La Strada Da Seguire: The Road to Follow

by Susan Toscan

  Building memories

  Agnes was pleased to have her husband home again. The opportunity to spend time together as a family was very precious. As Michael had a full week before he had to return to the property, she suggested that they take a drive to Darlington Point for a few days.

  It was an adventure to have the truck to travel in. The trip took a fraction of the time that it used to in the horse-drawn buggy, and Frances loved sitting on her mother’s lap, watching the farms speed past. It was like being on a ride at the local agricultural show, and Agnes enjoyed the feeling of freedom. It was always fascinating to drive out past the dry-area farms. The countryside was not as green as the irrigated areas, but it still held a rugged charm that Agnes loved.

  The weather was still cool as the spring of 1936 approached. It was good to be out in the bush again. The countryside looked beautiful with everything in bloom; the wattle trees, in particular, were a sight to see, vibrant yellow against the browns and greens of the landscape.

  Spring always held the promise of good crops, and that, of course, was good for the area: if the farms were prosperous, then the towns would also do well.

  Agnes felt nostalgic returning to the place where she had spent her childhood. Sharing the beauty of this place with Michael made her enjoy it all the more. Even though he knew the area well, like Agnes, Michael was constantly surprised by how diverse the countryside was. He understood why Agnes loved it.

  Agnes and her family arrived in the little village of Darlington Point just before lunchtime. They stopped to collect a few provisions to add to what they had already brought with them and to see a few people in town. They had a picnic in the small park, and Frances, who was now walking with great confidence, ran around and played, to the delight of her parents and the locals who had come out to say hello. Many people remembered Agnes as a child and commented on how much Frances looked like her mother. After a very happy hour of play, the little girl was getting tired, so her parents decided to head out to the Aboriginal community by the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. It was a short drive but allowed time for Frances to have a nap before they arrived at the settlement.

  Sharon was at home when they arrived, and she was thrilled to see Agnes and her family. Agnes introduced Michael and Frances. Sharon had always loved children, and she took Frances to find some toys to play with. Sharon’s children had all grown up.

  Her eldest son was now working in Sydney. He had been the first Aborigine from the area to attend university and gain a law degree—he was Sharon’s pride and joy. Her other two children were still living in the area. Her daughter had married a white farmer and had two children, but her younger son was proving to be a challenge. Sharon worried that he had not found his place in the world yet as he struggled to live between white and Aboriginal society. This was common throughout Aboriginal communities, and many of the young people Agnes had known when she was growing up were having similar problems.

  Sharon made room for the Houston family in her small, neat home. Frances immediately settled in and enjoyed being the centre of attention. “Sharon, do you mind if I show Michael around once Frances goes down for her sleep? I’ve really missed seeing the river.”

  “You go whenever you want, and take your time. Frances and I are just fine,” Sharon replied.

  Needing no further encouragement, Michael and Agnes set off to take a walk by the Murrumbidgee. It was such a lovely sight—wide and strong—a real example of water bringing life to a normally dry and desolate country area. They reached a secluded bend in the river, and the sand stretching down to the water reminded Agnes of her childhood. She could not resist. “Let’s take a swim, Michael,” she said as she started to step out of her clothes.

  “What? We didn’t bring our swimmers! Agnes—what are you doing?” Michael’s protests came too late. Agnes was already running naked into the cool water.

  “Someone will see us! Have you lost your mind?” he shouted, but as he spoke, he was smiling, enjoying the sight of his wife swimming naked.

  “Come on, scaredy cat; come into the water. It’s very nice!” Agnes continued to tease him. Michael was usually cautious and restrained by nature, but his wife had a way of making him do things that he would not normally do. He joined her in the water but kept his underpants on. Agnes laughed at him and tried to tug them off.

  They played in the water for some time, until it started getting cool, and then finally had to think about heading back.

  They returned to the house to find that Frances had fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion; Sharon had fed her first, so she would most likely be down for the night. The adults settled down and enjoyed a simple, relaxing meal. Many other members of the community soon joined them, and a lovely evening was spent with old and new friends.

  Michael had worked with a few Aboriginal shearers, and it turned out that one of the fellows was from Darlington Point. His aunt and uncle lived very close to Sharon, and she had known him all his life.

  “Craig was always a good bloke. He worked hard even when he was younger,” she explained.

  “He’s one of the best shearers in our group,” Michael said. “Strong as an ox, and as you say, Sharon, he’s a really good bloke. I’m looking forward to telling him that I’ve visited his home.”

  When it was time to leave, Michael and Agnes promised each other that they would not wait too long to return. Agnes had always had a connection to this place, and now Michael understood why. He had loved this time with his family, and he knew that such moments were precious; he knew they were building memories to treasure for the rest of their lives. Frances had really loved paddling in the cool river water, and building sand castles with his little girl gave Michael more pleasure than he could ever have imagined. He secretly wished that he had such memories with his own father.

  An addition to

  the wedding party

  Michael and Agnes returned home to the flurry of wedding plans in action. Lucia’s dress was well underway, and Agnes was invited to the first fitting. She was amazed that Maria, her mother and the other helpers had achieved so much in only a few weeks. The material was a soft, creamy-white satin, and the lace was overlaid across the bodice. Now that Agnes could see how it was all coming together, she was a little envious that she had not had such a beaut­iful dress when she married Michael.

  Agnes thought about the hasty circumstances of her and Michael’s wedding—so very different from the elaborate preparations now being made by the Italian family. It would have been nice to have received all this attention, but Agnes knew that she and Michael had a good marriage, and she only hoped that Lucia and Flavio would be as happy they were.

  Lucia loved the dress so far, and she spent many hours putting it on and taking it off again for further alterations and adjustments. The fitted design complemented her slim frame, and its long train was a work of art. The women were working from a handmade pattern taken from a picture in a magazine, and so far the dress looked just like the picture. The fragile fabric was carefully handled, and when it was put tempor­arily aside for work to continue on it later, it was wrapped in soft sheeting material. The veil would be made from delicate netting fabric; it would have a crown of dried flowers and fall to just below the waist so that the train of the dress remained the main feature.

  As the women worked, they made cheeky comments to each other.

  “Not too many buttons down the back of the dress; Flavio will be anxious to get it off in a hurry,” Maria said.

  When Lucia heard this, she blushed and scolded her mother. “Stop it, Mum, you are embarrassing me.”

  The older women kept up their work with memories of past wedding days on their minds, sharing stories of their own weddings and laughing together. To Lucia’s horror, Maria joined in. “When Frank and I left the church after the ceremony, we could not wait to be together… You all know what I mean. Frank had arranged for his brother to have his buggy ready. He had told our families that we were going to a friend
’s house to have a photograph taken. In fact, what we did was get out of the village to a secluded spot at the base of the mountain and…well, let me tell you that it was anything but traditional! Funny that nobody ever asked about the photograph that we were supposed to have taken!”

  The peals of laughter and comments that followed would curl the hair of an innocent Italian girl. Trad­itions were important to these people, but they did have a sense of humour. Lucia had left the room, feigning shock at the stories the old women were telling. Secretly she smiled to herself; she really liked the idea that her parents were happy and very much in love on their wedding day.

  Agnes and Renata were to have new dresses as well, and the beautiful, pale blue satin they had received was waiting to be transformed into simple but elegant outfits. Agnes had certainly never had such a beautiful dress.

  The time arrived for the first fitting of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Agnes began the day by getting Frances ready so that she could play quietly or hopefully fall asleep. To be honest, she was a bit nervous about having a 15-month-old near all that lovely fabric. Agnes had actually been feeling unwell since she had returned from Darlington Point; in fact, she’d been quite exhausted lately, and she was worried that she might be coming down with a cold. She got through her morning chores and made lunch for herself and Frances, and then they took a walk over to Maria’s house for the fitting. Elsie was already there, and she swept Frances off to find some children to play with until her sleep time.

  Maria took Agnes’s measurements and found that she had gained a little weight since the first measurement six weeks ago. “You must have had too much good food when you went on your little holiday,” she jokingly said, “or should we be making a maternity dress?”

  Agnes laughed at first, but when she thought about it, she realised that she had not had a period since that little holiday. From the expression on Agnes’s face, Maria caught on immediately. She called Elsie in and then took a firm hold on a very faint-looking Agnes.

  When Agnes was sitting down, both older women started to ask her questions. She could not think. She could not remember when her last period was. “My goodness, yes, I have been off-colour for the last couple of weeks. Not specifically in the mornings but generally throughout the day.”

  “Well, I think that we will leave your dress to be completed after the others are ready. We have allowed plenty of extra material at this stage, so making the dress a little wider will be easy,” said Maria thoughtfully.

  They decided that raising the waistline on the dresses would work well for both Agnes and Renata.

  “Well, Lucia,” said Maria, “I think that your bridal party will be a little bigger than we anticipated.”

  Agnes laughed nervously. “Lucia, I’m sorry. I hope that a pregnant belly won’t spoil the look of the dress.”

  “Don’t be silly, Agnes. I’m thrilled for you and Michael, and I’m sure you will look even more beautiful than ever.” Lucia hugged her friend. Renata was also excited about another baby to fuss over.

  By the end of the conversation, Elsie was confident that she had another grandchild on the way. Agnes was also convinced now. She was not unhappy with the idea of another child, although she and Michael had not discussed this possibility. They were happy with their life and did not plan too far in advance. That would now have to change. Agnes wanted to talk to her husband before she let herself get too excited. “You all have to promise to keep this between us until I tell Michael. Renata, that means telling no-one.”

  “Why does everyone think that I cannot keep a secret?” Renata said, trying to look offended. The response from her sister and mother came quickly. “Because you can’t!”

  A visit to Griffith to see the doctor was put on the agenda. Elsie had a good relationship with the local doctor, and she was sure that he would see Agnes as soon as possible. “As soon as I hear from Dr McGregor, I’ll let you know. Please don’t worry, darling. This is wonderful news. It’s time for a little brother or sister for Frances,” Elsie tried to reassure her daughter.

  “I know, Mum. I’m not worried. Sounds stupid, I know, but I just hadn’t given any thought to another baby. Now it seems that the decision has been made for me. It will all be good. Right at this moment, I’m just anxious to talk to Michael.” The mother and daughter hugged and shared a moment of reflection on the prospect of another baby in their lives.

  Michael returned home that evening, and Agnes waited until they had finished dinner before she broke the news. “Darling, it’s highly possible that we’re expecting a baby.” She watched her husband’s face for his reaction.

  To her surprise, Michael simply smiled at her in his matter-of-fact way and said, “Well, you shouldn’t be surprised after your antics out at the river six weeks ago! When do you think this baby will be due?”

  Agnes frowned at her husband’s cheeky comment. “If my calculations are correct, it will be another May baby.”

  “I told you that swimming naked in the river would get you into trouble!” Michael teased her.

  “Well, do you have anything else to say? From the look on your face, you’re still back there swimming in the river!” Agnes laughed and playfully hit Michael with a cushion.

  “I’m sorry, love; of course it’s very good news. Two years between them should be manageable.” Michael hugged Agnes to reassure her. He was thrilled, if not a little shaken, at the prospect of another child. As he had grown up as an only child, he was not sure about the dynamics between siblings, but he would find out in time.

  Michael also had to try hard not to make any further mistakes, especially with his drinking. Only recently Tom had reprimanded him after a heavy drinking session at the end of the shearing season. Michael had not told Agnes about it, but it had taken him a couple of days to recover. He was very ashamed that he had got so drunk that he could not remember anything. Tom had told him that he had behaved very badly; his friend had had to drag Michael away from the other men to prevent a fight from breaking out. This revel­ation had frightened Michael. He was determined not to drink like that again.

  A welcome home

  The appointment with the doctor confirmed what Elsie was already sure of: Agnes was approximately six weeks pregnant, and her baby would be due in May 1937. Agnes was now very aware of the early stages of her pregnancy as her energy failed her and her appetite increased; when she ate, how­ever, she would feel nauseated. Her mother and Maria were helping her with cooking as she could not seem to prepare a meal without being ill. The older women assured her that this would pass soon.

  Agnes could not remember feeling quite so bad when she was pregnant with Frances, but she assumed that each pregnancy was different. Her mother prepared some bush medicine that she had learned to make from her time with the Aboriginal community, and that gave Agnes some relief.

  Agnes and Renata were to have the final fitting of their dresses the following week, and Agnes was concerned that she had put on weight much more quickly with this pregnancy. However, everyone assured her that she looked healthy and beautiful.

  Agnes had not had time to enjoy her first pregnancy. The realisation of her condition had come as a bit of a shock and had quickly been followed by hasty wedding arrangements and efforts to keep it quiet because of the gossips in the town. Agnes laughed about all that now. She did not know why it had seemed so important at the time. She had changed and matured so much over the last 18 months that she felt like a different woman. It was good to acknowledge the little person growing inside her and marvel at the wonder of being able to create another new life.

  Agnes and Michael had settled into a very comfortable routine. Michael seemed to have control over his drinking and his mood swings. His wife was relieved, but she still felt that he was inclined to be very distant at times, and this worried her.

  Michael continued to travel out to the sheep stations that he managed. Despite feeling relaxed and happy in the small community in which they lived, Agnes still found it diff
icult when her husband was away—but she knew that he was happy with his job.

  Michael had been given a great deal more responsibility and now answered directly to the property owners. He employed the shearers and arranged the support teams and supplies as well as generally overseeing the wool classing; he had been taught by some of the best wool classers of the day. He knew the quality wools from the average wools, and when his wool went to sale, he consistently achieved excellent prices. The property owners sought his advice when they went to the sale yards to build up their sheep stock. Michael had convinced a few of them to purchase more merino sheep. His research demonstrated to the property owners that the sheep’s wool quality was proving to be the best in the world.

  Tom Dawson was very proud that Michael had shown such initiative in making these improvements in wool quality. He and Michael would often catch up when Tom was in town, and on the last occasion, Tom had confessed to Michael that he was slowing down. “Not doing any shearing anymore. Back’s buggered, mate. I have to concentrate on managing the station now, so I’m not moving about the country as much. I miss going to the different sheds, but I don’t miss the heavy work. It’s finally caught up with me—or maybe it’s old age!”

  Michael had been concerned to hear that Tom was not doing very well. “Make sure that you come and visit us, Tom. Agnes would love to cook for you. She’s very good at making the Italian food now, and let me tell you, it beats anything that we ever had in the shearing sheds.”

  “Sounds good, mate; I’ll let you know when I’m next going to be in town. Take good care,” Tom had said as he shook Michael’s hand.