The sun was almost directly above her when, on her way back, with the day’s papers, bread and milk lying on the back seat, she slowed to take a bend and gazed out at the sequined sea, her sights suddenly drawn to the beach below where a golden retriever galloped at full speed along the sand. She idled almost to a stop and scanned the beach as the dog ran by with his tail in the air and ears back, obviously terrified. ‘Silver,’ she whispered. She scanned the beach a second time, instantly alarmed that Daniel was nowhere in sight. Refusing to give in to panic she drove until it was safe to turn and doubled back to a flat section of the beach. There she parked her car on the edge of the sand and ran to the sea’s edge where about a hundred metres away Silver trotted towards her, still seemingly on full alert, but now moving a little slower.
‘Silver,’ she called against the wind. ‘Come on, boy.’ He stopped and stared at her, his pink tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, his tail straight in the air like some sort of radar. Mia had the distinct impression that, at any moment, Silver’s obvious agitation would propel him to seize the opportunity for a hasty escape. She slowed her steps and coaxed him, creeping towards him with her hand extended as a lure. ‘Come here, Silver. Where’s Daniel? Where’s your dad? Over here, boy. It’s Mia. You know me,’ she said softly but cheerily. Silver finally dropped his guard and with his tail wagging trotted towards her, sniffing vigorously at her outstretched fingers and slobbering over her hand, eventually standing and allowing Mia to pat his neck, his thick coat stiff with sea water and clammy with his body heat.
‘What are you doing all this way from home?’ she said, grabbing his collar and casting a final look along the deserted coast for Daniel. ‘Come on, Silver. Let’s take you home and make sure your dad is okay.’
It took very little coaxing for Silver to jump into her car. She accelerated away as he stared through the front window, his brown eyes sparkling, his pink tongue lolling as he panted with excited delight. Glancing out at her own beach house as they passed it, Mia drove a little further along the coast to Daniel’s double-storey dwelling of mini-orb, natural stone and glass.
‘C’mon, Silver. You’re home, mate,’ she said, anxiety mounting at what she might be about to find. She hoped she would not have to break in, immediately deciding she would not hesitate to call the police at the slightest hint of something being out of the ordinary. She held Silver’s collar as he jumped from the car, before releasing him to run up the stairs and along the deck unrestrained. He stopped at the double-glass front doors and glanced back at her.
Even before she had reached the door Mia heard barking from inside the house and wondered if Daniel now had a second dog. The front door abruptly opened to reveal the usual mild-mannered Daniel. Silver pushed past his legs with excited delight at the opportunity to welcome another dog.
‘Have you got yourself a dog?’ Daniel asked, his smile broadening to display a slightly chipped front tooth.
Mia looked at Silver, then at the refugee dog, still unable to tell the difference between them. ‘Oh, far out. I’ve stolen someone’s dog. I thought it was Silver.’
‘I haven’t seen her around before,’ Daniel said, heartily patting the refugee dog’s neck. ‘Where did you find her?’
‘On the southern beach,’ she said, helplessly wondering what to do now. She knew it would not be right to simply set the dog free again, especially since she had been so distressed when Mia had found her.
So Mia was delighted when Daniel offered to help her doorknock in an attempt to identify the refugee dog’s owners. But after an hour, several kilometres of walking and not a hint of success, Mia convinced Daniel, with a degree of difficulty because he and Silver were obviously enjoying the experience, that their efforts were proving futile.
They headed home again, this time along the beach, Silver and refugee running along the sand without a worry in the world, occasionally bounding into the waves and out again.
‘You seem a little happier than last time I saw you,’ Daniel said hesitantly, as they ambled along the sand, the dogs trotting well ahead of them.
Mia smiled. ‘I am,’ she said, ‘although being single again is not exactly without its challenges.’
‘I don’t think you’ll be single for long,’ Daniel said shyly. ‘Unless, of course, that’s what you want.’
Mia chuckled, ‘I don’t really know what I want yet to be honest.’
‘That’s a good thing,’ Daniel said. ‘Take your time. And there’s nothing wrong with being alone by the way.’
‘That’s easy enough for you to say … you have Meredith at home.’
‘Yes, I suppose. But she’s not wrapped in the beach; in fact, she dislikes it with a passion — and I, almost, detest the city. So we don’t spend much time together.’
‘And you don’t get lonely? Ever?’ Mia said, anxious to learn ways of countering what had become her greatest fear in life.
‘Never. I have many good friends. And I don’t only mean friends, I mean good friends. And I enjoy my work, my solitude. Having a partner in your pocket is not a vital necessity to a good life, Mia.’ He smiled at her and, somewhat out of character, slipped his arm around and pulled her in for a quick hug. ‘You’ll be right.’
She wished then that she could share Daniel’s confident optimism.
Mia ran through the dunes to her beach house with refugee panting excitedly behind, leaving Daniel and Silver to make their way home along the beach.
‘We should give you a name,’ Mia said, minutes later, on her knees on the deck, rubbing the dog hard with a towel and grooming her with an old brush. She pulled back and looked at the dog’s face. Smiled. ‘Mm. You’re a real lady. Why don’t we call you Lady? You know, as in Lady and the Tramp?’ Mia continued brushing the long, tangled hair while the dog obediently stood to attention. But I thought she was male — so that can’t be right. ‘I know,’ Mia continued. ‘Molly. If ever I had a daughter I wanted to call her Molly. Molly,’ she said brightly to the dog’s face. The dog turned her head on the side and without warning ran her soft warm tongue across Mia’s face. ‘Molly it is then … come on, Molly. You can come inside now that you’re clean.’
Molly lapped from a washing bowl full of cold water as Mia searched the cupboards and fridge for something a dog could eat, finally finding a single lamb chop. She cut it into pieces and tentatively slid the plate of food gently towards Molly who turned from the water, sniffed the chop and devoured it within seconds, including the bone.
Debra rang later that morning, as Mia was washing the breakfast dishes. ‘Eric is now in receipt of the decree nisi. As you know, that’s the first step of the divorce.’ She paused for Mia’s response.
‘Good.’
‘Unfortunately, Eric is playing funny buggers. Refusing to give the full details of your joint financials. I think it’s his way of getting back at us for freezing your funds. Anyway, regardless of his reason, I am going to push him harder by applying for a court order. Are you happy for me to proceed?’
‘Yes, of course. Please do whatever it takes. I want what I’m entitled to. And I want this over with as soon as possible.’
‘Good girl. We will stay in touch,’ Debra said, abruptly terminating the call.
Mia’s phone rang again only minutes later. She glanced over at where Molly lay stretched out in front of the lounge window, the gentle sun streaming through the wide expanse of glass to shine on her coat, making it appear a creamy beige rather than golden. ‘This is Mia Sandhurst,’ she answered tentatively because the screen had told her the call was from an unknown number.
‘Hello, Dr Sandhurst. It’s Tim Hooper.’
Mia clutched her chest suddenly alarmed. ‘Hello, Tim. Is everything okay?’
‘Yeah. I wondered if I could talk to you about something?’
‘Of course, Tim. Is it about Rachel?’
‘Sort of. It won’t take much time. Are you around now? I could come to your house, but say if that’s not okay because I know
it’s short notice.’
‘This is a good time for me, Tim. I’m at number 248 on the Ackland Bay Esplanade.’
‘Cool. I’ll see you in about 20 minutes.’
Mia placed her phone back on the kitchen bench, her curiosity burning at what Tim could possibly be wanting to discuss with her.
Fifteen minutes later, Mia watched from inside as the ute she had seen Tim in before, cruised into her driveway and came to a stop. Tim climbed out slowly, made his way up the steps, his large runners padding across the deck to the front door, his face like stone the entire time, the studs on his checked shirt straining across his chest. She would realise later, how ironic her immediate thoughts had been when she pondered how blazingly popular he must be with women.
‘The coffee machine is on and the kettle is boiling,’ Mia said as he stepped in the front door. Or would you prefer a cool drink?’
‘Coffee would be great, thanks Dr Sandhurst. White with two sugars,’ he said, bending to pat Molly who had roused from sleep and now sniffed inquisitively at his feet.
‘Take a seat, Tim. And please, call me Mia,’ she said nodding towards the lounge area.
Tim lowered himself into one of the striped armchairs. ‘Who’s this?’ he said smiling down at Molly who now nudged unrelentingly at his hand for more strokes.
‘That’s Molly. She’s a stray. I’m about to ring the council,’ Mia said over the coffee machine’s loud grinding.
‘Yeah? I think I know who she belongs to,’ Tim said, running his hand along the length of Molly’s back. ‘I reckon this is Jack and Sharon Carmichael’s dog. They’ll be freaking if she’s gone missing. Their dog is like a baby to them because they never had kids.’
Surprised at the feeling of her heart actually sinking at this news, Mia lifted a tray with the coffees and a plate of melting moments and stepped over Molly who had stretched out at Tim’s feet. She quietly placed the tray on the cane and glass coffee table between them and sat in the blue settee opposite Tim. ‘How do you know she is theirs?’ she said, handing him his coffee. ‘Golden retrievers look pretty much alike, don’t they?’
‘Yeah. A bit. But I recognise the collar,’ Tim said glancing down at the purple and white checked band around Molly’s neck.
‘Perhaps I should ring them if you think they will be worried,’ Mia said, not knowing until now as she glanced at Molly who was asleep again, that dogs actually snore.
Tim smiled. ‘You’ve become attached to her already, haven’t you?’
Mia nodded. ‘A bit.’
‘She’ll be okay here for a while. She may not be their dog. This is really good coffee,’ he said leaning over to take a biscuit.
His gratitude suddenly made her aware of how much she missed having Adam home. ‘How is Rachel?’ she asked.
‘She’s still in hospital. I think she’s seeing Declan O’Leary tomorrow and they’ll be releasing her after that.’
‘Oh. That’s great news. Have you heard anything about Peter?’ Mia asked, the nauseating vision passing through her mind yet again.
‘He’s still in custody. He didn’t get bail because they think he’s a flight risk. And the bastard is denying he did anything, despite you and I both seeing him do it. Can you believe that?’
‘No, I can’t, I must be honest.’ She took a sip of coffee and studied Tim’s expression, at once feeling sorry for what he had been through. ‘These past few weeks must have been like hell for you as well, Tim,’ she said softly.
Tim smiled. ‘Yeah. I must admit it feels like someone has come along with a crane and lifted a huge boulder off my back since yesterday though.’
Mia watched him slowly twist his coffee mug in his large hands, his face growing suddenly serious.
‘I worry sometimes … that I might have inherited something from the old man,’ he said.
‘What do you mean, Tim?’
‘You know … like the same screwed-up sex genes.’
Mia swallowed quietly, fear stabbing at her chest like a knife because of what she was about to hear. ‘You mean you think you are attracted to children?’ she said calmly.
Tim made a face. ‘Jeezus, no. Nothing like that. But,’ he looked down again at his striped coffee mug, ‘put it this way. It doesn’t seem normal for a bloke who’s healthy in every other way to still be a virgin at 23 — does it?’
‘You mean it’s not by choice?’ she said.
Tim nodded, still looking down at the mug in his hands. ‘It’s been like this since I can remember. I know I have all the right equipment. But as soon as it’s time … you know … to … I go down like a balloon.’
‘Can you ejaculate?’ Mia said, in her best, most officious doctor’s voice.
‘Yeah — no problems, when no one else is with me … if you get what I mean.’
He looked up at her then and again she saw the boy inside the man. Again she thought about Adam and hoped all was well with him. Wondered to whom he could talk if he was having problems. Felt the need to see him again soon.
‘The sort of difficulty you are dealing with, Tim, may have something to do with your father, but probably not in the way you think.’
Tim looked up at her, his eyes wide, his expression hopeful, as he gently placed his mug on the coffee table. It seemed to Mia he might even have been holding his breath — waiting for her next words.
‘What do you remember about your childhood?’ she asked.
He leaned his elbows on his splayed legs and looked down, thoughtfully rubbing his palms together. ‘I remember always feeling anxious and afraid that everything I tried or did was going to be wrong. I remember hating him — even the look of him, his black beady eyes, when he used his size and voice and power against me without ever being fair or kind to balance things out. As I got older and bigger and wiser, I was less afraid. In fact, I think he’s scared of me now, in a hidden, creepy way.’
‘Lots of boys go down during their first sexual experience. I presume that happened to you too,’ Mia said softly.
Tim nodded, pain crossing his face at the memory.
‘Was it with a boy or a girl?’
‘A girl,’ Tim said, incredulous at the question.
‘What did the girl say when that happened?’ Mia asked.
‘She laughed. Told me I was probably gay. I reckon she told everyone in town about it.’
Mia looked Tim directly in the eye. ‘So the pattern was set. With every attempt, you became more convinced you would fail. Exactly as your father had instilled in you. Until now it has become entrenched behaviour. Do you see what I am saying?’ she said, aware Tim’s shoulders had physically relaxed.
‘Yeah. You’re saying it’s probably all in my mind,’ he answered, smiling slowly.
‘Yes. That’s right.’ She stood and padded over to the kitchen. ‘I’m going to write you a referral to a urologist to be absolutely certain,’ she said, rifling through her attaché case. ‘Having said that, I would be very surprised if there is anything physically wrong with you, Tim — including any inherited screwed-up sex genes.’ She ripped the written page off the pad and handed it to Tim who jumped up to take it from her, his beautiful smile truly lighting up her world.
Mia waved Tim off from the deck, Molly’s upright tail swaying like a feather beside her. Stamping her feet and rubbing her arms, Mia ran back inside the house with Molly close behind and lit the fire. Within minutes Molly was prostrate again, this time in front of the flickering flames. Mia reluctantly dialled the number Tim had given her.
‘Hello, Sharon. This is Mia Sandhurst. We met at the Children’s Hospital. Do you remember?’
‘Yes, I do. Is everything okay with Rachel?’ Sharon rasped.
‘Yes, I believe so. Actually I’m on leave at Ackland Bay. I’m ringing on a personal matter … I’m wondering if you have lost your dog,’ Mia said, holding her breath.
‘No, Mia. Our dog is flat out on the carpet in the lounge room, fast asleep. Oh — just hold on. I’ll check.’
Footfalls followed the clunk of Sharon lifting the phone. ‘No, Mia. Our dog is definitely here.’
Mia could not control her elation, silently jigging on the spot. ‘That’s excellent news, Sharon. You don’t know of anyone who has lost a golden retriever, do you?’ she said.
‘No, I don’t. But you could ring the council.’
‘Yes, I suppose I should,’ Mia said. ‘It could be a family pet.’
‘Exactly. By the way, I hear you spoke to Rachel about her future. I bet she enjoyed that conversation, even though she probably didn’t show it,’ Sharon said chuckling.
‘Yes. She seemed really keen to have a chat, but she hasn’t phoned me yet, which I guess is not surprising with all that’s going on.’ It occurred to Mia with a jolt that Sharon probably didn’t know about Peter’s so-called activities and his arrest. ‘What do you mean?’ Sharon asked innocently.
‘I mean, in view of her being in hospital again,’ Mia said quickly.
‘Well, once she’s back at school I for one shall be pushing her to stay in touch with you. I believe you are too good an opportunity for Rachel to miss.’
‘She’s having a lot of days off, isn’t she?’ Mia said, concerned this may limit Rachel’s chances at achieving the grades she needs for university.
‘Yes, she is. But I’m not worried about that. I know for certain she is keeping up at home and that she is still ahead of most of her peers.’
‘Well, let’s cross all our fingers and toes that it stays that way,’ Mia said, apprehensive about how Rachel would cope with the next hurdles of police and courts.
What Matters Most Page 25