Drowning in Her Eyes (15 page)

“How old do you have to be?
” asked Jack.

“Eighteen mate. However, if you are under twenty-
one you have to get your parents
' permission. Still interested?
”

“Not at the moment,
” said Jack,
“Can I take some i
n
formation with me?
”

“Here you go, son.
” The CSM handed him a sheaf of paper. As Jack walked away, he saw a cardboard sign alon
g
side the
machine gun. It said
GPMG M60 General Purpose Machine Gun and Standard Infantry Section Weapon -
7.62mm
. The germ of an idea that had formed in Jack
's brain gave a little squirm. He walked back to the Union building, deciding to have a cup of tea. He had just sat down at a table, when there was a flurry of activity behind him. Perfumed arms wound round his neck, and a torrent of golden hair ca
s
caded across his face as his cousin kissed his forehead.

“What
's that for?
” he said, startled by her appearance from nowhere.
“I
'm trying to make all my friends jealous,
” she said.
“You
're the most handsome man here and
they
don
't know you
're my cousin. Now get me a cup of coffee! Oh, by the way I have bought a friend. Make it two coffees.
”

Jack stood and, looking around, was stupefied to see Susan standing there. She wore her shining hair in a ponytail that made her look younger
—
almost a little girl look. Ho
w
ever, everything else was the same, especially those go
r
geous eyes. She smiled, and the smile came from her whole being.
“Hello,
” she said shyly. Today she wore a plaid skirt, green roll neck skivvy, and pale green tights. The skirt was short and showed off her lovely legs to perfection. Stage fright overwhelmed Jack. He mumbled a greeting, and scu
r
ried off for the coffee.

“Well,
” said Bernadette, when he returned,
“did you e
n
joy your evening?
”

“I was a little overwhelmed by the grand company,
” said Jack.
“I
'm not used to such fine fare, and the glass of wine I had was my first ever. Remember, I
'm just a little bush kid.
”

“Thanks again for taking me home, Jack.
” Susan had a mischievous glint in those fabulous eyes.
“It was a pleasure meeting a little bush kid.
”

They all laughed, and Jack felt his stage fright ease. They spent a half hour talking about
Ballinrobe
and what he intended to do with his life.
“I wanted to become an army o
f
ficer,
” he
said,
“But Dad will need me at home
soon.
He
'
s not well right now, with his bad heart. So I will study here during term and work at home
during
the breaks.
”

“So what
's happening in
O-
week
today?
” said Bern
a
dette.

“I think
there
'
s some kind of dance in the hall tonight, with a welcome barbecue.
”

“Oh good, you can take Susan with you. She
's a fresher too, you know.
” Jack could not believe this. He looked at Susan again. She smiled sweetly.

“Do you mind?
” he said.
“Going with me, I mean.
”

“Well, I
was
going with Carey Grant, but it seems I
've been stood up. I guess a little bush kid will have to do.
” She was laughing with her eyes.
“Pick me up at seven.
” The girls took their leave, Bernadette trying to smooch him again. He sat there like a stunned plover.
Dear God
, he thought,
do not let me make a mess of this
.

Meanwhile, in a large oval office in a large white building on Pennsylvania A
v
enue in Washington, DC, a serious meeting was taking place. A big man from Texas called Johnson, who was the President of the United States of America, was meeting with his National Security Advi
s
ers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of the Ce
n
tral Intelligence Agency. Concerned by the activities now taking place in a small country in Indochina, they were making plans to inte
r
vene in those activities, if found to be necessary.

Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
—1964

“Mom, Susan
's been in that bathroom for hours,
” wailed James Junior
.
“I need to get washed up for supper.
”

“Shush, Jimbo, Susan
's going on a date. It
's very i
m
portant she looks good,
” said Sarah, who wished her mother would let
her
go on dates with young men who had their own cars.
“She won
't be long. It is almost seven. Jack
's a
l
most here.
”

Susan had taken a long time choosing her outfit for the evening. With a thrill, she put on her best lace underwear and sheer black stockings. She wore a dark blue dress with a halter neck that showed off her lovely shoulders. She wore her hair loosely tied with a matching velvet ribbon.
Around her neck was a gold chain adorned with a dark blue cameo pendant. She emerged from the bathroom and presented he
r
self for inspection.

“That
's nice,
” said Sarah,
“That should get his pulse racing.
”

“Don
't be so uncouth, young lady. It is far too revealing. You should go change, Susan,
” said Marci.

Susan looked to Jimmy. He could not deny her.
“Let her go, Marci. This young man is obviously very special. An
y
way, there is no time. He is at the door. Time we had a look at
him
.
”

Marci went to the door and opened it to find a tall han
d
some boy, looking anxious.
“You must be Jack,
” she said,
“Susan is ready. Come on in.
”

Jack saw before him a dark
-
haired woman
, a little over
weight, and looking a little care worn. There was no mistaking the eyes, though. She was Susan
's mother. Susan came forward and took his hand. The now-
familiar frisson was there. She introduced him in turn to her family. Jack saw a lively brown
-
haired boy, a statuesque fair
girl of si
x
teen
with laughing blue eyes, and a slender middle-
aged man with an outstretched hand. Jack took the hand, and said,
“Good evening, Mr. Baker. I
'm pleased to meet you all.
”

“Mr. Baker was my
father, son. You call me Jimmy
from now on.
”

“Thank you, I will, and you can call me Mr. Riordan.
” This was greeted with delighted laughter. The ice was br
o
ken.

“Off you go now, and it would be nice if you could come to supper on Sunday. I hope you like chicken?
” Jack did like chicken. All of his life it had been a rare delicacy, confined to Easter and Christmas. On
Ballinrobe
, they ate mutton most days. It was there, and it was free. They walked out to the street to the ute.

“Don
't be late, Susan,
”
called her mother.

“Yes,
” said Sarah
,
“be home before breakfast!
”

This earned her a scolding from Marci. Jimmy Baker watched them go.
Well
, he thought,
they always go eventua
l
ly
. He thanked God for granting him enough time to see his lovely daughter grow into the stunning young woman she had become. She looked so happy and
beautiful tonight.

During the last month, Jimmy had felt worse than he had for some time. He knew it was time to look for a doctor to review his case and perhaps give him an up to date a
s
sessment. He feared his time was
quickly running out
.

Meanwhile, in an oval o
f
fice in a large white building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, a serious meeting was taking place. A big man from Texas called Johnson was discussing a small country in Indochina. He did not want it, but it looked as if US ground forces may have to intervene in the guerrilla war that became more active each day. US a
d
visors now numbered more than
fifteen thousand
.

Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
—1964

Jac
k closed the
car
door
for Susan
and hurried around to the driver
's side. He tumbled into a sweet grotto of her scent, her warmth, and those lovely eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on his driving. Susan moved closer to him and placed her hand on his arm. He shivered in d
e
light.
“You look marvelous, tonight,
” he said,
“I
'll be the envy of all.
”

“Well,
” she replied,
“I
'm sure you are worth the effort. There will be other nice girls there tonight. I hope they don
't whisk you away.
”

“An ice cube in hell would have a better chance than that.
” She stroked his arm again. Jack thought he might not reach the social alive.

The party was in full swing when they arrived. The first person he saw as he entered was Bob O
'Connor, with a pre
t
ty blonde on his arm.
“G
'day, Jack,
” he said.
“Wow, you
've done all right for yourself!
” His gaze swept across Susan. He stepped forward and introduced his girl.
“This is Margie Hall from Gunnedah. She
's doing Arts.
”