Flight of the Jabiru (19 page)

“If you'd asked yesterday, I might've said not so well. But today went very well.”

“Glad to hear it. I'm sure it's an adjustment for everyone but you'll do fine.”

“I'm feeling optimistic.”

Jerry twirled his hat in his hands and a long uncomfortable silence ensued.

“Is there something else?” Lara finally asked. He appeared to have something on his mind.

“No, not really. I was just checking you were all right. I can see you are busy so I'll be on my way,” he said as he turned towards the door.

“Thank you for stopping by,” Lara called.

“That's all right,” Jerry answered. He seemed hesitant to go.

“Is there something else?” Lara asked him.

“I'm going into town to have a meal at one of the hotels. Some do very nice meals. Perhaps you'd like...”

“Hello,” Rick said to Jerry, startling him in the doorway. He glanced past the doctor at Lara. “Should I come back later, Lara?”

“No, Rick. This is Doctor Quinlan.”

“Jerry,” Jerry said, extending his hand. He thought Rick looked vaguely familiar, but they'd never actually met.

“Rick Marshall,” Rick said, shaking his hand.

Jerry didn't know what to think, but assumed Rick was Lara's boyfriend.

“Rick is a crocodile hunter, Jerry. I've hired him to rid the town of crocodiles before someone gets eaten.”

“Right,” Jerry said, clearly surprised. He glanced at the fish Rick was carrying and then at the bowl of batter that Lara had been making. “I see you already have dinner plans, so I'll be on my way.” With that he turned and left before Lara could say anything further.

Rick came into the kitchen and put the filleted fish on the sink. “Was my timing off?”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems I interrupted the doctor as he was about to ask you to join him for dinner?”

“He said he came to see how I was, but he obviously had something else on his mind.”

“Yes, asking you out,” Rick said awkwardly. “If I hadn't appeared when I did...”

“Don't give it a thought,” Lara said and flushed.

“Would you have agreed to go out with him if you hadn't already agreed to cook?”

“Not tonight, obviously.”

“Then another time?”

“I don't know. He took me off guard.” Lara turned back to her batter and began whisking it furiously, signaling she no longer wanted to discuss Jerry's invitation.

“I'll light the camp stove,” Rick said, taking the hint. He went outside.

Lara exhaled, trying to absorb what had just happened. The last thing she'd been expecting to happen in Shady Camp was for someone to ask her out.

When the fish was battered, she took it outside, along with plates and cutlery. “Is the pan hot?” she asked, noting the faint and welcome breeze off the water. Rick had filled a drum with wood and was lighting it.

“Yes, it's ready to go,” he said.

Lara placed the fish in the pan and it began sizzling. “Surely it's too hot to have a fire,” she said.

“The smoke will keep the mozzies away and the fire keeps the crocs away,” Rick said.

“Oh,” Lara said. “Is the fish barramundi?”

“Yes, have you tried it already?”

“No, but I'm looking forward to it.”

She set out the plates and cutlery, and then sat down beside the camp stove to keep an eye on the fish.

“Are you all right?” Rick asked her. He was watching her closely.

“Sure. Why do you ask?”

“You said Doctor Quinlan came to see how you were. That infers he's treated you for being unwell.”

“I'm fine,” Lara said.

“Sorry, that was a personal question,” Rick said, and stoked the wood in the drum.

“I fainted after my encounter with the monster crocodile,” Lara explained. “Betty had brought Jerry over to meet me and they found me on the kitchen floor. He just came by to see if I'd had any more fainting spells.”

“You fainted, with the monster crocodile in the doorway!” Rick went very pale. “You didn't tell me that before.”

“It happened after the crocodile had gone and I'd managed to shut the door,” Lara said, guessing what he was thinking. She'd have been an easy meal!

Rick frowned. “If you were a patient of the doctor's, then it's not very ethical of him to ask you out,” he stated more serious than she'd ever seen him.

“I wasn't really a patient. He just happened to be there when I fainted. All he did was help me up off the floor.”

“So you intend to go out with him.” “I have no idea,” she said, feeling uncomfortable. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure, it's none of my business anyway,” Rick agreed. He glanced at the billabong, then at Lara again. “But just for the record, he looks a bit stuffy. You'd be bored to tears if you went out with him. But that's just my opinion.”

Lara looked startled, but then she saw that Rick was smirking again. Despite his audaciousness, she couldn't help laughing.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Jerry!” Monty was surprised to see the doctor walk into the pub. “I thought you said you were going back to the city to have dinner.”

“I did say that and ... I am. I just need a drink first.”

Jerry wasn't a drinker by Territory standards, so Monty was startled. “Right! I'll pour you a nice cold beer.”

“I'll have something stronger, Monty. Give me a large brandy on the rocks.” Jerry plopped his white Stetson on the bar and slumped forward on his elbows.

Monty put his brandy in front of him and added ice, while observing his body language. “Something wrong, doc?” He looked like he'd just lost a patient, but if anyone in town had been seriously ill then Monty would know it before the doctor.

“No, nothing is wrong, Monty,” Jerry replied dejectedly.

Monty didn't believe him. “I know Rizza hasn't started labor, so are Charlie's hives playing up again?”

“I'm sure you'd be the first to know, but that aside, I can't discuss patients, Monty. You should be well aware of that by now.”

Monty did know that Charlie was fine. He was just attempting to draw Jerry into conversation so that he'd end up telling him why he was suffering melancholy. “Is Lara Penrose a patient?”

“No, she's not.”

“Good, because I saw you walking in the direction of the rectory, and I'm guessing you stopped in to see her. As she's not a patient, we can discuss her freely.”

Jerry leveled his gaze on Monty, as if deciding whether to confide something personal.

Monty had always thought the doctor was a fine-looking man and even though the men far outnumbered the women in Darwin, he was still surprised that he hadn't been snapped up by a civil servant's daughter.

“As a matter-of-fact I did stop by the rectory, but Lara had company, so I didn't stay.”

“Company! Who?” Monty asked, thinking it might've been Doris or Margie.

“A crocodile hunter,” Jerry said.

“Oh, Rick Marshall.”

“Yes, that's him.”

“He's not exactly company. She's paying him to get rid of the crocs around town.”

“So she said, but he appeared to be doing more than that.” Jerry was clearly unhappy about it.

“What do you mean?”

“He and Lara were about to share a fish dinner. To be honest, they were so ... at ease in each other's company that I came to the conclusion that he was her boyfriend, until she introduced him.”

“He'd be a fast mover if he was. She only met him a couple of days ago.”

“I shouldn't be surprised he'd make a move so quickly. Lara is a very beautiful woman.”

Monty smirked. “You sweet on her, doc?”

“I ... well ... I'd like to go out with her, certainly. What red-blooded male wouldn't?”

“Too right. I wish I was a few years younger,” Monty said. “You wouldn't stand a chance.”

The doctor didn't raise a smile, which worried Monty.

“She's not engaged to be married,” Monty added. “So that makes her fair game.”

“She's a woman, Monty, not a prize to be won.”

“I think she's a prize. As I said, you wouldn't be in the race if I was younger.”

“I wouldn't like to intervene if she and this Rick Marshall have started seeing each other...”

“Don't you think she's worth the effort?”

“Of course she is, but...”

“There are no buts about it. If you really like Lara, then put up a fight for her. Give the croc hunter a run for his money.”

“He's a handsome chap, in a rugged way,” Jerry said with a thoughtful frown. “It's my experience that women seem to find men like him attractive.”

“You're a handsome chap, too, and a doctor. I can't believe one of the prettiest women in Darwin hasn't enticed a ring out of you yet.”

“You know, you are right,” Jerry said, straightening his shoulders. “I'm not going to give up just yet. Lara is worth fighting for.”

“Good for you. Cheers!”

The following school week flew by, but it wasn't without its ups and downs, thanks to the boy's pranks on Lara. After sending the children home at two o'clock on Friday afternoon, she lay down for an hour, but she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking of the Aboriginal children who were missing out on an education. She'd seen them from a distance, but none had come near the school. On the spur of the moment she decided she would approach the Aboriginal families and discuss the option of the children attending school.

As it was officially ‘siesta' time, Shady Camp appeared deserted as Lara set off down the track that Betty had indicated led to the homes of the local Larrakia families. It was very hot, but she tried to walk to the side of the track, in the shade of tall paperbark trees. The vegetation on either side of the track between the trees was thick and overgrown and she could hear the high-pitched, whistling sound of Cicadas. But snakes worried her more, so she kept a careful watch of where she put her feet. Rick had told her that Cicadas were sap-sucking beetles, just over two-inches long and dark in color, with large wings, but she was yet to actually see one. The males apparently made the high-pitched sound by rapidly vibrating their internal membranes. As Lara walked along the track, she found the sound was quite deafening and just a little unnerving.

Lara had been walking for about ten minutes, and had begun to think she might've taken the wrong direction, when she saw two homes in the distance. She could see Aboriginal family members that included children, also several dogs. The adults were sitting on their front porches while the children played nearby and a dog barked excitedly. As she continued to walk towards them, they spotted her and scattered. By the time she reached a clearing where several more homes were visible, there wasn't a soul in sight. She found this odd.

Standing in front of a home, Lara called out. “Hello.” Obviously the residents were in their homes, but she couldn't hear a sound. She turned around in a full circle but each of the homes, about ten in all, appeared deserted. The doors were closed and the houses silent. Even so, she had the feeling she was being watched through the filmy curtains at the windows.

“Hello,” she called again. She climbed the steps to the front porch of the home where she'd seen adults and children, and knocked on the door. “Is anybody there?” she called and waited for a few moments, but there was no answer. There was a wooden seat on the porch and a child's broken doll. A sandy-colored bitch was lying at the far end of the porch with five pups suckling from her. The pups appeared to be around three weeks old as they had their eyes open and were small, adorable, and helpless, but even the bitch ignored Lara.

“Why you here?” a forceful male voice barked from behind her. Lara had been distracted by the cute pups, so she jumped with fright. She turned to find herself the focus of two males, possibly in their twenties. They were clad only in shorts. One was tall and slim, the other shorter and thicker. Their expressions were equally unfriendly.

Lara stepped off the front porch of the house. “Good afternoon,” she said pleasantly. “My name is Lara Penrose. I'm a teacher. I've come about the children and their education.”

“No young mob here,” the tallest of the young men snapped, glaring at her defiantly.

For a moment Lara had to think about what he'd said. She realized ‘young mob' must be a reference to children. “I saw them playing right here just a few minutes ago,” she said cautiously. She had no idea why he was lying to her. “I only want to educate them. It would be good for them to come to school.”

To her surprise, the two men began shouting in their tribal language and gesturing for her to go. Their manner was quite threatening. While Lara stared at the men in disbelief she heard a door open behind her. She turned to see a woman come out of the house. She quickly shut the door behind her, but not before Lara thought she caught a glimpse of a young child. The men said something to the woman in the Larrakia language and then she also began shouting at Lara, clearly very upset. Although Lara wanted to make them understand that she was no threat, she felt very vulnerable because she hadn't told anyone she was heading out to the Aboriginal community. If something were to happen to her, no one would know. She felt it was safer to go quietly. Apologizing for upsetting them, she walked away, hoping the young men didn't follow.

Perspiring from walking quickly, Lara entered the store, where she found Betty Jeffries unpacking boxes of tinned goods that Colin had picked up that morning. As usual, Colin was nowhere to be seen when there was manual work to be done.

“The strangest thing just happened, Betty” she said breathlessly. She'd been trying to understand it all the way to the store.

“What's that?” Betty replied, She suddenly sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. “Have you been spraying yourself with Mortein?”

“No,” Lara claimed defensively, but she felt self-conscious. “Do I smell like the spray?”

“Too right and it's not very appealing,” Betty said, putting her fingers under her nose. “Perhaps you've been overdoing it a bit.”

“You could be right,” Lara admitted contritely, wondering if her odor had offended the Aborigines. “I've almost run out of spray.”

“Already? At this rate I'd better stock more.”

“It stops me being bitten by all sorts of bugs and mosquitoes. If I happen to lean against the mosquito net over my bed during the night, I get eaten alive. Actually, I've had an interesting week with bugs in general. Twice my pupils have brought bugs to school and let them go in the classroom. They denied it of course. They seem to find my reaction quite amusing.”

“I wonder why?” Betty said, trying to keep a straight face.

“To be precise, the bugs were large crickets and some creatures called Click Beetles.”

“Click Beetles?”

“Yes, they jump in the air and make clicking sounds.”

“I know what they are,” Betty said. “I'm just surprised you do.”

“I didn't initially, but some of the boys were only too happy to educate me on the subject. The beetles are driving me crazy. Just when I think I've killed them all, I hear that dreaded clicking sound again.”

Betty turned away to put more tins on a shelf so that Lara wouldn't see her smirking. “Click Beetles are attracted to lamp light after dark, so you'll have to get used to them unless you plan to retire at dusk.” She actually knew the guilty parties who'd taken bugs to school were Robbie and Ronnie. They'd been discussing it at the dinner table and blaming other children, but Colin and Betty soon coaxed them to admit the truth. Although Colin had scolded them, he and Betty had later laughed heartily at the way the boys had described Lara's reaction to the scampering beetles and crickets. Apparently, the beetles had jumped on her legs so she'd climbed onto her desk and screeched for Ruthie to fetch the Mortein Spray, while stomping her feet like a mad woman on fire. She'd sprayed so much Mortein that the children began coughing so she'd sent them outside to play.

“I'm getting off topic,” Lara said. “I didn't come here to tell you about beetles and bugs,” she insisted.

“Oh,” Betty said turning back to her. “Then what can I do for you?”

“I've just been out to the Aboriginal community to see if I can get more children to come to school, and I got the strangest response. I saw adults and children from a distance, but when I reached the settlement it appeared deserted. Then two young men and a woman began shouting at me in their tribal language. It was quite clear they wanted nothing to do with me. Do you know why they would be so unfriendly?”

“Oh, dear!” Betty said. “Colin told me you were hoping to get some Aboriginal students, but I wasn't sure he'd understood correctly.”

“I am hoping for some Aboriginal students. I tried to convey that to the two young men, but they became quite angry.”

“Colin should've warned you that the parents would hide their children as soon as they saw you.”

“Hide them! Why would they do that?”

“They would think you were from the Aboriginal Protection Board and that you've come to take their children away.”

“They take the children away! Why?”

“The APB believes they are doing the right thing for the kids. I don't agree, and neither does anyone else in this town. Whenever the APB comes sniffing around, the kids are hidden from them. A couple of the families in Shady Camp had their kids taken away when they lived at Humpty Do. It's heartbreaking to see their suffering.”

“I can't believe children are taken from their families,” Lara said, genuinely dismayed. “What do they do with them?”

“They put them in orphanages and try to bring them up ‘white'. Maybe they mean well, but I wish they'd see it couldn't be the best thing for the kids. When the kids are old enough, the boys are made into laborers and the girls are put in domestic service. The APB believes the Aboriginals are bad parents who can't look after their kids properly. If they take several children from the same family, they separate them, so they can't find each other or their parents again.”