by Roo

Part Three - Chapter Nine

Sandy and John get closer

Editing by Bronwen

Previously:

Donnna speaks

Later we went for a drive to see Jenny and little Josh to let the twins have a play with their little cousin. Rita and Chrissie were already there so the day was spent catching up and planning what would happen in the next few weeks to make Jennifer and John's stay with us a pleasant one.

Carla came home early to see what our day was like and to take the twins down to Sandy's pool.

Wednesday 20/2/74

Back with Carla

As it's a normal workday for me and Ricky, we left Mum and Dad to look after John and all the girls. When I arrived at the clinic Sandy was on the phone to her Mum and Dad, talking about John and how she really liked him and would they mind if she came out to the property to show him around the workings of a real sheep station?

Lambing season is around April and shearing starts in early Spring so the sheds were idle at that moment but it would still be an experience for an American to see what happens here in Queensland.

Once she was off the phone I said, “Morning Sandy, sleep well did we?”

“A bit restless thinking about the future for me and Jamie. Carla I need some advice.”

“Yes I thought you might. Ask away Sandy, I'm here for you.”

“Well I really like John and we seem to have a lot in common and well... you know.”

“Sandy I like John as well, but be careful. He is quite vulnerable at the moment like yourself and is still grieving the loss of his wife, but if it feels right go for it and make sure you include Jamie in any decisions.”

“Thanks Carla that’s why I want to go out to Mum and Dads place.”

I decided to cut Sandy some slack and said, “Why don’t you take a couple of days off and take John, Jenny and Jamie out there? Take the Piper; it has more room than the twin Cessna. It's not busy at the moment and I can handle the clinic with the help of Chrissie and Amy.”

She replied with a hug and said, “Carla, you really are just like a sister to me and yes, I’ll do just that, thanks.”

“Sandy, you're most welcome. Take your vet gear with you and check out that stud ram while you're there and say hello to your Mum and Dad for me.”

It was a good time to take Jamie then because she had to go back to school next week and she would also be company for Jenny. Those two were getting on really well.

***Sandy speaks***

I am so glad to have Carla and her family as not only close friends but business partners as well. I packed any medical supplies that I might need to have a look at Dad's animals, said goodbye to Carla and the others, got into my car and drove straight over to the Croft house knowing that everyone would still be on the verandah chatting and working out what to do for the day.

I pulled into the driveway and Jamie and Jenny came running over, “Mummy why are you home and not at work?”

“If you let me get out out of the car I will tell you won't I!!”

I alighted from the car and the girls were dancing around me so I said, “Girls, come and sit down with everyone on the verandah and I’ll explain what I plan to do for the next few days.”

The twins were playing with their dolls keeping their Grandpa busy. Donna was talking to John, asking all about his late wife. He looked up at me with damp eyes and said, “Hello Sandy, just a bit emotional at the moment, sorry.”

I went and hugged him and said, “John I know where you're at and I'm here for you more than you realise.”

He smiled back at me and almost broke my heart when he replied, “Sandy, why does it hurt so much?”

I couldn't answer him, so I took him by the hand and said, “Come with me and lets talk.”

Donna then said “Sandy, you two go out into the garden and sit under the big gum on the swing seat. I'll keep the girls busy for a bit.”

We sat and talked about our past lives holding hands and in the end I told him I wanted to take him out to my parents' sheep station with the girls. We talked a bit more and then I don’t know why, but I just kissed him and said, “John, let's get to know each other and see where it takes us.”

He replied, “Sandy I’d like that very much, but what about the girls?”

I said, “Well knowing those two they will already have us married off!”

He kissed me then, and we went and talked to the girls to let them know what was going to happen for the rest of the week.

The girls were entertaining the twins with their dollies in the little push chairs when John said to Jenny “I have something to discuss with you and Jamie, so let Mrs Croft look after the twins for a while and come with me and Sandy out into the garden and we'll inform you on what is going to happen in the next few days.”

John and I sat on the swing seat and the girls sat on the grass in front of us with an expectant look on their face,

I let John do the talking and made it easier by holding his hand. The girls smiled at each other and both said, “I told you!!!!!!” which made me laugh and I said to John, “They don’t miss much do they?”

So the girls were told to go and pack enough clothes for at least four days and we would all go to the Croft hanger to get on board the Piper and fly out to my parents property.

The next few days were very relaxing for me because Dad and John seemed to get on like a couple of old mates, which made it really exciting for the girls as well because they went with the men to be shown all the workings of an outback sheep station,

It is Sunday morning and it's time to think about getting back to Quilpie. It will be hard to get back to work after being in the quiet outback where all you hear is the wildlife and the farm animals. It has also been good for the girls to get to know each other more intimately and Jenny had a lot of questions about what Jamie went through with her surgery which of course will be quite different to her own since Jenny is transgendered while Jamie is intersexed and basically needed to have corrective surgery.

John and myself have become a little bit closer in the last couple of days and it looks like he might sell his business in the states and migrate to Australia. I think the girls seem to know what is going to happen and I pulled them aside to interrogate them without John being present.

I said, “Jamie what have you and Jenny cooked up between you?” Jamie grabbed Jenny's hand as if she needed some support so I knew there was something going on.

I said, “Jamie girl!!! you know something that I don’t, and I want you to tell me before we head back to Quilpie.”

Jamie was close to tears when she said, “Mummy we didn't mean to but we asked Aunty Jean to tell us what was going to happen between you and Jenny's Dad.”

My reply was “Well!!!?”

“Mummy please don't be cross with us.”

“Darling I'm not cross with either of you, so, are you going to let me in on the big news?”

It looks like we might end up as a family, so I swore the girls to secrecy for the time being so as not to shock John before I had a chance to talk things through with him once we got back home. The girls agreed to keep it our little secret. Poor John, he is such a nice man and I think that I had already fallen for him before this little episode with the girls.

By ten am it was time to get moving so we got all our things together and put them in Dad's four wheel drive to take us down to the landing strip, which is a little way from the homestead on higher ground so when it floods the strip can still be used. Mum came with us as well and it was as expected, a teary goodbye. I have decided to come out here at least once a month for a couple of days especially now that I know what is going to happen in the future compliments of Carla’s twin spirit sister.

***John speaks***

I've had the most wonderful time these last few days and am completely relaxed and I think I am falling in love with a wonderful lady called Sandra. This is something I didn't expect to happen so soon after Jessie's passing, but I guess I'm alive and she is not so I have to think of my future and also Jennifer's and it all feels right. I wonder what Jennifer will say when I tell her of my plans for our future lives here in the land down under?

***Carla speaks***

It's Sunday morning and Mum got the twins early so Ricky and I can have a bit of a sleep in before tomorrow's back to work. We laid back and talked quietly about what we both wanted in the future.

I said, “Darling what is the most important thing you want to do in your life?”

“Sweetheart I'm living it right now just being with you and our family. It's what I cherish more than anything else; another baby would be nice as well.”

I said, “Ricky I want to wait till the girls are at least three years old before we have any more because with my luck it would be a big possibility I would end up having another set of twins, how would you feel about that?”

“As long as they're boys lets do it!”

I threw a pillow at him which led to more than talk, so maybe he'll get his way sooner rather than later.

Jean was in our head and said, “Sandy will be here in half an hour so you two had better get up. There will be some good news.”

I thought, “I bet I know what what the good news will be.”

Jean was right. Sandy drove up the drive just as it was twelve noon. Once the car stopped the two girls rushed passed me to go to the loo. They had obviously not used the toilet at the hanger.

Mum had phoned Peter at the restaurant to have a meal ready for all of us because we were all going there for lunch including Chrissie and Alan, Jenny and Billy and of course little Josh.

Of course the good news was that John had decided to sell up in America and live in our beautiful sun-burnt country called ''Australia.''

To be continued.

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Outback sheep station