Meet Me in Bendigo

by Eva Scott

  She moved on, past the lecture on making your own compost, past the kids craft table where small hands painted pots in garish colours, to stop by the orchid marquee where half a dozen mahjong ladies sat transfixed as they listened to tips on getting the best out of your blooms.

  Nonna sat on the end of a row so Annalisa ducked low and crept up alongside her.

  ‘Nonna, what are you doing?’ she whispered.

  ‘Listening to the man talk about orchids, of course.’ Nonna gestured to the front of the marquee where a young, rather good-looking man talked orchid food.

  ‘Yes, I can see that, but shouldn’t you be over at the bus right now getting ready for the protest?’ Annalisa could see she was fighting an uphill battle.

  ‘Just give us a moment, would you, cara? He’ll be finished soon.’ Nonna patted her hand and turned her attention back to Orchid Guy.

  Annalisa looked at her grandmother incredulously. Her protest was going to play out like this?

  She slunk back, careful not to block anyone’s view or step on any toes. Back out in the sunshine, she took stock.

  Okay, so they’d all found something else to do. No problem. All that meant was the protest would be delayed a little. So what if it coincided with the ribbon cutting ceremony? Might even be better that way.

  Hiking up her determination like a pair of sagging socks, she continued her hunt for wayward pensioners only to come across Mel standing outside the jumping castle grinning at Luna who seemed to be having the time of her life.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  Mel, to her credit, jumped. ‘Ah, nothing. Luna wanted a go on the jumping castle and the line was short so we took advantage. I didn’t think you’d mind.’

  Annalisa frowned in disbelief. ‘Why is no one taking this seriously?’

  ‘Come on, kiddo. Take a look around.’ Mel swept her arms wide. ‘This whole place offers more fun than most people have had since the lockdown finished and the borders reopened. People are grateful.’

  ‘What are you saying?’ She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘That I’m ungrateful?’

  Mel sighed dramatically. ‘I’m not saying anything of the sort. All I mean is that you can’t blame people if they aren’t terribly enthusiastic about protesting the one happy thing that’s happened around here for a very long time.’ She shrugged. ‘Sorry, babe, but you see my point?’

  Annalisa took in the happy faces, the towering stacks of fairy floss, the bobbing helium balloons (each with an imprint of a large handsaw), the number of people munching hotdogs or chatting with friends over free coffee.

  Mel had a point. The long period of lockdown everyone had gone through during the pandemic had taken its toll. Now they were free range once more, able to do as they pleased, they’d found many of their favourite activities had been slow to start up again. A Carpenter’s Warehouse grand opening made things feel normal again.

  Who was she to disrupt their fun? Why would they care if her hardware shop had to close when they had all of this glorious warehouse to explore?

  She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and hunched her shoulders, finally defeated in a way she wouldn’t have predicted this morning. Everyone, it seemed, had accepted the reality of her situation. Everyone but her.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she answered honestly. ‘I do get your point. I just didn’t want to go down without a fight. Now it feels as if I’ve gone out with a whimper instead of a bang.’ She’d been hoping for a Book-of-Cappelli-worthy event, a news clipping she could paste in. One thing was for sure, Cappelli’s Hardware was not gathering any press today.

  ‘I know how hard this is for you but …’

  ‘Don’t you dare say I should have taken the money.’ Annalisa stiffened.

  ‘I was going to say things will get better once this is behind you. Give it a few months and you might even come to see that Carpenter’s Warehouse have done you a favour.’

  Annalisa gave her friend a startled look. ‘That’s a bit rich, don’t you think?’

  Mel shrugged. ‘Why don’t you go and get as much free stuff as you can? Take advantage of the Carpenters’ generosity. You’ve earned it. Besides, the ribbon cutting ceremony is about to start and I figure you’d want to miss that.’ She nodded towards the warehouse entrance where Ed towered above the council representatives, all smiles and charm.

  The sight of him jolted her into action.

  ‘You’re right. I don’t want to witness the happy moment. I’ll see you later.’ She didn’t wait for Mel’s response, launching herself back into the crowd, determined to find somewhere as far away from Ed Carpenter as she could get.

  That place proved to be a marquee on the far side of the car park, one devoted to a workshop on how to prepare a laminated surface for painting. She watched as the Carpenter’s employee explained which primer to use by demonstrating on a piece of furniture he’d prepared earlier. Annalisa listened without hearing a thing.

  The opening ceremony could be heard over a PA system. She intended to hide here until it was over, then she’d go back to the bus and wait for everyone to come back and go home.

  The crowd gave a cheer and she figured that was her cue. She rose and left the Carpenter’s employee explaining the need for a hard-wearing finish coat while she slipped out.

  Walking around the perimeter of the celebrations, she managed to avoid being faced with the depressing reality of how delighted people were with somewhere novel and fun to go. Cappelli’s Hardware was neither novel nor was it fun. It just was.

  As she approached the entrance, she could see Ed talking to some people, still looking annoyingly delicious. She wanted to hate him. She really did yet every time she came within his orbit he threw her off course. There was something about him that got under her skin.

  She didn’t have the strength to resist him today. She had to avoid him. Her need for Ed had the capacity to reduce her to rubble. They were from two different worlds. Today had confirmed that as she compared her reality to his. If she let him in, she’d only get hurt. She had to stay angry.

  Ed shook hands and chatted with people, busy on official duty, so he didn’t notice her as she slipped by.

  A shiny, happy greeter said hello as she got near the front door and she caught a glimpse of towering racks full of interesting things beyond the doorway.

  Her mind directed her feet to return to the bus, but her feet had other ideas. As they veered into the building, her hand waved at the greeter as if she was happy to be here. Such a traitor of a body, one not to be trusted.

  The smell of all things new and sparkly hit her as she walked in. Her neck craned from one direction to another as she absorbed all there was to see. The place was a temple to things DIY. Each aisle contained a theme: gardening, plumbing, electric tools, lighting, storage, outdoor furniture. The list seemed endless.

  Annalisa began to wander aimlessly, slowly navigating each aisle, stopping now and again to look at something. What on earth had she been thinking? There was no way Cappelli’s Hardware could compete with this lot. She should have taken the buyout deal; she was seeing it now for what it was, a generous amount of hush money. A lump sum guaranteed to make her go away quietly and happily.

  Carpenter’s knew she was no threat to them. They simply wanted a smooth operation with no thorny issues to deal with. Who was she kidding? She was no thorn in their side, more like a bindi in their foot, someone who could be kicked aside easily.

  She was standing in aisle nine, looking at a selection of solar-charged outdoor lights, when Ed found her.

  The morning had been chaotic in an efficient sort of way, with everything that needed to be done getting finished just in the nick of time. Ed sported a pale pink button-down shirt and a pair of R.M. Williams chinos. The shirt was mostly to annoy his brother, Oliver, and the chinos were to irritate Rosie who would have preferred he wear a suit, something he was not prepared to do in the country.

  Plenty of
people had turned up with no sign of dissent or trouble. Kids were enjoying the fairy floss and pony rides. Adults had much to distract and entertain them by way of workshops and free food. As he surveyed the happy crowd he couldn’t imagine anyone having much to complain about. Even Rosie and Oliver.

  Joe had called him earlier in the week to tell him about the protest and to apologise for taking part when they all thought Ed was a stand-up guy. He’d reassured Joe that he understood: Annalisa had to do what she had to do.

  He’d given her space as suggested by Joe, who knew all about the fight and who, Ed suspected, was rooting for him. A month had been a very long time. Not a day had gone by that he hadn’t thought about her a million times. Their fight reverberated through him, replaying over and over again ad nauseum. It haunted his dreams and his waking hours. While he seemed to have patched things up between GardenerGuy94 and GoldfieldsGirl, he had a long way to go as Ed Carpenter.

  Ed had seen Joe and the others right before the ribbon cutting ceremony, stuffing their faces happily with hotdogs. They’d confirmed Annalisa had come to the opening and the protest was still on. He decided to let things be, let her have her protest, and that he’d take the kicking from Rosie for it. It was the least he could do.

  Once the ribbon was cut and all the required photographs taken, he went in search of Annalisa. If she’d protested, she’d done it quietly and that was not like her. The minibus, parked crookedly in the car park, indicated she was still here somewhere and he was going to find her.

  Now that Carpenter’s Warehouse had officially opened, justifying his stay in the Goldfields would get harder. With a few tricks up his sleeve to delay his return to Melbourne, he had to use the time wisely. He had to win Annalisa’s heart.

  As he wandered the aisles looking for her, Ed ran through all the scenarios he’d imagined—what he’d say, what she’d say—conscious of how badly things had played out last time they’d met.

  And now here she was, all alone in aisle nine looking bewildered by the solar lights.

  ‘Hey,’ he said softly, so as not to startle her. He had no idea what kind of response he’d get, possibly not a good one.

  Annalisa jolted at the sound of his voice, his words acting like an electric shock. She turned to look at him with those big, velvet brown eyes, which had the power to deliver a hit of their own straight to his heart. For a long moment he didn’t think she’d reply.

  ‘There’s so much stuff.’ She looked shell-shocked by the sheer volume of goods surrounding her.

  ‘The term warehouse kind of gives it away.’

  ‘Smart-arse.’

  Ah, there was the Annalisa he knew and loved. He suppressed a smile, encouraged and hopeful.

  ‘I didn’t think you’d come,’ he said, grateful she hadn’t stalked off yet. Give her time.

  ‘I was intending to protest the opening.’ She continued to examine the lighting products. ‘Do you think these would work in the courtyard?’ She held out a box containing a string of garden lights as if their last conversation hadn’t been a verbal knife fight.

  He’d play along, do anything if it meant she’d forgiven him. ‘They’d look great.’

  ‘Don’t suppose you’d do mates rates?’ While he blinked vacantly at her request, she burst out laughing. ‘Only kidding.’

  ‘I’m sure I could arrange something.’ Ed couldn’t get a read on her. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Me?’ She looked surprised he’d asked. ‘Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I arrange a perfectly good protest only to have all my protesters desert me for all the shiny, bright things Carpenter’s Warehouse has to offer. This is starting to feel like the theme of my life.’

  Right, so not okay then.

  ‘Sorry about that.’ Apologising seemed like the thing to do although he wasn’t sure exactly what he was apologising for—the wayward protesters or her collapsing business.

  ‘It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.’ She batted his apology back to him with a smooth stroke of indifference. Annalisa angry he could deal with but Annalisa indifferent left him flummoxed.

  ‘About that day at the café …’

  ‘Don’t worry about that either.’ She gave him a tight smile that told him this time her words did not carry true weight.

  ‘I think I’m going to.’ He settled in for an argument.

  ‘Why?’ She frowned. ‘You won.’

  ‘It’s not about winning, Annalisa. You know that.’ God, she could be stubborn and frustrating.

  ‘Isn’t it? Funny, because it certainly feels as if it is.’ She turned to face him, her head cocked to one side as if to see him better, her long dark curls tumbling over her shoulder as if trying to escape.

  ‘And what is it that I’ve won exactly?’ He asked sincerely, mostly because he couldn’t get a grip on her mood. ‘All this would have happened whether I was a part of it or not.’

  However she did respond, one thing was for sure, the Annalisa he knew wouldn’t be able to maintain indifference for long.

  ‘I guess,’ she said after some consideration, ‘it’s me who lost something.’

  Here we go.

  ‘I tried to help you.’

  ‘I know,’ she said, moving her attention to the box of garden lights. ‘These are for outdoor use, right?’

  ‘Cut it out, Annalisa.’ He hadn’t intended on being the one who broke first. ‘You’re angry with me and you’ve got every right to be. I know you’re disappointed with the way things turned out and I’d give anything to make that better, but I can’t. Don’t stand there pretending you don’t feel anything. I can’t stand it.’

  ‘You can’t stand it?’ She took a step back as if his words had contained a slap. ‘When the hell do you get to have any say about anything, especially my feelings? Who the hell do you think you are?’

  And just like that, she was back.

  He struggled to contain a smile. ‘Don’t you remember? I’m the devil himself.’

  ‘You are so full of shit, Ed Carpenter.’ She loaded up her index finger and pointed it at him. He waited to see what bullets of truth she had to fire today. ‘Yes, I’m angry at you. You are an arse.’

  ‘A kissable arse. Go on, admit it.’ He couldn’t help himself. It was good to see her back to herself.

  She ignored him. ‘Yes, I’m disappointed. Tell me one human being in my situation who wouldn’t be depressed at this outcome, and no, there’s nothing you can do to make it better.’

  ‘You could have taken the payout.’ Why did he have to go and remind her about that?

  ‘Too late now, right? Wasn’t the condition that I sign those papers before the opening of the warehouse? Seems like I’m a day late and several thousand dollars short.’

  ‘I could still make it happen.’ He could not believe the words coming out of his mouth.

  Rosie would kill him if he gave Annalisa the money now. She hadn’t been keen on giving it to her in the first place, only she saw it as hush money and therefore an investment.

  ‘Yeah, right.’ Annalisa turned back to the shelving display. ‘I can’t decide between these ones that look like little light bulbs or good old-fashioned fairy lights.’

  ‘Jesus, Annalisa.’ He ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. She’d grown a carapace he couldn’t seem to crack.

  ‘What?’ She half turned to him.

  ‘You know what,’ he growled, all patience gone. If he didn’t get through to her now, there was a very good chance he never would. He needed her to be open to a friendship between them to stand a snowball’s chance in hell of ever integrating himself with his GardenerGuy94 persona.

  ‘No, I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?’ She had to be the most stubborn, hard-headed woman he’d ever met.

  ‘You know I care about what happens to you’—he stepped closer and she held her ground—‘and you can’t stand there and tell me that this thing between us isn’t real.’

  ‘What thing?’

  ‘Stop it, A
nnalisa. You know what I’m talking about. You feel it as strongly as I do.’

  She stared into his eyes as the air around them seemed to crackle and snap with suppressed energy. ‘Prove it,’ she said. ‘I dare you.’

  Annalisa took a step towards him as if to meet him halfway. He had no idea what was going on in her head. Was she angry? She seemed angry to him, yet she’d issued him a challenge that had but only one conclusion—she must know that.

  Every molecule in his body was tuned towards hers, seeking an answering vibration. The moment held such inevitability within it that he hesitated, teetering on the edge of no return just to feel its bittersweet bite.

  He had no idea what would happen after this, and he didn’t care anymore. It would be what it would be.

  Ed couldn’t be certain if she reached for him at the same time or he crossed the distance between them alone, either way she was in his arms and his lips found hers. He kissed her like it could be their last. What was there to lose?

  His hands tangled in her hair and he swore she moved closer until the entire length of her pressed against him. Her hands snaked around his waist and his deeply buried anxiety relaxed at the feel of her palms on his back. She returned the kiss with equal fervour, leaving him in little doubt he’d proven his point.

  Tomorrow didn’t matter and today disappeared. Aisle nine became a portal to a timeless place, the kind inhabited by lovers everywhere. They kissed forever and for no time at all before they were interrupted.

  ‘Annalisa?’ Nonna’s voice came from behind Ed with the same effect as a bucket of cold water. He instinctively stepped back, putting a respectable distance between himself and Annalisa.

  She kept her eyes locked with his, her chest rising and falling rapidly and her cheeks flushed. He couldn’t look away.

  ‘Annalisa, are you alright?’ Nonna again. ‘It’s nearly time to go. Chook is waiting.’

  ‘I’d say she’s fine,’ said the unmistakable voice of Joe. ‘I’d even go as far as to say she was ace high and all in.’

  ‘Joe!’ scolded Nonna. ‘Come with me now.’

  ‘What? I’m only pointing out the obvious. Blind Freddy could see these two are made for each other.’