Michaela stared, shocked by the vehemence of her friend’s words. Eventually she answered in a small voice, ‘You’re right, I’m sorry. How could I possibly know?’ And in the next breath, she tried to reason with her. ‘Wouldn’t it be better to know rather than be as you are this minute — frozen with fear? If it is the dreaded “C,” doctors can do a lot.’ She said a silent prayer that this was so. ‘As long as they get the growth in its early stage of development. I’m sure I read that somewhere.’
‘Yes, but … what if it has spread?’
Michaela tried a confident smile. ‘Look, love, aren’t you jumping the gun here? First thing to do is to see a doctor, have the damn thing diagnosed. They do something, a biopsy, I think. When you get the results, you take it from there.’
Jo looked at Michaela and shook her head. Her bottom lip trembled from the effort of not dissolving into tears. ‘I’m so scared, Michaela. I’ve never been frightened like I am now. Never. And the timing is so lousy, just when things were working out between Daniel and me. He won’t want me if I … I … have to have a mastectomy, or worse. Jesus Christ, I’m so angry about this happening I could scream.’
‘That I do understand. Scream away if it makes you feel better.’ Michaela slid her arm around Jo’s shoulder and hugged her. ‘Though it will probably bring half a dozen staff members rushing into the office. Let’s take this one step at a time, shall we? We have to tell your mum. Ruth’s bound to know a breast cancer specialist to refer you to.’ She felt her friend stiffen, saw the hesitancy in her eyes. Her tone firmed. ‘Your mum has the right to know, Jo. Look, I’ll come with you. We’ll do it today, right now if you like, or after work. Okay?’
Jo made a face. Her hand came up to brush a trickle of tears away. ‘You think I should?’
‘Shit! Not should, must!’
‘And … you’ll come with me?’ Jo asked, a trembling smile on her lips.
Michaela smiled back. ‘Of course, love. What else are friends for?’
Once informed of her daughter’s situation, Dr Ruth Levy didn’t waste time. Within two days Jo had had a biopsy. The result showed malignant cancer cells. In days she was admitted to a private hospital, the lump was duly removed by a specialist surgeon and the lymph glands under her left armpit were excised for laboratory examination for cancer-bearing cells.
During that emotionally trying time, Jo Levy found that she had many friends. The Beaumonts — Joel, Michaela, Caroline and Laura — were almost constant visitors, as was Daniel who, with Ruth’s blessing, had taken on the job of caring for her children, Joshua and Kirra, until she was well again.
On one such hospital visit, Michaela sat listening as the conversation between Jo and her brother Aidan flowed around the room and couldn’t help but puzzle over what had happened to her friend. It seemed wrong, so unfair that her life had been put in jeopardy by the threat cancer posed. Now that the worst was perceived to be over, Jo was being very brave about it all. Hopeful too that her brush with a potentially terminal disease had been diverted by timely medical intervention. She didn’t know whether, if the position were reversed, she would show such fortitude. She hoped she would, but it was an unanswerable question until the situation occurred. In her case she hoped that would be never.
Jo brought Michaela into the conversation. ‘Aidan’s offered me and the kids, and Daniel too, the use of his country estate at Bundanoon.’
Aidan, who was three years younger than Jo, made a rude noise. ‘I wouldn’t exactly call it a country estate. More like a weekender. My only stipulation is that someone do the lawns and, if inclined, a little gardening so the place doesn’t look derelict.’
‘It’s a lovely house,’ Jo shot back in sisterly don’t-give-me-that-rubbish fashion, ‘and you know it.’ She looked at Michaela. ‘Aidan says it’s a good place to convalesce, after the radio therapy. Would you and Leith be able to come down for a few days?’
‘I will, of course, but I can’t speak for Leith. It depends on his court schedule. We should be able to manage a weekend,’ Michaela responded. She smiled at her friend, admiring her capacity to pick herself up and keep on keeping on. Already — and she wasn’t even out of hospital yet — she was making plans for the future. But then she had to; there were Kirra and Josh to raise. Oh, God … she hoped in future years that she was never faced with a similar situation but, if she were, she knew Jo would be as supportive as she had been. It was a comfort.
Seven days would pass before the results of the laboratory tests were known. Then, as no cancer cells had been found in the lymph nodes, there would be six weeks of radiotherapy treatment for Jo to contend with.
Elissa stopped talking as Joel’s Corvette roared up the drive of number fifty-two and parked to the side of the front steps. Joel’s sidelong glance caught her staring open-mouthed at the only place he had ever called home.
‘You-you should have told me it was so … huge!’ She almost whispered, as if she were afraid to speak normally for fear that the house would hear her. ‘Your home makes my parents’ house look like a dog box,’ Elissa added with her usual frankness.
‘I like Vladimir and Tilda’s home. It’s cosy and friendly, and your mother’s put a lot of work into making it look real nice.’
Elissa gave him a look that said as clearly as words: Sure, pull the other leg, mate.
‘Come on in.’
She hesitated at the bottom step. ‘I don’t know about this, Joel. Perhaps it’s not such a good idea to meet your family.’
‘I want them to meet you and don’t be silly, Lissa.’ That was his special name for her. ‘You’ll love them and they’ll love you. I guarantee it.’
Funny that she only liked him to call her by her pet name when they were alone. They had to be very formal at her parents’ home, with no kissing, no cuddling, because Vladimir and Tilda were strict in that regard. He didn’t mind, though; in fact, he respected Lissa and the Markovitchs for their viewpoint. But when they were at her apartment, she was a different person: warm, affectionate and loving. He couldn’t believe his good fortune to have found such a woman as Elissa Markovitch. They’d even mentioned marriage, but not yet, not until he got through his residency, which was almost two years away.
‘Yeah, sure!’ she retorted in that disbelieving tone of hers, but she allowed herself to be pulled up the steps to the front door.
Up to this minute Joel hadn’t given a thought to the possibility that Elissa might be overawed by the Beaumont wealth or the Beaumont women. She appeared such a confident person, but it was logical to think that her sense of worth might, initially, suffer from meeting his mother, Caroline and Michaela, each of whom could be imposing in their individual ways.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her briefly on the lips before he opened the door.
‘There’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s keen to meet the woman who has turned my life around from being a drunk, bordering on an alcoholic, to model student and, I hope, a soon-to-be qualified doctor.’
‘Let’s not get overconfident,’ she said as she smiled up at him. ‘There’s still a few weeks to the finals.’
‘Mmmm,’ he agreed with a grimace. ‘Today will probably be my last social outing until after my last exam.’
‘You’d better believe it, mister.’
‘Come on, into the lion’s den with you,’ he joked as he opened the front door.
Laura and Fern were in the living room. Caroline was in the kitchen helping Daphne prepare salads to go with the planned barbeque, and Michaela had phoned to say she was on her way home from Ashworths with Leith.
Laura was charmed with Elissa, and why wouldn’t she be? The redhead’s devotion to Joel had had the most amazing effect on him. She had seen him grow up, almost overnight, become a man to be proud of, and she was sure that if Jack were here he would be as proud of their son as she was.
Caroline and Elissa hit it off straight away, especially when the latter said she loved classical music but didn’
t play an instrument.
‘Who’s your favourite composer?’ Caroline asked.
‘That’s a hard question, I like so many,’ Elissa admitted. ‘I suppose that if I had to choose, I’d say Mozart and then Tchaikovsky.’
‘Good choices,’ Caroline agreed, with a smile at the younger woman. She could tell that Elissa was trying hard not to show her nervousness and tried to put her at ease. ‘If you like, after lunch I’ll play something, so long as you forgive a few mis hit notes — I don’t play as well as I used to. How about Mozart’s Concerto No. 21?’
‘That would be wonderful.’
‘It’s a lovely spring day. Why don’t we sit out on the patio while we wait for Michaela and Leith?’ Laura suggested.
Once they were ensconced on the patio, with its covered pergola to protect them from the sun’s rays, Porter wheeled out a tray-mobile with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. The conversation became general, with Fern wanting to know about the Markovitch family, where they’d come from and why they had settled in Australia. Fern was known in the family for her curiosity, something she had inherited from her father. Her inquisitiveness knew no bounds.
‘When my dad was a young man, he could see the way his country was going downhill, ruined by politics and corruption. He and my mother were already sweethearts and they wanted to marry, but they didn’t have enough money to buy a house in the town where they lived. Dad was a teacher, and they were respected by the current regime, but he had no confidence that that would last so he decided to leave. He packed what he could into a knapsack and crept over the border into Yugoslavia, in the late autumn of 1952.’
Joel took over the story, having heard it several times from Vladimir. ‘That was a very dangerous thing to do at the time because border guards were located every kilometre or so. Vladimir almost got caught. After a few scares he made it across the border, but was picked up by the local politzia. They put him in a refugee camp and he stayed there for three years, until permission came for him to migrate to Australia.’
‘Dad said the camp was awful,’ Elissa told them. ‘So many people died in the winter, especially the children. Then, after he’d arrived in Perth, the state government body that looked after education refused to accept his teaching qualifications, though he spoke reasonable English, having picked it up in the camp.’ Elissa realised that everyone was hanging on each word. She paused for a moment’s reflection. ‘Dad had to accept that and find whatever work he could. The construction business was booming back then, and he worked hard. Later he moved to Sydney and rose to the position of foreman in a couple of years. He sent for my mother — they were married the day she arrived here. Over the years they both worked very hard for us, for Mischa and Illya and myself, buying a home, seeing that we got good educations.’
‘Many say that post-World War II migrants have helped to make Australia what it is today,’ Caroline commented, impressed by the tale of the Markovitch family. ‘Look at the explosion of restaurants around Leichhardt, the Cross and, of course, Melbourne’s Lygon Street. They’ve given us colour and, at the very least, a more interesting choice of cuisine. Taken our English heritage — meat and three vegs — out of our stodgy middle-class kitchens.’
‘Watch it, big sister,’ Joel said with a smile, ‘you could start an argument if you’re not careful.’
‘Not with me,’ Elissa said promptly. ‘I agree with Caroline. Migrants have done a lot for Australia.’
‘For one thing, we wouldn’t have the Snowy Mountains Scheme without them.’ Fern put her piece in because she was learning about that at school.
‘What about those who’ve succeeded in business? Carla Zampatti, Sir Peter Abeles, who owns TNT, Harry Seidler, the architect, to name a few,’ Laura added, getting into the swing of things. ‘Even our national capital, Canberra, was designed by a foreigner. Walter Burley Griffin, an American, won a contest to design the capital’s layout before World War One. As well, the Opera House was designed by Jørn Utzon, also not an Australian.’
Michaela, hand in hand with Leith, came onto the patio. Their arrival dampened the ethnic theme of the conversation.
‘Hi, everyone. Sorry we’re late,’ she said in a rush. ‘City traffic on Saturday morning is the pits.’
Joel made the necessary introductions and Michaela and Elissa, who were similar in age, sat down to natter about fashion, while the men — Leith and Joel, with Porter hovering in the background in case he was needed — lit the barbeque and put the steaks on.
Laura, sitting in a lounger on the patio, let the conversation flow over her as she studied her family. It was nice to have them all here. Only one person was missing: Nick. He too was family, her stepson by marriage to Jack and Caroline’s ex — as well as Fern’s father. She often tried to gauge her eldest daughter’s thoughts about Nick. Different from Michaela, Caroline played things close to her chest, not showing her emotions or how she felt about Nick. However, Laura sensed rather than knew for certain, since Fern and Nick had been to the UK Caroline’s mood had been unusually pensive. Perhaps not quite unhappy, but yes, definitely pensive.
And looking to the future, there was Michaela and even Fern, who still had to make her mind up as to what career path to take. Kincoppal, the school she attended, said that her granddaughter had good science and maths skills. This might lead her towards engineering or architecture, and eventually to work with Nick and Lou Sardi, who was approaching retirement age.
Her gaze moved surreptitiously to Leith and then settled on Michaela. She had never seen her look so contented. The big Swede — sometimes she called him that, to herself — was quite a man to have brought an aura of peace and tranquillity to Michaela. Success with her 18 to 28 proposal had helped, too. The board at Ashworths now took what she said seriously. Her daughter had an uncommonly good head for business, even though she was young in years to be so adept. In time, and perhaps sooner than anyone thought because of Daniel Blumner’s commitment to Jo, she might be stepping up the executive ladder to a more responsible role in the company.
Periodically she looked at Elissa and Joel. The young woman could hardly bear to tear her gaze away from him. Inside she was moved by this. Elissa might not have elite social graces, but who cared about that? What Laura wanted for her son was a woman who loved him for himself, faults and all. And, from what she could see, unless Elissa was the finest actress ever not to have been enrolled at NIDA, Elissa loved Joel with a quiet, enduring passion.
She smiled, content — well, almost. She would be only when Nick and Caroline got back together.
As they enjoyed the barbeque and the spring sunshine, Leith asked Joel, ‘What are your plans?’
‘To get my degree first. Then there’ll be an internship at St Vincent’s, I hope,’ Joel said.
‘Are you going to specialise?’
‘No. There’s no particular branch of medicine I feel drawn to.’
‘What about research, Joel?’ Elissa said. ‘Remember, once you said you might like to do that type of work.’
‘I know, but it’s strange,’ he paused, ‘listening to the stories your father has told me about how things were and still are in Eastern Europe, I have this yen to look into joining the medical section of the United Nations Peace Corps. But only,’ he grinned at Elissa, ‘if you can come with me.’
‘You’ve got to be kidding, Joel. That’s pretty dangerous work, isn’t it?’ Michaela queried, all at once perturbed by the possibility of her brother going so far from home.
‘You haven’t mentioned this before, Joel.’ Elissa allowed her concern to show.
‘I know. The idea only came to me over the last few days.’
‘I hope you give it a lot of thought before you make such an important decision.’ Laura’s tone was stern. Internally she was screaming no, no, no, but she would say nothing. Joel was like her Jack. When he made up his mind, he could not be distracted from it by anyone or anything. He had always been that way from a very young age. Like Elissa, she
would have to wait and see if he was serious or whether it was merely a passing whim.
‘I don’t want you to go away, Joel,’ Fern said, with a long, unhappy face. She got up from her chair to put her arms around him. ‘I’d miss you too much.’
As Laura looked around the long table, she smiled at her granddaughter’s reaction. There were enough women present, including Elissa, to swing Joel’s thoughts in another direction. She hoped so, anyway.
‘Or …’ Joel waited until everyone had calmed down, ‘I might think about becoming a junior partner in a country practice not too far out of Sydney.’
‘I think us rellies prefer that idea to your other one,’ Caroline murmured with a wry smile.
‘Yes!’ everyone chorused.
‘We’ll see.’ Joel’s tone was noncommittal. ‘First things first. Get the exams out of the way. Afterwards, Elissa and I are going to take a short break somewhere. We haven’t decided where, yet, maybe Tahiti. Elissa speaks French and German fluently, you know.’
After lunch, as promised, Caroline played for Elissa. Then, because they had made plans for the evening, Joel whisked Elissa off to the apartment she had bought at Waverley to change for a party they were going to that night.
Two Beaumont women, Caroline and Laura, were content to sit late into the afternoon on the patio, talking. Fern, Leith and Michaela had taken Rufus for a walk, and the Porters could be heard tidying up the kitchen.
There was a matter Caroline had wanted to broach with her mother for days and now they were alone, seemed the ideal opportunity. ‘You remember me talking about Teddy Rivkin, that we’d had coffee one day?’ She watched the silver head nod in confirmation. ‘Well,’ she took a breath, ‘he’s offered me a job. Teddy wants me to train with him as a conductor for the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra; to understudy him with the intention of taking several concerts during the year so he can have some time off for family.’
52 Waratah Avenue Page 26
