The Road Back: A Novel

by Di Morrissey

‘What a wonderful father you are,’ exclaimed Georgia. ‘You must be dog tired yourself.’

  ‘I’ll survive, just as long as I have my daughter safe and sound. I’ll ring you tomorrow and tell you what happened, if that’s all right with you.’

  ‘It certainly is. Goodnight, Chris, and I’m so relieved it all turned out in the best possible way.’

  Chris hung up, thinking to himself what an extremely nice person Georgia was, before he went and spent an uncomfortable night in the chair beside Megan’s bed.

  *

  After Megan was discharged the next day, Susan and David drove up to take them both home. Chris and Megan spent the afternoon sleeping.

  The following morning, Megan seemed little the worse for wear and she happily went to school, ready to tell everyone about her great adventure. Chris returned to work and spent the day thinking about how very lucky both of them had been.

  A few days later, having come home from work early, Chris looked at the blank page that was supposed to contain his notes about Norma. All he really knew about her was that she had been devoted to her profession. Susan was sure that, because of this, she would have maintained some relationship with one of the state nursing organisations.

  Chris had already rung all those he could find, but had not been able to track Norma down. On impulse, though, he decided to try again. It wouldn’t hurt, and it was possible he would get someone else who might be of more help. He knew it would be a pity not to be able to get in touch with Norma.

  So Chris rang the state’s Nurses and Midwives’ Association again. This time Sarah, the woman who answered his query, seemed very happy to help him when Chris explained what he was after. ‘It’s all computerised now, so if she’s been a member in the past, we should be able to find some trace of her.’

  ‘I was hoping that would be the case,’ said Chris and gave her Norma’s name.

  ‘I can’t find anything under that name. Do you know if she got married? She might be registered under her married surname. Sometimes nurses work under their maiden name and sometimes their married one.’

  ‘I suppose she could have. She was a friend of my mother’s. They lost touch but Mum never heard that she got married. I don’t think that my mother thought of her as the marrying kind.’

  ‘Look, leave it with me and I’ll do a bit more of a search.’

  ‘You’re very helpful. I do appreciate it,’ said Chris gratefully.

  Chris headed to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Susan was rolling out pastry for an apple pie.

  ‘Do you think Norma got married?’ he asked her.

  ‘Not that I ever heard. She was such a dedicated midwife. Loved her mothers and their babies. She never once mentioned any boyfriend back in Australia. Norma was a rather serious, no-nonsense sort of person. I mean, that’s not to say she wouldn’t have fallen in love, but somehow I just can’t imagine it.’ Susan suddenly looked at Chris. ‘Gosh, you don’t suppose she has died?’

  ‘It didn’t seem odd to you that she never kept in touch with any of your group?’

  ‘Not really. I didn’t, either.’

  ‘Maybe she didn’t go to the reunions because you didn’t.’

  ‘Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. But we weren’t very close. I wasn’t in Indonesia for all that long, but Norma stayed until her term was up. We did make an effort to get along, even though we had little in common. We all did our best to do that.’ Susan lifted the rolling pin and patted the pastry, then smiled at Chris. ‘We all believed in what we were doing. Do you believe in what you’re doing now?’ she asked quizzically. ‘Do you think you still have some wild living to do? Or are you over travelling, living abroad, dashing from job to job? It’s not my business, you know I’m here for you and Megan no matter what, but I can’t help wondering about your future.’

  ‘You know, Mum, this business with Megan has made me rethink things somewhat. I rather enjoyed my peripatetic life and liked having no ties, leaving my responsibilities for Megan to Jill, but now I see that not only was I selfish, I was missing out. I love having Megan around. She is an absolute joy and I can’t imagine being without her.’ He smiled. ‘But, Mum, if truth be told, it’s the financial issues that concern me most right now. When you have money, you have a lot more options. Without it, your horizons are limited.’

  ‘True. But as long as you sort out your priorities and decide what it is that makes you happy in life, you’ll get there.’

  ‘Well, Megan is my priority, and that’s that,’ Chris replied with conviction.

  Susan nodded as she pressed the top of the pastry over the pile of apples in the pan. ‘Which is the way it should be, but Chris, be aware that time can suddenly evaporate. One day you will look back and wonder where it all went, so don’t leave your decisions too long.’

  ‘Do you feel like that, Mum? That time’s a-wasting?’

  ‘Sometimes I think about that idealistic young girl who went to Indonesia with dreams and an eagerness to make the world a better place. And I saw poverty and struggle, evil and corruption but also hope and inspiration and people with good hearts and patience who believed things would change. But when my heart was broken by terrible events, I raced back to the security of my country. Over time I found peace and joy and happiness. But sometimes I wonder if I should have tried to stick things out. Fulfilled that young girl’s mission.’ She paused thoughtfully, and Chris went and put his arms around her.

  ‘Mum, you are a good person. You’ve lived a valuable life, contributed to the society that is Neverend, raised a family, and been a decent person in every way possible, big and small. I’m proud of you, Mum.’

  Susan wiped her eyes with the tea towel. ‘Thank you, darling, that means a lot to me. I guess we can’t all be as successful as Alan, as generous as Mark, as compassionate as Evan, or as interesting as David, but if we do our bit for the people around us, well, that’s what counts.’ She turned and slid the pie into the oven.

  *

  Over dinner a couple of nights later, Susan remarked, ‘I had a call from Carla this morning, and I mentioned your book. I hope you don’t mind. I told her about the trouble you were having with Alan Carmichael.’

  ‘No, of course I don’t mind your mentioning my book. Tell me, does she know him, by any chance?’

  ‘No, but it seems that she has a friend who was, or still is for all I know, involved in that protest against Alan’s Victorian shopping complex. Evidently he’s an ex-councillor in the town where the complex is being built and he’s had some dealings with International Industries.’

  ‘Really? Now that’s interesting. I wonder if the dealings were good or bad. I might give Carla a ring.’

  ‘I thought you might. Her number is in my address book, on my desk.’

  ‘Excuse me, girls. I’ve a call to make. And don’t eat all the leftover apple pie.’

  Chris spent a long time on the phone and came into the living room afterwards deep in thought.

  Susan turned down the volume on the TV. ‘Was Carla any help? You spoke a long time.’

  ‘Actually, we were talking about her friend Greg, who is a councillor for the town where the mall is going up. She believes from what Greg has told her that there could have been some manipulation going on over the rezoning of the building site.’

  ‘Wouldn’t be the first time that there was doubtful rezoning in local government areas,’ said Susan.

  ‘I don’t know how true it is. I mean, David said that he thought Alan sailed a bit close to the wind at times, so I reckon it’s worth a trip to Melbourne to check it out. I can kill two birds with one stone if I set up an interview with Evan as well. I’m looking forward to meeting him.’

  *

  The following Friday, having squared things with Shaun, Chris flew to Melbourne to meet Carla and her friend Greg Rowland as arranged. They settled into a corner of one of the city’s many coffee shops to talk.

  ‘Are you still a councillor?’ Chris asked Greg, after they’d orde
red coffee.

  ‘Not since the last election. I decided not to run again because I’m getting on a bit, but I’m still pretty up-to-date with what’s been going on.’

  ‘Yes, Greg thought he’d better slow down,’ said Carla, enigmatically.

  Greg didn’t really look the way Chris imagined one of Carla’s friends would look. He was no biker, as evidenced by the neat tie he was wearing under a vest. He’d combed his thinning hair carefully and he held his coffee cup with soft hands.

  ‘Carla says that you have something to do with this protest against Carmichael’s shopping mall,’ Chris said.

  Greg straightened his tie. ‘A lot of the locals don’t like it, don’t want it. They think that the mall will change the character of the town. The main street is full of heritage buildings and it’s a lively place. A shopping mall will draw the traffic away and the town will lose its vibrancy and be left with empty shops. The area where the mall is to go was originally zoned residential, but then there was a submission to have the zoning changed. Some of the councillors, like me, were opposed to the rezoning, but we were outvoted. We were told that the mall would bring a lot more shoppers into the town and so the economy would grow. Now that the decision has been made, many of the locals are up in arms. They think the place will be an eyesore.’

  ‘It won’t be the only town where this has happened,’ said Chris.

  Greg nodded. ‘Of course, the argument is that the development will create more jobs, so there will be more housing and infrastructure and the town will boom, but I’ve seen enough of these developments to know that while they create, they also destroy. There are so many towns and cities in Australia where the growth of shopping malls has ruined the essence of the places they are meant to serve.’

  ‘Hence the rallies against its construction,’ said Carla, pointedly.

  ‘And what does Alan Carmichael say?’ asked Chris.

  ‘I’m not sure that he even bothers to take an interest in it,’ replied Greg.

  ‘You said that you thought some of the councillors had been bribed to change the zoning,’ said Carla in rather a triumphant voice.

  Greg held up a hand. ‘I know I did, because I couldn’t understand why they went along with the rezoning when it would, in my opinion, be detrimental to the future of our town. But honestly, when I think about the councillors who supported the mall, I realise that they simply believed all the bulldust that International Industries told them about how the changes would improve the town’s economy. I can’t say for sure that they were bribed and I certainly couldn’t prove it. In all likelihood these men were too naïve and trusting.’

  Chris felt quite deflated by Greg’s declaration. He had been sure that Greg could tell him something that would give his book some spice and make it more attractive to a publisher. Instead, he had nothing to show for the trip.

  ‘I think that our little mall and our protests are only small fry to International Industries anyway. You know that they have gone into the States in a big way, don’t you? I believe that Alan Carmichael aims to build shopping malls all over the US. The company must have deep pockets,’ said Greg.

  ‘Or know where to access the big money for the large-scale plans he has in mind,’ added Carla.

  ‘It all sounds very ambitious,’ said Chris. ‘That certainly seems to be a major expansion of Alan Carmichael’s business.’

  ‘It’s the lack of consultation that’s got the community riled up,’ said Carla, who was obviously not put off by Greg’s admission that the town council’s decision to back the building of the mall probably had not been corrupt. ‘Someone needs to do a bit of digging to see if there’s anything untoward about how the zoning got changed.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right,’ said Chris, without any real enthusiasm. If a member of the town council who was actually opposed to the building of the mall thought that everything was above board, he doubted there was much of a story to chase.

  ‘We were hoping you might have a bit of a go. You’re the investigative reporter,’ said Carla.

  Chris flung himself back in his seat, lifting his arms. ‘Hey, no way. I’m out of that business.’

  ‘But aren’t you writing about Carmichael and those other fellows your mother knew?’ persisted Carla.

  Chris hesitated. ‘It’s not that sort of story. I mean, I’m not sure that there is a story here at all, but I’ll talk to my agent about it.’

  After leaving the coffee shop, Chris checked his watch. His appointment with Evan wasn’t until later that afternoon, so he decided that he had time to call Georgia.

  ‘I promise I won’t be a pest of an author and bother you all the time, but I met a former councillor from the Victorian town where Alan Carmichael has his development for a mall,’ said Chris. And he outlined what Greg and Carla had said.

  ‘Mmm. Does your mother’s friend Carla actually know anything, or is she just hot under the collar about the development?’

  ‘The latter, I think,’ said Chris.

  ‘Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a mega business deal was connected with murky goings-on. Unfortunately, this sounds like bit of a dead end. All the same, maybe you could look at some of Carmichael’s other developments and see if you can find a pattern. Keep me in the loop and let me know if you find anything.’

  As soon as Georgia had hung up, Chris regretted not saying something more to her. He had rung her on a pretty lame excuse just so he could talk with her, and he had said virtually nothing. She had gone out of her way to see him at Neverend and had shown such concern about Megan, Chris wondered if there was a chance she was interested in him as more than just a client. But then again, Mac had said she was intensely interested in all her clients, so he probably wasn’t so special after all. Nevertheless, Chris thought about their time together in Neverend and how much she had seemed to enjoy his company – almost as much as he had enjoyed hers. If he could just make his book really attention-grabbing, then perhaps he could persuade her to visit Neverend again.

  *

  Dr Evan Llewellyn had agreed to meet Chris at his rooms at the hospital where he was a leading consultant. As he was ushered into Evan’s office, Chris liked him immediately. The doctor rose and came around his desk, hand outstretched. His jacket was rumpled and his tie askew, and his big smile and friendly eyes met Chris’s as he shook his hand. If he were my doctor I’d want to hug him, Chris thought.

  ‘I was so thrilled to see your mother again. Susan was always friendly and great company and nothing has changed even after all these years. Please sit down, Chris.’

  ‘She has very special and happy memories of her time with you all,’ said Chris.

  ‘Well, at least until Jimmy’s tragic death; I suppose you know all about that. It’s little wonder she went home early.’

  ‘I only recently found out about all that. That was a part of her life she never liked to talk about,’ said Chris, pulling up a chair and taking out his notebook and a pen.

  ‘They were terrible times for the people of Indonesia. Sadly we still see similar events happening in other countries today where groups want the power and the profit for themselves at the expense of the poor and the decent who just want to do the best for their families. Water?’

  ‘Yes, please. Did you find it traumatic when you were there? Did you expect the place to be as unsettled as it was?’ asked Chris.

  ‘We did a couple of crash courses before we started our work, but we were woefully unprepared. The poverty, the Indonesian way of life, their culture and the continuing political upheaval was all a bit of a surprise to us. But there were also the good things about the encounter, such as the warmth and hospitality of the people and the knowledge that, as undertrained as we were, we were helping improve lives. It was a worthwhile experience. You may not know it, but I still do a lot of work in emerging countries improving health standards where I can.’

  ‘Yes, Evan, I’ve read about the wonderful things you’ve been doing. I do find it quite intri
guing how successful you, Mark, Alan and David have been in your careers. And I know from when I spoke to you on the phone for the magazine article that you think your time in Indonesia contributed to your success.’

  ‘I always wanted to be a doctor, but that period of my life in Indonesia made me view the world from a slightly different perspective. I think it made me realise how privileged we are to live in Australia. It also made me aware that one person can make a difference. It saddens me today that many Australians take the great advantages this land offers for granted and are not prepared to share our good fortune with people from other countries who do not have it.’ He shook his head and took a sip of water. ‘I’m also saddened that there isn’t a greater closeness between Indonesia and Australia. I thought by now everyone in our country would be studying Indonesian, that there would be a huge two-way exchange of ideas and that Australians would have a better knowledge of the multi-faceted culture of the islands of Indonesia instead of seeing the place just as a cheap holiday destination or a valuable source of raw materials. And the powers that be think money and aid will fix any problems and have little respect for the country.’ He lifted his hands. ‘Oh dear, I seem to have got a bit carried away, but I do think that we have gone backwards in our attitude to Indonesia. That seems to me to be a great pity. I was told by my parents always to be nice to our neighbours, especially the ones right next door.’ He grinned apologetically.

  Chris consulted his notes. ‘Evan, I’m not entirely sure where I want this book to go. I think I want to use it to inspire other Australians to try to make a difference as well. David and Mark are very willing to help me, but Alan definitely wants nothing to do with my project, even though I have assured him that I would not be writing anything defamatory.’

  ‘That’s a shame about Alan. He’s done exceptionally well for himself, hasn’t he?’ said Evan.

  ‘Do you know that he is going to expand his construction business into the States?’ quizzed Chris. ‘Is that correct? I’ve heard a couple of negative things about his business dealings. David thinks he might have sailed a bit close to the wind at times.’