by Di Morrissey
‘Yes, I’ve been having a brilliant holiday,’ said Bella, the crowd jostling around her. ‘Far North Queensland is just amazing.’
‘It is special, isn’t it?’ Toni took a step away from Ned and gestured for Bella to join her closer to the bar. ‘Why don’t we order a drink? I’ll order while Ned finishes chatting with his fans.’
Ned nodded mutely and turned to talk to some of the audience who had made their way over to him. Despite his anxiety over Bella’s appearance, he was gratified by the comments of these fans, who thanked him for giving up his time for charity and told him how much they’d enjoyed the show. He then posed for some selfies and when the last photo had been taken, he made his way to the small table where the girls were sitting, just in time to hear Bella ask Toni how long she’d known Ned.
‘Since he moved here,’ Toni smiled. ‘He’s staying with me . . .’
‘Ah,’ said Bella. ‘No wonder the guy at the old pink house didn’t know who Ned was.’
Toni burst out laughing. ‘As if he’d stay there. It has a terrible reputation.’
‘Well then, I’m pleased you’ve found a better place to hang out than that, dear brother,’ Bella said as Ned sat down beside Toni.
Ned immediately felt on guard. ‘Actually, Bella, I’m only staying with Toni when I come into town. The rest of the time I’m out at Carlo’s.’
‘Carlo? Who on earth is Carlo?’
Ned explained who Carlo was and why he was housesitting his place.
‘It’s really remote, no phone reception, no roads, no amenities and no distractions,’ he added pointedly.
‘Well, if that’s true, I suppose that explains why you’ve been so elusive,’ said Bella rather grudgingly, fiddling with the straw in her drink.
Toni seemed to notice the tension and added cheerily: ‘Ned says that it’s a remarkable place and has to be seen to be believed. He’s asked me to come out next weekend for a couple of days and have a look,’ said Toni. ‘But Bella, speaking of places to stay, you’re welcome to stop at my place while you’re in Cooktown, if you like.’
Bella waved a hand. ‘No, but thanks for the offer, Toni. I’m already staying in one of the motels.’
‘How long do you intend staying?’ asked Ned deliberately.
‘I’m not really sure,’ Bella said smoothly, ignoring his tone. ‘I’ve got a couple of weeks holidays left and I would like to have a bit more of a look around.’
‘What made you choose Far North Queensland for your holidays, Bella?’ said Toni, glancing at Ned with a reproving look.
‘I wanted to catch up with Ned,’ said Bella, punching Ned gently in the arm. ‘I’m hoping to persuade him to come back home for a special ceremony recognising our father’s work at the local hospital. Our mother particularly wants him to be there.’
Toni nodded, smiling, but Ned’s mouth hardened into a straight line.
‘Won’t your father want you to be there, too?’ Toni asked Ned, taking a sip of water. Ned opened his mouth to answer but then closed it again.
‘Dad was killed in a car accident nearly a year ago,’ said Bella.
Toni instantly looked contrite. ‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea. How very sad, for both of you. It sounds as though this ceremony is a great honour for your father. Was he a doctor?’ she asked.
Bella quickly told her about Alex’s stellar career as a surgeon and how well respected he had been in the community, which was why he was being honoured.
Toni nodded and smiled at Bella’s loving description of Alex. ‘Your father sounds like an amazing man. I suppose you’ll be going down to Victoria, then, Ned?’
Ned said nothing. He was seething. Why did Bella have to be so interfering? He’d told his mother, as gently as he could, that he couldn’t make it down to the dedication ceremony. He’d been much blunter, he thought, with Bella, so why couldn’t she take a simple no for an answer? He was not about to make any further explanations about his decision to either Bella or Toni here in the pub. There was an awkward silence for a few moments until Ned eventually said, ‘Can I get you girls another drink? Wine for you Bella, and you’re still with the mineral water, Toni? I think I need a beer.’ And with that he made his way over to the bar. He knew that while he was away, Bella would be talking about him to Toni. And as he took their drinks back to the table, he could hear their conversation quite clearly as the noise in the hotel was beginning to die down.
‘So how did you meet my brother?’ Bella was saying.
‘It was when he had the car accident,’ replied Toni.
Bella paled visibly. ‘Car accident? Ned never told us about an accident! What happened?’
‘Bella, I’m fine,’ said Ned, setting down their glasses on the table. ‘I skidded off the road trying to avoid some birds. The car was a write-off and Toni, who is the physio at the hospital here, was the one who found me and brought me into Cooktown. I was over it very quickly and I didn’t want to tell either you or Mum because you would fuss and there was nothing to fuss about.’
‘It’s not about “fussing”, Ned,’ Bella said quietly. ‘Mum and I love you. We would just have wanted to hear you were okay. I wish you had called.’
Ned looked away awkwardly. ‘So, tell me, little sister, how did you find me?’
‘It wasn’t all that hard. Once I knew you’d performed in Cairns, I headed north, and after one false start I contacted your Cairns backing band, who said you were going to Cooktown, and so here I am.’
‘I see,’ said Ned neutrally.
There was an awkward silence. Ned could see Toni was puzzled by the tension at the table, but he just couldn’t make polite conversation at the moment.
Suddenly Bella stood up. ‘Look, you two, I’m actually feeling a bit tired. I don’t know what it is about holidays that make you feel so bushed – probably the sensory overload.’ She picked up her bag and slung it over her arm. ‘Anyway, Ned, it was great to see you perform again. It was a good concert. Perhaps we could all have lunch tomorrow? Although I don’t want to impose on your time together,’ she added.
‘Of course you’re not imposing,’ Toni said hurriedly. ‘There’s a seafood place down on the river that Ned and I like to go to. The fishing boats come right up to it, so you can’t miss it. Say around twelve thirty?’
Bella put her hand on Ned’s shoulder. ‘That sounds like a good idea. I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow.’
With that, Bella made her way downstairs, leaving Ned feeling nonplussed. He looked down at his beer and frowned, not meeting Toni’s eye. He was not only annoyed with Bella’s unasked-for reappearance in his life, but now he was also likely to have Toni asking him about his father. At the same time, deep down, he also felt guilty about his sister. He really should have been pleased to see her – after all, he was very fond of her – but her presence meant his conflicted feelings about Alex were harder to ignore.
Ned was so wrapped up in his thoughts that it took him a while to notice that Toni was also very quiet. There were only a handful of patrons left in the hotel, and just as Ned and Toni were about to go, two of them came over to chat with Ned. They were so enthusiastic about his music that when they all finally left, Ned felt on an adrenalin high. People really did seem to like his style of music.
Walking up the steps to Toni’s verandah, he tried to lighten the mood by saying, ‘That was some night, Toni. The audience was really appreciative. Wish I could keep them around all the time.’
‘Yes, you certainly wowed them at the pub,’ replied Toni flatly as she opened her front door. ‘You know, I’m feeling like your sister – I’m a bit tired. I might have an early night, if you don’t mind.’
‘No, not at all,’ said Ned. He was puzzled. He kissed her on the cheek as she disappeared into the bedroom. Now that he thought about it, Toni had been a bit distant ever since he’d arrived that morning. It wasn’t that
she was unaffectionate, but earlier in the day when he’d been talking to her, she’d occasionally seemed somewhat distracted, as though she was thinking of something else, and a couple of times he had caught her looking into the distance as though she was trying to work out some sort of puzzle. When he had asked her if everything was all right at work, she had seemed astonished by his question and had replied in a surprised voice that of course it was. He’d dismissed the exchange at the time, but now Ned worried that the problem, whatever it was, concerned him. When he joined her in bed later, she was sound asleep. But the next morning, Toni seemed bright and happy and said she was looking forward to having lunch with Bella. Perhaps she had just been a bit tired.
*
The water was a deep turquoise and a fishing trawler, freshly hosed down, rocked gently by the wharf. Large empty baskets which had recently held freshly caught prawns were stacked on its deck like giants’ hats.
Ned could see Bella sitting at the window of the seafood restaurant looking at the tranquil scene. Once again he was suffused with mixed feelings by her presence. He parked the car and he and Toni walked towards the restaurant.
‘She’s here already. I hope she hasn’t been here too long,’ said Toni.
‘Well, if she has, it’s her own fault. We told her what time to meet us,’ replied Ned grumpily.
Toni glanced at him. ‘Why are you so down on your sister for coming up here to Cooktown? I gather you two haven’t seen each other for a while and I think it’s lovely she’s spending some of her well-earned break with you,’ said Toni.
‘Yeah, really generous of her,’ replied Ned. ‘Still, it might have been simpler if she hadn’t.’ He let go of Toni’s hand and shoved his own into his pocket.
Toni stopped walking and faced him. ‘Why’s that? I think I’d be pleased if my sister took the time to visit me.’
‘Toni, I have my reasons. Please don’t jump to conclusions when you don’t know the full story.’
‘Sorry, I’m not judging you at all,’ said Toni, holding up her hands. ‘I just thought your reaction to Bella’s arrival would be different. But then maybe we don’t know each other very well, do we . . .’ she added quietly.
Ned took his hand from his pocket and reached out and squeezed her arm. He wondered if Toni’s distant behaviour the previous day meant that in fact Toni had been judging him, and maybe she had found him wanting. ‘I’m working on knowing you better, Toni.’
‘Then be nice to your sister,’ Toni said under her breath as they entered the restaurant. Bella waved to them and they made their way over to her table.
‘Hope you had a good night’s sleep,’ said Toni as they greeted each other and sat down.
Bella nodded enthusiastically. ‘Yes, I crashed. I’m starving now, though. This is a cute place – I like how the fishing boats can tie up right out the front.’
‘Speaking of fish, did I tell you I caught a beauty last week?’ Ned said, deciding to make an effort to be pleasant. ‘At night too, so it was a bit of a song and dance. Someone told me to stick a fishing reel into a bucket, so I did, and when the fish struck, the reel went off like a rocket. The bucket rolled along the bank. I heard it go and raced down to the river and landed the fish. Fed me for two days.’
‘Sounds exciting.’ Bella smiled, but didn’t sound enthusiastic.
‘What did you do this morning? Anything interesting?’ Ned asked Bella as she scanned the menu.
‘Not really. It’s too hot to do much. I had a good talk to Mum. She was happy to hear that we’re catching up.’
‘What would you like to drink, girls?’ Ned asked, pointedly changing that subject.
‘I think I’ll just have a lime juice,’ replied Toni. ‘I’m thirsty and it’s so hot. Makes you really wish that the weather would break and we’d get the wet season to cool things down.’
‘White wine would be lovely,’ said Bella. ‘Sav blanc if they have it. Mum sends her love and hopes your composing is coming on.’
Ned frowned, certain he detected an implied criticism in Bella’s words. ‘I’m going to call Mum later today,’ he said defensively.
There was an uncomfortable silence until the waiter appeared and they ordered calamari rings to start with, followed by fresh grilled fish and salad.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Toni as the waiter moved away, ‘but you’ll have to excuse me for a moment. There’s a patient of mine over there. He’s terrible about keeping appointments and I want to talk to him here where he can’t escape.’ Toni headed across the room.
‘I like Toni,’ said Bella. ‘She seems very bright and kind. How are things going between you two? Is she just going to be another notch on your belt?’
‘I don’t think that it’s any of your business, Bella.’
‘I just don’t want you hurting Toni. She seems so nice.’
Ned could feel his temper rising. ‘She is nice. And you know what, Bella? It might surprise you to learn that I’m nice too. Look out, here she comes.’ He gave Toni a smile. ‘How did you go with your patient?’
Toni laughed. ‘It seems that he never told his wife about any of those appointments. Well, she knows about them now, so I expect I’ll see him on time, every time, in the future.’ Toni sat down again. ‘Ned, I meant to ask you sooner. Are you having fun with the Bish’s box?’
‘What is the Bish’s box?’ asked Bella curiously.
Ned quickly explained about the box and the letters inside. ‘Sister Evangelista paints terrific word pictures of this place as it was more than a hundred years ago. For a nun, she seemed like a pretty spunky woman.’
‘I don’t think you should describe a nun like that,’ said Toni with a smile.
‘I’ll look forward to reading those letters, too, when I visit this hideout of yours, Ned,’ said Bella.
Ned gave Bella a noncommittal look. He hadn’t asked her to stay with him and he knew that time spent with her would only lead to arguments. But since Bella knew he’d asked Toni out to the river house, he couldn’t think of an excuse to refuse to extend his sister the same courtesy. He felt trapped. He was tempted not to mention the two intruders as he didn’t want to put Toni off, so he said nothing. Besides, he’d seen nothing more of the two men, so he had the feeling that it was probably just a one-off event. Maybe, he thought hopefully, Bella would find Carlo’s place too rustic and remote and be quickly bored.
The table was silent for a moment until Ned finally said, ‘I’m not sure you’ll like it out there, Bella, but if you really want to come, we’ll have to leave town by eight sharp, tomorrow morning. Have you got a four-wheel drive?’
‘No, just a small hatchback.’
‘Perhaps you could leave it at the motel and we can travel out together in my car. It’s more suited to the rough tracks.’
‘Bella, you can leave your car at my place, if you like,’ said Toni.
‘That would be terrific,’ said Bella. ‘Then it’s settled. Do let me know if there’s anything special I need to get in the way of supplies.’
‘No. I did a huge shop last time I was in town, so the house is well stocked. But Bella, I hope you’re not expecting anything too glamorous, and there’s nothing much out there to do, so bring a book.’
There hadn’t been much choice about inviting Bella to the river house, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Perhaps when Bella accepted that he was adamant about not returning home for his father’s ceremony, the subject would be dropped and they could have a few companionable days together. Perhaps.
Outside the restaurant, Toni asked Bella, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come round to my place and have dinner with us tonight?’
‘Thank you, Toni, but it’s not necessary. I’ll be eating three meals a day with Ned for the next week! Besides, after that lunch, a piece of toast will do me tonight.’ She briefly hugged Toni goodbye, and kissed Ne
d on the cheek. ‘Tomorrow at eight. I’m looking forward to having a few days with you, Ned,’ she said, as she climbed into her car.
Ned waved her goodbye and then he and Toni drove back to Toni’s place.
‘All right with you if I ring my mother?’ he asked when they arrived. When Toni nodded, Ned walked out onto the verandah so as not to disturb Toni and rang Josie. Yes, he told his mother when she answered, he had been very pleased to see Bella and he had asked her to come and stay with him for a few days. His mother seemed to be happy with that piece of news. She talked to him about his concert and his progress with his composing, but she made no mention about his returning home. Maybe, Ned thought, after he’d hung up and was gazing out at the small clouds congregating in the distance, Josie had resigned herself to the fact that he would definitely be a non-starter, and had given up asking. Oddly enough, this thought made Ned feel quite uncomfortable.
Ned and Toni did little that afternoon except sit relaxing together on Toni’s lounge, talking quietly. Toni was full of admiration for Ned’s performance the night before and was very complimentary. She seemed completely normal, so Ned put aside his doubts and just enjoyed her company. With his arm around her, he said, ‘So you’re still happy to come out to Carlo’s place next weekend?’
‘Of course. I’m quite curious about what’s out there.’
‘Bella might still be there.’
‘I don’t mind. I like your sister.’
‘Good, and even if she is still there, it won’t stop me from driving into town to collect you.’
‘Ned, that’s silly. I know how to get to the Golden Mile, so why don’t I meet you there? I could even leave my car at the roadhouse and let you drive me the rest of the way to Carlo’s. I think that might be the easiest plan.’
‘I can’t wait to have another weekend with you, Toni. I really like being with you,’ said Ned softly.
‘I’m pleased you feel that way, Ned,’ answered Toni, and she smiled gently at him. She looked as though she wanted to say something more, but didn’t. Instead she leaned across and kissed him.