The Bay (17 page)

The following morning, Holly found the solicitor's office above the second-hand bookshop. When she introduced herself the receptionist in slacks, sandals and tie-dyed loose top greeted her cheerfully. ‘Hi, Mrs Jamieson, we've got some papers for you to sign. Want a tea, water, anything?'

‘No, thank you. Er, is Mr Pearce or Mr James here?'

‘Oh no. Peter is out surfing and Gordon is down in Sydney. Letitia is here, she's a solicitor and a JP, and knows all about it. I'll get her.'

A very glamorous young woman in a navy pants suit with slick dark hair and dark lipstick strode into the reception area. ‘Hello, I'm Letitia Sweetman. Thanks for coming in. We just need you to sign these papers as you and your husband are co-directors of your family company. Here on page three . . .' She flipped through the papers.

‘The family company? I thought this was a business thing.'

‘His business company requires him to move finances, give guarantees, which he does through his personal directorship. As you also own assets you have to sign off on these transactions. Just a formality. Sign here where the X is and I'll witness it.' Holly took the pen, wondering if she should sit down and read through what appeared incomprehensible legalese. But Ms Sweetman had the second set of papers ready for her signature. She smiled at Holly. ‘Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush, have to get over to the courthouse.'

‘There you are,' said Holly, signing quickly. ‘You'll get this straight back to my husband? He seemed anxious to have it done quickly.'

‘We have it all in hand, I'm couriering them to Andrew in Bangkok. Thanks so much for stopping by.'

As she stepped outside into the sunny street it occurred to Holly that Ms Sweetman seemed to be on very familiar terms with her husband. Her firm must have had other dealings with him, perhaps through the purchase of Richmond House. Holly glanced at her watch, which she was wearing from habit, though she'd been teased about it. She was due to meet Nola Florens to look at the fabrics she'd had sent from Sydney. Holly was thrilled she was offering to give them to her for Richmond House: ‘Consider it my heritage donation, dear girl. Otherwise they'd rot away.' And she was just as interested in seeing Nola's penthouse apartment overlooking Main Beach.

Billy stopped at the doorway of the Beach Hut on his way back from the TAB. ‘Hi, Amber, how's it going in here? Selling any of Bonnie's rubbish?'

‘Don't be like that. Though it is a bit tacky; can't compete with the better shops around. Surprising for someone from such a classy background. I'm selling a lot of my products, though. I feel guilty.'

‘You needn't be. Once customers get used to popping in they'll keep coming back. You should get Bonnie to upgrade this holiday gear. How's she doing by the way? I haven't seen Erica around either, s'pose she's with Matty.'

‘Bonnie is struggling a bit. Has good days and bad days, she might need to stay at the retreat a bit longer. But keep that quiet. These women in town love to gossip,' Amber explained.

Billy gave her a warm smile. ‘It's terrific the way you're looking after Bonnie, but lighten up and let rip occasionally. Act your age! No charge for the advice,' he quipped.

‘Ah, don't worry, I can be a wild woman when I want to. I just prefer to rage far from The Bay.'

‘Yeah sure,' Billy said as he headed back to his salon. He didn't believe her. Amber seemed to carry a lot of baggage she didn't share. Always willing to help others and she was developing a great little business with her beauty products, but there was a shadow behind her eyes. Billy decided when the opportunity presented itself he'd draw her out.

Eddie and Alice were on boogie boards riding long breakers from the Point onto the sand. ‘This is so cool,' shouted Alice.

Eddie was the first to tire and settled under the shade of a pandanus palm at the edge of the sand. He had really enjoyed the mid-morning surf with Alice. It was probably one of their last opportunities for a relaxed time together before she moved to the Gold Coast to live with her mother. He wouldn't miss Laura one bit, but seeing less of Alice would be hard.

She came running up the beach, still full of energy, dropped her board, shook her hair wildly then accepted the proffered beach towel. ‘Ta. Fantastic, wasn't it?'

‘Didn't tire you out, I see.'

‘No way. I just felt sorry for you sitting here all alone.' She adopted a mock sexy pose, which looked slightly absurd given her skinny body.

He flicked his towel at her, which started a wild towel fight, punctuated by squeals and laughter. ‘I surrender,' said Eddie at last.

Alice flopped on the sand beside him. ‘I suppose an ice-cream from the Whippy van is out of the question?'

‘We can lash out, even though I'm pretty broke,' he added unnecessarily. She was well aware that financially, times were tough for him.

‘Still haven't got a job?'

‘No. But I'm working on it. One day the big break will come.'

‘You gotta hang in there, Dad.' She started humming a tune he didn't recognise.

Eventually he cut in. ‘How do you feel about the idea of going to Surfers?'

Alice screwed up her nose. ‘Not thrilled. But then I didn't think it was such a great idea moving into town from the farm. I loved the horses and the space, and all that, but now I like being in town, near the beach, near my friends.' She doodled in the sand with a stick for a few moments. ‘I was thinking, maybe I could stay here,' she said suddenly.

‘Sweetie, you'll make new friends and you're only a bit over an hour away. Your mum seems to think the Gold Coast has a lot more to offer.'

‘Whenever I say the Gold Coast to people here they say it's horrible.' Alice looked worried.

‘You know how it is, honey. People like where they live. And not everyone wants high-rise apartments and the glitz of the Gold Coast. The Bay is . . . different. Special. But it's not a place for people to find good jobs, be in the mainstream. Your mum wants you to have the advantages of a city.'

‘Why don't you move then?'

‘It's not that easy, Alice. Money is one thing. And for the moment I want to try to have a bash at doing what I've always wanted to do. There's a big creative arts community here, different from Sydney, a lot of talented people. It's where I want to be. But, now, it doesn't suit your mother.'

‘I don't like her friends and I don't want to live in a high-rise box.'

‘You'll still be close to the surf,' said Eddie.

‘Yeah. That's good, but I still want to go up to the farm and ride Sampson.'

‘You know you can stay at the farm any time you want,' Eddie said gently, concerned at the change in Alice. Without Laura hovering, she was painting quite a different picture.

‘I like everyone here. And even though you're not my real dad, I think of you as my dad.' Alice drew a deep breath; Eddie found he was holding his. They'd never made a big deal about the fact that when he married Laura he had willingly taken on the responsibility of Alice as his own. This was the first time she had raised the matter in an adult context. ‘So I was wondering, if it's all right with you . . . could I stay here with you? Let Mum go to the Gold Coast? I wouldn't be any trouble.'

Eddie struggled to stay composed. He was so touched by the sense of family responsibility she evoked that he had to fight back a choking feeling that could have led to a tear or two. Humour was the safety valve to prevent personal injury. ‘Well, I gotta admit you've learned to cook a mean omelette.'

‘I'm no trouble, you know that,' she said, hoping it would help.

‘No trouble, apart from some mad girly tantrums,' Eddie said lightheartedly.

Her face broke into a big smile. ‘So it's all right then? I'll stay with you and Mum can go up there, and she can come back on weekends and stuff.'

‘Hey, wait a minute. We'd better talk this over with her. There are a lot of things we'd have to think about . . .' Then seeing her crestfallen face, he quickly added, ‘I would really love to have you stay with me. I'm just sad things haven't worked out with me and your mum. But we both want you to be happy and want what's best for you. You will always be my girl.'

‘Then I'll tell her I want to stay with you.' She stood. ‘I'm going back in one more time.' As far as the ten-year-old was concerned, her future was settled. Eddie watched her go, mentally cursing Laura.

Alice was confused, lost and insecure. Who wouldn't be feeling lost living with Laura? But there was no way Laura would allow Alice to stay with him. And was he ready or capable of taking on the care of a stepdaughter approaching puberty? Alice had been tricky at times, but he had believed it was because of Laura's influence and he felt reluctant to put his foot down. There was always the fact that she wasn't his child, and Laura was forever pointing that out. Alice's father lived in Europe. He had no interest in her and didn't give them any financial support. Eddie had never delved too deeply into the relationship; he'd embraced Laura and Alice was part of the package.

In Sydney he wouldn't have contemplated taking on the care of a young girl. But here he would have the support of all the women in the area. So many of the men Eddie had met here – with their earrings, ponytails, and gentle drifting nature and vague goals – were not aggressively masculine. Maybe this was the time to . . . how had someone described it? Explore his feminine side. He couldn't help laughing at himself. What he really wanted, eventually, was to be in love. To share his life with someone who loved him, desired him, thought he was smart and funny and made him laugh. Someone to have fun with. Life seemed a little short on fun these days. And, he had now learned, he needed someone with a creative, intellectual streak who understood and supported his work, work that demanded creativity and some serious thinking. But no matter what, the issue of Alice's future would have to be addressed.

Andrew put on his designer sunglasses as the plane came to a halt at the Brisbane international terminal. From his first-class window he could see the sun bouncing off the tarmac.

At the baggage carousel, he barely had to wait a minute before his expensive leather bag with its priority tag appeared, and he was through customs and immigration in no time. He hoped she'd be there and he didn't have to wait. The past week in Bangkok had been hectic.

He saw Letitia waving from outside the arrivals, her car illegally parked at the entrance. ‘Good one. I was hoping I wouldn't have to walk through the boiling carpark.' He slid into the passenger seat. ‘So where are we going?'

‘There's a meeting at the Marriott in Surfers then we're taking two of them back down to The Bay,' she replied. ‘You got all the documents I sent up? Your wife didn't even read them. No problems there.'

‘Holly trusts me.'

She glanced at him, arching her eyebrows and smiling faintly. ‘More fool her. I wouldn't.'

‘I bet you will later in bed,' he retorted with a smirk.

‘Probably. God knows why.'

‘Simple, darling. We're made for each other,' Andrew said, grinning. ‘We know exactly what the world is all about these days – grabbing life by both hands and having a ball, consolidating our future as winners in the new economic era.'

They kissed briefly then Letitia pouted. ‘At least I'm right across your version of grabbing life by the balls.' And as Andrew laughed she fell silent, concentrating on manoeuvring her way out of the parking lot.

She liked sex, particularly with Andrew. However, her legal training and personal struggle after her alcoholic father died had made it difficult to readily accept the obvious gap between the new generation of rich go-getters and the fast-growing army of poor – the losers, to her mind. There were issues of morality that bothered her in her more serious moments. She often wondered just how her father, about whom she knew so little, would have handled such challenges in his legal practice. Nevertheless, some glittering prizes certainly looked as if they were up for grabs in The Bay, and the temptation – and risks – were irresistible.

I am most relieved to record my news after many weeks absence from this task. We are all well rested and enjoying time ashore as the
Lady Richmond
is repaired and refitted after so long at sea. She is a faithful and sturdy ship but I am reluctant to spend such a long time at sea in future. Especially since the recent birth of our second son, Erik. How different to give birth to my child ashore! And with family to care for us and admire our second blue-eyed boy. Lars is exceedingly pleased with our lad, and Sven is quite intrigued with his baby brother.

I have been much preoccupied with the arrival of our owner, Captain Richmond. Like many of the Yankee whalemen, he is a dashing fellow, most gregarious and humorous. He has big plans to extend our fleet and set up new stations. He talks after supper most expansively of branching into other ventures on the northern coast. Privately Lars is fretful his master could turn out to be another Mr Ben Boyd!

But Lars has given his undertaking to manage the new whaling station. So we are moving from the south-east of New South Wales to the north-eastern tip; to a place called Beacon Bay, which is far less developed than here. At last it will be a long arrangement and for me the most encouraging news is that we are to build a large and comfortable company house to be our own for some years to come. To have rooms to spare and a kitchen of one's own, and the opportunity to sew curtains is a dream come true at last. Though how we are going to furnish a large and comfortable abode after so long at sea remains a small mystery to me. Lars and Captain Richmond promise me it will be a splendidly warm and peaceful setting in which to raise my sons.

I thank and trust in the Lord.

Hannah Nilsen

It was like being at sea – disorientating and isolated. Bonnie felt cast adrift from all that was familiar, and yet, as she settled into life at the Dolphin Centre, she came to like the routine, the minutiae of each day. There had been times of great darkness when she felt that the waves of depression, insecurity and shaky ill health were going to swamp her. But as her body adjusted and the toxins were flushed from her system – despite the humiliating experience of colonic irrigation – her spirits lifted. The days of doubt and queasiness had left and she felt safe, the seas were calm and she was steaming towards a distant port that would hopefully be her final destination.

For too long Bonnie had been stuck in one place and then shipwrecked on a wild isle with frantic companions. What had seemed a fun, mad ride had spiralled into a crazy netherworld. She was living out an adolescence she'd never had. She had gone from nicely brought-up schoolgirl, to proper young woman, to mature and sensible twenty-something bride. There had never been time to cut loose, laugh too much, experiment, or play hard with happy girlfriends. She was the responsible wife and mother, straight from the pages of a 1960s women's magazine. That was until her husband ran off with his secretary.

Then, over forty, she discovered drugs, booze, imprudent sex, and silly escapades with foolish people half her age who didn't seem to care what happened to her. Greg, her young boyfriend, had not been to visit. It was hurtful, but it made it easier for her to think about starting afresh. She had learned at the Dolphin Centre that she'd been dealing with childhood baggage, living out repressed rage at parental negligence, at emotional abandonment. Money had been the answer to any crisis or ruffle in their daily existence – an unsatisfactory substitute for the affection she craved.

Her cool, elegant mother had held her daughter at arm's length, not wanting Bonnie to move into her personal space and raise an emotion, or crumple her immaculate dress. Her remote, demanding father had been hard to please. Bonnie felt she never measured up in her parents' eyes, despite over-achieving in all she did. She had made the right marriage, had her own beautiful daughter and saw her life beginning to mirror that of her parents. Except for the divorce she hadn't seen coming.

It had been painful dealing with all this. But now she saw that her perceived shortcomings were only in her own eyes. She could approve of herself and now start looking after her real needs. And as she'd dealt with the emotional side of her life, so too had her body responded to the healthy food, nutritional supplements, early morning walks and yoga. Between one-on-one therapy sessions there had been group sharings that made her problems seem minuscule. At first she thought she'd never be able to bare her soul in front of others, pummel a cushion and cry, reach out and wrap her arms around a stranger. In the visualisation at the end of each stretching and yoga class, Cheyne asked them to imagine they were dolphins. The most joyous, carefree, playful yet strong and intelligent creatures in the ocean. They were in an environment that took them back to the womb, suspended in safe warm water, close to mother's heartbeat.

When Bonnie swam in the pool at the centre she felt gloriously free and fit. Now she wanted to feel the same in the sea. The episode at the beach when Amber had rescued her seemed part of another life. A new life was beginning and she hoped she was strong enough to hang on to what she'd found here. This was merely the first step in a long journey. By being here she had acknowledged her problem and felt pride in dealing with it. She chose to forget it had not been her choice to come to the centre.

She had talked frankly with her therapist and agreed that she and Erica should develop a more stable environment. She would be more involved in Erica's life and give her shop more attention. As it was the Beach Hut wasn't worthy of her taste and resources, Bonnie decided. She'd upgrade. Ideas were beginning to swirl in her head. This was all positive. She couldn't imagine that she could go backwards, not now, despite the constant gentle advice that it would be so much harder ‘outside'. She was being ‘armed for re-entry', as Cheyne put it. Several people at the centre were returnees who'd slipped and been lured back to their old destructive lifestyles. Bonnie was determined the change she felt in herself was going to be permanent. God, how glad she was she'd ended up in The Bay, and that there were people like Amber around. She hoped Erica was spending time with her.

Amber, however, had little time to spare for playing mothering roles. Since taking over the Beach Hut as caretaker/manager she had greatly increased her turnover of beauty products. Word of mouth recommendation helped, and the passing trade of shoppers attracted to the Beach Hut made extra demands. The Hut was busier than it had ever been, but Amber soon learned that Bonnie had not been smart in her choice of stock. Some was a waste of space and cash. A monster sale would have to be held as soon as Bonnie was capable of taking over again. The teenage set related well to Amber, and that proved good for business. Matty and her friends often called by on their strolls through town after school.

Of all the shops, Matty enjoyed spending time at The Teepee with Billy. She was fascinated by hair-styling and make-up techniques. Billy had grown used to her dropping by and politely asking if she could watch him cut and colour for a while. One day Matty was surprised when he asked how she was coping with homework, of all things.

‘Okay, no worries. Some assignments are easy, some are hard. That's life.'

‘True enough. And this is relaxation time, a break from the grind, eh? How about making it pay as well?'

Matty was puzzled. ‘What do you mean? Do something . . . for you?'

‘Yeah, like grabbing a broom, sorting out the magazines the customers thumb through, they can get grotty after a while. Maybe tidy up what passes as my office.' He pointed over his shoulder to a screened-off corner of the shop.

‘You mean real work and pay, like money?'

‘Like money. But not much.' He grinned at her, then at his client in the mirror. ‘Said too much now, haven't I?'

‘Stop it, Billy,' retaliated Matty with good humour. ‘That'd be great. Saturday morning only though.'

‘Done,' he said. ‘We'll sort out the details next Saturday. By the way, where's your pal?' He had noticed that Erica seemed to have stopped hanging out around town with Matty since her mother had gone to the Dolphin Centre.

Matty looked uneasy and glanced at the woman wrapped in the plastic cape whose head was covered in silver foil strips. She was reading a magazine and paying no attention. ‘I don't know where she is. She hasn't been at school and she's not at the house.' Once or twice Matty had seen Erica playing her guitar alone at the beach or in the park, but she did not intrude.

Billy stopped what he was doing. ‘That's a worry. Has Amber heard anything? Doesn't the school ask where she is?'

‘I thought she might be visiting her mum. She's coming home soon.'

‘Well that's good. Mmm, would you excuse me for a tick?' he said to the woman in the chair. ‘Matty, why don't you mind the phone, take any appointments if someone calls. I'll only be two minutes.'

He hurried down the arcade to the Beach Hut. ‘Amber, Erica seems to have gone missing. Do you think we should do something about it?'

‘Matty mumbled something but she seemed a bit vague when I asked,' she replied. ‘I think they've had a parting of the ways. Erica's been hanging out with those space cadets from the house.'

‘I hear Bonnie is due to come out of the retreat joint soon. What's the score? A bit soon, isn't it?'

‘I rang the Dolphin Centre this morning and they said someone could pick her up on Saturday. They were keen that she had some friends around to support her. The drop-off rate is pretty high if you go back into the same situation.' Amber shrugged. ‘I offered to take Erica with me when I go to get her, so she knows that much. Maybe I should talk to Greg, Bonnie's boyfriend, see what he knows.'

‘Better you than me. More your age group,' said Billy.

‘Ha! I don't have anything in common with him,' Amber said quickly. ‘But I'll check him out tonight on the way home.'

The house was a mess. Takeaway food containers littered the main room and music thudded down the hallway. The hippy, Indian-inspired decor of silk cushions, mirrored Rajasthan throws, saris draped at the windows, and a brass vase with wilted flowers looked seedy and neglected. The place had not been cleaned in weeks, and the stale odour of pot and alcohol hung heavily. Amber waited as a vague young girl went to find Greg.

He emerged from a bedroom looking sleepy and dishevelled. ‘Hey, what's up?'

‘I'm a friend of Bonnie's. We're a bit concerned, we can't find Erica.'

‘What's it to you?'

‘Like I said, I'm a friend. I would have thought you'd show some concern for Erica.' She looked pointedly around the room.

‘Man, don't hassle. Erica is cool. She'll be back when Bonnie rolls in.'

‘Back? Where is she?'

‘She's turned into quite the music lover.'

Amber didn't like the smirk on Greg's face. ‘Meaning?'

‘Hey, come along. There's a doof happening, a big one. The Vibe Tribe, Goa Trance. Starts tonight. People coming from everywhere. You up for it?' He was awake enough now to take in Amber's beauty.

She tried to sound nonchalant. Dance parties and especially these drug and techno music raves in secret locations were definitely not her scene. There'd been occasional stoushes with the police and council and she knew how serious the rave scene was in cities. Several teenagers had died at these all-night parties from drug overdoses and accidents. This would be a bad scene for someone as impressionable as Erica. ‘Yeah, I've been to a few. So where's it happening?'

‘At the Rocks. Few miles in, real wild west with a gorge into it so lookouts can delay any unwanted company. There's a big natural amphitheatre in there, sound'll be amazing. People have been holed up in some of the caves for days. Everyone else is packed into the bowl. You gotta hike in. Wanna come with us?'

‘I'll get there. Thanks for the tip.'

‘Any time, babe.' He gave her a parting leer that was an invitation.

Amber couldn't understand how Bonnie had existed in this dreadful house with these slimy people. She drove quickly to check out the scene with Kimberley.

‘God, what a nightmare,' Kimberley exclaimed after hearing the rundown. ‘What are we going to do? How do we get Erica out? I've never been to the Rocks, too spooky for me. Always makes me think of Hanging Rock. Do you think the police will close it down?'

‘I suppose so, eventually. But there are no neighbours to complain about the noise out there, and it seems like they have things well organised. The only thing we can do is go there and look for her.'

‘What! There'll be thousands of drunk, doped fluoro ferals.'

‘I know, but have you got a better idea?' Amber was a little shocked that Kimberley wasn't more supportive. Her own daughter could be swept up in this scene.

Kimberley pulled a packet of cigarettes out of the kitchen drawer. ‘Bring your coffee outside. This calls for a smoke.'