The Opal Desert

by Di Morrissey

  ‘What books did you bring for me?’ asked Stefan.

  ‘I am looking forward to reading them.’

  ‘A mixture. Donald Horne’s book about Australia, called The Lucky Country. A very funny book written a few years ago by John O’Grady about the life of an Italian migrant. And then there’s I, the Aboriginal, by Douglas Lockwood.’

  ‘So has an Aboriginal written his autobiography?’ asked Stefan.

  Shirley smiled. ‘Not exactly, he told it to Douglas Lockwood. It’s about an Aboriginal man who crossed from his traditional culture to the white man’s world in the 1950s. Reading his story will give you a wider knowledge of what is happening to Aborigines in Australia, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.’

  ‘I don’t have a lot of knowledge about Aboriginal people. It is very hard to meet them. I hear conflicting stories,’ he added diplomatically. ‘So I would like to read more.’

  ‘Indeed. Maybe we can talk more about it later, when you’ve read the book.’

  ‘You have been very kind to me.’ Stefan hesitated. ‘Do I call you Sister Mason?’

  ‘No, of course not. I’m Shirley.’

  He studied her. ‘You are very clever, very kind. Why are you helping me?’ he said. ‘I am nobody.’

  ‘Don’t say that. I know a lot about you, and it seems that we have something in common.’ She smiled at his raised eyebrow. ‘I gather, from your records, that you were in a mining accident in Lightning Ridge.’ He nodded and she went on. ‘I am very fond of Lightning Ridge and the opal fields. I went there with my father when I was a little girl.’

  Stefan’s face broke into a huge smile. ‘Is that so? Were you mining for opals?’

  ‘Indeed. We found some beautiful opals but our mine was ratted. My father was really angry.’

  Stefan shook his head. ‘Terrible, terrible thing. It still goes on. In fact, the ratters are quite organised now. How long since you have been back to the Ridge?’

  ‘Too long. It was my father’s dream that when he retired he would take up opal mining again. Actually, after the ratting incident, we moved to Opal Lake. He took up a lease there and we always planned to go back, but, well, life gets in the way. The war, family, work, and then my father died before he retired, so he never had the chance to fulfil his dreams, but I’ve sort of inherited them.’

  ‘You would go back to the opal fields? To mine? To live?’ asked Stefan in surprise.

  ‘I’ve got a good job here at the hospital, a lot of responsibility,’ said Shirley. ‘But I still have the lease on my father’s mine and sometimes I think about going back. Finding opal was very exciting.’

  ‘Oh, I know that very well. Even though this accident was terrible, I can’t wait to return.’

  ‘I’ve read the report of the accident, but it’s a bit sketchy. What happened exactly?’ asked Shirley.

  Stefan picked up his mug of coffee and curled his hands around it, looked thoughtful, then drew a breath and began to speak as if it was a great relief to tell his story. ‘I was living in Sydney, working for another Yugoslav as a builder’s labourer, but I started to hear about people heading to the outback, looking for minerals and finding a fortune.

  I thought my engineering background might help me.’

  ‘Did you make any big mineral discoveries?’

  He shook his head. ‘No. I didn’t even get very far out west because I heard about some big opal fields that were doing well, so I went to Lightning Ridge. It is an extraordinary place and I liked it. I found an Australian partner. It made the work faster and easier. We were working in an old, large mine that had been abandoned, but we were sure that it hadn’t been worked out. It was a pretty big excavation, and we had some machinery so my partner wanted to tunnel in further, but I was concerned about the weight bearings. I told him that we needed to put in wooden supports.’

  Shirley nodded. ‘Yes, yes. I know what you mean.’

  ‘I went to get some timber, but when I came back my partner was going crazy, digging at the stone pillar that was holding up the roof. He said that he’d found some colour and he knew that he was going to find good opal.’

  ‘I can see it.’

  Stefan held up his hands in a gesture of dismay. ‘I shouted out, “What do you think you’re doing?” And he said there was good opal. And the next minute I heard a crack, like a groan, a sigh from the earth, and I realised what was going to happen. I dropped the timber and ran, calling to him to get out, too.’

  ‘And the pillar broke?’

  Stefan’s face grimaced at the memory. ‘I will never forget that sound. The roof collapsed and, although I ran as fast as I could, the edge of the cave-in landed on me.’ He paused. ‘They dug me out with a crushed leg, but my partner . . . well, he died with his opals.’

  Shirley was quiet a moment. ‘Men cheat and thieve and die for opals. For some it is a passion, an obsession, that never goes away. And so you will go back.’

  Stefan smiled at her. ‘I see that you understand. And you already know the answer.’

  Shirley smiled at Kerrie as she reminisced.

  They had finished the wine, so Kerrie put the kettle on for a cup of tea. While she was waiting for it to boil, she pulled her sketchpad from her bag. ‘May I sketch you, Shirley?’

  ‘Me? Goodness. Whatever for? But go ahead.’

  Kerrie was fascinated by the changing expressions on Shirley’s weatherworn face. While Shirley talked, Kerrie made a pencil drawing of her face, which softened as she continued her story, strands of grey hair escaping from the twisted knot on top of her head.

  ‘That was how it started,’ said Shirley. ‘We found we had so much to talk about. I was keen to hear how Lightning Ridge had changed, the new fields and finds that had happened. I told him about Opal Lake, and the little dugout that my father had made, which now belonged to me. We talked and talked over the next few weeks as he recovered from the mining accident, and I found that I had a lot to think about.’

  ‘What happened when Stefan left hospital?’ asked Kerrie.

  Shirley smiled.

  ‘Well, that looks to be it, Mr Doric. When you’ve seen the bursar downstairs to settle your account, you’re free to go. I bet you’ll be pleased to see the end of us. If you want to, you can get a taxi from the front of the main building.’

  ‘Thank you, Nurse. I’ll take Mr Doric downstairs as I’m headed that way,’ said Shirley as she appeared in the doorway of the ward.

  ‘Yes, sister. Goodbye, Mr Doric, good luck.’ The nurse hurried out the door, giving Shirley an odd look.

  Shirley smiled. ‘I couldn’t let you leave my ward without a final goodbye.’

  Stefan had plaster on his ankle but was moving about quite well on crutches, although he was having some trouble holding his small bag. He looked at Shirley. ‘So this is where we re-enter our own worlds.’

  ‘That’s one way of putting it . . . If you like, we could continue our friendship. You’ll be in Sydney for a bit longer and I could see you again,’ said Shirley bluntly. ‘To continue our book discussions. I’ve enjoyed them.’

  Relief swept over Stefan’s face. ‘I would enjoy that, too. Is it always part of your job to be so nice to patients?’

  Shirley smiled. ‘No, Stefan, I can’t think of another patient I’ve paid this much attention to.’

  ‘Shirley, this is very important to me. We have enjoyed talking and spending time together. When I am able, would you allow me to take you out somewhere? I can manage the crutches quite well, so I want to take you somewhere that’s my idea.’

  ‘So you don’t feel like an invalid,’ said Shirley gently. ‘Yes, Stefan, I’d like that.’

  Shirley was glad she was in her starched uniform, for it gave her a sense of normality when, in fact, her heart was racing, and she felt flushed and distracted. It had taken some time for her to admit how she felt about Stefan and how much she enjoyed spending time with the gentle and intelligent Croatian. At first the attraction had simply been ba
sed on the link with her past, and their shared knowledge of the lure of the opal fields, but their conversations had expanded and taken them into territory as diverse as history, astronomy, zoology and music. They found that, while they had many things in common, their differences seemed an invitation to learn more about each other.

  As Shirley walked slowly with him towards the lift, he said, ‘Would dinner one evening suit you? Tell me when you are free.’

  Shirley concentrated on the lift button, glad that he couldn’t see her face. ‘How ridiculous I am,’ she thought. ‘I feel like a sixteen year old.’

  She had given up the idea of ever finding a man who attracted her. At forty she’d resigned herself to not finding anyone to whom she could relate but here was Stefan, the same age as she was, single, extremely good looking and clearly interested in her.

  And so began the courtship of Shirley Mason. The nurses on her ward watched her transformation in some astonishment. She now seemed softer, happier. She was no longer available to work long, late, extra shifts, as she’d done before.

  ‘Do you really think she has a man?’ asked one.

  ‘I think that she’s been picky and scared men off. Mind you, I’ve seen her out of uniform and she’s attractive, if she gets her hair done,’ commented another. ‘But I bet she’ll fall heavily since she’s left her run so late.’

  ‘I wonder who he is?’

  ‘I heard she was a bit keen on that Yugoslav fellow that had the mining accident. I never thought she’d fall for a patient. She’s always been so professional and kept her distance.’

  ‘Ooh, he was handsome. But I’m not sure about these foreigners.’

  If Shirley suspected she was being gossiped about, she ignored it. Away from work she felt like a young woman, for the relationship between her and Stefan had grown into a full-blown romance. They went to the movies and out to dinner, Shirley gently helping him to walk as the strength in his legs returned. They talked easily and at length about everything under the sun. But as soon as he was walking with greater confidence, he began to plan his return to Lightning Ridge.

  When Stefan discussed leaving, Shirley was shocked by her sense of loss and the passionate feelings he had aroused in her. She had fallen deeply in love.

  ‘I’ll miss you,’ she finally confessed. ‘Stefan, I’ve never felt like this before. Am I being silly?’ She turned to him and he kissed her with equal longing.

  ‘If I find a large parcel of opals . . . would you come and join me?’ he asked hesitantly.

  ‘Yes. I would,’ said Shirley firmly. And suddenly she knew that that was what she wanted to do.

  She could take long-service leave. She could resign. She could start a new life. She knew she had to grasp this opportunity with both hands as fast and as hard as she could.

  Her whole world seemed changed. The settled life she’d imagined herself leading until she retired was now shaken and stirred. She’d never seen herself with a partner and had assumed that she’d missed the boat. But now she couldn’t believe what had happened to her, how her feelings for Stefan continued to grow and almost overwhelm her. Never, ever, did she believe that she would fall so utterly, totally, blindly in love. Things like this didn’t happen to her. Had never happened. She felt like a silly adolescent.

  She couldn’t stop smiling. When she woke each morning, instead of leaping straight out of bed to head to work, she rolled over and hugged her pillow as the foggy, erotic dreams of Stefan cleared and she knew that she hadn’t imagined him, that he was real flesh and blood. How had this wonderful, handsome, sexy man fallen into her life? She knew that he loved her back with equal passion and tenderness.

  She moved through the days at the hospital as if by rote, years of training setting her on autopilot, while she relived every moment of the last time she’d been with Stefan. She savoured the smallest details, the expression in his eyes, the touch of his hands, his lips, the gentle caresses, how he softly sang a Croatian love song to her. If this was love, then it had all been worth waiting for.

  As she soaped her body in the shower, she eyed herself critically. She had good legs, firm large breasts and a nicely defined waistline. She’d never considered herself beautiful or even pretty like some of the young nurses that she had worked with, and she’d never fussed over the latest hairdos or fashions, for there had been no one to impress. But Stefan told her that he liked her healthy naturalness and assured her that she was extremely attractive.

  Nonetheless when they weren’t together she felt as though she was only existing, marking time, until she was with Stefan, reassured by his presence that he was real and that he loved her. Shirley sometimes wondered if she was going crazy and whether she would eventually come back down to earth, even though she never wanted these intense and unfamiliar, but wonderful, emotions to leave her.

  One Sunday afternoon after they’d been to see a French film, where she discovered that Stefan spoke French quite well, they made love back at Shirley’s place.

  Afterwards as he stubbed out his cigarette, he said,

  ‘I have to leave, I will call you and see you soon. I promised Miro I would help him.’

  ‘Your builder friend? The one you used to work for?’

  ‘Yes. He used to be an architect in the old country, but now he makes cheap houses that he despises. But it is a living.’ He kissed her long and ardently, finally pulling away with a slight smile. ‘Ah, Shirley, Shirley. If I don’t leave now you’ll tempt me again.’

  She watched him walk down the path to the front gate, so straight and tall, although he still moved a little stiffly. His shoulders were broad, stretching the fabric of his flannel shirt, but his back tapered to a narrow waist and slim hips. His long legs, in faded jeans, ended in the soft leather loafers that he favoured. While he dressed casually, he had an air, a style about him. The way he carried himself suggested that he was unaware of his own good looks.

  She could picture his light blue-green eyes, his chestnut hair, and feel his smooth olive skin that a short time before had excited her as she’d clutched his naked body to her own. As though he could sense her eyes burning into him, Stefan turned, blew her a kiss and flashed her a wide smile.

  She hated to see him leave. Shirley wondered what he was doing every moment he was away from her. Wrapping her cotton robe around her bare skin she went back to the table where two wineglasses stood beside the remains of a meal. She picked up the cigarette he hadn’t finished and, even though she didn’t smoke, placed it between her lips, trying to retrieve his kiss.

  ‘I’m going crazy,’ she thought. ‘I can’t go on like this. I’ll have to go with him.’

  *

  ‘You are sure you wish to come away with me?’ Stefan asked Shirley for the umpteenth time. ‘You know the accommodation and lifestyle is very rough in Lightning Ridge, although we can stay in a shack belonging to another of my countrymen who has gone to South Australia to try his luck there.’ Stefan held Shirley’s hands and gazed into her eyes, making her tremble.

  She didn’t care what the conditions were like at Lightning Ridge. All she wanted was to be with him twenty-four hours a day. She hoped he wasn’t having second thoughts. ‘Stefan, I do remember what it’s like out there. And it doesn’t matter. So long as we are together.’

  He smiled. ‘I agree. But you are a beautiful, talented lady of good standing. Not like some of the women who come out to the Ridge. I mean, they have good hearts and are hard workers, but they aren’t like my Shirley.’

  ‘I have never forgotten how much I loved the opal fields. Not just the hunt for opals, but the lifestyle, the space and beauty. Why do you think I kept up the payments on my father’s lease for so long? Because one day I knew I’d return,’ she said. ‘And I can’t think of anything more romantic than to be out there with you.’

  ‘Everyone will be very surprised when I come back with someone as lovely as you.’

  Shirley tilted her head and studied him. ‘Stefan, why me? Why haven’t you f
ound someone else before now?’

  He shrugged. ‘Who is to say how these things happen? Perhaps if I were still in my own country, I might have settled down. But in Australia I like the freedom that prospecting gives me. I am not an office person. And you say, why you? Because, my Shirley, you are warm and kind and loving. You are intelligent and educated, so we can talk and you make me laugh.’ He leant over and kissed her lightly. ‘And, you are like me.’

  ‘You think so?’ She looked at him quizzically.

  ‘Yes. I think so. We might come from different backgrounds but I think we enjoy the same things, we have similar beliefs and desires, we enjoy each other’s company and we love opals, so perhaps that is why I will give up my independence for you.’

  ‘Oh, well, that clinches it, doesn’t it!’ laughed Shirley.

  Shirley followed Stefan out to the opal fields a month after he left. As each kilometre disappeared beneath the car tyres, Shirley’s excitement, and anxiety, grew. But as soon as she drove into Lightning Ridge she felt a huge sense of relief and calm. And as she pulled up to the Hidden Opal Café, where they’d arranged to meet, Shirley saw Stefan sitting at a small table outside, reading a newspaper, his long legs stretched in front of him. This was the man who was waiting for her to join him to start a new adventure together. Tears sprang to her eyes and she pulled the car up to the kerb behind a lorry so he couldn’t see her.

  Composing herself, she slid from behind the wheel and strolled to where Stefan was immersed in his paper. Shirley was almost at the table before he glanced up. He immediately jumped to his feet and in two strides had his arms around her, holding her tightly.

  ‘You are late. I was getting worried that something had happened to you, or that you had changed your mind.’ Before she could answer, he kissed her, and then kissed her again with such intensity that she felt as though he was drawing her into him.