Meet Me in Bendigo

by Eva Scott

  ‘He’s the devil, Joe.’

  ‘Devil spawn maybe, but surely not the devil himself.’ Their voices faded as Nonna took Joe away from the scene.

  Annalisa hadn’t moved. Her gaze remained locked with his, her thoughts impenetrable and her mood encrypted beyond decipherability.

  ‘You win again,’ she hissed, as if their kiss had done her an insult. ‘But that doesn’t mean anything’s changed.’

  ‘Everything has changed, Annalisa, and you know it.’ He matched his tone to hers, low and urgent. ‘You can say what you want but it won’t change my mind. I’ll still feel this way about you tomorrow and the day after that.’

  ‘You and me’—she pointed to his chest and back to herself—‘we are impossible. It can’t happen.’

  ‘You can tell me your reasons for thinking that all day long and it won’t matter one bit. This thing between us isn’t going anywhere. You can run from it, Annalisa, but you cannot hide.’

  She stood with her hands balled into fists, furious with him or herself. He couldn’t tell.

  ‘We’ll see about that,’ she said. She stooped to pick up her box of lights from where they’d fallen on the floor before turning on her heel and leaving him standing alone in aisle nine.

  Why did he feel as if she’d issued another challenge? Maybe it was time he issued one of his own.

  Extract from The Goldfields Gazette, Tuesday 12 May 1942:

  AUSTERITY IS YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY

  Prime Minister John Curtin has called for all Australians to make a pledge of austerity to help with the war effort. Cappelli’s Hardware & Supplies has heeded this call to arms and is offering a wide selection of everything you need to grow your own vegetables at home.

  Mrs Marco Cappelli is running the store while her husband is away fighting with our troops in Papua New Guinea.

  ‘Keeping busy is the key,’ she says. ‘We grow our own vegetables and sew our own clothes. Any women needing advice on how to become more efficient on the home front, or simply looking for female companionship, are welcome here.’

  The ladies of Cappelli’s Hardware & Supplies can teach you how to hammer a nail or make those repairs your husband would have done for you.

  ‘Even with the threat of invasion growing every day and the worry over the safety of our soldiers, we women can show the rest of Australia how we can pull together to get things done.’

  For any interested ladies, Mrs Marco Cappelli is also offering instruction on making rations go further and sewing clothes using materials you have in the home.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘Thank you both for coming.’ Annalisa ushered Nonna and Joe into the store late on Sunday afternoon, a time most certainly devoid of customers. She locked the door behind them, noting that they had come together in Nonna’s car, a fact that brought her the first smile of the day.

  ‘How are you feeling, cara?’ Nonna kissed her on both cheeks. ‘I’ve been worried about you.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Joe, his face folding into wrinkles like a fine handkerchief.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Annalisa dismissed their concerns. ‘I’ve moved on from yesterday and, before you ask, the events of last month too.’

  Nonna looked at Joe, who raised his eyebrows as if they knew she’d spent a sleepless night tossing and turning, thoughts of Ed and GardenerGuy94 tangled in her mind. Unable to separate her feelings for the two men, she’d focussed on the only problem with an obvious solution.

  ‘I didn’t ask you both here this afternoon to talk about the state of my heart. I want to talk to you about the store and what on earth I’m going to do now Carpenter’s Warehouse has opened.’

  ‘I would have said we are talking about the state of your heart,’ said Joe.

  ‘Okay, so you might have a point,’ she conceded. ‘I didn’t feel so great after being stood up, and yesterday’s little shindig didn’t do much for my mood but, as we all know, neither of those things are the worst things that can happen to a person. It’s all about perspective.’

  ‘Look at you, all wise and stuff.’

  ‘Joe,’ warned Nonna. ‘We talked about this.’

  ‘About what?’ He threw his hands up.

  ‘Go easy,’ said Nonna sternly.

  ‘The girl doesn’t need easy, Nancetta. She needs honest.’ He made his way to his customary seat at the card table in the corner. ‘I’m gonna sit down if that’s okay with you.’

  ‘Why don’t you come through to the house? It’ll be more comfortable,’ said Annalisa.

  ‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘I like it here in the corner. Feels like home.’

  Annalisa sighed and joined Joe. Nonna followed.

  She waited until he had settled. ‘Joe’s right, Nonna. I need the truth from both of you; that’s why I asked you here. I’ve got to make decisions I don’t know how to make.’ Annalisa took a shuddery breath. ‘I’ve learned a few hard home truths over the last week or so.’

  ‘You can’t listen to that man,’ Nonna broke in.

  ‘Yes, I can, Nonna, because he told me things I needed to hear and I need you and Joe to do the same.’

  Nonna sighed. ‘I still don’t think …’

  Joe covered Nonna’s hand with his own. ‘Nancetta, leave the girl to talk.’

  ‘Thank you, Joe.’ He gave her a brief nod to continue. ‘The two of you have known me my whole life. You knew my dad, my granddad …’

  ‘Your great-granddad,’ said Joe.

  ‘Exactly,’ said Annalisa. ‘And that’s why I need your advice. You know the legacy I carry. You know what’s at stake.’

  Nonna and Joe looked at each other in such a way she knew they’d been discussing her, that they had already formed an opinion.

  ‘Go on then, tell me,’ she said. ‘You know you want to.’

  Joe shook his head. ‘You should have taken the money when you had the chance.’

  ‘Joe,’ scolded Nonna, ‘you’re not being helpful. Annalisa said no and no it is. She doesn’t need that man’s money.’

  Joe snorted rather rudely. ‘So you say. Would’ve made life a whole lot easier if she had.’

  ‘I think I might have burned that bridge, Joe,’ said Annalisa. ‘I may have given Ed Carpenter a good serve, told him things he may not have wanted to hear.’

  ‘Yeah, looked like you were giving him a proper telling off yesterday.’ Joe snorted.

  ‘Joe,’ said Nonna, using her warning voice. ‘We agreed we wouldn’t bring that up.’

  ‘You said you wouldn’t bring it up. Me, I want to hear what they were talking about.’ He chuckled, producing a wheezy sound like a small pug dog with an allergy.

  She should have known that Joe wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily.

  ‘I don’t think we have anything good left to say to each other.’ Annalisa tried to will away the blush currently surging through her cheeks.

  ‘What a pity,’ said Joe. ‘Because here he comes now.’ He nodded towards the street where a white Hilux ute had pulled up in front of the store.

  ‘What?’ Annalisa whipped her head around so fast she nearly did her neck an injury.

  ‘Speak of the devil,’ hissed Nonna. ‘What’s he doing here?’

  ‘Why don’t you open the door and find out?’

  Annalisa looked at Joe as if he’d broken out in Ancient Greek.

  After yesterday’s encounter, she hadn’t anticipated seeing Ed so soon, if at all. She’d figured he’d go back to Melbourne now the warehouse had officially opened and forget about her despite all his declarations of lust. She hadn’t been super encouraging. Well, not if you discounted the kiss.

  ‘Go on then.’ Joe shoed her in Ed’s general direction. ‘Don’t keep Lucifer waiting.’

  Annalisa’s heart pounded so loudly the sound thrummed in her ears. The chair legs scraped on the floor with a sharp squeal that made her wince. Their argument and that kiss, still fresh and unprocessed, came flooding back. What could he possibly want from her now?

&
nbsp; Everything suddenly became unreal, like a movie in technicolour with Dolby surround sound. Taking a steadying breath, she crossed the room to where the figure of Ed Carpenter loomed on the other side of the door.

  She flung the door open.

  ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were going back to Melbourne.’ The abrupt rudeness of her words sounded rough to her own ears.

  ‘Great to see you too.’ Ed smiled despite her chilly welcome.

  The power of his smile disarmed her momentarily. She forgot he was her enemy. All she could remember was the feel of his lips on hers, the way his hands had reached for her, his need echoing hers. Yesterday’s kiss had rocked her viscerally, something she had no intention of admitting to him.

  ‘Can I come in?’ His question snapped her out of her reverie. ‘I have your gumboots.’ He raised his hands to show her the plastic bag he carried with her boots inside.

  ‘Thank you.’ She stood back to allow him to enter, relieving him of the bag. The heat radiating off his body hit her like a force field as he passed, its potency reflected in another hot flush invading her cheeks.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ demanded Nonna, bristling for a fight.

  ‘I’ve come in peace.’ Ed held both hands high as if Nonna were brandishing six-shooters.

  ‘I find that difficult to believe,’ muttered Nonna, refusing to relinquish her aim.

  ‘Nancetta, give the man a break. Let’s hear what he has to say,’ said Joe. ‘Besides, he likes Annalisa and she likes him. I think that’s been made pretty evident lately.’ He shrugged one bony shoulder as if innocently unaware of the bomb his explosive words would detonate.

  ‘You do?’ Ed turned to her, the hunger in his eyes unguarded for all to see, willing her to say the words she refused to admit.

  ‘I don’t … I mean … I do … I don’t know what I mean.’ She wanted to disappear in a puff of smoke never to be seen again, mortified that everyone had seen the desire she thought she’d kept so carefully hidden from everyone but Ed.

  ‘See,’ said Joe in triumph.

  ‘Still doesn’t explain why he’s here.’ Nonna folded her arms, her stern face firmly in place.

  ‘I wanted to talk to Annalisa,’ said Ed. ‘Privately.’

  Annalisa walked back to the table and resumed her seat, taking comfort in numbers. Us against him.

  ‘I have no secrets from Nonna and Joe, so whatever you have to say you can say in front of them.’

  Ed sighed and ran his hand through his hair. ‘I knew you wouldn’t make this easy.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ She took the bait. ‘After yesterday?’

  ‘That’s what I’m here for.’ He held both hands out as if to show he carried no weapons, that he meant her no harm. ‘I know you said you didn’t want the money but we both know there’s no way this business here will survive now our doors are open. How are you going to survive, Annalisa? Don’t put your pride first at the expense of everything else.’

  ‘Basically you’ve come out of guilt.’ Annalisa crossed her arms, determined not to let Ed under her defences no matter how nice he was trying to be.

  He stilled, something shifting inside him. His eyes, so blue there wasn’t a word in the English language to describe them, locked on to hers with a grave intensity that rattled her.

  ‘Yes, I do feel guilty. I feel bad that this is the end of a family business that’s been here across three centuries. I feel horrible that you won’t have any means of financial support. I feel even worse that my family is the source of your family’s pain, and the only thing I can do about it is try and make you see sense. I’ve come here, into hostile territory, to ask you to take the offer, Annalisa, please.’

  ‘I said I didn’t want your money and I meant it. Money doesn’t make this better.’ Her old familiar friend, anger, rustled to the fore.

  ‘The man has a point,’ said Joe softly. ‘At least find out how much he’s offering, then make a final decision.’

  ‘I hate to say it, but Joe is right.’ Nonna continued to stare Ed down, daring him to cross the line, any line. ‘Take the money and you can do whatever you want without worry.’

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ Some part of Annalisa knew she was being stubborn to the point of ridiculousness, yet she could not yield.

  ‘No, you won’t.’ Nonna switched her attention to her. ‘We all saw Carpenter’s Warehouse and what they have to offer. I’ve been poor, cara. I’ve struggled to make ends meet and the stress of that can drive you to your knees. Why put yourself through the same pain? Why deny yourself an easier life?’

  ‘Because if I take his damn money, I’m selling out all the Cappellis who came before me.’ Her voice rose to near shouting. ‘I’ll be the one who let them all down. I’ll be the one who lost everything. Me.’ She stood up, pointing at her chest. ‘How can I live with that failure?’

  ‘What failure?’ said Joe, sounding genuinely perplexed. ‘This shop is a relic of a time long past. It’s amazing it’s made it this far, and that’s down to you. Nothing to prove here, Annalisa.’

  ‘Joe’s right,’ said Nonna, rising from her seat. ‘Maybe it’s time to let it all go and find a new path.’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Annalisa shook her head, frowning as she looked from Joe to Nonna. Her carefully constructed narrative, the life raft she’d been holding on to, began to disintegrate, dumping her in the cold sea of Truth.

  ‘I think they’re saying take the money,’ said Ed quietly.

  She blinked at him as her reality shifted about her. These people—her people—were telling her to throw away everything she’d worked so hard to preserve, while Ed Carpenter offered her a Get Out of Jail Free card. It was as if she’d fallen down a rabbit hole.

  Annalisa shook her head in an effort to get things in perspective again.

  ‘Sit down.’ Nonna drew her back down into her seat.

  ‘Come’—Joe patted the spare chair—‘you deserve a seat at the table.’

  Ed hesitated, seeking permission from Annalisa. Tired beyond reason, she shrugged her consent. It only had taken one moment for her whole understanding of her world to unravel.

  The store had been her haven after Ben’s death. In those days, when she felt like she was drowning, keeping the store running had gotten her out of bed and given her something to focus on. Keeping her family legacy alive had become her quest. It gave her purpose in her darkest moments, had provided her with a life after her old one had been devastated. How was she supposed to give that up?

  ‘Can I give you another piece of advice?’ said Ed gently.

  Her first instinct was to say no, you can’t. She’d asked those closest to her to give her advice and they had—just not the advice she thought they would. Right now, she didn’t feel as if she was up for any more.

  ‘I do have your best interests at heart, you know that, and I want you to come out of this situation as strongly positioned as possible.’

  ‘Go on.’ Annalisa was aware that she was dangerously close to appearing ungrateful and churlish. Maybe if they all went home and came back tomorrow, she’d be better placed to handle things.

  ‘I think you should close the store as soon as you’re able. Don’t wait. The longer you trade, the more it will cost you to keep the doors open. Now Carpenter’s Warehouse is open, all bets are off, and if you have a fire sale you might manage to clear most of your stock and make a bit of money. Do it soon while you have the sympathy and support of the community.’

  ‘And their wallets. Makes sense.’ Nonna startled Annalisa with her ability to side with the devil on short notice.

  ‘What?’ said Nonna, at the look on her face. ‘The man speaks business sense. We do a clearance sale now, we get the people who will buy stuff out of necessity, or sympathy, it doesn’t matter. We wait and we’ll go out with a whimper instead of a bang.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Ed, giving Nonna a brief bow of his head. ‘This is the amount I can secure for you.’ He pu
nched a number into his phone and held it out for her to see.

  ‘Really?’ Her eyes widened.

  ‘How about we have a big party?’ said Joe, leaning forward to get a look. ‘You know, with a sausage sizzle of our own. Make it a fun send-off. People will come.’

  ‘Brilliant idea,’ said Ed, as he pocketed his phone.

  ‘I haven’t said I agree to any of it,’ said Annalisa stubbornly. What they said made sense to her, yet she needed time to concede the family dream, to process what it all meant.

  ‘She’ll accept,’ said Nonna. ‘Let her get used to the idea a little.’

  Ed nodded, never taking his eyes from Annalisa’s. ‘I guess I should go,’ he said. But then he sat there, searching her face as if trying to read her innermost thoughts.

  As he finally rose to leave, an eddy of panic caught her in its spin. What if this was the last time she’d see him? Now she’d basically agreed to the buyout (or rather Nonna had), he had no reason to be here. He would go back to Melbourne and she might never see him again.

  She should let him go, let him walk out that door and that would be the last of him. No more watching the door in case he comes by. No more clandestine kisses, the thrill of which she could not deny. The idea triggered a wave of disappointment so powerful that if she hadn’t known any better she’d say it almost felt like grief.

  ‘Wait!’ she cried, unsure of what she was going to say or do. All she knew was things were unfinished between them.

  Annalisa’s heart belonged to GardenerGuy94: her safe, sweet, secret lover, and while no one would ever describe Ed Carpenter as safe, forces compelled her to go after him. Her inner compass said she’d bumped off course somewhere along the path and was in danger of becoming lost again. She had to try and renavigate before it was too late.

  Everyone stared at her, anticipating her next move, waiting to hear what she was going to say. So was she.

  ‘Let me walk you out.’ She stood, awkwardly wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. Nothing about her right now could be called glamorous, and there was Ed, immaculate and handsome. Her complete opposite. The last things he’d remember about her were the dark circles under her eyes from a lack of sleep and her wild, frizzy hair.