CHAPTER 53
I actually felt nervous as I opened the front door. This wasn’t like the interplay between Caro and me, as that had largely been on our own turf, at her place or mine, before… I shut that memory down hard. As I closed the door behind us, Kul called from the front room.

“We’re eating off our laps, you two. Tea’s fresh, though, or there’s some cold ones in the fridge, he hinted in an obvious way”

I led the way into the room, to find the family shuffling seats to leave the sofa free.

“The lad can sit on the floor. Knows his place, he does. What did she feed you, mate?”

Maz sat, tugging me down with her, as she had taken my hand as we entered the room. I couldn’t help thinking of a line from Tori Amos: ‘Everybody looking at you, I take hold of your hand’, and started to chuckle as I sat. I got a puzzled look from her, so met it with a soft “Later”, before turning back to our hosts.

“Malaysian fried rice dish, Kul. Came with satay skewers. You want me to get up again and bring you a beer, don’t you?”

“Yup, and one for the lad, I think. Then again, one for Maz, but SWMBO there wants a cuppa, awkward so and so that she is, so I will be forced to accompany you”

With an exaggerated sigh he rose from his armchair and preceded me to the furthest part of the kitchen. Turning, he put an arm around my shoulders.

“Are you okay, Mike? And Maz? Geeta and me, we’re worried, and Chad’s shitting himself, poor kid. Same with the lad. Can you talk?”

“I think so?”

“Good. Talk, then”

He squeezed me, then let go to gather the beers, and set one of them down a little askew, so that it rocked a few times, ringing on the worktop, before settling onto an even keel. I pointed at it.

“That bottle, Kul; that’s us. Banged into each other a bit too hard---no, put that thought away right now! I mean, all a bit quick, and so we were rocking, like that bottle. Could have gone either way, if you get me. Really stretching the metaphor, simile, whatever, but bang a bottle, be careful it doesn’t spray out when you open it”

“It’s her family, isn’t it?”

“Yup. As well as old ghosts that aren’t that old”

“Is she staying tonight?”

I gave that question a few seconds thought, then just nodded.

“Good. Because there’s a new flat pack wardrobe in your room that needs assembling. Dal’s good at those, and it would help settle him into reality a bit more, concerning Maz. He’s getting there, but I think it’s easier for him that it’s you she’s with”

“Eh?”

“He worships you, mate. Leave it there for now. Can you pour Geeta’s tea, and I’ll take the beers in”

I did as asked, and after handing over the mug I settled down into the sofa beside Maz once more, as Kul passed us a couple of cold beers. Geeta mock-frowned at me.

“A word, Mr Rhodes: when you have finished listening to the stereo, turn it off. What were you listening to, anyway?”

Maz answered for us both.

“Folk music. Not listened to it that much, so Mike played some examples. Eric Bogle was one”

Dal perked up at her words.

“Yeah, there’s a club we go to, where his friends live”

Kul interrupted with a gentle “Our friends, son, friends of all of us”

“Yeah, suppose so. Sorry, dad. Anyway, the club is in the local pub, and when Steph’s there, that tall ginger woman, she’s a great fiddle player. Just absolutely over the top with it, hair everywhere. We should look up a club round here”

Geeta cackled, really cackled.

“Beaten you to it, son, mwahahahahaha! How many ‘has’ was that, love? Too many? Anyway, I have already printed a list of clubs for our delectation and delight. See what you do, Mr Rhodes? Without you, this man would spend all evening sitting in that chair swigging beer”

Kul shrugged, “Every man needs a hobby”, and Geeta shushed him.

“You here, Mike, and we’re off doing all sorts of things. I’ll be able to take his trouser waistband back in again soon”

We spent the evening wrapped in silliness before heading off to bed, and there was no question at all where Maz would be sleeping. I moved the flatpack off the bed, leaning it against a wall, as Maz gathered her night things and headed for the bathroom. I used the time to change into shorts and T-shirt, and on her return, I quickly did my teeth before joining her under the covers.

“That laughter earlier, Mike?”

“Oh! Yes. Line from a Tori Amos song I remembered. Thing is, I always misheard it, and that changes the meaning. The real words are ‘Everybody looking at you, here, take hold of my hand’, but I heard it as ‘Everybody looking at you, you take hold of my hand’. First one is all about reassuring someone, while the second is about facing down disapproval. And just before it, she sings: ‘Your mother shows up in a nasty dress’, and it all fitted so well with what we’ve been trying to set straight”

She wriggled closer to me, so I did the expected and settled her head on my arm, and she murmured into me chest, “That’s a favourite song of mine as well, Mike. Alan’s too”

She pulled herself even closer, and slipped a hand up inside my T-shirt to touch my scar.

“Alan had a thing for singer-songwriters, which was something we shared. I brought Brel and Lightfoot, and he brought Wainwright, Bush, Amos and Thompson”

“Richard? And Linda?”

“Yes. Sort of folkies, I suppose”

I tried to muffle my laughter, but it burst out, and she lifted her head to look me in the eyes.

“The joke this time is?”

“Oh, easy: when I played you stuff earlier, I actually avoided the Thompsons because I thought it might be too dark!”

That set her laughing, and then, well, there was a kiss, and all of our resolutions about physical intimacy just left the room for the night.

Morning light through the blinds, and a naked woman spooned into me. I was beginning to realise that I wasn’t just getting used to things, I was growing towards a need for them, and in another rush of clarity, I understood that when she was with me, I knew that she was safe and, I hoped, happy.

Kul was Mr Insistent over breakfast, as well as smug, of course, as he set out the day’s plans.

“I know you are working with me today, Mike, but we need to start from the office, and you two need to go in together. Ronnie and Chad both need to see you smiling. Dreary day today, I’m afraid: hotels, four of them, and a brace of factory canteens. No fancy sausages there. Maz?”

“Yes?”

“Geeta asked if you fancied cooking at the weekend, some of that Malay food you mentioned. She could do with an idea of what we need to get in. Apart from beer, of course. That’s a given. And would it stretch to Chad and Vern, of course. What’s on your list today?”

“Oh, I’m following up on the minibus idea. Got two camping shops to sound out for tent supply and repair”

“Right. We’re back up at Kalamunda tomorrow, anyway. Rod’s got another idea. Good man, that”

We drove in a mini convoy to work, and Kul let us enter first. Ronnie looked up from her desk, and grinned happily.

“Chad!”

The young man looked out from the back office, and puffed out a long sigh of relief.

“Thank god for that! You two okay?”

I took the lead after a quick nod from Maz.

“We will be, mate. Neither of us is exactly without baggage”

He nodded.

“More luggage than bloody Bags R Us, more like. Right: I’m off out on an idea of Ronnie’s. Was going to be your shout, Maz, but, well, with circumstances”

“Why my shout, Chad?”

“Posh suit, legs and heels, Maz. Bit posh, these people. Tell you what: how busy are you this morning?”

“I was going scouting for part of it, so not fixed appointments”

“Talk in the car, then? I’ll drive”

“Okay… just a sec”

She pulled my head down for a kiss, whispered “Later”, and was gone, along with the lad. Ronnie simply stared at me, beaming.

“That starts the day off in a better way, Mike! Now, this idea was a bit of a what-if thing. Here. Pull up a customer pew and I’ll explain”

We settled into our little waiting space, and she brought over a street map of Perth, turning it to the area of Fremantle that held most of the commercial docks.

“First thought was about Hillary’s, as we have some clients there already, and then I though the boats, ey? But they’re all toy ones, or the ferry to Rotto, but that’s not a catered thing, and then my other half says, ‘Why piss about with little ones when you can have a big one?’, which is always true. So I looked up Freo, and listed some chandlers for Chad”

Kul caught on first.

“Brilliant!”

He turned to me, grinning.

“Freighters come in, mostly. Not like the Caribbean here, or the Med, not got so many places for the cruise trade to piss off the locals. Chandlers and other businesses, they restock the stores, take away the waste”

“Don’t they just dump at sea?”

“Some still do, I would guess, but it’s a slogan with them, ‘Over the side is over’. Sizeable crew, galley, waste grease and cooking oil and all sorts of shite. Well, we’ll leave the shite, but you get my point. There must be an angle we can use to channel all that lovely potential money our way. Ronnie, my girl, you are bloody inspired!”

The day went as predicted, very much the drearily routine side of ‘consulting’, so I was grateful to arrive back home with nothing more than the taste of some pretty dire coffee in my mouth. Four of us were unwinding in the living room, in as casual a choice of clothing as can be imagined, when there was a knock at the door. Dal answered, returning with a slightly sweaty-looking Maz, and after a nod from his mother, he went to the sideboard as Kul sorted drinks.

“LLB, Maz?”

“Please”

Geeta pointed at the door.

“Go and change, woman. Dal’s sorted the wardrobe; says he actually enjoys doing things like that, the odd boy that he is. My servant will have your drink ready for your return”

She was back in far fewer minutes than I had expected, and as she came into the room Geeta handed her the promised coolness, along with a folded piece of paper.

“You’ll need this, love. Had it cut for you this afternoon. The paper’s the alarm code. Don’t lose it”