by Helen Goltz
I gasped. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Fine if you’re an extrovert, but I’m not. So think of me as your big brother. If anyone hassles you, I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks,” I liked him already. “I’ve always wanted a brother or a sister.”
“Yeah, I did too until I got one,” he said.
Uncle Seb sat back and smiled watching the interaction between us. “I’m relieved that your first day went well, I was worried,” he said.
“Thanks Uncle Seb.” I was touched by his concern. “I thought I’d go for a walk on the rocks. I’ll be back before it gets dark if I’m allowed?”
Uncle Seb rose, reached for my plate and Adam’s and took them to the sink. “You are your own person now, Lia, I trust you.”
“Want some company?” Adam asked.
“Sure,” I shrugged casually. “Can we take the dogs Uncle Seb?”
“They would love that, Lia,” he agreed.
“I’ll just get a pullover,” Adam said, leaving the room.
I grabbed my cup of tea, moved to the sink and reached for a tea towel as Uncle Seb filled the sink with hot sudsy water. He lowered his voice and turned to me. “You’ve had that sex talk haven’t you?”
I choked on my mouthful of tea. “Uncle Seb!”
“I didn’t say I was going to give it to you, but you know, I guess I have to check you know what happens you know when ...
“Yeah,” I cut him off, “thanks I’ve got it under control.”
He nodded, scraping off the plates. “Good. Do you need to go on the pill?”
“What! Really?”
“I don’t know, Lia, I’m supposed to be responsible but I’m not really, well I’m very good at looking after the furry kids—they’ve been desexed, but that’s a bit different. You have to tell me if you need me to organise something for you ... you don’t want to get pregnant ... but Mrs. Ducks can help you with that sort of thing.”
I held up my hand willing him to stop talking now. “Uncle Seb, stop right there. I’m not going to get pregnant, I’m not even doing ... you know what ... and I have no intention of doing it at this point in time... and I can go to the doctor by myself if need be, but thanks for asking.”
“Good, good,” he exhaled and turned to the sink to wash up. “But you had better come grocery shopping with me, at least the first time or every time if you like, so I know what to get you each week ... do you buy special girl products?”
“Grocery shopping we can conquer together,” I assured him adding my tea cup for washing.
He sighed with relief and placed a washed plate in the dish rack. I grabbed it and wiped.
“Thank goodness, that’s over,” he said. I’ve been thinking all day how to raise the topic.”
“Really? Because you could have fooled me just blurting it out like that!” I teased him.
He grinned and looked a bit sheepish. “Well everything else should be easy from now on.”
Adam reappeared, with dog leads in hand, a pullover and the dogs sticking close.
“They knew before I grabbed the leads,” Adam said.
“Yes, you’ve got to spell it not say it,” Uncle Seb told us. “Forget the wiping, I’ll do these. Go and hang around the rocks, look out for Neptune’s necklaces.”
“What are those?” I asked as I put the salt and pepper shakers back in the cupboard.
“It’s green-coloured algae that can grow to thirty centimetres long and it has all these pieces joined together that look like a string of pearls only ...
“It’s a string of algae,” I grimaced and flicked the towel at Uncle Seb before hanging it up. “See ya,” I called and headed out the door behind Adam, Argo and Agnes, before he could go into more detail.
JACK
I had been watching her the last few days, mainly at night but she didn’t see me. Although, she caught a glimpse of me on her first day. Now she was coming towards me, Adam beside her and the dogs running in circles around them. She took off her sandals and hitched her fingers through the straps. I saw her dig her toes into the sand; that lovely feeling when it is cold and moist—strangely good. She looked out to the ocean and inhaled the salty air, then glanced back conscious of the security of her new home behind her.
For a moment it was like she looked right at me, then turned to Adam. He was leaning over looking into a rock pond and pointing something out to her. They weren’t comfortable together yet, but he seemed to be taking her under his wing. They looked like they could be brother and sister; she had the palest of blue eyes and his were almost the same colour as the deep blue of the ocean. His black hair was straight and long at the front; it kept flicking in his eyes. She reached for a band around her wrist and tied her own dark hair back as the wind whipped around them. I was near enough to hear them. The dogs sensed me and circled.
“Want to walk that way?” he nodded up the beach.
“Sure.” Ophelia followed him as he turned and began to walk further up the beach towards the public swimming area and the surf life savers’ building. He stopped and waited for her to walk beside him. The beach was empty except for the occasional seagull hovering above and the big limbed dogs lolling around them. I followed them too but they couldn’t see me.
“So you know most of my teachers?” Ophelia said to him.
“Yeah,” Adam said. “And I know a lot of the kids in your grade because the middle grades do sport and dances together.”
“So what do you do now?” she asked.
“I’m an apprentice boat builder. The company I work for builds and fits-out boats and we do repairs too.”
“That’s kind of cool,” Ophelia said. If she thought that was cool, wait until I introduced her to my world. She continued. “Uncle Seb loves his boats.”
“Yeah doesn’t he just,” Adam smiled. “Don’t get him started ... I’ve been trapped before.”
Ophelia laughed.
Her laugh was almost musical; I could listen to that all day.
Adam continued. “I’m only working on the small stuff at the moment like jet skis and pleasure craft, nothing that would interest Seb, but I’ll work my way up. Last year they had naval vessels to work on and I’d love to do that.”
“Here?”
“No, we go to Williamstown for that, or sometimes Portland,” he said. “Oh, you’re not from around here ... that’s still in this State; Portland is about an hour’s drive from here and Williamstown about three-and-half hours by car.”
“Right,” she smiled at him. “I’m still not sure where I am now, but I’ll get there.” She looked out to the ocean. She felt a stabbing pain in her heart which I picked up on too. She was remembering that she didn’t have a home anymore. I involuntarily touched my own heart; I knew what it was to be displaced.
“I’m sure you will find your way eventually,” he smiled at her.
“You like the sea then?” Ophelia asked him.
“I love the sea. I couldn’t imagine not being near it or seeing it every day. When summer comes, this beach will be filled with surfers, swimmers, and sunbakers,” he looked over at her. “You surf?”
“No.”
“Swim?”
“If I can touch the bottom,” Ophelia blushed. “I’m not much of a fish.” She wandered to the edge of a rock pool and looked at the small life inside it. Adam joined her and they climbed up higher. I wanted to show them the power of the ocean, test Adam a little to see if he would run or help her. This would show him up.
My rogue wave hit the rock with a roar and she fell back in fright. Adam grabbed her, helping her off the rock and onto the sand. He lowered her down.
“Sorry, that scared me,” she righted herself, her hand on her heart.
“Yeah, it does that.”
I wouldn’t have let her come to any harm, it was just a test. Her heart was beating too fast.
“That could have sucked me out to sea!” she stared at the now calm water. “Where did that come f
rom?”
Adam shook his head. “Beats me. But there’s no rips there at the moment and I’m here, you wouldn’t have been sucked out.”
I saw her shudder and she moved further onto the sand away from the rocks. The dogs circled them again, Argo licked her hand reading her stress, and she ran her hand over his coat. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do—creating that wave—chances were I’ve made her more scared of the sea now.
They continued their walk with the dogs in a blissful zone of fresh air and open space. I was trying to read Ophelia and Adam’s body language; it wasn’t flirting I felt between them, it was needier. If she liked him, she wouldn’t fall for me and I would have to fix that. I know girls thought Adam Ferrier was handsome with his tan and athletic build—strong arms and chest, probably from his work. He looked fit. I was the complete opposite—girls have said I’m cheeky and boyish, they like my dimples and fair hair, yeah girls usually love that stuff. I returned to watching them.
“So how long will you be staying with Uncle Seb?” she asked.
Adam picked up a stick and threw it. Both dogs chased in pursuit.
“Not sure,” he said. “As I mentioned, my parents were wanderers,” he started. “Since I was born, we’ve been on the road, they’re real nomads. But this is their base, they own a place here and always come back—sometimes it might not be for a couple of years. I’ve been home schooled as well as started at six different schools. I begged them to just let me finish high school in one place. So when I got into year eleven, they agreed to stick around for the two years.”
“That’s tough,” Ophelia said. “I miss my friends and everyone has been really kind, but they already have their groups.”
“I know. Bit easier for guys because if you’re okay at sport, you can at least hang out in a team. Anyway, the folks agreed to stay put until I finished school and they had their bags packed before my graduation dance,” he laughed.
“So they left with your brother or sister?” Ophelia asked.
“Little sister. She’s only eight—she was a ‘surprise’ baby.”
“Don’t you miss them?”
I could feel by his reaction that he did, but he wasn’t going to show Ophelia his soft side.
Adam shrugged. “Sometimes. I could have gone with them, but it was a big deal getting the apprenticeship ... over two hundred applied. So I really wanted to do it rather than go on the road. They’ll be back for Christmas and then head off again probably.”
“How did you come by Uncle Seb though?”
“He and my dad met a few times at the Maritime Museum. They became a bit chummy and Seb helped me with my apprenticeship application. When Dad and Mum wanted to move on, they didn’t want to leave me in the house or with flatmates in case we had too many parties,” he grinned. “So they rented it out on a six month lease and they just keep extending it if they’re not ready to come back yet. Seb offered his place. He won’t accept rent, but I put in for groceries and I try and do a bit around the house like mowing and repairs. Seb’s not much good at that.”
I could read that she was thinking of her uncle taking in strays—her and Adam.
“Why are you here ... I mean, why have you moved here?” Adam asked.
Ophelia looked surprised. “Didn’t Uncle Seb tell you?”
“No, he just said his niece was coming to live with him and we decided we’d make the bachelor pad downstairs and you could take the upstairs.”
“My parents died.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, kills a conversation,” she shrugged. “So Uncle Seb is my closest living relative. He’s mum’s brother. Dad’s got a few sisters but one is overseas and the other, well I don’t really know her and she didn’t want kids.”
Adam nodded. “You could do worse. He’s a really nice guy your uncle.” They had reached the Surf Life Savers Club and he turned to walk back. So did I as I stayed with them.
They stopped momentarily to watch several board riders taking on a sizeable wave. Two were smashed, rolling head-over-heels as their boards surfaced before them; one surfer rode the wave in. He jumped off in the shallow water and grabbed his board. Seeing he had an audience, he smiled at Ophelia, and gave Adam a begrudging nod. No love lost between those two, never has been.
“Know him?” Ophelia asked watching the tall, blond surfer head back out into the ocean.
“Yep. Ready to walk back?” Adam said.
Ophelia grinned.
“What? Adam asked, smiling at her.
“Clearly you don’t like him.”
He shrugged. “Chayse Johann—he’s alright, a bit full of himself. He lives in Warrnambool and usually surfs there, don’t know why he’s down here.”
“Better waves?” she suggested.
Adam shrugged. “There’s a bit of family history stuff with him ... more a grudge on his side than ours.”
Ophelia looked out to sea; the hairs on her arm stood on end. Not far from the beach the water became a dark blue, menacing and deep. I loved it like that. She would too one day, hopefully.
“It’s amazing to think there are ships still lying out there,” she shuddered.
“Even freakier to dive around them, or so I’ve heard,” he laughed but it sounded hollow.
They walked on until the track to the house came into sight and Ophelia called the dogs closer. They could see Sebastian looking out to sea at the attic window, watching the sunset on the horizon.
“I could pull anything over Uncle Seb, he is not sure what I’m supposed to do at my age. He even offered me his car keys,” she said.
Adam laughed. “So you have to apply your own curfew and send yourself to your room?”
“Apparently.”
“Could be fun,” he flashed her a smile.
Ophelia blushed and they finished the walk in silence.
Don’t fall for him Ophelia I whispered as I walked beside them.
Chapter 5
OPHELIA
I couldn’t sleep; back to my old routine. I rarely slept right through the night since Mum and Dad ... you know. I miss them so much my chest aches sometimes and then I won’t think about them for a few hours and then I feel terrible that I’ve forgotten them. I have a photo of each of them in a locket—I know it is old-fashioned but I can keep them close, against my skin.
It’s funny this new life; Uncle Seb is so lovely and seems really okay with me being here. School was better than I thought and Adam ... it’s kind of good to have a big brother, someone who has my back. I’m glad he’s not at school; it is good to have friends from different worlds. I still feel like I’m in a spotlight at school, I guess that will stop when everyone is used to me.
I heard the clock in the hallway strike three. The room was so lit; moonlight streamed in around the curtain edges and filtered through the netting around my bed. The moon must have been hanging right outside my window. I rose and went to the window, pushing back the curtains. It was a full moon and I was right, it was spectacular and just tipping the edge of the ocean. It was so bright it might as well have been a street light.
I sat on the wide timber window seat in the bay window and pulled my legs up, hooking my arms around my knees. I looked out to sea—it was both beautiful and scary. The dark ocean, the waves crashing closer to shore and the ghostly glow of the moon and then, I saw him. I thought I had imagined it the first day but no, it was the same figure I saw for just those few moments.
I jumped up and reached for the curtain pulling it almost shut again, but he wasn’t looking up at me, he hadn’t noticed the curtains open—he was looking amongst the rocks. I studied him through the gap in the curtain; he looked about the same age as me, maybe a few years older. His hair was light—tasselled and wind-swept, short at the sides—he wore dark pants, black boots and a big navy knitted jumper. What was he doing down there on the rocks at three ... I looked to the clock beside the bed ... three-fifteen in the morning? I watched him sit on the largest rock and stare across
the ocean. Must be so cold out there.
If Mum and Dad were still here, I would never have considered going down to the beach to meet him—I guess if Mum and Dad were around I wouldn’t be here anyway. But maybe feeling numb over the last few months increased my sense of risk, after all, what’s the worst that could happen? Death. Yeah, I’ve met that and it doesn’t scare me much anymore.
I was still contemplating going down to meet him when he looked straight up at the window at me. I jumped back—it gave me a hell of a fright. Well, might as well go down now that he’s seen me spying. I tentatively peeped out from between the curtains again and he was gone! I glanced around the beach and the rock area, and up the path to the house but he was gone, disappeared like a ghost.
*****
I must have gone back to sleep after watching the guy on the beach, because I woke up at seven o’clock. I went to the bathroom, showered, dressed and headed down to grab some toast. I dropped my school bag near the front door. Uncle Seb was up and sitting at a bench along the kitchen window where he could see the ocean. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower and he was dressed in jeans, and a long sleeve shirt—his usual work wear. He had an empty bowl in front of him and the cereal packet was still on the kitchen bench counter. Agnes and Argo trotted over to greet me and I kissed them both on the head. Adam was nowhere in sight, probably already gone to work.
“Sleep well?” Uncle Seb asked.
“Nope. And you?”
“I usually do,” he answered. “A combination of too much thinking during the day and the smell of salt air at night ... delightful. Want me to cook you some eggs?”
“No, but thanks. I’m good with toast. Want some?”
He shook his head. “Are you worried?” Uncle Seb asked.
“About what?”
“Anything? Is that why you are not sleeping?” he rose and going to the kettle flicked it on. He reached for a second cup for me and threw a tea bag in his and mine.
I shrugged. “No, I just don’t sleep a lot.”
“But you used to?” Uncle Seb persisted.
“I guess so.”
