Jacaranda

by Mandy Magro

  Rose screamed as a massive black snake slithered across the road in front of them. Molly checked in the rear-vision mirror, hoping she had run the thing over, but it was nowhere to be seen. Snakes were fast, damn fast. She’d heard stories at the pub of people who thought they’d run a snake over only to find it wrapped inside their tyre arch when they pulled up. The very thought made Molly’s skin crawl. She could handle snakes, but not when they came anywhere near Rose. Jacaranda Farm was an hour from the closest hospital and a snake bite to a small child could be lethal. Jade, on the other hand, loved snakes. She believed humans and animals were all connected, and went out of her way not to harm any living creature that made its way into her house. Molly found her way of thinking slightly weird, but endearing all the same. Jade’s biggest fear was spiders, although she tried not to kill them unless completely necessary. Even moths and ants were sacred in Jade’s hippy home.

  Molly tooted her horn as she pulled up outside the front of the old corrugated-iron cottage, waving to Jade, who was hosing thick red mud from her car on the lawn near the front door. Jade had done an amazing renovation job on the cottage, and anyone who walked through the front door was surprised by the contrast between the outside and the inside. Jade had made the old place into a home, saving a place that was on its last legs, and filled it with her colourful, quirky furniture.

  Molly loved hanging out at Jade’s. She always felt at peace the moment she stepped through the door. Jade had made the place so warm and inviting, it felt like a sanctuary where Molly could just forget her troubles.

  Molly had barely pulled into the drive before Rose was out of the passenger door and running towards Jade. Molly laughed as Rose whipped the hose out of Jade’s hands and chased her around the yard, drenching them both in the process, giggling hysterically. Molly made sure to stay out of the war zone, not wanting to get wet, enjoying watching her two favourite girls having fun.

  They all headed inside to the enticing smell of beef roasting in the oven. Molly almost had to wipe the drool from her lips. Her favourite meal of all time was a good roast, and Jade cooked the meanest one she had ever tasted.

  Jade and Molly pottered around in the kitchen, rum and Cokes in hand, while Rose fed Ruby, Jade’s pet cockatoo, strawberries in the lounge room. Molly took a sip of her gloriously strong drink. Jade always knocked her socks off with the amount of rum she put in the glass, but it didn’t matter – she and Rose were staying overnight.

  ‘Dinner looks brilliant! I can’t wait to tuck in,’ Molly announced, examining the amazing-looking roast beef that Jade had just taken out of the oven.

  ‘Thanks, Mol. Can you carve the beef?’ Jade asked her, handing over a knife. ‘We’ve got all the trimmings too, of course: roast veggies, gravy – and I even took on the challenge of Yorkshire puddings, which look to me as though they’re going to work!’ Jade bent down to look through the glass oven door at the small Yorkshires rising. ‘I’ve tried making them before but most of the time they end up looking like burnt pancakes and I’ve had to chuck them in the bin. I must’ve had that magic touch tonight.’

  ‘You did go to some trouble for us. You’re the bestest mate ever,’ Molly mumbled through a mouthful of crispy beef fat, unable to resist peeling the crunchy skin off and scoffing it as she was carving the succulent meat.

  ‘Dinner’s served, sweetheart!’ she called to Rose as she put the beef down on the dining table. She ducked into the living room to make sure Rose had put Ruby safely on her perch, her beak covered in strawberries, and led Rose to the bathroom to wash her hands before dinner.

  Finally they were seated and Molly’s eyes widened with hunger as she served herself from the feast before her. While they ate, Rose talked about everything she’d been doing during the school holidays, and Jade listened with interest as Rose described her adventurous days out on the farm.

  Looking at Rose’s bright eyes and animated face made Molly so happy. I can’t be doing too bad a job as a mum, she thought suddenly, the guilt she constantly carried around about Rose’s lack of father subsiding for the briefest of moments. Fifteen minutes later their plates were basically licked clean and stacked on the kitchen sink, and the trio relocated to the coziness of the lounge chairs. Jade flicked on the television so Rose could watch some cartoons. Tom and Jerry was on, and it took Molly back to the days when she was young. She and Jade used to sit and watch the very same cartoons together while gorging themselves on lollies and biscuits.

  Suddenly, Molly felt something huge and furry crawl across her arm. She flung herself off the couch like she was leaping from a burning building, frantically trying to brush the gigantic huntsman spider away whilst shrieking at full volume. Finally flicking it off, she watched as it flew through the air, seemingly in slow motion, and landed on the couch next to Jade. Jade – who’d finally caught on to what was wrong with Molly after watching the spider land smack-bang beside her and scurry her way – also leapt from the couch, screaming like a mad woman and ripping her clothes off. In less than a minute, Jade was standing in the lounge room in just her underpants and bra while she brushed her skin off hysterically. Rose rolled around on the floor in fits of laughter.

  ‘Watching you two dancing around like a pair of idiots is way funnier than watching the cartoons on telly!’

  ‘You cheeky thing, Rose! That spider scared the life out of me!’ Molly scolded half-heartedly.

  ‘Me too! The bugger was looking for somewhere to hide in my clothes,’ Jade said, giggling as she picked her strewn clothes up from the floor, shaking them all out thoroughly and getting dressed again.

  ‘Do we know where it went?’ Molly asked, looking around warily.

  ‘It’s probably hiding from you!’ Rose said.

  ‘Yeah, well, I wouldn’t blame it after that,’ Molly replied, giving up on the search and turning her attention to Rose. ‘Sorry to end your fun, sweetheart, but you need to get ready for bed. It’s nearly nine o’clock.’

  Rose crumpled up her nose. ‘Oh, Mum! I want to stay up with you and Jade.’

  ‘Sorry, Rose. It’s past your bedtime already,’ Molly replied, touching Rose gently as she took her hand and led her into the bathroom to do her teeth. Afterwards she tucked Rose into bed in Jade’s spare room. ‘Good night, beautiful. Sweet dreams,’ Molly said, giving her a kiss.

  ‘Night, Mum. Love you,’ Rose replied, yawning.

  ‘Love you too. I’ll leave the night light on for you.’

  Molly snuck out of the room, knowing that Rose was probably almost asleep before she even reached the door. She took a quick glance back, her heart melting as she admired the innocent beauty of her daughter. When she got back to the living room she flopped back down on the couch beside Jade.

  ‘So, are you looking forward to going to the concert this weekend?’

  ‘I can’t wait. It’ll be great to spend some more time with Mel. We’ve talked every day since she was here for dinner.’ Jade stared off into the distance, as though in deep thought, then turned back to Molly. ‘Hey, I’ve been dying to ask, but I wanted to wait until Rose had gone to bed. How did it go out pig hunting with Mark?’

  ‘Yeah, it was good. We had fun.’

  ‘That’s great, Molly! I hope you two hit it off, if that’s what you truly want, of course.’

  ‘Do you really hope so?’ Molly asked, taking a sip of her drink.

  Jade tipped her head to the side. ‘What do you mean? I only want the best for you, and Rose.’

  ‘The other night, on the phone, you told me to follow my heart and to be careful not to break anyone’s in the process. I’ve been trying to figure out what you meant ever since.’

  Jade looked sympathetically at Molly. ‘Oh, mate. I’m sorry. It’s just, um, how do I put this? I saw you and Heath kissing on New Year’s. And let me tell you, sparks flew. I’d have been burnt to a crisp if I was standing beside you.’

  Molly shuffled her feet nervously, her voice almost a whisper. ‘I didn’t think anyone saw th
at. Besides, it was just two mates wishing each other Happy New Year’s.’

  Jade laughed dismissively. ‘Now, come on, Miss Jones. It was way more than that. Don’t deny yourself the truth. The way he touched your face when he kissed you … he obviously adores you. The question now is, how do you feel about him?’

  Molly took a deep breath, finally allowing herself to accept what she already knew, and feeling safe enough to let her guard down in front of Jade. Tears sprang up in her eyes. ‘Oh, Jade, what am I going to do? I have feelings for him too, but it’s complicated, and I’m so scared. I feel like a bitch even thinking about Heath in any way other than a mate. I mean, Jenny and I were like sisters.’

  Jade’s eyes filled with compassion. ‘Oh mate, don’t you ever talk like that about yourself. You’re such a kind and considerate person, which is why Heath adores you and it is also why Jenny would approve of him falling in love with you, and you with him.’

  ‘Thanks, Jade, I appreciate the kind words. If only I could make myself accept them as true. But it’s not the only reason, even though it’s a biggy. There are other important things … like the fact Heath and I have been friends for so long and I’m afraid we might lose all that if things go pear-shaped between us. And all these years I’ve been hoping Mark would somehow come back into my life – and now he’s here! I feel like I have to see if there’s a future for me and him, don’t you think? I’ve had his child. I owe him and Rose that much.’

  Jade reached out and took Molly’s hand. ‘I just want you to be sure you’re seeing Mark for the right reasons. He can always be Rose’s father without you needing to be his wife, you know.’

  Molly nodded. ‘I do know that, but it would be nice, wouldn’t it, to all be a family together? So I really want to get to know Mark and see if there’s anything between us – other than the sexual chemistry, which we established seven years ago. I need something deeper from him now, a connection on a level that creates love, not lust. I mean, there’s no denying that he’s hot in a rockstar kind of way, and I got the feeling last night that he feels the same about me … On the pig hunt I caught him looking at my butt way too long.’

  ‘You do fill out a pair of jeans nicely. You can’t blame the guy.’ Jade laughed.

  ‘Shucks, thanks!’ Molly giggled, wiping her tears.

  ‘So, are you seeing him again anytime soon?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m going to do some more work with his mare next week. I think I might offer to go to his place this time, if he has a round yard. It’d be good to see how he lives and how he keeps the place he’s looking after. It might give me some more insight into the type of bloke he is.’

  ‘Good idea. I reckon you can tell a lot about a person by the way they live. Take your time with everything though, Molly. I mean, Heath isn’t going anywhere. Just be careful around him with Mark. It’ll be hard for him and he’s been through enough this past year without having his heart broken again.’

  ‘I know. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is hurt Heath. He’s one of my best mates.’ Molly exhaled loudly. ‘Anyway, enough stressing about men. Time for us girls to have some fun!’ She tipped her glass upside down. ‘I’m empty. Let’s get a refill!’

  A few drinks later, and feeling somewhat tipsy, the women decided to relive their youth and run around the backyard in an effort to catch cane toads. Jade wanted to eradicate a few, and being the peace-loving hippy that she was, she didn’t believe in killing them. She insisted on putting them into a massive bin, ready to dump them at the edge of the property the following morning. Molly tried to explain between fits of laughter that the toads would just bounce their way back but Jade refused to change her views on what she referred to as ‘cold-hearted slaughter’ – knocking them over the head with a golf club, which was what Molly had suggested.

  Molly spotted a toad the size of a baseball glove bounding across the lawn and ran after it with Jade’s long-handled pooper-scooper in hand. Suddenly a bandicoot tore out of the bushes and scuttled across her bare feet, scaring the living daylights out of her and sending her flying backwards into Jade’s large outdoor fishpond. She landed with a gigantic splash as the goldfish fled in every direction, panicked by the colossal obstacle that had just landed in their normally serene pond. Molly resurfaced with aquatic weeds wrapped around her face, spitting the fishy-tasting water from her mouth as she tried to peel a waterlily from her head.

  In between fits of laughter, Jade grabbed Molly’s outstretched hand, slipping on the wet grass as she tried to help Molly up.

  ‘Shit, Jade! Who put this thing here?’ Molly shrieked as she stood on wobbly legs, dripping in the foul-smelling water.

  Jade took a few deep, giggly breaths, trying to regather so she could speak. ‘You know that pond has been there since we were kids, Molly! You fell into it when you were twelve, too! This time was waaay funnier though!’

  Molly tried to look serious. ‘I was thinking environmentally. I thought I might save water by not having to have a shower before bed tonight, Miss Jade.’

  ‘Yeah, right. Pull the other leg, mate! Your sense of balance is just whacked out from all the rum and Cokes!’ Jade giggled. ‘Now, we better get you a towel so you can dry off.’

  Molly got a whiff of the odour on her clothes. ‘If it’s all right with you, I might have a shower. I smell like a trawler that’s been at sea for months.’

  Jade wrapped her arm around Molly’s shoulder and sniffed her hair, retreating instantly. ‘Mm, not a bad idea … I don’t want my sheets smelling like a fisherman has slept in them.’

  Molly felt at peace as she and Rose left Jade’s the next morning. It was such a relief to have finally talked about what was happening with Mark. She hadn’t realised until last night how much she needed to talk to someone about it. Thank goodness for Jade, she thought. She put her sunnies on to protect her eyes from the bright morning sunshine, all the while enjoying the sun’s warmth as it caressed her skin. Rose followed suit, putting her loveheart-shaped sunglasses on and giving Molly a big cheesy grin. Molly’s heart swelled with love for her beautiful daughter. She was determined to give her little girl the best life possible. If that meant making things work with Mark so that Rose could grow up with both her parents, then that was exactly what Molly would try to do. She of all people knew how badly a child wants and needs their mother and father, And her feelings for Heath would have to stay where they were, buried deep down inside her.

  Chapter 11

  David clicked away on the camera as if he was the paparazzi as Rose paraded around in her new school uniform, beaming from ear to ear. Molly couldn’t help admiring her daughter’s beauty as Rose pulled on her backpack, preparing for her first day back at school after the long Christmas holidays. Molly could hardly believe she was starting Grade Two. It seemed like only yesterday that Molly was changing nappies and having sleepless nights getting up to breastfeed.

  Molly pulled into the drop-off zone at the front of St Anthony’s primary school and jumped out of the Land Cruiser, running around to meet Rose at the passenger-side door. She took her daughter’s little hand and walked her to the door of the classroom, leaning over to give her a big cuddle and a kiss on the cheek.

  ‘Now, you have a lovely day at school, sweetheart. GG’s going to pick you up this afternoon because I’ll be at work.’

  ‘Okay, Mum. Love you.’

  ‘Love you too, Rose,’ Molly whispered in her ear. She watched as Rose disappeared into the sea of squealing children. Molly waved to the teacher, a mate from years ago, then headed back to the car and drove off towards the property where Mark was living.

  Molly had been working steadily with JJ over the past couple of weeks and had decided it was time to take her out for a trail ride. Mark was joining her on one of his mate’s horses and they were going to have a picnic by the dam. She found herself really looking forward to the day.

  Molly had been pleasantly surprised when she had first visited where Mark was housesitting. He obviously
took great pride in the home he was taking care of and everything was in its place, not at all like the bachelor pad she was expecting. Unless he’d had a major clean up because she was visiting? He had also been on his best behaviour whenever she had gone there to work with JJ, even treating her to a few home-cooked lunches. Nothing had happened between them, apart from a bit of harmless flirting, which had been nice.

  As the weeks passed Molly’s guilt over not telling him about Rose was becoming unbearable. It wasn’t that she hadn’t spoken about Rose. On the contrary, she’d made a conscious effort to tell him how wonderful Rose was and filled him in on all the adorable things she did and said. He seemed to enjoy hearing about Rose, even appearing keen to meet her. But Molly had not plucked up the courage to introduce them yet. Mark was certainly proving to be a decent bloke, and Molly found herself seriously considering telling him today.

  Mark was waiting for her at the stables when she arrived. She parked under the shade of the ironwood trees and made her way over to him.

  ‘Morning, Molly.’

  ‘Hey there, Mark. How are you?’ Molly replied, admiring his warm smile.

  ‘I’m fantastic. Looking forward to the ride today and seeing how JJ goes. You’ve done a brilliant job with her, Molly. She’s a completely different horse now to when I first got her. She even stands still when I’m cleaning her hoofs.’

  ‘Nah. She’s the same horse. She just needed someone to understand her, that’s all. I’m glad you’re happy with her, though,’ Molly said as she helped him put the saddle bags on. ‘These bags weigh a ton! What have you packed us for lunch?’