Intensive Care: Escape to the Country

by Nicki Edwards

  It would have been an early start and a long drive for her dad on his own and Kate was glad Nathan had made the trip with him. She wondered whether her mum had been behind that decision because she couldn’t imagine Nathan offering, nor would her dad have thought to ask. Either way, she was thrilled to see her brother in the cab of the truck.

  The truck rattled as it drove over the cattle grid and Michael pulled up slowly beside her. Before the van had come to a complete standstill, Nathan jumped down from the cab and gave Kate an enthusiastic bear hug and kiss on the cheek. His build was slim, like Kate’s, but he towered over his sister. His long legs were clad in jeans and he was wearing his old school rugby jumper that had seen better days. It was obvious they were related and an observer would have seen the close bond they shared.

  “Great to see you, sis. So, this is it, eh?”

  Nathan scanned the area, looking ahead up the gravel driveway between the rows of agapanthus and gum trees toward the house. Kate wondered what he was thinking. She knew if Marcus were standing in Nathan’s spot, he’d be splitting the pants of his expensive suit, hightailing it out of there as quickly as possible.

  “I can’t believe you’ve finally escaped to the country!” Nathan chuckled at his own wit and at Kate’s expense. Nudging the tip of her immaculately clean brown leather R.M. Williams boots with his own well-worn work boots, Nathan grinned again. Kate knew she was about to be in for some serious teasing. Assuming an accent typical of an Australian farmer, Nathan said, “Ah, we’re gonna make a country gal out of you yet! You’ve even got the boots to prove it. All you need now is a Drizabone and a dog at your side and you’ll be the perfect catch at the next B and S.”

  “Nath, you know me well,” Kate laughed back, “and that means I will never be attending any Bachelor and Spinster balls.” At school Kate had heard plenty of stories about country B and S balls, often also referred to as “beer and sex” balls, and they held no appeal. “If you think I’m interested in sleeping in a swag in the back of some farm boy’s car, then you don’t know me at all. Let me assure you that if I was ever going to do that, I might as well sign up for one of your Contiki tours!”

  Nathan groaned theatrically as Kate referred to the numerous infamous tours he had taken over the years. He held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, truce,” he laughed. “So have you heard from Marcus?”

  The question sounded innocent enough but Kate knew there was more to it. She looked intently at her brother, waiting for him to elaborate. He tipped his cap back and returned Kate’s gaze.

  “He keeps ringing me. I told him to rack off and stop bothering me.”

  Kate groaned. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I didn’t think he’d call you.”

  “He reckons you won’t even speak to him. Is that true? You haven’t even had it out with him?”

  “I just want to move on, Nath, that’s all. I don’t want to see him or have anything to do with him ever again.”

  “But surely you need to confront him about the affair. You can’t leave it just hanging.”

  Kate felt herself clenching her jaw as she often did whenever Marcus was mentioned. “It’s over between us. Full stop. End of story.”

  Nathan looked across at her and she felt the intensity of his gaze once again. “Is he giving you a hard time?”

  “Not anymore,” Kate answered. “I finally changed my phone number because he was texting me dozens of times every day trying to find out where I was.”

  “So he doesn’t know you’re moving here?”

  “I have no idea.” Kate shrugged her shoulders, hoping her brother would just drop the whole topic of Marcus. “I doubt it though.”

  “So, what does the name mean?”

  Nathan pointed to the sign on the open metal gate and Kate was relieved at his change of subject. He always stopped before pushing her too far and she was grateful. The timber sign was gray and weathered and it was hard to make out the word. As she looked at it, Kate promised herself that her first job would be to paint the letters white.

  “Cooinda,” she replied. “It means ‘happy place’ apparently.” The irony was not lost on her.

  “Is it Aboriginal?” Nathan asked.

  “I actually have no idea. I haven’t had time to look it up yet, but I think so.”

  “I like it.” Nathan nodded as he took another slow look around him.

  Michael sat up high in the cab of the truck with a smile on his face, watching his two children banter and catch up before turning the key and re-starting the engine.

  “Come on! Jump in, kids!” He always referred to Nathan and Kate as “kids” even though they were both mature adults, Nathan being two years older than Kate.

  When they pulled up out the front of the house, Michael and Nathan held back as they waited for Kate to unlock the front door. Nathan was holding the plastic cat carrier containing her beloved Matilda and he handed it to her as he walked past her through the open door.

  “Here you go. I suggest you lock her up somewhere quiet. And well away from me. Five hours of her incessant meowing has driven us mad!”

  “Be nice to my cat.” Kate tried to punch him again but he jumped out of her way in time.

  “Stop mucking around, you two. Let’s get this truck unpacked then Kate can show us around this farm of hers.”

  As Michael and Nathan helped unload Kate’s new furniture, she set about unpacking the boxes and putting her things away in cupboards. While doing so, she reflected on the whirlwind of the past month.

  After accepting the job, Kate had returned that night to her family home and officially resigned from the Royal Sydney the next day. She was able to finish up two weeks later. She then spent the next week making the necessary arrangements for her big move to the country.

  She had used her final paycheck to buy furniture for her new home and had enjoyed a full day shopping at IKEA where she ordered her new bed and mattress, couches, coffee tables, bookcases and a dining table and chairs. She had felt slightly rebellious as she chose things she knew Marcus would hate, including the cream-colored sofas she had always eyed off lovingly in the catalog. Later on she knew she would need to purchase other things to make her house feel like a home but it was easy to get all the basics in one place. Yesterday her new furniture had been delivered to her parents’ home and Michael had loaded it directly from the delivery truck into the truck he had hired himself.

  She had managed to avoid Marcus by refusing to take his phone calls or reply to his numerous text messages. She didn’t even satisfy her curiosity by listening to the voice messages she assumed he was leaving. It was easier to just delete them and not have to hear his voice. Eventually she had changed her phone number and the calls had stopped. He had continued to drive past her parents’ house on a number of occasions but her car was hidden out of sight behind the garage doors. Thankfully he hadn’t knocked at the door asking where she was. She didn’t want to have to see him. She knew he didn’t like her parents so she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t come looking for her at their home. Yet somehow this made him seem even more unworthy in her eyes.

  There were days when she realized she didn’t even miss him but other days she found herself crying unexpectedly when a memory of their time together hit her unsuspectingly. She had been deeply in love with him. Every time she thought of him, her heart felt like it was shrinking, and a painful lump formed in her throat. She knew she was spending too much time obsessing over why things had happened the way they did and berating herself for not noticing the subtle changes in his behavior. Her initial anger over his betrayal had morphed into a sense of defeat and worthlessness and she could only hope that this move to the country would give her back her usual energy and vitality. Constantly replaying past events in her mind certainly wasn’t making things any easier. Kate shook her head and straightened her back. If she wanted to move on, she was going to have to stop thinking about him.

  If only it were that easy.

  She finished unpackin
g the boxes in the kitchen and looked around with a sense of satisfaction. While she was going to have to make a long list of the little things she still needed to purchase, for the moment she was pleased with how everything looked. Through her kitchen window Kate could see that the sun was now in the middle of the sky and all evidence of the morning fog had disappeared, and she marveled yet again at the way the season felt so different from the city. She looked at her watch and was surprised that it was after two o’clock. She realized guiltily they hadn’t even stopped for lunch.

  Folding the last box flat, ready to be sent back with the removal truck, Kate went in search of her dad and brother and found them tightening the final bolts on her new bed. Leaning against the doorway, she watched as they cut the plastic off the heavy new latex mattress and lifted it into place on the bed frame. She surveyed the room and knew immediately that she was going to love waking up in it. Her bedroom had a window that faced east, and Kate had positioned her bed so that the morning sun would stream through the window across it. Another window faced north, looking out over the paddocks. A wide veranda ran along the length of the back of the house and Kate knew she was going to be grateful for the shade it would provide in the summer months. Glancing around the room, she saw a box marked “bedroom” and mentally praised herself for her excellent organizational skills, knowing that this box would contain all the new linen needed to have her bed ready for her to sleep in later that night.

  Michael straightened up and brushed his hand across his brow, dramatically pretending to wipe the sweat off. “Well Katie, that’s the last job done,” he said. “You just need to find your sheets and you’ll be ready to go to sleep.”

  “Thanks Dad. It means so much to me that you and Nath have helped me out today.” Kate hugged Michael warmly and smiled at her brother. She knew that constructing flat-pack furniture wasn’t her brother’s favorite activity, yet he had done it uncomplainingly and seemingly willingly.

  “Ah sis, don’t go getting soppy and emotional on us,” Nathan good-naturedly teased. “How about you make us blokes a cup of tea and get us something to eat and then let’s take that tour of the property you promised. Then we’d better head back. Don’t want Mum to worry about us driving back through the mountains at night.”

  Kate led the way to the kitchen, feeling a sense of pride in her new surroundings. She walked through the living room and sighted her brand new overstuffed sofas and smart white bookcases, ready to be filled with her books and knickknacks, and she was filled with pleasure. Decorating had always been Marcus’s domain and she was looking forward to experimenting with her surroundings and learning how to make her new place feel like a home.

  With a satisfied smile, Kate grabbed her shiny new stainless steel kettle and filled it with water. She flicked the switch before reaching up and pulling out three red mugs she had already placed on the shelf above the kettle. From the large pantry she pulled out the apple and cinnamon twist she had purchased earlier that morning from the bakery before heading out to the farm. Kate knew she was going to have to get used to not being a five-minute walk from the shops. Here, she was a minimum ten-minute drive away from anything. She had planned on bringing out the bun for morning tea and she still couldn’t believe they’d missed morning tea and lunch. She was amazed her brother hadn’t complained. The kettle boiled and Kate made cups of tea for the three of them. They each took their mug and a piece of the sweet bun covered in butter out onto the veranda and stood surveying the view.

  The moment Kate stepped out the back door she knew immediately her next purchase would be some white Adirondack chairs. Although they were not typically Australian, she loved the look of them and she could already picture herself sitting on her veranda enjoying the sunset, glass of wine in hand. Wherever she looked she was surrounded by hills and valleys. She knew she would never get tired of the view.

  Holding their mugs in their hands, Kate, Michael and Nathan walked down the path that led from the back door toward the overgrown veggie gardens and empty chook sheds at the bottom of the yard. A wire fence separated the farmhouse and gardens from the surrounding paddocks.

  “The boundary to my property is over there behind those trees” – Michael and Nathan followed Kate’s pointed finger – “and over there it ends where you can see the next house.” Kate pointed in the opposite direction.

  “How many acres did you say?” Michael asked.

  “There are roughly five,” Kate replied.

  “What are you going to do with the empty paddocks?” Nathan asked, still looking out across the open land behind her back fence.

  “I’d love to get some sheep …”

  Nathan stopped walking, turned to Kate and threw back his head and laughed. While Kate loved the sound of her brother’s laugh and had missed it, she didn’t appreciate that he was laughing at her!

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Kate, come on, be serious! You don’t know the first thing about farming. What the heck are you going to do with sheep?”

  Indignantly Kate replied, “Well, I guess I’ll have to find someone to show me how. I also intend to get some chickens and fix up these garden beds so I can grow all my own vegetables.”

  Nathan looked at her again, an expression of astonishment still on his face.

  “Veggies? You can’t even keep a plastic indoor plant alive. How on earth are you going to grow veggies? And keeping chickens?” He snorted with delight then held his hands up in mock surrender. “This I’ve got to see!”

  “Ah, love.” Michael put his arm around his daughter. “Don’t let him tease you.” Turning to Nathan he said, “C’mon son, give your sister a break.” As Michael turned and headed back toward the house, he spoke over his shoulder so both his children could hear his words. “Knowing how stubborn you are and what sort of a girl you are, Katie, I’m sure you’ll have a world-class organic veggie garden here this time next year!”

  Kate turned and stuck her tongue out at Nathan, a childhood mannerism that she had never grown out of. He grabbed her head in a headlock and ran his knuckles through her hair – something he knew she hated. Attempting to straighten her mussed hair, Kate followed her father back through her house toward the front door as he pulled the keys to the truck from his pocket.

  “Well love, it’s time we were headed home I reckon. This time of day there will be lots of kangaroos on the roads so I want to take it nice and easy.”

  Opening the heavy door, Kate hugged her father as he stepped past her onto the veranda. “Give Mum a hug for me. I can’t wait ’til she can come out and visit me.”

  Hugging his daughter warmly in return, Michael whispered in her ear, “You’ve made a brave decision and stepped out of your comfort zone. I’m proud of you, love.”

  “Thanks Dad.” She turned to her brother and hugged him. “And you too, Nath. Thanks for everything you’ve done today.” She kept her arms around his middle. “When do you head back to WA?”

  “Not for another week,” he answered.

  “How much longer are you going to keep doing this fly-in fly-out thing?” she asked.

  “As long as they keep paying me the big bucks to supervise blokes sitting in trucks digging things out of the ground, I’ll keep doing it.” Nathan grinned. “You worry too much, sis. I’m fine. And no, before you even ask, I have not met anyone I’m interested in yet!”

  Kate stepped back and punched him on the arm, then hugged him again before letting him go. “Come visit next time you’re home, okay? I’d love you to come and stay and it would be a perfect excuse for me to create a spare room.”

  “Don’t go all Martha Stewart on me now while I’m away will you?” Nathan laughed.

  “Not a chance!”

  “Hmm, well I might tease you but I already prefer this more relaxed version of you, Kate. I reckon the country life just might suit you.” Nathan looked at Kate seriously for a moment, clearly uncertain what to say next. When he spoke, his words were quiet and sincere, full of the lo
ve he had for his sister. “Marcus never deserved someone as special as you, sis.”

  Before she could respond, Nathan pulled his sunglasses from the top of his head and placed them on the bridge of his nose and then climbed into the cab of the truck beside their father. With cries to “drive carefully,” Kate lifted her hand to wave, and before she knew it she was alone, standing on her front veranda watching as the dust from their departing tires followed them home.

  She turned back inside as she heard her phone ring.

  “Hello?” Kate answered breathlessly. She had rushed inside to answer the phone and she wasn’t sure whether she’d made it in time.

  “Hi Kate, Belinda Grills here.”

  “Belinda! Hi. Thanks for calling.”

  “So are you all moved in then?”

  “I just finished unpacking the last of the boxes. All I need to do now is unpack the linen, make up my bed and climb into it!” Kate chuckled as she sank back into her couch, rubbing her hand over the soft fabric. “I’m sure I could sleep for a week. So much has happened in such a short amount of time.”

  “That’s actually why I’m calling, Kate. I know you’re not due to start for another week but we are really desperate for you to start straight away. I’d love you to start tomorrow actually. What do you think?” Kate could hear the hesitancy in Belinda’s voice.

  “Um,” she faltered, sitting more upright and wetting her lips, hoping Belinda would understand her reluctance. “Belinda, I’m really not ready yet. I haven’t even been to the supermarket or found my way around town. I was hoping to catch my breath first. Could I start on Monday instead?” Kate figured a few more days should be enough time to get settled but a sense of guilt was causing a tightness in her muscles as she waited for Belinda’s reply.