Flaxmead

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

  "John Stanton I am not going all the way to Victoria in that red thing. You find some other way of taking me there and it better be less imposing and more comfortable than mobile hole in the ozone layer. I'd be deaf by the time I got to Parramatta, the thought of it is ridiculous."

  Stanton rubbed his forehead, he thought hard as he pretended to take no notice of Jodi reading part of the news write up on the front page of the Newcastle Herald on Flaxmead's win at Flemington. He came to a paragraph that gave him an idea; it stated Anna and Dylan's involvement. Jodi looked sideways at him intermittently, with one raised eyebrow, across the breakfast table in the morning spring sun by the pool of their home. She brushed her buttock long honey blonde hair, touching the streaks of grey to see if they were real.

  "We shouldn't miss this, it may never happen again. One, two, three in the Turnbull Stak..."

  "I'm well aware of the circumstances John Stanton I help write the stories and of your shifty push to parade me round in that, that lumbering brute of a thing you call a car."

  Stanton kept his face down but watched Jodi with his eyes forced right up in their sockets. "Well the children will be disappointed."

  Jodi stopped brushing her hair and looked at John. "What do you mean?"

  "They've seen the car and I promised them it would be at the Melbourne Cup if they made it."

  "When did they see it?"

  "When I went looking for Flaxmead with Winston, we went to the Fields property you know that."

  "You didn't mention anything about promises to children when you told me about it."

  Stanton continued to read the paper appearing uninterested in the conversation. "I just said it to hold the children up love, the horse hadn't run a race then, I had no idea at the time it would actually make it." He turned a page.

  "Oh my god I spoke to them in Newcastle and they asked about the car. They'll think I'm a bitch."

  John pouted. "Unusual for someone to think that of you love."

  "John!" She began to brush her hair again, after a few seconds she answered with her head turned away. "I'll think about it."

  He chuckled under his breath shielded by the upheld newspaper. "I have to go to the bathroom love, won't be a sec." Stanton found his mobile phone in the kitchen, checking to see Jodi hadn't followed him, he went to the upstairs toilet closed the door, sat on the seat and rang Winston. The float had just made Cessnock on its trip back from Flemington. Winston had been able to sleep on and off during the return journey, he had been brought from half slumber by the car horns shouts and waves whilst the float lumbered though Cessnock. He answered his phone seeing who it was before he connected.

  "John."

  "Winston."

  "Long time no hear, I know you've been around I've seen the car but you're a very elusive man."

  "It's Jodi, if I go near a man, women or car especially red one out come the daggers."

  "Mm, I understand, if I ever found Rose I'd never let her go either. You were separated for a long time John."

  "Yes I know, I'll be suffering the consequences till I die. I wouldn't have it any other way."

  "He he."

  "Well you've made it by the looks, nothing will stop him now."

  "We hope not, look John I know a lot of this press comes from your direction and cant thank you enough."

  "Mate you're on a roll, he's big news mate. I have a favour to ask."

  "Fire away."

  "Can you get Anna or Dylan to ring Jodi and ask if the Flaxmead car is going to the races in Victoria like Mr Stanton promised?"

  "I see, he he. I think I can arrange that, can you send me Jodi's number."

  "I'll text it to you."

  "Done. I wanted to catch up with you at one of the meetings, you may be able to help with something."

  "The Celtic Strom incident in Queensland, Jodi told me all about it, I thought the horse was here with you for a reason."

  "It goes a bit deeper than that, there was another incident not long after, we didn't have any problems this trip but you may be able to help. Like Graham says we are wine dealers, horse trainers and racers not security guards or mercenaries."

  "When's the next meet?"

  "A group one at Caulfield, the Yalumba Stakes, its a big one John. The valley wine industry is getting right behind it. I usually hold back the media and onlookers round the float. I'll be busy managing a load of wine industry affairs with Wilson and Bartholomew leaving a hole in the team."

  "I'll be there. I'll ring just before the trip and ge..."

  "John, are you in there!" shouted Jodi from outside the door. Stanton held the phone away from his ear but left the mouthpiece open.

  "Yes love, if you want to use a toilet there's one downstairs, two in fact!"

  "That's exactly what I thought John Stanton, what are you up to!"

  "Booking a window table at Scratchleys on the wharf for a surprise lunch for you love, anything else you'd like to stuff up!"

  Jodi rolled her eyes, "No!" she scampered off back down the stairs. He put the phone back to his ear. "I gotta go and book a table for lunch."

  It took a while for Winston to stop laughing. "It's next week John, this next month is the hardest of the year, trips to Victoria every weekend up to the Melbourne Cup. Were back on the road to Melbourne on Friday. We think the horses will be fine, they're travelling well."

  "Ill text that number through straight away, and be in contact before the end of the week, I gotta go and cover my rear end it's currently venerable."

  "Look thanks John that's a load of my mind. Bye."

  Stanton set up his lunch surprise and returned to sit beside the pool. Jodi had changed into a spring dress and paraded around in front of him. "Do you think this will be nice for lunch John?" she spun around.

  "Beautiful love."

  "What did you order me for lunch John."

  "I thought you could try something different love, like look at the menu when you got their and decide what you'd like. Quiet a novel idea really."

  "You know I like to make sure they have what I want John."

  Stanton studied his paper while he talked. "The last three times down there I pre ordered for you and you changed your mind when we got there."

  "But I didn't feel like what I wanted when you booked when I got there, so I had to change it."

  "I think I've worn this dress there before John can you remember."

  "You haven't worn it there love, in fact you haven't worn it anywhere. The price tag is still hanging off the shoulder strap."

  "Oh, well I don't want to take any chances, I'm going down to get something new just to be sure. I won't be long." She kissed Stanton on the check and skipped inside. She changed then accessed the garage from the inside access door. She walked down the four steps to the garage floor along the back wall looking for her car among Hummers, Mustangs and Harley Davidson's. She suddenly remembered her car wasn't in the garage and was parked in front of the garage doors in the driveway; Stanton had used it to get the morning paper and left it outside. She activated one of the electric roller doors on the eight car facility to walk outside. She passed the front of the Mustang. The bonnet was usually locked shut and she had never seen it open before, as she walked past the engine bay caught her eye. Shining in the poor light it reminded her of a diamond encrusted necklace, bracelet and earring set beckoning in the window of a jewellers shop. She gave it a second look and stopped in her tracks. She bent down closer under the hood and ran her hand over the top of the rocker box to check that what she read was real. 'The Spirit of Jodi Stanton' was etched into the gleaming alloy. She took her hand away, put it over her mouth and stood back. She fought back tears but it didn't work. She raced outside and closed the door checking to see if John had moved from the pool, he was still there. She left for the shops trying to pull herself together.

  Stanton had parked her car outside on purpose so she need not go in the garage. He left the bonnet open to remind him to fi
nish polishing the engine bay as he kept forgetting; he remembered every time he started the car up and pulled out of the garage. It annoyed him and he dropped his guard to remind himself, relying on a secondary ruse to cover his move, but it failed.

  Jodi returned with a tight fitting low cut red dress, she was quiet and they had an enjoyable lunch by the water. They waited for a coffee watching a group of tug boats hustle a massive coal ship past the restaurant. "That's a striking dress you're wearing love, I've never seen you wear red before. The diamond necklace set is a bit over the top for lunch."

  "Reminds me of something,"

  Stanton chuckled as he thought about it. "Fatal road accident perhaps, listening to question time in the lower house, a blood stained face after a tenth face lift."

  "John."

  "They're called jokes love I know you don't like them."

  "John!"

  There was a protracted silence. "Do you know today is the anniversary of the very first day I saw you in the playground in school. Fifty five years ago. After playing together since birth I was so worried we would be separated when we started school."

  Jodi felt she had been picked up and held above the room. "No, no I didn't know that. You sat behind me in class and pulled my pony tails and made rude comments about the advanced development of some parts of my anatomy."

  "That was later before I started that, I was ten love, I had to get your attention somehow, you were talking to other boys. My powers of persuasion were limited and still under development."

  "So that's why the romantic lunch."

  "Yes, I thought I'd really make your day by telling you I'm selling the red thing, I'd like you to choose a ca..."

  Jodi interrupted aggressively. "Don't you ever sell that motor car John Stanton!"

  Stanton was wide eyed, flabbergasted, speechless, dazed and confused. "What?" he whispered.

  "You ever sell that motor car and I'll leave you."

  "Explain."

  "I can't explain I don't have any words, leave it at that please."

  "Why you suddenly just."

  "Leave it John, I've been blind and stupid. I'm sorry."

  Stanton was confronted by deep emotion. "Thank god, that car was the closest thing I ever found as beautiful as you. Every time you called it the red thing it hurt."

  Jodi let out a big sigh. "I can't change yesterday, but I can do something about tomorrow. All this time I've been calling a monument to me the red thing. Blind jealousy is no excuse. At times I thought you loved it more than I. All the time you've spent caring and polishing it, when we were separated the car was me wasn't it."

  "Still is love, always will be no matter where it is or who owns it. The most beautiful thing to look at, with a heart of fire."

  "God I love you John Stanton. I'll never call it that awful name again."

  "We need a more fitting name. It's a galloping thoroughbred with a colossal heart."

  They smiled at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

  "Would what you're thinking involve an inquiry at the Road Traffic Authority."

  "Yes."

  Stanton got up and helped Jodi rise from her chair. "Let's go find out if someone had the idea before us."