so proud of going solo, but that was the end of it. “I don’t need to fly an aircraft when I already have two pilots in the family,” she used to say.’
‘I seem to remember she always loved an adventure. She was telling me the other day that she’d had the time of her life in the WAAAF, even if it was only a clerical position.’
‘Was she? She’s never really talked to me about it.’
‘Have you ever asked?’
She bristled and jumped to her feet, prowling the length of the verandah. ‘Of course I’ve asked.’
‘Hey, it wasn’t a criticism.’ Dan was unmoved. ‘You and Ivy are like two force fields colliding. The explosions are as inevitable as pouring water into oil.’
It shouldn’t hurt. ‘She was supposed to be the adult,’ Georgina said, turning to him again.
‘Yeah, but you’re the adult now. We start in nappies and we end in nappies. Full circle.’
‘Do you think about death?’ she asked, not wanting to acknowledge he had a valid point. She made her way back to the chair, running her finger along the kitchen window’s sill. The dust was a solid layer.