La Strada Da Seguire: The Road to Follow

by Susan Toscan

  Agnes was amazed to hear about all the wedding plans. She had never heard of a wedding on such a large scale, and she looked forward to being part of the celebration.

  Making life an adventure

  Michael had a surprise for Agnes, and he looked forward to discussing the details of his important news with her.

  When he arrived home, he was very impressed by the special dinner his wife had prepared. “That meal was terrific, darling. You’re certainly getting the gist of cooking Italian food. I can tell you it’s a pleasant change from the meals that we get in the shearing sheds. A bloke certainly gets sick of the same thing all the time. Don’t get me wrong—the food is always filling, and it’s usually tasty—but the cooks have to feed up to 20 or 30 men at a time, so we can’t expect gourmet food like this, can we?”

  When Frances was settled for the night, Agnes let her mum know that she and Michael were going out for a walk. They took the route by the canal and enjoyed the clear night. It was August, and the nights were very cold and crisp.

  The young couple walked in silence for a while, enjoying the quiet of the evening. When they came to a pretty park by the canal, Michael sat down. “Can we sit for a minute? I have something to tell you.”

  “I noticed that you seemed a bit edgy tonight. I hope it’s good news, my love?” Agnes responded.

  “Well, I hope that you’ll be happy. I’ve had an offer to work in a shed that’s very close to town. It would mean that I’d be able to come home most weekends, and we should be able to get a house of our own very soon. What do you think about that?”

  “Oh, Michael, that’s wonderful news!” Agnes threw her arms around her husband. Michael had never got used to the way Agnes would show she was excited. It gave him such joy to see her face light up. He loved the way that she was so positive and able to consider all of the possibilities ahead of her.

  “You know, I would love to live out of town. Not far—around where the Messeras live would be perfect. I’ve always wanted to have a bit of space so that we can have a big garden. I know that you have to go back to the shed tomorrow, but I can ask Dad to take me out to talk to Maria and Frank; they may know of a place out their way. Since Dad got that utility, he jumps at any excuse to go for a drive. What do you think?” Agnes was up, walking around, as she clapped her hands with delight.

  “You know, I love you so much; you make our life an adventure.” Michael smiled. “You are also pretty funny the way you clap your hands and get so excited.” He got to his feet and embraced his wife. “We can live ­wherever you wish, my dear. Let’s head home and tell your parents.” Michael took her by the hand.

  Agnes hesitated. She looked serious now. “I have to admit that I’m still a bit unsure about leaving Mum and Dad. They’re so good with Frances. But I know that it’s time to make a home of our own. You’re right—let’s go home and tell them our news.”

  Elsie and Joe were excited that Agnes and Michael would be able to have a home of their own. They would certainly miss them, but they knew that the young couple would be fine. Joe agreed to take his daughter out to see Maria and Frank the next day.

  Michael left early the next morning, and Agnes decided to take Frances for a walk in the main street.

  As she walked along in a bit of a daydream, Agnes saw a familiar face coming towards her. She had to look twice as she hadn’t seen Brad since before she and Michael had got married, but she was sure that it was him—and his obviously pregnant wife. The wife was taller than Brad, and Agnes could not help but notice that she was beautifully dressed. She had a pretty face with light brown hair cut into a stylish bob.

  “Brad, where have you been? We haven’t seen you in town for over six months.”

  “Hello, Agnes,” Brad said. “Let me introduce my wife, Madeline.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Madeline.”

  Frances had fallen asleep, and she looked very peaceful.

  “How old is your baby? She looks like a little angel,” Madeline asked as she gazed into the pram.

  Agnes laughed. “She certainly does look like an angel when she’s asleep, but she keeps all the adults in her life on their toes when she’s awake! You will find out very soon how busy life gets when a baby arrives.”

  Brad was looking at her in that intense way he had, and it made her uncomfortable. Agnes thought that he and Madeline looked very happy, but Agnes still found him hard to read. She was a little embarrassed that she did not know when they had married, but she asked them anyway. “So how long have you two been married?”

  “We were married earlier this year.” Brad patted Madeline’s stomach proudly. “Madeline is from Sydney. We’ve known each other since high school. We met up again when I returned home to visit my parents. Prior to that, I’d been working in a shed out near Leeton for most of last year.”

  “We decided to come back to the country to start our family,” Madeline chipped in as she possessively took Brad’s arm. “There’s still more work out here than in the city.”

  “Well, congratulations to you both. I’m sure that we’ll see more of each other now that you’re back in Griffith,” Agnes said. They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Agnes wished them well for the birth of their child and headed home.

  It had happened again—when she least expected it, she was hit by that heart-racing confusion when she saw Brad. Agnes was cross with herself; she thought that now that she was married and very happy, Brad should not be able to leave her feeling unsettled as he had when she was single. It was a feeling she could not explain, but somehow she knew that he had some strange power over her.

  Stop it, Agnes, you idiot, she said firmly to herself as she walked home at a very fast pace. He’s just a very charming man, and I’m happy that he’s settled down!

  Tables and chairs and love

  The Messeras were thrilled that Agnes and Michael were keen to find a home nearby. Agnes knew that Maria would make it her mission to help find just the right place for them.

  Two days later, when Agnes arrived for work at the market stall, Maria surprised her with some news. “Agnes, you will never guess what I found out today. The man who lives in the house on the farm next door to us is moving out in a couple of weeks time. He is going to live with his daughter in town.”

  Agnes could not believe it. She looked excited, but she felt a little sceptical; it was almost too good to be true.

  “Oh, Maria! What perfect timing for us! Can you find out if the property owner would be willing to rent the house to me and Michael?”

  Within the week, Maria was able to report back to Agnes that the owner was happy to rent the house—and for a very reasonable price.

  “The house needs some work, and the garden is very untidy, but we can all help out,” Maria said enthusiastically.

  Michael returned home on the weekend to a very happy Agnes. He was thrilled with the news. “Let’s have a good look at it as soon as we can. I’ll be able to take some time off work in a couple of weeks’ time, so hopefully we can move in sooner rather than later.”

  Later that day, he and Agnes—together with Elsie and Joe—drove to Maria and Frank’s farm. Maria had already arranged for them to see the property.

  The house sat in a pretty but overgrown garden screened from the road by some tall pine trees. A simple timber cottage with a screened-in verandah running across the back, it had lots of large windows and was light and airy. The walls needed a coat of paint, which could easily be fixed; the floors were a little scuffed, but with some sanding and the application of a lacquer to the timber, they would be as good as new.

  Agnes looked forward to all the little jobs that would make the house a home. The garden also needed lots of work, but she loved being outdoors. Michael could put a fence around the house and yard to contain an active child—Frances was only five months old, but once she got on the move, Agnes knew that she would be a real little explorer. She wanted to make sure that her ­daughter was safe at all times and that she c
ould not get to the canal or any other dangerous area on the farm.

  The yard was long and narrow, and there were several large gum trees at the far end of the property that created a shady grove. Agnes could picture the exciting adventure area she could create in that space for her child. A strong branch of one of the gum trees would be the perfect place to attach a rope swing. She thought that would be a lovely place for Frances to play.

  The vegetable garden was at the side of the house nearest the canal, so access to water was good. Agnes would put in as many vegetables as she could. It would be fun to teach her little girl to enjoy gardening.

  Before the inspection was complete, Joe had volunt­eered to do the painting. “Frank, perhaps you and Michael could do the other repairs,” he said.

  “Sounds good to me,” Michael and Frank replied in unison.

  “I think we have a plan. We’ll get started next weekend,” Michael said as they walked outside. “Agnes and I are so lucky to have you all so willing to help; we really appreciate it.”

  Later when they were back home, Michael confided in Agnes. “I’m continually learning what it’s like to belong to a family and to have the support that I’ve missed over the years—and it feels so good. I really look forward to making this house our home.” He felt a little emotional.

  Agnes put her arms around him. “You and Frances are my family, and we are blessed having Mum and Dad as well as the Italian family to help us out and support us. But no matter what, we will always have each other; never forget that, Michael.”

  Only a few weeks later, they moved their few belongings to the farmhouse with the help of Agnes’s family and the Messeras. When Agnes opened up the cupboards in the kitchen, she yelled with delight. “There are pots and pans and plates of all shapes and sizes in here; I don’t believe it!”

  “I hope you don’t mind, Agnes, but we had a few extra things that I thought you could use, and, of course, your mum had some other bits to add to the collection.”

  “Of course I don’t mind! I am thrilled. Thank you so much—this is great!”

  A small shaky table and two chairs had also turned up. A coat of paint made the furniture look presentable, and as long as people sat cautiously on the chairs, they did not wobble. Michael and Agnes would often laugh about the funny table and chairs that were given with so much love.

  The small sitting area had a rather dilapidated couch. With Maria and Elsie’s help, Agnes sewed a cover for it that made it look pretty and gave the room a homely feeling. Apart from a bed and the baby’s cot, that was about all the furniture they had—but it was all that they needed, and they soon felt at home in the little house.

  Having helped her daughter settle into her own home, Elsie went back to her busy routine. She remained involved in community activities and volunteered her nursing skills to help out at the Griffith Hospital on a regular basis. Just as she had planned to do, she took up further studies to bring her nursing skills up-to-date, attending training at the Wagga Wagga Hospital about once a month in order to update her certificate in midwifery. Elsie still went back to Darlington Point every couple of months to visit her friends in the Aboriginal community and work with the community in whatever way she was needed. She led a full and active life—but the times she spent with Agnes and Frances were the most precious.

  Whenever Elsie had a free moment, she loved to get together with Maria. Both women liked to swap recipes and then experiment on their respective families. Maria had mastered Elsie’s scone recipe; the Italian and Australian families agreed that even though Elsie still held the record for the best scones, Maria ran a very close second. But no-one could compete with Maria’s biscotti. Now that sugar was more regularly available from the local store, Maria always made sure that there were enough biscuits to share. Frances loved to be part of the action and would sit with her grandmother and Maria and watch the proceedings. She was allowed to have a bowl and spoon with a small amount of flour mixture, which she played with and then usually ate. She loved it when the delicious biscuits came out of the oven and was always impatient to be the first to taste one.

  In the wrong—again

  Michael was still away a couple of days a week, but his life had a routine, and it worked well for his small family. As is the case with most couples, he and Agnes found that now that they were together most of the time, they had to get to know each other in different ways. It was not as easy as maintaining the part-time relationship they’d had since they were married, and it could sometimes be a little frustrating.

  Michael was surprised that he actually missed the comradeship of his shearing mates—the social side of living in the shearers’ quarters. He was a little confused by those feelings as he wanted to be with his family, but after working in shearing sheds and living in shearers’ quarters for such a long time, he found that he had trouble settling into his domestic situation.

  This frustrated Agnes. She could not understand how Michael felt; it did not make sense to her. To make matters worse, Michael had taken to having a few drinks in town before coming home, and Agnes was not happy about it.

  “Michael, this cannot go on; you don’t ever get to see Frances. She’s in bed by the time you come home. And what’s the point of me cooking dinner when it’s cold before you arrive! I thought that we would have more time together with your new job, but you’re choosing to stay at the pub instead of coming home. I do not understand you!” Agnes shouted.

  Michael did not respond to her, and this made her even angrier. “Don’t you have anything to say?” she asked with tears of frustration in her eyes.

  “Nope. What’s the point? You seem to have it all covered. I’m in the wrong—again. I’m going to bed.”

  Once Agnes had made herself a cup of tea and settled down, she started to worry. What if he is unhappy? Now that we’re together most of the time, he might have realised that he really doesn’t want to be married at all. Agnes felt miserable. She had never seen Michael as moody as he had been lately, and she knew that she had to stay calm and talk to him. She had to know what was going on with him.

  Michael had always said that he would not drink like his father, but it was as if he had to challenge himself to see how far he could go—he almost seemed to be testing himself to prove that he could stop when he wanted to. Agnes also knew that her husband did not like to be backed into a corner. That is what she had been doing to him, and he was rebelling. Over the last year, she had witnessed a few occasions when Michael would appear to be overwhelmed and not coping well, and she had noticed that it was at those times that he would drink more than usual.

  Agnes was reminded of the long conversation Michael had had with her not long after they had met. He had told her about his father’s drinking problem and how badly it had affected his young life. She remembered him saying in earnest, “I never want to be like that, Agnes. I will never put you through what my father did to my mother. He was a selfish alcoholic. Even though as I got older I did come to realise that alcoholism is a disease and that he would have needed expert help to stop drinking, I still cannot forgive him for destroying my mother’s life. She deserved better.”

  Agnes felt guilty for getting angry with him, but she wished that he would talk to her.

  One night just before Christmas, Michael was very late coming home. Agnes was becoming increasingly angry, but mostly she was worried. In order to try to stay calm, she took Frances and walked over to Maria and Frank’s farm, but she was in tears when she arrived. Maria took Frances and settled her to sleep in the spare room, where they always kept an old cot set up for her. Agnes made herself a cup of tea and waited in the kitchen.

  As someone close to Elsie’s age, Maria was able to listen to Agnes’s concerns and offer advice about how to cope with the situation.

  “Frank is past staying out late with his friends now, but I remember when we first arrived in the area, he would often visit other farms to help out and meet people. Many times he would stay for drinks and g
et home late.” Maria tried to reassure Agnes. “Men need to have the social contact, and it is good that they meet with their friends. It does not mean that they prefer their friends to their family; it is just their way of staying in touch with what is happening.”

  Agnes knew Maria was trying to help, but she still thought that it was unfair of Michael to be so inconsid­erate. “Thank you, Maria. I think I just needed to talk. I feel a little silly for overreacting.”

  Maria gave her a hug. As it was so late, she convinced Agnes to stay the night. The young woman agreed as the baby was asleep—and she knew that Michael would know where to find her.

  The next morning, Agnes returned to her house to find that Michael had not come home at all. This was very unlike him, and she was beside herself with worry. In her emotional state, she made up her mind there was nothing she could do for the moment. She would ask Frank to take her into town so that he and her father could help her look for Michael, but she had to wait until Frank came back from work. She prayed that Michael would return soon and that he was not dead in a ditch somewhere between the town and the farm.

  Deciding that she had to keep busy, Agnes took Frances out for a walk. They went up to the end of the road just to see if there were signs of anything unusual having happened. Nothing! It was back to the garden to play; she had to keep moving, all the while listening for a sound that would tell her that Michael had returned home.

  It was late morning. Agnes had just managed to get Frances down for a nap. The little girl had been very unsettled, no doubt picking up on her mother’s anxiety. Suddenly Agnes thought that she heard a vehicle turn into the drive. She ran outside, desperately hoping that Michael would be there. To her absolute shock, she saw the local police constable walking towards her and froze, gripped with fear.

  The constable saw the look on her face and was quick to reassure her. “Don’t be alarmed, ma’am; your husband is fine. He’s locked up in the gaol in town, sobering up.”