Written in the Stars (28 page)

The following weeks sped by as Suzi prepared to move out of Caxton Manor. Everything she wanted to retain had been packed away, and the most of the excess furniture was up for auction. Daily trips to the physiotherapist had helped rebuild the muscles in her arm, and now it felt quite normal. She had given a great deal of thought to Charlize’s invitation, and finally decided the time was right to take a holiday in New Zealand. There was no reason not to go.

When Suzi phoned Charlize, she squealed with delight.

‘That’s the best news you given me for a long time. You’ll love it here. The people are so friendly. I’ll get Lloyd to fix things up with his mother so that you’ll have somewhere to stay. You’ll love her, she’s ever so nice.’

‘It’s okay; you don’t have to keep selling the place to me, I’m practically on my way. I moving out on the Thursday before Easter, so I’ll book into a hotel for the night before the flight on the following day.’

‘That’s great, but it’s a pity things turned out the way they have with Steve Pardoe,’ Charlize said, sadly. ‘He’s a really nice guy, and Lloyd thinks…’

‘And Lloyd thinks what?’

‘He thinks the guy is crazy not to drag you over here.’ Over the next few minutes Charlize related what had happened when Steve finally dropped in to say hello and wish them well. When she had finished, Suzi gasped.

‘The letter he wrote to me before he left the country echoes what you’ve just told me. Now I know why he was so abrupt when we met.’ She groaned softly. ‘He’d taken the trouble to fly over here to settle everything, and I didn’t even bother to invite him to dinner, nor ask where he was staying. I did nothing.’

‘Well, it’s not the end of the world,’ Charlize said, in an effort tried to console her. ‘He’s here in Auckland, and Lloyd will be only too happy to act as an intermediary.’

‘Okay, I hear you. Expect me some time over Easter.’

One week later she said goodbye to Eileen and climbed into the Honda. She forced herself not to look back as she drove out through the front gates, but her eyes still brimmed with tears.

Chapter Thirty Two

Steve came home to find his father tucked up in bed with a bad dose of influenza. Norah had finally convinced him that it was better to stay home rather than infect the rest of his workforce, but now she was having second thoughts.

‘Talk about a pain in the you-know-what,’ she complained. Then she shrugged. ‘He hardly ever gets sick, so I suppose it’s to be expected.’ She shoved Steve towards the bedroom. ‘Go and talk to him, tell him the factory won’t grind to a halt because neither of you is there.’

Vince brightened up as Steve came into the room. ‘How’d it go, son? Everything okay now?’ He didn’t wait for a reply before continuing. ‘Now those pumps. Burt seems to think there’s a big problem so you’d better slip down there straight away and sort it out.’

‘Okay, I’ll take care of it.’

Within a few days Steve felt as if he had never been away. He soon found out why the equipment wasn’t working a hundred percent and rectified the problem. By the time everything was running smoothly again, Vince had recovered enough to return to work—much to Norah’s relief.

The three of them were sitting around the table a few nights later discussing Steve’s trip to Wales, when Norah brought up the subject of houses. She and Vince had finally chosen a smaller place, but there were only two bedrooms.

‘That means no spare room.’ Steve looked from one to the other. ‘I get the hint. You mean it’s time I found a place for myself.’ He grinned. ‘Okay. Now that I’ve straightened out the mess in Britain, solved the pump problem and had time to recover from my jetlag, I suppose I should start looking.’

‘Well, it doesn’t look too bright does it?’ Vince said looking over the top of his wineglass. ‘I mean the managing director of Voxlin living at home with his parents. It’s not very impressive, is it?’

‘Managing director?’

‘Yes, it’s about time I took a back seat and let you run the show. You’ve proved time and again that you do a better job than I can now.’ He reached across the table. ‘Congratulations son, you’ve made the big time.’

‘And you deserve it,’ Norah added.

The rest of the workforce was equally surprised by Vince’s decision, but they were unanimous in adding their congratulations. It was decided to close the workshop an hour earlier than usual the following Friday and celebrate at the nearest pub. Most of the staff were married, so after a few drinks they made their excuses and left. Vince bought one more round, and then declared the party over.

The next morning Steve took a taxi to town and picked up his car, and then he spent the afternoon looking at houses that were being advertised for sale. The rest of the weekend he spent driving around the bay area, still looking, but finding nothing he fancied. He approached Harry Wisecombe to see what he might have, but he had nothing to offer.

‘I’ll let you know the moment something special comes on the market. I know the kind of place you’re looking for.’ He said, as Steve bade him goodbye.

When the remaining pumps were dispatched to North Queensland, both Steve and his father gave a sigh of relief. It had been touch and go whether they would meet the deadline. Nick Bolte had promised to phone when they arrived and keep them up to date with the installation, so they were both dismayed when the man’s daughter rang a few days later.

‘Dad’s been rushed to hospital,’ she said. ‘He went fishing this morning, jumped in the water to untangle his line from the propeller, and landed on a jellyfish.’

‘How bad is he?’

‘The doctor says he’ll be all right, but it’s a bit scary. It was just pure luck that a friend was close by and took him to hospital before any irreparable damage was done.’ Her voice faded for a moment. ‘He’ll be upset that he’s let you down.’

‘It’s okay. Don’t you worry, and tell Nick we’ll take care of it.’

Vince turned to Steve. ‘Looks like a job for the managing director,’ he joked. Then he became serious. ‘Sorry son, but you’re the only one who can do it. We can’t rely on casual workers at this stage.’

‘That’s okay. Nick was going to do the Babinda job first, but he didn’t explain why. Never mind, I’ll sort it out when I get there. I’d better book a flight to Brisbane now.’

‘When will you leave?’

‘Easter Saturday is as good a time as any.

The next few days were spent checking that everything had been dispatched and arrived safely. Steve packed a selection of tools and tossed in his own hard hat for good measure. A punctured rear tyre nearly caused him to miss the plane. As Vince roared up the departure terminal and stopped with a squeal of tyres Steve jumped out of the car. He yanked a bag from the back seat, banged the car roof and ran into the building. The stewardess looked pointedly at her watch as he raced up the walkway and into the waiting aircraft.

‘Another minute and you’d have been left at the gate,’ she remarked dryly. She pointed to the nearest seat. ‘Sit there until we’ve taken off.’

As she spoke, the aircraft moved away from the loading area and headed towards the runway. Ten minutes later they were airborne.

*

Suzi’s flight was delayed because one of the pilots had to be replaced at the last moment, but the passengers were assured that the lost time would be made up before the plane reached New Zealand. The captain had been right, and they touched down at Auckland within minutes of the scheduled time. Charlize waved frantically as Suzi walked into the reception hall. The two women clung to each other for a long time as they embraced.

‘It’s so lovely to see you again,’ Charlize sniffed. ‘You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed you.’

‘But you’ve got Lloyd.’

‘Yes, but I’ve still missed you. Come on, let’s go.’ She picked up one of Suzi’s bags and led the way out of the terminal. ‘Lloyd is nearly as excited as I am about it all. His parents are visiting friends at Cormandel Peninsula over the weekend so you can stay with us until they return.’

The two women were just about to cross the road when a car pulled up outside the departure terminal with a squeal of tyres. A man jumped out, pulled a bag from the back seat, slapped a hand on the car roof and ran into the building. Suzi stared at the running figure and then grabbed Charlize’s arm.

‘I swear that man looked like Steve Pardoe.’

‘What man; where?’

‘Never mind, he’s gone now,’ she said, as the man disappeared into the crowd of people thronging the concourse. ‘It was probably my imagination.’

The two women spent the first day catching up on each other’s news. Charlize arranged a party for the following evening to introduce Suzi to her new circle of friends. She confided that she had also invited Steve, reasoning that if they met on neutral ground it would be better for them both.

And now, as they gathered in the lounge, Suzi looked in vain for Steve. The disappointment was almost crushing. Then Lloyd appeared at her side.

‘I’ve just had a phone call from Steve’s mother to say he’s been called to an urgent job in Australia. Apparently their representative in North Queensland has been rushed to hospital and Steve was the only person who could supervise the installation of their pumps.’ He clasped Suzi’s hand. ‘I’m so sorry to disappoint you, Suzi. His mother apologised for not phoning sooner, but she forgot.’

‘When did he go?’

‘Saturday.’

‘Then it really was Steve I saw at the airport.’ She sniffed softly, as Charlize joined them. ‘Why do things keep going pear-shape?’

‘He might be back before you leave.’

‘Don’t count on it,’ Suzi said bitterly. Then she turned to her friend. ‘Sorry Charlize, I don’t want to spoil your party.’ She looked meaningfully at the collection of bottles on a nearby table. ‘Let’s get hammered and forget about it all.’

She almost tiptoed out into the kitchen the next morning. Charlize laughed at her woebegone expression.

‘You did nothing out of the way, so there’s no harm done.’ She put her arm around Suzi. ‘What will you do now that Steve’s out of the picture?’ When Suzi hesitated, she continued. ‘I had hoped to spend more time with you, but my workload has suddenly increased, and I’m afraid the next few weeks will be critical to the success of my work here. I am so sorry, Suzi.’

‘That’s okay, I’ll take off and have a look around by myself, and then I’ll make up my own mind about the place.’

Lloyd returned from a round of golf just before lunch and suggested that they should take advantage of the lovely weather to have a look at some of the northern beaches. By the time they returned late that afternoon Suzi understood why Charlize was so enamoured with the country. She was really impressed with the bay area and could well understand why the properties there attracted such high prices.

‘Come on,’ Lloyd said, the next day. ‘I’ll take you on a tour of the suburbs on the south side of the harbour.’ Suzi enjoyed looking around, but by mid-afternoon the main roads were filling up with holidaymakers returning home after the Easter break. ‘Time to head home,’ he said, ‘and we’ll finish off the day by eating out at the bistro this evening; it’s a smart place.’

The next day Suzi caught the train to Wellington, and had just settled into the window seat when an elderly gentleman sat down next to her. He doffed his hat as he said hello.

‘So we’re travelling companions.’ A smile played around his lips. ‘Now if I get too garrulous you just tell me to shut up. I won’t be offended.’

‘I wouldn’t do that,’ Suzi said. ‘I’m sure you’re the perfect gentleman.’ When he nodded she glanced at the unusual badge fastened to his coat lapel. ‘Are you a returned service man?’

‘Yes, I am, and somehow I’ve managed to outlive most of my contemporaries.’

‘That’s quite an achievement.’

‘I suppose so. Now let me tell you something. When we gather to honour our dead companions we offer a prayer that contains the lines… ‘Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn… ‘

‘And at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall remember them.’ Suzi finished the quotation.

‘That’s very good.’ The old man sniffed. ‘Unfortunately age wearies those of us that survive.’ Then he gestured at the airline label on her carry bag. ‘I can see you’re not from this part of the world, and you’re definitely not Scottish. Irish… perhaps?’

‘Welsh.’

‘Ah yes, I’ve read a few books about Wales. ‘The Stars Look Down’ and ‘How Green is my Valley’. Dreadful times; such suffering and hardship for those poor people.’ He paused to allow her to respond and then went on. ‘Things have improved in Wales since those days, I should hope.’

‘Yes, they have. All the mines have closed, except for one that’s kept open for tourists. The economy is bustling, though.’

‘Good, now let me tell you all about this beautiful land you’re visiting.’

The old man kept up a running commentary as the train made its way through the pleasant green countryside. By the time they reached Wellington, Suzi knew a great deal more about New Zealand than when they had started. He grasped her hand as they prepared to leave the carriage.

‘Now, remember what I said, don’t fly back to Auckland... catch a bus. Stop off at Taupo and have a look at Rotorua, and visit the hot pools.’ He chuckled. ‘But don’t get up to any tricks in the rivers; they are heated by the geysers, and can harbour some nasty bugs.’

Suzi kissed his cheek and made her way out of the railway station and then she caught a cab to the city centre. She spent the next day strolling around the windy capital.