The Bay

by Di Morrissey

  ‘Calm down, it’s a small town. Once the DA went in, there’d be some talk. We can handle it. Certain people jump up and down but there’s nothing much they can do. Sam has things under control.’

  ‘I’m coming up tomorrow. By the way, who is the owner of that land? Who is Beacon Land Holdings that Sam’s acting for?’

  ‘That doesn’t matter, Andy. Everything is being done legally. Sure there could be front companies, but that’s par for the course these days. The minute after council votes through the rezoning application, we get paid. The locals shouldn’t be a problem. This is too big to stop.’

  ‘My wife has informed me she’ll be in the frontline against it. Or should I say my soon to be ex-wife. Holly and I have called it quits.’

  ‘Oh. That could be a complication we don’t need. She’s well liked in town.’ Letitia didn’t sound as thrilled at his news as he’d expected.

  ‘Dinner tomorrow night then? I’ll check into the Big Pub . . .’ He had no intention of staying there and he waited for Letitia’s invitation to stay with her, but it didn’t come.

  ‘I’ll get Sam and the PR woman down from Brisbane to come and eat with us. We’d better start thinking strategies.’ Letitia sounded distracted and they said goodbye without their usual endearments.

  Mitchell and Eddie pulled up to Eddie’s farmhouse and Mitchell leapt out of his truck and went to the large Esky tied in the back. ‘Hey, come and grab a handle, there must be over twenty kilos of fish in here.’

  But Eddie was standing by the truck glaring at a small white convertible with Queensland numberplates parked by the shrubbery. ‘Shit. I hate the way she just turns up like it’s her house.’

  ‘Who?’ Mitchell moved towards him.

  ‘Laura.’ He scowled.

  ‘She visits Alice, doesn’t she?’

  ‘Yeah, but I’ve made it clear she has to plan these things, doesn’t just walk in unannounced. Typical. Let’s get those fish in the freezer.’

  They carried the Esky between them round to the back into the laundry where Eddie had installed a second-hand freezer.

  ‘I’ll get some freezer bags.’

  Eddie went into the kitchen and was rummaging in a drawer when Laura spoke behind him.

  ‘Hi, Eddie. What’s new?’

  He slammed the drawer shut. ‘I might ask you the same thing. Damn it, Laura, I’ve asked you to call before you come up here. I hope you’re not taking Alice back with you . . . this is an unscheduled visit. She has stuff to do tomorrow.’

  He glared at her and Laura was struck as she had been when she’d first seen Eddie at how handsome he was. ‘You’re cute when you’re mad.’

  ‘Give it a rest. Where’s Alice?’

  ‘She’s searching the internet for something. Been showing me her room. You’ve made this old dump look quite decent.’

  ‘Alice and I are very comfortable. Of course if I had some money it’d be much better. But I give all my money to you. Nice car by the way.’

  ‘Present from Jack.’

  ‘Good of him. Excuse me, I have to get these out to Mitch.’

  She followed him through to the laundry and greeted Mitchell. ‘What a heap of fish! Have you guys been fishing?’

  ‘No, hunting, Laura. What’s it look like?’ snapped Eddie and Mitchell laughed.

  ‘We took a friend’s boat off the Cape to film a sequence of deep-sea fishing and this is what we caught,’ said Mitchell.

  ‘Filming fishing? Making a sporting film now?’ asked Laura.

  ‘I’m actually shooting The Bay’s lifestyle,’ said Eddie calming down. ‘All the nice things one can do here. Tomorrow it will be the kayaks paddling round the Cape with the dolphins.’

  ‘Alice is going to be a star in it. She’s looking forward to it,’ said Mitchell, sealing the fish into freezer bags.

  ‘Of course, it’s probably a bit tame compared to the exciting life you lead on the coast,’ Eddie said.

  ‘I wouldn’t say that,’ she answered. ‘Good to see you, Mitchell. Eddie, we have to talk,’ she added ominously as she went back through the house.

  Eddie and Mitchell exchanged a look. ‘Another one of those talks. Guess what it’s about?’ said Eddie.

  ‘Alice?’

  ‘Wrong. Money.’

  ‘Eddie, it’s not my business, but surely you can’t keep supporting her like you say you do, plus care for Alice,’ said Mitchell quietly.

  ‘Be careful, mate. You have all this to look forward to. Your wife will get half your super too, you know.’

  Mitchell shrugged. ‘I haven’t thought about any of that. I mean the word “divorce” has never been mentioned between Veronica and me. She’s down in Sydney already, doing her thing, enjoying her job. They wanted her to start straightaway, so we agreed she should go for it. She’s got her ceramics, and now she says she’s going to do textile design. She and our son Tom have the house, they’re happy. I’m happy up here. Seems a fine arrangement to me.’

  ‘A word of advice – get things drawn up now, legally, while you’re still friends. I’ve had to learn the hard way,’ sighed Eddie.

  ‘Okay, thanks. It might give me an opening to ask Veronica just where she sees our future going. Certainly not together,’ said Mitchell.

  Eddie shut the freezer and held up two large snapper. ‘Come back for dinner. I’ll sling them on the barbie.’

  ‘Done. I’ll finish distributing the fish and clean up and see you about six. I’ll bring a salad and a bottle.’

  Eddie retrieved his camera gear from the truck and waved to Mitchell as he went back into the house dreading his talk with Laura.

  Alice walked in holding one of the fish. ‘Wow, Dad, these are great. Are they for tonight?’

  ‘Yes, Mitchell’s coming over.’

  ‘Great.’

  ‘Have you done the chooks today? I have to talk to your mother then I’m taking a shower.’

  Alice looked from one to the other. ‘You could just ask to be left alone to talk, you know. But I’ll do the chooks. We get big brown eggs every day,’ she said to her mother.

  Laura watched Alice head down through the garden. ‘She seems very happy here. The next thing she’ll be wanting to wear gingham skirts and broderie anglaise tops.’

  ‘What’s that mean?’

  ‘Just she’s a little bit wholesome, Miss Country meets RM Williams, you know.’

  ‘What’s wrong with that? You want to dress her up too much. She’s never worn any of those clothes you bought her.’

  ‘That’s because she doesn’t go anywhere smart with you.’

  ‘I imagine she gets enough of the high life with you and Jack.’

  ‘Can we drop this, please? I have something to say.’ Laura fiddled with the pepper and salt shakers on the table.

  ‘Fine.’ Eddie folded his arms and leaned against the sink. ‘Shoot.’

  ‘It hasn’t worked out with Jack. Nice guy and all that, but well, the age difference caught up with us I guess. He’s boring.’

  ‘You mean he’s showing old fart tendencies? Wanting to watch telly and you want to go dancing?’

  ‘Golf actually. He plays golf, then watches TV. And all his friends, and their wives, are old. I don’t think they like me. Well, we don’t have anything in common.’

  Eddie felt a chill creep over him. ‘So what are you saying? I hope you don’t want to take Alice up there full time.’

  ‘No. I know she likes school here and all her friends . . . It’s me. I’d like to move back here. Looking back, we had good times here.’ She gave a tremulous smile.

  ‘Here? You don’t mean, here, in this house?’ Eddie’s voice rose.

  ‘I miss you, Eddie. We did have fun in the beginning, lots of fun.’ She tried a sexy little laugh. ‘Couldn’t we try again? No commitments, just a family again –’

  ‘Christ, no way, Laura! We were never “a family”, it was controlled mayhem most of the time. This is the most stable Alice has been since we met. An
d you and I are history. I’m sorry, but I’ve moved on, there’s no going back for me.’

  ‘Couldn’t we at least try? I mean, no sex, just be friends, under the same roof. It’d be good for Alice to have a real family situation, just for a while. Till I get my own place settled –’

  ‘Laura, grow up. Alice has been given a sense of stability these past months, I’m not going be a hypocrite. You can’t keep running to me every time you have a problem. I have a life of my own now.’

  ‘What’s that mean? Are you seeing someone?’ Her eyes narrowed.

  ‘That’s none of your business. And don’t ask Alice about my life, it’s not fair to her. Listen, you have a unit, move in there.’ The last thing he wanted was Laura back in town, but anything was better than having her move in with him.

  ‘It’s rented.’

  ‘So rent something yourself. Go back to your parents and sort yourself out. Then make a decision. That’s the best plan,’ he said again. ‘Definitely.’

  ‘You want to get rid of me,’ she pouted.

  Alice came through the back door. ‘Four eggs today.’ She looked from Eddie to her mother, the tension between them still thick in the room. ‘Oh, are you still talking?’

  ‘Not really. I’ve said all I’m going to say.’ Eddie looked at Laura. ‘Have you talked this through with Alice?’

  ‘Talked what through? What’s going on?’ asked Alice sounding worried and glancing from one adult to the other.

  ‘Tell her, Laura.’

  ‘All in good time. Alice, honey, I had to talk to Eddie first. But he’s not being at all understanding and now I don’t know what I’m going to do.’ She started to cry and sank onto a kitchen chair.

  Alice gave Eddie a bewildered look. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Your mum and Jack have split up.’

  ‘Oh. I’m not surprised. He wasn’t her type. Just rich,’ said Alice with a mature assurance that stunned them both.

  ‘That is her bloody type,’ snapped Eddie.

  ‘You’re mean, you’re not trying to understand,’ wailed Laura and released a fresh flood of tears.

  ‘Understand! That’s just what I am trying to do. Why in God’s name do you want to move back in with me?’

  ‘Mum wants to move back here? With us?’ yelped Alice. ‘What about Tina?’

  ‘Tina?’ Laura lifted her head, her eyes steely bright through her tears.

  ‘Mum, you’re not going to make me leave here. Please, I don’t want to leave.’ Alice began to cry.

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake.’ Eddie took two strides and drew Alice to him. ‘Stop crying, sweetie, nothing is going to change. For us. Your mother has to sort herself out. Now we’ll help her. But there comes a time when everyone has to grow up and start managing their own life. On their own.’

  Alice gave Eddie a grateful look then knelt by her mother. Laura now had her head on her arms on the kitchen table. ‘Mum, it’ll be all right. You’ll be all right. Can’t you stay down at the beach and we can see each other a lot more? Just till you get, you know, settled . . .’ Alice patted her mother’s head.

  ‘Well, I can tell when I’m not wanted. You didn’t even ask me to dinner.’ She wiped her face.

  ‘You hate fish,’ said Eddie dismissively.

  ‘Mum, where are you staying?’

  ‘I haven’t got anywhere to stay yet,’ sniffed Laura. ‘I just came straight here. I thought I’d be welcome.’ She glared at Eddie.

  ‘You could have phoned.’

  ‘You were out fishing. Enjoying yourself,’ she snapped back.

  ‘Mum! He was filming!’ said Alice.

  Laura got to her feet. ‘All right, I’ll go to a motel and phone in the morning and arrange to see my daughter.’

  Mitchell called out to Holly as he carried the box of fish into the kitchen. ‘Fisho – delivery as promised.’

  ‘Only come in if they’re really fresh,’ she answered.

  ‘Madame, these monsters were swimming just two hours ago. I’ve cleaned them. They’re ready to bung in the freezer.’

  ‘Wonderful. Thanks so much. You’ve given me far too many.’

  ‘Serve them to the guests. Hey, why don’t you come up to Eddie’s for dinner? He’s throwing some on the barbie.’

  ‘I can’t, thanks. Too much to do.’

  ‘Okay, but we have to sit down soon and finalise some thoughts on your advertising brochure that we’ve talked about. I’ve come up with a few ideas for you to look at. And Sagaro has put together a great website idea.’

  ‘Give me a call on Monday. And don’t forget the meeting in the community hall about the Mighty Beach development. Andrew is coming up to show me his concepts.’

  ‘We’ll all be keen to know about that,’ said Mitchell.

  ‘I hope we get a good roll-up. Stolle has stuck flyers around town. Be sure and bring Veronica.’

  Mitchell busied himself with the fish and didn’t look at her. ‘Um, Ronnie has gone back to Sydney. Got a great job in a gallery with a studio she can use for her work.’

  Holly was taken aback, but forced what she hoped was an appropriate response. ‘That’s great for her. She must be pleased. Will she commute? When did all this happen?’

  Mitchell straightened up and gave her a slightly embarrassed, perplexed look. ‘This week, and commuting is out, Holly. She’s moving back into the house with Tom. She feels she’s run the distance up here.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Holly quietly, the silence in the room so intense she could hear the clock ticking. ‘And you?’

  ‘I’m staying.’

  ‘There seems to be a lot going on in people’s lives at the moment,’ she said simply.

  ‘I suppose Mac would say there’s some planetary upheaval in the universe at the moment,’ he said and gave a small grin.

  ‘Seems like it. Thanks for the fish, Mitch.’

  He nodded, then walked back out to his truck and drove slowly down the driveway.

  SAM PACED AROUND HIS LIVING ROOM IN A QUIET STREET in one of the original housing estates in The Bay. Large trees and established gardens disguised the dreariness of brick suburbia – so out of place in the tropical casualness of the rest of the town. Housing developments now had to meet more sensitive regulations pioneered by a talented woman architect and developers were obliged to follow her brief and leave a band of native trees and vegetation around the buildings.

  Freda Mann had lived contentedly in the pleasant environment, rarely taking any interest in her husband’s business activities. When Sam talked of selling up, leaving The Bay and retiring to a more up-market place, she took little notice. Sam had always talked big. She was happy to stay exactly where she was.

  His wife was out at bowls and Sam picked up the latest edition of the local paper and scanned through the page one story again: ‘ALMIGHTY ROW BREWING’. He was amused by the headline, which was typical of the Bugle style. However, he realised it was necessary now to organise some headlines of his own, some positive reaction, to emphasise that the project would be environ mentally friendly and create lots of jobs. Of more immediate concern was the reference in the ‘Buzz’ column that tenuously linked the General with the project. Who the hell leaked that? Sam asked himself over and over. Oh well, keep calm, he told himself and read the ‘Buzz’ paragraph again.

  Vultures sighted

  We’re used to having sea eagles hovering over Mighty Beach, but a new species has been sighted in the area – vultures. Not the feathered kind, either. They’ve flown in from Sydney and as far away as Bangkok, so I’ve been told by well-informed local birdwatchers on the civic scene. The Asian subspecies are noted for their fat wallets and are known everywhere as Development Vultures. Their activities concerning Mighty Beach will come under discussion at the public meeting on Tuesday in the Community Centre.

  Sam settled into his high-backed swivel chair at his desk in the sunny room overlooking his back garden which served as his office. Having read the paper that morning he had bee
n expecting a call from Councillor Jimmy Bright.

  ‘Hold it, Jimmy. Hold it. All the story said was the rezoning application is being considered for a report to council. The report said, correctly, that the land is owned by a Sydney company. The rest of the story is about initial community reaction and the predictable concerns about impact on the environment. Nothing we hadn’t anticipated, apart from the story getting out sooner than we wanted.’

  ‘Yeah. That’s true, but this new organisation of women that came out of nowhere to announce they’re going to oppose the project sounds like a nuisance we hadn’t anticipated. Nola Florens, of all people!’ exclaimed the councillor with disdain and dismay. ‘She’s done bugger-all but drink and swan around ever since she sashayed into town. What the hell is she up to?’

  Sam had a little laugh. ‘Sure, she’s a wild card I hadn’t expected. I can’t explain her change of style. Maybe she’s had a religious experience.’

  ‘A bad batch of wine, or an overdose of caviar more likely.’

  ‘Maybe, but her network reaches well beyond this neck of the woods, so that makes her a bit of a worry. Media and the like.’

  ‘Okay. Okay. But there are many relative newcomers making noises. Eddie, that television bloke, for one, and even Andrew’s wife, Holly. Now what the hell is going on there? Have they split? And how has the Sydney connection reacted?’

  ‘Calmly,’ replied Sam quite casually. ‘As for Holly’s involvement, I’ll talk to Andrew, but maybe she got wind of you know what with whom.’

  ‘Play with fire and you get your fingers burned,’ concluded Jimmy Bright, now feeling relaxed. ‘Some people never learn. See you later at the club, Sam.’

  The Bugle story added to Letitia’s nagging but ill-defined concerns about the Mighty Beach project. She’d been uncomfortable ever since the telephone call from Andrew alerting her to Holly’s outburst the previous weekend.

  After pouring her second cup of coffee for the morning she rang the Sydney representative for Beacon Land Holdings, the solicitor Maxwell Hamilton. They had spoken many times since he first contacted her in connection with the rezoning application by the company he fronted. Since then he had taken her and Andrew to dinner at an exclusive club near Parliament House on two occasions when she was in Sydney ‘on business’. Sam Mann had recommended her to Hamilton as a legal representative in The Bay when Sam had been chosen as the development manager. For Letitia the connection had been lucrative and had enormous potential, which fitted in very nicely with her ambitions to be a huge success – financially – as quickly as possible.