Gifts of the Peramangk

by Dean Mayes

  Unknown to Ruby, Khalili did occasionally steal a glance at the child beside him, aware that she was retreating further and further to the right of the passenger seat. Therein lay another reason for his insistence upon driving Ruby home—not that Khalili was prepared to reveal it just yet. He just smiled to himself, gently reaching over to the knob of the Mercedes’ ancient radio and turned it until it clicked on. A soft orange light illuminated the station display and soft chamber music filtered into the cabin.

  The effect was immediate, Khalili observed. Ruby glanced hesitantly at the radio then at the professor but looked away before he could meet her eyes with his own. She seemed to relax and, unconsciously, she began tapping her finger on the side of her violin case.

  “Mozart,” she identified correctly, her voice so soft that Khalili almost didn’t hear her.

  “Very good,” he nodded approvingly. “One of his more refined pieces.”

  Ruby shrugged her shoulders.

  “Mmmm…Nana thinks he is too showy…that he was a bit of a wanker.”

  Khalili turned his head toward Ruby and studied her with surprise.

  “That’s rather colourful language, don’t you think?”

  Again Ruby shrugged her shoulders, as if it were of no consequence.

  “Maybe…what sort of car is this?” Ruby asked, changing the subject.

  Khalili sat straighter in his seat and nodded proudly.

  “It’s a ‘67 Mercedes Benz 250 SL—a very rare automobile. Are you impressed?”

  “It looks like a big turtle,” Ruby responded, totally deadpan. “And it’s got awful seats.”

  Khalili chuckled at this and rubbed at the back of his neck.

  “And let me tell you, my young friend, it drives like a big turtle sometimes,” he quipped, patting the steering wheel with his left hand. “But she rarely complains so I give her a little credit because she is getting on in years…rather like myself. These days, I don’t push her any harder than I have to.”

  Khalili chuckled as he clicked the indicator lever up. Turning the steering wheel down hard, he accelerated down a residential street, heading toward her house.

  Ruby felt an uncomfortable knot twist inside her. She could only imagine the trouble she was in—especially if her uncle was home. Khalili saw her stiffen and he smirked.

  “So how long have you been getting away with these clandestine visits?”

  “Months…a year maybe,” Ruby replied through clenched teeth. “My cousin Jeremy and I come to the city by train each week…I know when the quartet rehearses.”

  “Ho-ho,” Khalili crowed. “Well, you are well and truly—how do you say—busted now.”

  He paused and then winked mischievously at her over the top of his spectacles.

  “Let me do the talking, huh? Let us see if an old firebrand can get you out of this mess.”

  Ruby nervously pointed out her approaching house. Khalili slowed the Mercedes and turned into the driveway. Almost immediately, the single light globe above the front door burst into life and the door itself snapped open. Khalili stopped the car and extinguished the engine, watching as the wire door was flung open and Belle stormed out onto the stoop, followed closely by Asher, Minty and Virginia. Virginia immediately placed her hands on both Asher and Minty’s shoulders holding them back under the verandah from the rain, which had now tapered off to a light drizzle.

  Ruby could tell right away that she was furious.

  “Where have you been?” Belle screeched at Ruby, ignoring the professor who had stepped out of the car and was putting his hat on. He watched in silent alarm as Belle grabbed Ruby’s arm and yanked her like a rag doll around in front of the car. She staggered on the path as Ruby pulled against her aunt and in that moment, Ruby caught the scent of alcohol on Belle’s breath.

  Belle glowered down at Ruby, her eyes aflame.

  “Where’s Jeremy?” she barked drunkenly. “What the fuck have you two been getting up to?”

  Ruby was too frightened to answer.

  Inside the house, Rex yelled drunkenly from the lounge room.

  “Keep that fucken noise down out there, will ya!?”

  Minty clung to his grandmother’s leg and began wailing at the scene of his mother attacking Ruby while the family dog started barking from behind the house, adding to the cacophony of noise that had suddenly assailed the professor from all quarters.

  On the porch, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around her, Virginia was studying the stranger standing beside his flashy car. He was slight but he stood tall and confident. He was well dressed, in the kind of clothes that one just didn’t see around these parts. There was something about him.

  “Ruby!” Belle echoed warningly. “Answer me!”

  “Ma’am,” Khalili stepped in finally. “If you’ll let me explai—”

  Belle whipped her head up and flashed Khalili with a menacing glare.

  “Who the bloody hell are you?!” she snarled.

  “Mrs. Delfey—my name is Khalili. I am a music professor. Your daughter was found outside my concert hall in the city. She was…rehearsing…with my quartet.”

  Virginia’s ears pricked up at the mention of a concert hall and she immediately stepped around Asher and Minty and off the porch. She shuffled across the lawn as Belle turned to Khalili, while still holding onto Ruby’s arm.

  “Who do you think you are that you can drive around with a girl in your car late at night? What are you—some kind of pedo or something?”

  “Aunty!” Ruby protested shakily.

  “Belle!” Virginia shouted immediately after her.

  Suddenly, Virginia pitched herself forward, causing Minty to break his grip and immediately rush to Asher. Catching everyone off guard, Virginia stormed up to Belle, violently slapping her hand away from Ruby and immediately shepherded Ruby behind her.

  “Take the children inside!” Virginia ordered, her eyes ablaze. “Now!”

  She pushed Belle hard in the ribs, almost knocking her off balance.

  “Now!!”

  Belle blinked at Virginia and hesitated, switching her gaze between Virginia and the stranger. Slowly, Belle backed away and turned toward the house.

  Virginia waited until she had gone inside, then she turned back toward the professor.

  Ruby, who had retreated back behind the front of the car watched her grandmother, unsure of what she was about to do or say. Was she angry with her? Was she angry with the professor?

  Khalili stood there, watching the elderly woman, waiting for her to speak.

  Virginia appraised him, maintaining a shield of defensiveness that only added to Khalili’s uncertainty—so much so that he was wavering between remaining where he stood or backing away altogether.

  He hesitated, turned slowly, preparing to retreat to the driver’s side door, then he stopped.

  He looked back at Virginia, through earnest and open eyes and spoke softly.

  “Where does your heart belong…ma’am?”

  Almost imperceptibly, Virginia’s breath caught in the back of her throat, causing an audible squeak. A long forgotten memory coalesced in her mind’s eye.

  A woman in a parlour room, a teacher—her teacher—posing that very same question.

  Virginia’s posture faltered as she focused on Khalili. His question, while direct, was a traditional greeting for an Aboriginal person—a respectful opening that struck Virginia like a lightning bolt.

  “I come…from the Peramangk,” she responded ever so quietly. “My heart belongs to the hills and the valleys of Peramangk country.”

  Virginia raised a finger and pointed back over Khalili’s head, toward the line of the Adelaide Hills known as the Mount Lofty Ranges. Ruby followed the line of her finger toward its destination, toward the distant hills and she repeated the word Peramangk in her mind. She hadn’t heard her grandmother mention it before and it intrigued her.

  “Ooh-ahh,” Khalili responded, again softly, with a common Aboriginal turn of phrase indicating
respect. “And it is a beautiful country. I have spent many wonderful hours amongst the people of the Adelaide Hills.”

  Virginia felt her emotional armour crumbling and she managed a half smile.

  Ruby, standing nervously over by the front of the car, watched the exchange with increasing curiosity, her previous fear melting away.

  “And you…?” Virginia ventured after several moments, “Where does your heart belong?”

  “Oh,” Khalili mused with an impish smile. He turned his head upward to the night sky, old memories washing through him and causing his eyes to widen with child like affection.

  “I grew up on the shores of Beirut, far, far from here. I cherish the sea there and the music that it brought to me.”

  He nodded wistfully, a glint in his eye.

  “Mmmm,” Virginia nodded thoughtfully. “I know it—from books—and TV. Never been there though.”

  Khalili’s eyes wandered across to Ruby, who jumped where she stood as he spoke.

  “Your granddaughter apparently has not been completely honest with you or her parents.”

  “Those aren’t her parents,” Virginia quipped dismissively.

  Virginia turned and gestured toward Ruby hurriedly, signalling for her to come out of hiding. Ruby gingerly stepped around the vehicle and sidled cautiously up to stand beside her grandmother.

  “I see,” Khalili continued. “It is you who has taught her the Vrassidaun—yes?”

  Virginia nodded, glancing down at Ruby affirmatively.

  “I have…since she was four.”

  “Hmm,” Khalili mused. “It seems she has not been wasting her time away from your tutelage. Ruby was…discovered…in the courtyard outside my Conservatory building. She tells us she has been…attending my rehearsal sessions for some time.”

  Again Virginia nodded.

  “I know.”

  Ruby gasped and looked up at Virginia, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. She could not believe what her grandmother had just said.

  Khalili raised an eyebrow and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, his hands in his pockets.

  “Usually, she catches the train into the city with her cousin Jeremy,” Virginia explained, completely unravelling the supposedly secret sorties Ruby and Jeremy had been engaging in for months. “Jeremy told me a long time ago what they were up to. I gave him my blessing, so long as he looked out for her. It’s the only way that Ruby gets to practise beyond our lessons—the only way she can perform.”

  “But she was found alone this evening,” Khalili noted.

  Virginia eyed Ruby conspiratorially and pointed an arthritic finger at her chest.

  “She and her cousin came to blows this evening,” Virginia said. “Ruby took off one way and he the other.”

  Khalili tsked-tsked under his breath and shook his head slowly.

  “I hope the boy is alright.”

  Virginia shrugged.

  “He’ll be home soon.”

  Quiet settled between them once more and neither seemed to know what to say next. Khalili lifted a hand to his head, adjusting his hat.

  “It has been a long time since I’ve encountered a soloist such as your granddaughter. She has…a particular technique…I’ve not seen in a very long time. Does she receive any additional instruction aside from your own?”

  Virginia’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly and she frowned.

  “I can’t afford the kind of teaching she needs.”

  Khalili pursed his lips subtly.

  “You a teacher?” Virginia’s question sounded more like a statement of fact than a question.

  “I am,” he confirmed. “I have taught many over the years.”

  “You can teach my Ruby,” Virginia said suddenly, causing the professor to stiffen and rub his brow nervously.

  “W-well…I…not so much any more,” he lied weakly. “I am scaling back my commitments at the Conservatory. Soon, I will be retiring.”

  Virginia’s eyes narrowed and she titled her head slightly to one side.

  “Yet, you drove all the way out here with my granddaughter just so you could meet me and talk about how ‘gifted’ Ruby is.”

  Virginia kept her stare firmly focused on Khalili and allowed the import of her words to penetrate him for several seconds. She stepped forward.

  “She has a photographic memory,” Virginia said with a gentle urgency. “She can recall a piece of music she’s never seen before.”

  Virginia held up her hand and clicked her arthritic fingers theatrically.

  Khalili stayed silent, but Virginia could see that his mind was working. He looked across at Ruby, down at her violin and then back to Virginia.

  “And she’s got a keen ear,” Virginia continued. “She can play a note without ever having heard it before. It’s her gift.”

  Khalili pursed his lips and shifted back and forth, sizing Ruby up.

  Virginia stepped forward even closer to the professor.

  “My health is failing,” she whispered solemnly. “My mind and my sight are no good any more and I can’t give her the kind of instruction she needs. Ruby is a one-off, mister. She just needs a chance to prove herself.”

  A curious smile tugged at the corners of Khalili’s lips and slowly, he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He plucked a small rectangle of card from inside and handed it to Virginia.

  “Have Ruby come by my office on Wednesday after school,” he said simply with a just a hint of coyness.

  Ruby’s jaw dropped open and her eyes nearly bugged out but Virginia squeezed her hand to stifle her excitement.

  Khalili reached out and shook Virginia’s hand slowly, then he stepped back, climbing into his Mercedes and starting the engine.

  As the rain began to fall once more, Virginia and Ruby stood and watched until Khalili’s car disappeared from view down the street.

  Ruby jumped into the air and squealed with delight, turning several circles in front of her grandmother. Virginia’s countenance, however, remained stony and Ruby eventually stopped, looking up at her grandmother – a feeling of dread coming over her.

  Folding her arms, Virginia fixed Ruby with a withering glare.

  “I am not at all happy with you, young lady.”

  Ruby counted several agonising seconds by, watching her grandmother worriedly before Virginia could no longer keep herself from smiling broadly.

  “Come on,” she ordered mock seriously. “Let’s get you inside and out of those clothes. You’ll catch your death of cold.”

  Just as they turned to go inside the house, Jeremy came into view from out of the darkness of the street.

  Both Virginia and Ruby glowered at him as he approached.

  “You better head around the back – unless you want another row with your father.”

  Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but Virginia hushed him with the outstretched flat of her hand.

  “Don’t say anything, boy. I’ll deal with you later.”

  Jeremy skulked into his bedroom and tossed his jacket on top of a pile of clothes on the floor. Flicking his bedside light on, he turned to swipe the bedroom door closed but stopped when he saw Virginia standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, her expression dark.

  Jeremy just rolled his eyes and lifted his head away as he flopped down on the bed.

  “Go away, Nana,” he grumbled, turning away from her. “I don’t wanna talk right now.”

  In one deft movement, Virginia plucked one of Jeremy’s football boots off the floor in front of her and pitched it at him, hitting him squarely in the back of the head.

  “Ow!” he yelped, scrambling like an upturned beetle on the bed.

  Wheeling around into a sitting position, Jeremy blinked painfully at Virginia who had stepped right up to his bed.

  “Well, we’re gonna talk right now, young man,” she retorted, her nostrils flaring. “And don’t you dare back-chat me unless you want a good kick in the pants. I can still lift my leg if I need t
o.”

  Jeremy scowled half heartedly into his lap and drew his knees up as Virginia sat down on the end of his bed.

  All at once, the tension in her features faded and was replaced by concern. She gazed upon her grandson.

  “Now,” Virginia began softly. “I want you to cut out all the bullshit and tell me what is really going on with you.”

  Jeremy shrugged his shoulders weakly, refusing to meet her eyes.

  “Nothin’,” he mumbled.

  “Don’t make me pick up that football boot and clock you a second time,” Virginia warned, arching her back straighter. She glanced over toward the door, hearing Rex yelling drunkenly at the TV in the living room. “I know you’re mixing with those Reid Street boys. I got it out of Asher tonight.”

  Jeremy blinked, his expression taking on a mixture of surprise and exasperation. How could his grandmother have any knowledge of the Reid Street crowd given that she routinely struggled to remember routine things around the home?

  He whistled air between his clenched teeth and shook his head angrily.

  “It’s got nothin’ to do with her, Nan. It’s my business, no one else’s.”

  Virginia turned her head away from him and nodded slowly.

  “When the girls are affected by what you get up to with those hooligans,” she said, “then it becomes other people’s business. It becomes this family’s business. It becomes my business.”

  Virginia fixed Jeremy with an intense look that unbalanced him and his defiant posture sagged just a little.

  “When you made that commitment to Ruby, to look out for her, she depended on you. She trusted you.”

  Jeremy rolled his eyes again and, this time, Virginia lurched across and slapped his cheek briskly. She pointed her finger at him.