“Yeah, I got a cool off and a wash down all in one.”
He slammed the door shut and pulled up his damp T-shirt to wipe his face.
“I've been looking forward to this party at your dad's place, all day,” he told her.
“Have you really?” She said, and she laughed, a little surprised to hear him say as much.
She stared at his suntanned torso, watching as he finished wiping the T-shirt over his hair. She was fighting off a sudden urge to plant a kiss on his wet chest.
“Siding Spring is a cool place to hang out,” Storm told her.
“I never realized you liked it so much,” Penny replied. “You always seem just a bit reluctant whenever I've suggested visiting Dad.”
“Your mom doesn't exactly welcome me with open arms when she's around, does she? And whenever we visit your father, she's always there.”
“She can be a bit aloof,” Penny said with a small smile.
“Your dad's got like’s a laugh,” he said. “I like your Michael. He’s more relaxed to be around.”
“Mom likes a laugh too,” she replied quietly. “You just need to give her some time to get used to her.”
She fell silent. Why did it always feel awkward talking about her parents with him?
They were drawing close to the range of hills. It wouldn't be long before they reached the observatory. The rumble of distant thunder through his open window had been continuous since they crossed the bridge on their way out of town.
She stared across the dry plains barely touched by the light rain.
“It hardly seems like summer. For the last two years, it seems like we have almost always had overcast days.”
“The farmers would appreciate more rain,” he replied. “That was nowhere near enough.”
“Yes, but we haven't had a sunny day in ages.”
“Missing Sydney, are we?” Storm asked without shifting his attention from the road.
“A wee bit. It seems to rain there almost every day, unlike here,” she said with a grimace. They were talking about the weather like a couple of grannies. “So how are the flying lessons going, Mr. Pilot?”
“Kerry told me a couple of days ago, he's selling his plane,” Storm said. “He says it's become too expensive for him these days.”
“So, no more lessons?”
“He hasn't taken me up for ages.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“Well, I should have known it was too good to last,” Storm said with a dry laugh.
“Sooner or later you will get more lessons from someone,” she said. “Right?”
“This year's been dead quiet, and I mean deader than usual,” he replied. “If it wasn't for the flying doctor and the occasional tourists wanting a scenic flight, they would have closed the place down ages ago.”
He stopped talking to gaze in astonishment as they passed a large group of kangaroos chewing nervously.
“Hey! Look at those roos under the trees! I have never seen a mob so close to the road before. They look like they're waiting for a bus.”
Penny had missed seeing them. She opened her window as Storm turned off the main road and onto a drive winding its way up Mount Woorat. The cool air through the open side window stroked her bare arms. “I love this place. Just look at how green everything is up here.”
He reached across and gathered her hair from behind her head, holding it in a bun. “Is that better? It's not sticking to your neck now.”
“Better watch the road, mate,” she told him with a laugh.
He looked at her dark lips, almost purple, pulled back from perfect small white teeth. “You're beautiful,” he told her.
“Thank you,” she said, and she crinkled her nose at him.
He leaned over and nuzzled her neck, whispering in her ear. “How come you're like—so—you know? So—fuckable?”
“Charming,” she replied. “Well, I stay clear of McDonald's for one thing.” She grabbed the steering wheel as the car veered toward the verge. “Watch the road!”
“Nothing wrong with Maccas,” Storm said, pretending outrage at the suggestion. “They've been building healthy kids for years.”
“Oh, don't get me started on shitty fast food,” she said, refusing to take the bait. “Just you wait until you are in your thirties. Mum says that's when you find out what your bad diet has done to you.”
“Wait until I'm as old as you, you mean?” He asked.
“I'm only twenty,” she reminded him.
“Close enough to ancient,” he replied with a shrug.
“Stop being a jerk,” she told him.
She saw the familiar mischievous smile and the half-shy quality she had thought so endearing from the first time they met. Only now it annoyed her. “It's not me who is old! It's you who is too young.”
“That—coming from a cradle-snatcher!” He said with a mean smile.
“I stole you from under your mommy's arm, did I?” She saw with delight that he blushed in response. “See! You shouldn't dish out medicine that you can't swallow.”
“Yeah? Well—tell that to Franchette.”
Penny blinked. She knew what he was talking about and it was true. “Oh, so what!” She exclaimed. “It's the nature of her job. She's dealing with hypochondriacs all day. Can you imagine?”
He was right, and it hurt. Her mother did have an awful habit of talking about her patients when she was at home. And, she could be awfully mean when she wanted to be. It was true too, she did not take kindly to anyone pointing out her own faults. But, didn’t everyone have their bad points?
“I hope she doesn't think all her patients are hypochondriacs,” Storm replied.
“Oh, give it a rest!” She told him. She turned her face to the cool air coming through the open window.
“I will when you do,” he said, and he laughed softly.
He didn’t know why he was being mean to her. At least, not exactly. All he knew was he couldn’t help it. Sometimes the differences between them seemed too big to overcome.
She didn't answer.
The silence didn't last long. In a matter of minutes, they were driving between the bright metallic observatories scattered over the peak, high above the flat burnt brown outback. The tension between them evaporated as they both felt the thrill of seeing Siding Spring once again.
7
Parents
A short distance from the car loomed the high angular Korean observatory. Close by stood a large walled open-air enclosure that would fill with telescopes when groups of students visited. There were other observatories too, but the huge dome of Siding Spring dominated them all.
The place reminded him of the covers of the meditation magazines Stella subscribed to years ago. The buildings might just as well be stone monasteries, places of worship, and within each, the telescopes would be the sacred altars. On a quieter day, the place might be pervaded by solitude.
He parked up the short drive behind Penny's father's car. The sweet, slightly acrid smell of smoke and food cooking hung in the air, and he heard the unmistakable laugh of Michael Boulos.
Michael waved a pair of tongs at the new arrivals.
“Good to see you two finally show up!” He hollered.
“Hi Dad,” she shouted back with a grin.
Penny was looking forward to showing off her boyfriend to her dad's friends. She knew they were going to be surprised.
“I had a horrible idea we were going to find him stuck behind the computer in his office,” she said to Storm. She rolled her eyes at the thought. “Can you imagine? We'd have to organize everything ourselves and you know what Mom's like in a kitchen.”
“Yeah, I remember the first time I had dinner at your mom's house,” Storm said.
“So do I,” Penny said. “I think it was chicken. It was burned, whatever it was.”
Penny brushed hair back from her face, suddenly eager to change the subject. She reached over into the back seat for her jacket.
“Can you bri
ng the beer?”
“I'm already on it,” Storm said.
He caught the sweet aroma of caramelized steaks and onions as he popped the boot release of the car. The aroma was enticing. A sign of a good barbecue he thought, lifting the carton of beer out of the back. He hoped Michael liked beer in cans rather than in bottles. He felt nervous at the prospect of being surrounded by the university colleagues of Penny's father, but he was looking forward to the party. He would feel a lot more relaxed after a can or two of beer.
Michael Boulos lived in a single-story house of sunburned yellow stone bricks, a little down the slope from the great silver dome. The director's cottage was new, a freak firestorm having destroyed the old building three years earlier. The cottage was the only structure to be destroyed by the flames, and that fact was considered no small miracle among the community of scientists who knew a lightning strike starting a blaze in the dry bushland was always a possibility.
He was a little stout, his well-groomed beard and black tangle of curly hair not quite hiding a jowly face. And yet, he could not be called unfit or unhealthy for a man of middle age. His legs were strong from long walks up and down the peak.
Beside Michael stood a tall thin man somewhere in his twenties with a frizz of blond hair and a tiny bud of goatee beard. Karl was a Ph.D. candidate gaining practical experience at the observatory.
A pink-cheeked, chubby man smiled under a wide-brimmed straw hat and raised his glass of beer to greet Storm. He gestured to the empty chair beside him, his small eyes flickering over Storm. “Stephen Druitt from ANU,” the soft-faced man said extending his hand and beaming at Storm like an idiot. Professor Druitt was appreciating the opportunity to study up close, an unkempt native of the region.
When it came to shaking hands with Karl, Storm did so without much enthusiasm. Penny had teased that she rather fancied Michael's new student assistant, or at least she would if she wasn't already with Storm. But Karl was so cheerful and maintained such an overwhelming friendly banter; Storm felt the bloke couldn't possibly present a threat to his relationship with Penny. Just the same, he would keep an eye on Karl.
Penny kissed her father on his cheek as she walked into the house holding salads she had bought in town.
“Be back soon. Just giving these to Mom.”
Inwardly, Penny groaned at the thought of Franchette's best friend. She tried her best to avoid the woman whenever the woman and her husband paid a visit to Coonabarabran. Which thankfully was not often.
“Penny!” Franchette’s friend gushed. “Gosh, I haven't seen you in ages.”
Professor Adrienna Eleanor Druitt cut an imposing figure. She was over six feet tall and she was stout with a severe short-cropped brown hairstyle she never seemed to vary. Her habit was to wear her spectacles at the end of her nose which had the unfortunate result that she looked over the rims at almost everyone who got into a conversation with her. That, combined with her loud voice meant that talking to Adrienna was like interrupting her lecture.
She worked with her husband Stephen in the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU. They were a virtual super astronomy duo, and they enjoyed telling the same to anyone who would listen. She was indeed a diva and a total snob.
Penny knew she might as well indulge Adrienna in the kitchen since she intended to stay well away from her for the rest of the day.
“You look wonderful.”
“Thank you, Adrienna.”
“You will graduate this year, won't you?”
“Yes, in a couple of weeks.”
“Fantastic. Well, I suppose you will be off soon. Away to New York or London and Paris to see the sights.”
“I haven't thought about travel.”
“Oh, yes! Quite right. It is not much fun abroad at the moment, is it? All those terror attacks happening everywhere!”
Penny gave the professor a sweet smile.
“Penny, will you be a darl and ask Michael where he wants the salad bowls?” Her mother asked.
“On the table in the living room, Mom. Where else would he want them?”
“Alright, to the living room we go.”
Penny took the two bowls from her mother's hands with a wave of relief and gratitude at Franchette's offer of a quick escape from Adrienna.
“Let me introduce you to our newest team member. Doctor Arnold Klein,” Michael said, smiling warmly at Arnold.
“He's on loan to us from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UCSC. Actually, I think this is the first time we've got him to come to one of our barbecues.”
Arnold pursed his lips together, pausing in thought for a moment before he replied. “You know, I believe I attended one of your barbecues the day I arrived at Siding Spring.”
“Oh, yes, you're right,” Michael said giving a quick nod of affirmation. “That was the indoor welcome party we held for you. The weather was too cool for a barbecue. Still, we did have kebabs on the menu, so technically you're correct.”
“Yes,” Arnold said with a polite smile. “I thought so.”
The bespectacled astrophysicist ducked his head as was his habit when he greeted someone he did not know as he turned to shake hands with Storm and Penny. Handshaking was just such an awkward and unnecessary imposition.
“How are you enjoying life in the outback?” Penny asked him.
She noted Arnold's shy smile had faded. The man had lost interest. Actually, the man seemed a real geek. He probably avoided socializing whenever possible. There was something else about Arnold she found unsettling. But it was only a vague feeling, so she shook it off and told herself it was simply that scientists were a strange lot in general.
“I notice little of what goes on outside of my work,” Arnold said. “I'm rather boring.”
“That depends on how you look at things,” Storm said with enthusiasm. “For me, astronomy doesn't seem boring at all. You should have a go at the kind of work I do, then you'll really know the difference.”
“Oh, and what do you do?” Arnold asked him with raised eyebrows.
“Farm work and odd jobs at the airport mostly,” Storm replied. He glanced Penny’s way, hoping for a smile of reassurance.
She was looking uncomfortable.
“I see,” Arnold mumbled, and he frowned as he tried to imagine Storm’s life.
“At least I get to be outside most of the time,” Storm told him.
“So—you like working outside?” Arnold was struggling to keep the conversation going.
“I don't mind,” Storm said with a shrug. “If you want to work in these parts, there’s not much choice…”
“Oh, I see,” Arnold replied. And he nodded his head as if he did.
Penny grabbed Storm's arm. “Let's say hello to Mom.”
Storm saw Penny's mother setting salad bowls on the table at one end of the living room. He took a deep breath and greeted her with exuberance—as if he couldn't be more pleased to see her again. She made him uncomfortable, but he knew how much Penny wanted him to get on with Franchette. She was bloody protective of her mom for reasons he couldn't fathom.
“Hi, Doctor Boulos,” Storm said cheerfully.
“Hi, Storm! Where have you been hiding these past few weeks?”
“I've been working on a farm outside of Tamworth.”
“Oh, that’s good. Are you still thinking about university next year?”
“Sure.”
“Good,” she said nodding her head as she looked about for her wine glass.
He pointed at the can in his hand. “Would you like a cold beer?”
“That would be lovely. Yes, thank you.”
He came back with a can and a glass.
Franchette eyed Storm as she took a sip. She reminded herself once more why she had taken a liking to this rough provincial boy. Storm was healthy, and he certainly was mature for his age. Then again, he was way too young for Penny, and without much of a future. Still, at least Penny's relationship with Storm meant she came home more often
than she would otherwise have done.
She gave him her genuine, warm smile. When you give the professional reassuring kind almost every day in the clinic, it is possible to forget you are not at work.
“You know, you must call me Franchette,” she said and gave a little laugh. “If you call me Doctor Boulos, I will think of you as a patient.”
She winked at him and waved her finger to and fro.
He watched her walk back out to the kitchen. Well, that was odd, he thought.
Storm had never met anyone quite like Franchette before and he wondered if there were not quite a few like her to be found in Sydney. The thought of a roomful of Franchettes was both hilarious and scary. He walked over to the table and foraged among the tasty snack food she had ordered from the city, especially for the party.
He could see her in the kitchen taking another bottle of Pinot Grigio from the refrigerator. He watched her open it on the counter, looking away as she passed him on the way out to the patio. Not quick enough though, to miss one more wink from her.
Franchette poured wine for her guests and offered the first toast.
To health, happiness, and success.
How nice! A pleasant conversation and a decent Australian Pinot shared with the Druitts. It was a near perfect day. How much better it would have been, if she and Michael were offering them the hospitality of their beautiful house in Bronte, with its wonderful sea view. Instead of this godforsaken place where Michael had accepted a position as head scientist. Oh, well, we get to enjoy the cooler temperature on top of Mount Woorat, and that will have to do for now.
8
Showing Off
Storm brought his empty plate into the kitchen and stood at the sink watching Penny through the window as she performed on the patio. She was good at pretending interest. She kept right on nodding her head politely as her mother and the two plump astronomers from ANU prattled on and on. Judging from her smiley mask, he could tell she was bored. He caught her eye as he walked past the open doors of the patio and gave her a wave.
Jubilee Year Page 3
