No Job for a Girl

by Meredith Appleyard

  ‘Funny you should mention that. She went for a job, maternity leave relief at a similar not-for-profit.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘It fell through.’ Paul grimaced at the memory.

  ‘Oh, I bet she was disappointed.’

  ‘Devastated, more like.’

  ‘I can understand. She’s used to being financially independent.’ Leah took her eyes off the road for a second to check Paul’s reaction. He looked bemused.

  ‘I keep telling her we can manage on my salary. I put money into her account every month, to do whatever she likes with. She hardly spends any of it, uses her own savings.’

  ‘I’ll talk to her,’ Leah said.

  ‘Would you? She might listen to you.’

  Paul had sighed, sinking deeper into his seat and they’d spent the remainder of the trip talking about trivialities.

  On the way back from the management meeting, Alex had had other passengers, which meant she hadn’t been on her own with him since the night of the incident with her shirts. The fact that she looked forward to the pre starts and daily debriefs with u­nwarranted a­nticipation hadn’t escaped her. She didn’t attempt to analyse why she felt that way, and what, if anything, she was going to do about it – there was no point.

  By the Thursday of her third week, Leah had started to count down the days until she went on rest leave. She’d been up at two that morning to see a patient with a migraine, and had lain awake for an hour afterwards, worrying about Eve and Paul. Since her talk with Paul she’d tried Eve’s number several times, with no luck. It was either pure coincidence, or Eve was screening her calls. Leah leaned towards the latter.

  Now, after a late lunch in the mess with Ben, Leah’s head felt fuzzy, her eyes gritty with tiredness. She smothered a yawn, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. For some reason Ruby hadn’t chased them out and they lingered over coffee.

  ‘Four more early starts and then you won’t get me out of bed before ten for the next six days.’

  ‘You’d be used to early starts with shift work and all,’ Ben said, swiping cake crumbs out of his beard with a contented sigh. ‘Why did you leave nursing to come to a place like this?’

  Leah smiled. ‘There for a second I thought you were going to ask me what a nice girl like me was doing in a place like this.’

  ‘Nah, I reckon you’d get enough of that from the likes of Alex.’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘So why are you here?’

  ‘You know, women are more than capable of doing jobs that have traditionally been the domain of men. It doesn’t mean we want to be men; we just want the same opportunities. We’re well over a decade into the twenty-first century, for crying out loud. We should be able to choose whatever career we want, and work wherever we want.’

  ‘Whoa, my wife’s been browbeating me about equal pay and conditions for women ever since I’ve known her. I don’t have a problem with any of it. What I was asking was, why did you decide to change career paths?’

  Leah massaged the back of her neck, rolled her shoulders.‘I don’t know exactly. I’d been a health and safety rep for a while and I enjoyed it. Studying for a diploma was the next logical step, and when I applied for the first health and safety job that came up,I was successful.’

  Ben looked sceptical.

  Leah sighed. ‘My relationship broke up. My ex-partner is an RN – that’s how we met – and nursing circles in South Australia are very small. I needed a complete change of scenery. What started out as an interest became another career direction.’

  ‘Ah, a midlife crisis.’

  Leah fiddled with one of her earrings, a small gold stud. ‘I’m not sure about that . . . I needed a change of scenery and a new challenge.’

  ‘That’s what I mean, a midlife crisis.’ He grinned. ‘You don’t want kids?’

  Leah laughed, a burble of amusement. First Stacey and now Ben. ‘Currently, it’s only me, my dog, and my mortgage.’

  ‘Yeah, but there’s still time, if you want a family.’

  ‘I’d hoped so . . .’

  In the kitchen something crashed, then someone screeched. They heard Ruby let out a string of curses. Moments later the back door slammed and Ruby appeared, hands on hips, her round face flushed.

  ‘The bloody girl is bloody useless. You’re going to have to do something about her, Ben Reece. She should be getting better at the job, not worse. If she’s not got her head in the toilet puking, she’s smashing things in my kitchen!’

  Ben looked at Leah and said in a low voice, ‘I’ll sort this one. Can you go after Stacey?’

  ‘Yep.’ Leah mouthed ‘Good luck’ to Ben and went in search of Stacey.

  She found her in the toilet block, blotting puffy red eyes with cold water. With a feeling of déjà vu, Leah stepped into the claustrophobic space. Stacey backed away, eyes wide like a rabbit in the spotlight.

  ‘Stacey? I’m here to make sure you’re all right. Ben and I were worried about you.’

  Stacey wrapped trembling arms around her skinny form, staring at Leah. ‘Why are you always so kind to me?’

  If Leah had been expecting anything, it wasn’t that. She shrugged, momentarily at a loss. ‘Why wouldn’t I be kind to you?’

  Stacey shook her head vigorously. ‘I did it,’ she whispered.

  Leah stepped closer. ‘You did what, Stacey?’

  ‘You know,’ she said and waved her hand about, not looking at Leah.

  ‘No, I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me.’

  Stacey licked her lips. ‘The shirts —’

  The blood drained from Leah’s face. She leaned hard on the hand basin. ‘You did it? For god’s sake, why?’

  Stacey looked away, pressing her fingers to her lips. Leah could see the girl was trying hard not to cry. Alex was right. It hadn’t been Frank. Thoughts whirling, Leah kicked the door shut and locked it.

  Stacey whimpered and cringed in the corner.

  ‘Stacey, I’m not going hurt you!’ Leah reached out and touched her shoulder. ‘I want to know why you did it, and I didn’t think you’d want anyone else overhearing our conversation.’

  Stacey nodded, sniffed, and her shoulders drooped even further. Leah passed the girl a paper towel and waited while she noisily blew her nose.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Stacey stammered. ‘But I was so fucking angry.’

  ‘About what? What did I do to make you so angry?’

  ‘Nothin’. Turns out you did nothin’.’

  ‘Stacey, it must have been something.’

  ‘I thought at the time you’d done it but then I found out you didn’t.’

  ‘Stacey, I’ll need more information than that, or I’m going to get angry.’

  Stacey flipped her a nervous glance, propping herself against the toilet cubicle. ‘You know the last time we talked in here, when I told you I was pregnant?’

  ‘Yes, Tuesday last week.’

  ‘When I went to the kitchen that afternoon to help Ruby like I usually do, she started in on me about being pregnant —’

  ‘Ah, so you thought I’d told her. But she worked it out for herself.’

  Stacey’s chin dipped to her chest. ‘Yeah. Ruby said it wasn’t rocket science, me with my head in the toilet puking every morning. Said you were too much of a closed-mouthed cow to have said anything to the likes of her.’

  Leah pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. ‘Where did you get the diesel oil?’

  ‘Trev’s got all sorts of crap in that sea container. He doesn’t even know what’s in there.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Stacey said quietly. ‘I should’ve known you wouldn’t say anything, you being a nurse and all, and making the doctor’s appointment for me. Are you gonna dob me in?’

  ‘Do you think I should?’

  ‘I dunno. You probably should. But someone needs to tell that Ruby to keep her mouth shut.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe. But I was upset
when I discovered what had happened to my clothes, and Ruby was very kind to me.’

  ‘Hmmph,’ Stacey said and they both stood in silence until Leah said, ‘I’ll have to tell Alex. He needs to know because an incident report went in. And the Coober Pedy police were notified.’

  ‘Oh, hell. I hope I don’t lose my job.’

  ‘I hope you don’t either. What you did was destructive and wrong, Stacey, no doubts about that, but it took a lot of courage to own up to it. I’ll tell Alex and he’ll have to decide what he says to Ben. I’ll contact the police and withdraw the complaint.’

  Stacey nodded but avoided looking at Leah. ‘Thanks,’ she mumbled. Neither of them moved.

  ‘How did the doctor’s appointment go?’

  ‘Good. Took blood tests and stuff like that. Said I’d need an ultrasound soon and that I had to get my own doctor in Adelaide.’ Stacey smiled and Leah found herself smiling along with her.

  ‘I’m glad. I hope it works out for you. Now, tell me what h­appened in the kitchen a while ago. What had Ruby cursing and you rushing off?’

  When Stacey laughed Leah realised she’d never heard the girl laugh before. She should laugh more often.

  ‘All these baby hormones are turning me into such a klutz.I broke a dish. So what?’

  ‘You know, underneath it all Ruby is a good person. Give her a chance. We women should stick together – there aren’t many of us out here.’

  Stacey didn’t answer and Leah knew when not to push. But as they filed out of the ablution block, Stacey’s expression said she’d need more convincing when it came to Ruby.

  That evening, the daily debrief was anything but brief. Leah drummed her fingers on the desk while Frank rolled out one excuse after another why Ballard Earthmoving was behind with their work, and holding everyone else up as a result.

  ‘And don’t forget that bloody fiasco with the excavator,’ he said and threw Leah a scathing look.

  ‘Try telling Ryan Greene it was a fiasco,’ she said bluntly.

  ‘Come on, people. Let’s keep to topic.’ Alex’s expression was flinty.

  ‘Sorry,’ Leah said, not sorry at all. She cast her eyes downwards, concentrating on her notes, while the debrief dragged on.

  After the meeting Leah lurked around the office until everyone except Alex had left.

  ‘You’ll miss dinner,’ he said.

  ‘So will you. But I need to talk to you.’

  He lifted his eyes from the computer screen.

  ‘You look tired,’ she said. ‘I haven’t seen you at the mess these last few nights.’

  The chair creaked as he folded his hands behind his head. ‘Too much to do. And Ruby’s been leaving something out for me. Don’t worry, I’ve been looking after myself.’

  ‘Good,’ Leah said with a small, satisfied smile. She perched on the corner of her desk.

  Alex sighed. ‘You have to stop baiting Frank.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s not helpful, Leah.’

  ‘Not helpful?’ She lurched to her feet. He wasn’t the one who had to put up with Frank’s constant snide remarks about her appearance, her relationships with the people she worked with, her very existence. It was never much, but Frank never missed an opportunity to harass her.

  Alex raised his hands in a placating gesture. ‘I know he always starts it, but you’re meant to be the professional here.’

  Leah choked down a fiery retort. She didn’t know which upset her the most: Frank’s constant undermining comments or her dis­appointment that Alex continued to side with him.

  ‘Whatever you might think, I’m not taking sides, Leah. I’m appealing to you because I know I’d be wasting my breath saying anything to Frank.’

  ‘Right,’ she said tightly.

  ‘And why didn’t you get me when you were called out in the middle of the night?’

  ‘How did you know I was called out? You came in late. I tried to be quiet.’

  ‘I heard you. When you didn’t knock on my door, I stayed awake until you came back.’

  ‘I knew him. I’ve treated him before. He’s fine.’

  ‘We had an agreement. It doesn’t matter how late I get to bed, or if you know the person.’

  Leah focused on the air conditioner on the wall behind him. She had agreed to have either Alex or Ben accompany her to after-hours calls. ‘It won’t happen again.’

  Alex’s chair creaked as he leaned back. ‘I seem to remember you making that promise once before.’

  Leah blushed. She had. Before she knew who’d vandalised her clothes.

  ‘Now, you had something to tell me?’

  For a split second she considered not telling him what Stacey had confessed. It could be her and Stacey’s secret. The girl wouldn’t risk losing her job; the issue could just fade away. But then Leah gave herself a sharp mental shake. There was the complaint to the police and the incident report. There was her having to check in after hours. And Ben had said that everyone thought Frank had done it . . .

  ‘Stacey Lambert vandalised my shirts. She thought I’d told Ruby something personal about her, and she was angry with me.’

  ‘What, that she’s pregnant?’

  ‘Who the hell told you that?’

  ‘Ruby, Ben, Syd . . . I can’t remember exactly.’

  ‘I don’t believe it. Is nothing private?’

  ‘Calm down. It’s no big deal.’

  ‘No big deal? She’s only nineteen. By the sounds of things, her boyfriend isn’t interested in fatherhood. She’ll more than likely be a single mother. To her it is a very big deal. It’s the rest of her life.’

  Alex gaped at her, starting to protest, but she went on.

  ‘Don’t stay in the bush too long, Alex. You’ll risk losing touch with the real world.’

  ‘You’re starting to sound like my ex-wife.’

  Indignation almost choked her. ‘I’m going to dinner,’ she said, and stalked out.

  Alex cursed and called, ‘Leah, wait,’ but she ignored him and slammed the admin door. It was cold. In the heat of the moment she’d left her jacket behind.

  ‘I’d rather freeze,’ she muttered.

  He’d blamed her for Frank’s bad behaviour, and given her a blast for going against his wishes when it came to after-hours calls. Did he seriously think she needed someone with her every time she was called out after hours? And his casual attitude to Stacey’s situation? She’d expected him to show more compassion, being a parent himself, especially considering his boys were basically being brought up by a single parent. The man had his head buried so far in the sand it was a wonder he didn’t suffocate.

  Leah almost bypassed the mess and went straight to her room. Anger and disappointment had replaced the emptiness in her stomach. But she’d learned from experience that it was a long time to breakfast if she skipped dinner.

  The mess was still humming, diners scattered around the tables. When Ruby didn’t appear Leah filled her plate from the bain-marie and sat at one of the tables, picking up a newspaper.

  Some internal radar she’d recently developed pinged the moment Alex appeared, her senses on full alert. Ruby bustled out of the kitchen, a plate in hand.

  ‘Mr McKinley, I got your dinner here. Steak cooked how you like it. Plenty of chips,’ she said. Leah rolled her eyes and went back to the newspaper.

  ‘Mind if I join you?’ Alex asked a moment later.

  ‘It’s a free country. Sit where you like.’

  ‘Ouch,’ he said, for her ears only.

  He sat down. She ignored him. He tugged at the newspaper. She put her hand flat down on it, but he yanked harder until it started slipping through her fingers and she looked up at him.

  ‘What do you want, Alex?’

  ‘Before, in the office, I was a jerk.’

  ‘You were.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  She acknowledged the beseeching expression in his eyes. It was a difficult juggle, the personal and the professional. She deci
ded to give him a break.

  ‘Apology accepted. Bad day?’

  ‘Nothing out of the ordinary. Tell me about the shirts.’ He started in on his steak, his demeanour more relaxed.

  Leah’s eyes swept the mess. ‘Probably better if we don’t discuss it here. It’s amazing what people overhear.’

  ‘You’re right. Come back to the office later.’

  She didn’t answer. While he ate, she methodically worked her way through the pile of chips, then pushed her plate away.

  ‘Not eating the rest of your steak?’

  ‘Nope, it’s like boot leather,’ she said, eyeing the succulent piece of meat on his plate. ‘No preferential treatment here.’

  ‘You want the rest of this?’ He moved his plate towards her.

  She shook her head and slid the newspaper closer, started to read.

  ‘Don’t be rude,’ Alex said and wrenched the paper away from her. ‘Mum always said it was rude to read at the table.’

  ‘Your mother didn’t live by herself,’ she said and dragged it back.

  He put his fist down on it. ‘Talk to me, Leah. Tell me about your day. You must be looking forward to going on rest leave Monday. Only three more days. What have you got planned?’

  She stared at him for several seconds, before saying, ‘I am looking forward to going home. My day was good. I did an audit on the riggers’ safety harness and other PPE, and I’m pleased to say every-thing was in order. I stitched up a bloke’s hand. He’d cut it on a piece of steel. And I talked to the Aboriginal monitors and drank tea with them when they passed through. But you already know all this from the debrief.’

  She sat back, reached up and lifted her hair off of the nape of her neck; she couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes dropped to the front of her shirt when she raised her arms. Satisfaction surged through her.

  ‘Oh, and the highlight of my day? It’s yet to come – I might wash my hair,’ she said airily. ‘And paint my toenails.’

  ‘Leah, stop right there.’ He held up his fork.

  She couldn’t stop her smile, slow and sexy, and for a suspended moment it was only the two of them in the mess. No clink of crockery, no sweaty male bodies, ribald laughter, smell of fried food and overcooked cabbage.