The Reef

by Di Morrissey

‘Mum, you shouldn’t be spending your money. I’ll go round and find things I need.’ And that Ilike.

  ‘Oh, I’ve been picking them up at the stalls on a Saturday morning. The CWA ladies do nice handiwork. And there are so many clever things out for babies now. Not like when you were little. I barely had the basics,’ she said. ‘When I think of how I had to wash your nappies . . .’

  ‘Well, that was then. Today’s different.’ Jennifer was brisk. I am not being held responsible for your suffering.

  The following morning Christina looked and sounded brighter, and insisted on getting up and having breakfast with Jennifer.

  ‘So what are we doing today, dear?’

  ‘You’re staying in bed and resting. I’ve made an appointment with my doctor and yours. And I’ll stock up on groceries.’

  ‘I’m sorry to be a nuisance. I suppose I should learn to drive, but things are close and the local taxi man is very nice.’

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about it now, Mum. When do Vi and Don get here?’

  ‘In a few weeks, I think. Won’t that be lovely, all being together for a visit with the new baby. They seemed quite disappointed not to get to that island, for some reason.’

  It’s a resort where people go on holiday, to relax, to have a good time in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. ‘I’ll make a list and see you round lunchtime.’

  Jennifer rang Beverly and arranged to meet for a coffee after doing the shopping.

  ‘Hi Beverly. Glad you’re not on duty. Now, you’re a nurse, what’s going on with my mother?’

  ‘I checked for you. Doesn’t seem to be anything serious. She still sneaks a cigarette or two but I don’t think she eats properly. You know how it is with people who live alone. She’s very thin. The tan makes her look fitter than she is. She’s low in iron and zinc.’

  ‘I thought that was old people. Mum’s only in her early sixties.’

  ‘She says she’s lonely. She’s looking forward to having you at home with the baby. And I think she’s actually pleased you’ve broken up with Blair.’

  ‘I know that. But, Bev, I’m not moving back in with my mother. For a start, a little baby will probably drive her nuts. Crying, up in the night for feeds, all that stuff. She’s forgotten that part of it. I’m heading back to the island as soon as I can. I’ll have to come over for post-natal checks.’

  ‘Mmm, maybe something can be arranged. I could be the assigned nurse and visit you on the island. Be nice to stay over a night with Rosie. The doctor prefers the nurse to go to the mother and baby. I’ll see what I can do.’

  ‘Oh, that would be so great. In the meantime, I’ll have to get Mum back on her feet.’

  ‘Jennifer, your mother isn’t as lonely as you think. She has a lot of friends at the tennis club and there’s a bloke who’s a bit keen on her. He drives her places, takes her out, but she won’t take him seriously for some reason.’

  ‘I wish she had a boyfriend,’ said Jennifer. ‘It’d make my life easier. She’s always put me first and then complains at having no life and makes me feel guilty.’

  Beverly laughed. ‘Good ol’ Christina, she can be a lot of fun, but she’s a feisty devil and likes to be the centre of attention despite being the martyr. You get on with your life. Though it sounds as if you’re doing just that. I have to admire you.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ve learned a lot from Isobel.’

  Jennifer paid for their coffee and they parted, with Beverly promising to talk to Jennifer’s doctor and the head of nursing to set up her post-natal visit on the island.

  Jennifer loaded the groceries into the car and decided to walk to the Italian greengrocer for fresh fruit and vegetables. Her mother bought too much tinned stuff. The greengrocery was in a strip with a delicatessen, a bakery, a cafe and a coffee shop with sidewalk tables. It was crowded, as it was lunchtime. Jennifer glanced casually at the outdoor tables and pulled up as she spotted one group.

  In a corner, under an umbrella, she recognised Tony, even though he had his back to her. He was in an intense conversation with Fanzio and Holding. The last email she had from Tony he was at his house at the beach up north. So why was he here? Why hadn’t he contacted her, and why was he with these men? Of course he didn’t know she was on the mainland, but, even so, Jennifer’s dislike of these two smooth-talking executives put Tony in a bad light in her mind.

  She hurried past with her head averted, hoping they didn’t see her.

  Christina was making a rapid recovery, even insisting on taking Jennifer down to meet her pals at the tennis club. Jennifer acquiesced, hoping she might meet the man keen on her mother. Christina, while showing off Jennifer, was inflating the importance of her research, and her brave and adventurous spirit – ‘living on an almost deserted island and pregnant too! You should hear her adventures. There’s some big secret submarine undersea spy thing happening too, isn’t that right, dear?’

  ‘Not quite, it’s an oceanographic survey with one of the world’s top marine biologists.’

  ‘Oh, that woman,’ Christina said dismissively. ‘Goodness me, people do that sort of thing all the time.’ Christina was always instantly an expert on any subject touched upon. And always wrong.

  ‘I thought there was some fabulous resort on Branch Island,’ said one of the men.

  ‘There is,’ smiled Jennifer. ‘My husband, well, soon-to-be-ex-husband, is working there. I live far more humbly in the research station facilities.’ She stopped, aware of the shocked faces around her, including her mother’s furious expression.

  ‘Ex-husband? You and Blair . . . ?’ The question from one of the women hung in the air, as everyone listened with great interest. Christina, always boasting about her daughter, hadn’t shared this bit of news. Her mother busied herself around the tea urn, her back to the rest of them.

  Jennifer gave a nonchalant shrug as best she could. ‘It’s sad and difficult, but we thought it best as our careers and lives are going in such different directions. We’re friends, and Blair will be involved in the baby’s life. These things happen . . . I guess.’ Her sentence tapered away as the expressions of her mother’s friends didn’t alter. After an awkward pause everyone began talking at once and tea was served.

  Twenty-four hours later Jennifer drove down to the waterfront and sat in her car and looked at the boats. She was upset and hoped the scene might calm her before she went back to her mother’s apartment.

  Christina had made a rapid recovery and, despite being prescribed a few supplements, she’d been pronounced fit and well. She was making lists of baby needs, what Jennifer should take to the hospital and food supplies for her confinement. The thought of forty days and nights with a newborn in her mother’s unit did not sound attractive and Jennifer thought she’d put off telling Christina she planned to return to the island after the birth until she was ready to leave.

  But now things had changed. The visit to the doctor this time had not gone so well and she’d had a nasty surprise.

  ‘Jennifer, it’s nothing to panic about, but given there are three issues that concern me, I want to have you close by so you can be monitored in case there is an emergency. I’m afraid I can’t have you over there on that island with elevated blood pressure, high blood sugar and a slight amniotic leak. One wouldn’t be so bad, but taken overall . . . we don’t want to take any chances, do we?’

  Jennifer was miserable. The thought of spending these last weeks cooped up in the unit with Christina, instead of on the sunny, fresh and peaceful island, was anathema to her. But she knew she couldn’t risk it. She’d talked it over with Beverly, who, being the responsible nurse she was, agreed that she must be close to medical care.

  As she sat there feeling teary and alone, her mobile rang, making her jump. She’d become so used to not having it with her. What did Christina want now?

  ‘Oh Tony! This is a surprise.’ Jennifer kept her voice neutral. She was still wondering about his secret meeting with the slick boys.

  ‘Liste
n, I’m in Headland, been here a couple of days. I just rang Rosie to get a message to you and she said you’re here too. Where are you?’

  ‘Down by the wharf. I’d love to see you.’ Relief washed over her that he hadn’t been hiding anything. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I think I’m closing in on something. I’ll come down there. See you in the coffee shop by Vera’s reception area.’

  She gave him a big hug when she arrived and Tony gave her a long look.

  ‘What’s up?’ he asked, sounding concerned. ‘You look upset.’

  ‘Oh, do I? Well . . .’ She spilled the news, letting out some of her fears and frustration.

  He took her hand. ‘Jen, it’s not so bad, and you can’t take a chance. I’m sure everything will be fine, and as soon as possible you can take the baby to the island. Everyone will be there to help out. What’s a baby in the middle of all that chaos. Be no problems. You’ll zip through your final work. And get fit and healthy in no time. Swimming is great exercise.’

  She smiled gratefully. ‘You make it sound so simple. Even the swimming part. I do want to get slim as soon as I can.’ She patted her tummy.

  ‘I think you look gorgeous. Brown and healthy and glowing, as they say. And you know what I’ve learned now? Life is as simple or as complicated as you want, or make it.’

  ‘Thanks, Tony. So, what’ve you dug up?’

  ‘Ah. Now, at present there’s bits of a puzzle. I fronted Fanzio and Holding about their plans for these upmarket sports clubs as there’s no way they can make it happen. On Branch anyway. But they have formed a company off-shore and they do have a lot of capital. Oddly, they haven’t produced anything too concrete in the way of a prospectus, plans, whatever. So it’s a front, but for what. I’m thinking possibly gambling, a casino or something. There are a few floating casinos around.’

  ‘Why are you so interested in the slick boys? And why can’t they set up a private club on Branch? If it’s not going to conflict with the Branch Resort?’ asked Jennifer.

  ‘For a start, the last thing the reef needs is more development out on the islands. And I’ve had some very productive talks with Patch. He’s given me information on tape and in writing that’s . . . useful.’ Tony didn’t seem to want to elaborate. ‘You haven’t had time to read all the material or listen to the tapes I gave you – for God’s sake don’t lose them. I have copies but I don’t want anyone else to know what we know.’

  ‘All sounds very mysterious,’ said Jennifer. ‘Are Reef Resorts International on the up and up? Does Rosie know about this?’

  ‘The main company is legit. These two slick characters are using their position with the resort and through Lloyd’s dad I’ve found they have a close connection with a certain customs officer with a shady reputation. But what they’re up to swanning around on Kicking Back, I’m not sure.’

  Jennifer was trying to take all this in and one aspect worried her. ‘I can’t help thinking about Blair. He’s convinced they’re going to cut him in and give him some job in one of these flash sports clubs. Branch would be the start of it.’

  ‘Jen. Not Reef Resorts, nor the slick boys, nor anyone else can do anything on Branch Island. It’s privately owned, the resort leases their land with strict guidelines attached.’

  ‘Nature rules, keep it eco friendly, I know,’ said Jennifer. ‘So maybe the owners have changed their mind and have agreed to Fanzio and Holding’s ideas.’

  He studied her for a moment, a faintly amused expression in his eyes. ‘Never. Gideon would never agree to such a thing.’

  ‘Gideon?’

  ‘He owns Branch Island. He comes from a very wealthy old British family. He’s spent his inheritance on building prototypes of the shark mobile. The island cost him peanuts all those years ago. And he’s bequeathed it to the university. Nah, Fanzio and Holding with a few pals like Willsy and that Gordon kid are involved in something else. And I’m going to find out what.’

  Jennifer was digesting this news and then a thought struck her. ‘Oh no. Poor Blair. I’d better let him know the club looks like a pipe dream. Or is he in on all this too?’

  20

  Storm at Sea

  JENNIFER STOOD IN THE doorway of what she called her tree house – the upper floor of the shambling cottage where she’d nested these past months at the near-deserted research station. She’d tidied, packed things in boxes and was now locking the flimsy door. She found it hard to believe when she next came back here she’d be carrying her baby. That they would be two separate entities.

  She trudged down the stairs to where Doyley was waiting in the electric cart with her bag to take her over to the wharf to get the cat. She checked that the downstairs section was locked and for a moment she smelled the aroma of Tony’s favourite coffee and imagined she heard the music he loved to play. It was merely a thrown-together piecemeal dwelling, not cyclone proof or in any way attractive compared to the architectural niceties of the resort. Nestled in the trees with a sandy, leaf-scattered front ‘lawn’, it was part of the village of the research station where no more than twenty-five people could stay at one time – though she’d never seen more than fifteen people in residence in the months she’d been here. The cluttered living quarters, labs, cottages, canteen, outdoor specimen tanks and equipment shed had felt more like a home than anything she’d known since life was safe and simple as a small girl on a faraway farm.

  Rosie hugged her as she got on the boat. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll be watching those nests for you. And I’ll see you and Bev next Sunday. I’ll miss you though. Blair is away, Gideon’s gone on his trip, Lloyd and Carmel are still in Venezuela. Just as well it’s a quiet season.’

  The catamaran slid away from the wharf, the new arrivals wandering down its length, hanging over the railing to marvel at the huge and graceful eagle rays, the fish and the clearness of the water. The resort, hidden in the trees, looked tranquil and a place removed from the workaday world. The sunlight glittered over the submerged necklace of coral, the tiny band of sand gleamed white, all surrounded by the dancing blues and greens of the reef waters.

  As the cat turned into the channel off Coral Point Jennifer saw a lone figure on the empty beach and knew it was Patch. Watching, watching, and waiting – for what? In the lapis lazuli of the outer reef she could make out a distant yacht and the unmistakable opulence of the big cruiser Kicking Back cutting a slash of white foam as it cleaved through the water heading towards Sooty Isle.

  Branch Island disappeared from sight. Jennifer went inside to chat to Vera and have a cup of tea. For the time being she would have to turn her back on the island and these pristine waters, which were now so familiar to her. In Headland Bay Jennifer would have to be patient with her mother, and concentrate on looking after herself and preparing for the actual birth. Thank heavens she had the distraction – and the excuse – of her work. She hoped Tony would be true to his word of driving down to Headland regularly to review things with her. Besides, she was anxious to hear what else he had uncovered.

  Christina’s flat was cramped, with a working space for Jennifer in the living room, plus the baby paraphernalia she had stashed everywhere – she’d even set up a playpen. But Jennifer made admiring and grateful noises. Suddenly she was tired and felt vaguely depressed. She missed the island already.

  Her mother was full of energy and plans for chunks of the day but periodically became reflective, melancholy and negative. These moods were triggered by the sudden recall of an item missing from her life.

  ‘I used to have a picture of you with your grandfather on the farm before he died. It was in a little silver curlicue frame. Who do you suppose would take such a thing?’

  Or,

  ‘Well, dear, I’m sorry I don’t have any precious heirlooms to hand down to your baby. I had things put away, I’m positive. I sometimes wonder what happened to things at Vi and Don’s. Those silly birds of his took up so much space.

  ‘
Where is this child going to grow up and think of as home? I wonder, Jennifer. I know this place isn’t much. Really, just a holiday place. I haven’t had a proper home myself since my parents’ nice little house in Sydney. Oh that farm! I was never a country woman, I have to say. We’ll just have to make do and hope we win the lottery, won’t we? Then we can buy something really nice.’ And with that idea in her head Christina became an ardent purchaser of Art Union lottery tickets in the hope of winning a luxurious five-bedroom brick glamour home in the middle of nowhere surrounded by cane fields.

  To Jennifer’s immense relief Tony phoned and they met for lunch at the growing marina.

  He hugged her. ‘You look a bit tired. These last weeks drag, I suppose.’

  ‘Now they do. Being with my mother in a cooped-up unit is a strain.’

  ‘I got us some lunch – a picnic. Let’s go up the hill to the park.’ In the car he added, ‘I read that last chapter you sent, and love it. You really captured the character of Gideon and Isobel, their passion for that world beneath the sea.’

  ‘Watching the video footage from their dive helped a lot.’

  ‘Where’s your writing talent come from?’

  ‘No idea. I like to think my father taught me to be an observer. Particularly of nature.’

  ‘Your mother got any artistic talents?’

  ‘If she has she never explored them. She always puts herself down. If you admire anyone’s ability at something she’ll say, “Well, of course I never had an opportunity to do something like that.”’

  ‘Oh dear.’

  ‘She wrote me a beautiful letter once. She was away, I don’t know why now, and I was with Vi and Don, and she sent me this really descriptive and interesting letter. I was so thrilled I read it over and over.’ Jennifer was shocked at how painful the memory was still.

  ‘And?’ he asked gently.

  ‘She rang up and asked if I got the letter and I said, “Oh yes.” And then she said, “Did you show it to Vi and Don?” And I said, “No.” Then she got quite cross and said, “But I went to a lot of trouble over that letter. I expected you to show them.”’