CHAPTER 71
I nodded, with a meaningful glance toward the other passengers.

“Chat later, love. Messy stuff”

“Late, then. One question now, though: is he all right?”

“I think so, especially with Alys to look after. Later, though, be best”

It wasn’t that long a flight, but the twin-prop job wasn’t exactly the swiftest thing in the air. We wobbled slightly in a sidewind as we landed at what the Perth crowd called ‘Espy’ (Why not ‘Espo’, like some of their other shortenings?), but the service was really efficient, and as the car hire firm was actually at the airport, there was no need for a taxi. Maz navigated for me, using her phone, and I was rather surprised at how flat everything seemed, at first. We drove straight down the main road, which actually seemed to be the only road, passing some salt-pan style lakes, which of course had Maz squirming to see what might be there, past a posh-looking camp site, and onto the sea front, where I simply had to stop and park, the view was that wonderful.

An endless stretch of smooth sand swept around a large bay, filled with turquoise and blue water and dotted with rounded islands.

“Where’s the hotel, love? Supposed to be on the sea front”

“It is, husband of mine. About a k and a half. That view, wow!”

Am industrial port lay further ahead, but we found our hotel literally across the road from a narrow stretch of lawns that bordered that lovely beach. After we had parked in front of the reception, I smiled at my wife.

“Not a Ritz or that sort of thing, but it offered a half pension package, so all we need to do is sort lunch each day. And there’s something else for you in there”

She had linked arms once we were out of the car, so just squeezed mine.

“Ritzes don’t have views like this! In and cuppa, husband”

The place was basically a motel, but it had excellent reviews and held an office for a tour company I had researched, which was to be her ‘something else’. The receptionist was as perky as I had come to expect from ‘sandgropers’, and asked the reason for our trip: business or pleasure?

Maz laughed happily at the question.

“As it’s our honeymoon, it bloody well better be the latter. Hang on a few, ey? BYRON?”

An older man poked his head through the door to an obvious staff room.

“What’s up?”

“Just need your key for a tweak. These two just got hitched. We got a queen room free?”

“Just a sec…”

He did something on her computer, congratulated us, and disappeared back into his room. The girl, whose name tag said ‘Lynsey’, smiled at us once more.

“Sorted you a better room. Wedding prezzy, ey? Room won’t be ready for an hour, so if I were you, I’d take a walk round the visitor centre. Just round the corner. Loads of info there”

“Can we leave the car here?”

“Oh, I’ll show you where your unit is; park it there and go for your stroll. No worries”

We did exactly as she advised, the Centre being next to a row of ‘historic’ buildings and a couple of posh cafés. The air conditioning was definitely working in the Visitor place, and we gathered up a drift of glossy brochures as well as several simple street maps, tourist info on the back of each one. The attendant was another typically cheerful local, and I wondered if they had a factory making them, like the legendary one for Welsh fly halves. She informed us that Pink Lake was no longer actually pink, that there were no reported shark movements, that there was an amber bush fire warning, and so on. I asked about beaches, and out came another leaflet, this one listing all the rips, tides, weather conditions and so on. We were definitely neither in Kansas nor the UK.

There was also a newly published bird guide, costing nearly fifty dollars, which I bought for her, the attendant laughing about the money belonging to both of us anyway, “Ey?”

Another slow stroll back after a well-needed cuppa in the ‘Bistro’, and check-in were ready for us. As we headed for our ‘unit’, Maz murmured that it was rather late for a room not to be ready. I shrugged, swiping the little card. As the door opened, Maz actually squealed at the sight of a large bouquet on the little desk under the TV.

There was a note with the flowers, which just said “All of the very best from our staff. Look in the fridge”

Maz did that job, producing a bottle of bubbly. There were glasses by the bouquet, and she simply nodded when I raised the bottle and my eyebrows. One pop, and we were done, as was my driving. My wife was smiling, which brought dimples, and those brought memories, which brought a hint of tears.

“What’s on your mind, Mike?”

“Dimples, love. Memories”

“Pick up your glass, love”

She topped up each of them, and raised hers.

“Mike, I love you. I damned well know you love me. Neither of us would be the same person without two others, who can’t be with us. Will you toast their memory with me? To Alan and Carolyn?”

She was right, as she so usually was. We drank, I kissed her, and then simply said “Neil”

“Ah, Yes”

“One or two things you’ve done he’s reacted to. He said something about how Maddy would just say his name, and when you did that, he twitched. He did the same when you said something else, I can’t remember what, and I suspect he’s far from being as over things as he claims. In answer to your question, yes: he’s like us. And no: he doesn’t have someone to pull him back up if he falls down. On the other hand, he’s got Alys, and I suspect he’s running on atonement. Alys is his chance to make things better, take away some guilt. I suspect I know where that comes from”

“This isn’t going to be nice, is it?”

“Not really, no. I took him out to sound him out for Vic and Nansi. Alys wasn’t long back from… Shit. More secrets. I am going to say this quickly and simply. Alys was desperate, and she tried to kill herself”

“At what age?”

“Not even double figures, love. She came out to me, I’ve told you all that, but Neil was due, and both Alys and Enfys always competed to see who could get to carry my bike gloves. Sometimes they’d carry my lid, by wearing it, which was hilarious. Neil was a very regular visitor to the Hiatt’s bunkhouse, and they did the same with his stuff. Vic and Nansi asked me to sound him out on the issue; I took a ride out with him to a place for bouldering and photography, and when I started to talk about someone changing over, I thought he was going to deck me”

“What for?”

“Oh, misunderstanding. We each have the same friend, but didn’t know she was a common one, if you get me. I calmed him down explained, and that was really all I needed to know. If he was so sharp in his defence of a trans woman, then he would be fine with Alys. And of course, he was. When we went to the house, she was trying to hide behind Enfys, and all he said was ‘Don’t I get a hug, Alys?’ and that was it”

I prepared myself for the next bit as best I could, but I was still shaking.

“When we spoke, at the quarry, he mentioned what was obviously Maddy, and his words were something about her not being able to take it. I suspect it was self-harm”

“You mean suicide, Mike”

I blew out a long sigh, but she was right.

“Yes. Yes I do. That, I suspect, is at the root of his guilt. Alys is his atonement. Nothing creepy involved, just his attempt to make sure one person gets through a load of nastiness one lovely man knows far too much about. Which is why I am currently counting far more blessings than I ever realised I had”

She was pensive for a few minutes, then her eyes opened wide.

“Oh! Has he got a laptop with him? I didn’t leave him the wifi code! Could you call, or maybe better text? He could do a video call with them, and share some of the pics”

“Already done, love”

“Thank god. And finish your drink; this woman wants to get outside some food. Any idea of what the restaurant is like?”

“Solid reviews, love. And we need to call at reception before we go in, and before that, I want to cross that road and see what the beach is like from close up”

She grabbed her/our new book and a pair of binoculars as I sorted my camera, and over the road and the stretch of lawn we went. past a long line of Norfolk pines and onto the edge of the sand. Maz was murmuring a litany of bird names, “Magpie lark, bronzewing, crested pigeon, red wattlebird, ooh! Yellow-throated miner!”, as I took any number of shots of the Bay of Isles, Maz cajoling, or rather asking nicely, for a passing stranger to take one of us together, and then we headed for Reception again. I pointed out the display I had already spotted.

“See that, love?”

“That looks very like a wildlife cruise”

“It is indeed, and we’re booked on it in two days’ time”

I paused for a second before adding, “And staying the night”

“Sorry?”

“Sort of eco-friendly glamping site”

“Why stay overnight?”

“Because that’s how you will get to see the little penguins coming back to roost”

She squealed, yet again, and kissed me. Yet again.

“Rhodes, if it wasn’t for one big problem, I’d marry you”

“Already done that, love”

“Yup, and that’s the problem. Keep going like this and I will be one very happy wife. I mean ‘remain’ one”

Yes, I was happy, but there was still a little sense of guilt in having such a great life, while Neil was still trying to salve his pain.