Previously

Wednesday afternoon back at home ''with Carla ''

“I wonder how Chrissie went this morning out at the airport meeting up with Alan?”

Ricky said, “Well we had better go for that walk again down to your Mum's to find out or you will be like a cat on hot coals.” We sang out to Jenny to come with us, and she was already standing at the front gate waiting for us to come along.

We walked down to Mum's house quite quickly because we were anxious to find out all that had happened while we were slaving away all day at Uni, and Jenny was at work. We heard laughter in the lounge and that is when we saw just how many people were in the room. Christine and Alan were sitting on the sofa holding hands and in deep conversation; Christine's Mum and Dad were talking with Mum, and Billy was talking with Dad. Jenny didn't know before-hand that Billy would be here as well. When she saw him she practically jumped over to him and enveloped him in hugs and kisses, too excited to speak any sense.

Ricky went to shake hands with his mates once the girls let them be free from their grasps. I went and gave Christine’s Mum and Dad a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, “Uncle Dave and Aunty Shirley what are you two doing in Brisbane?”

Dave replied, “Carla I have got a problem with the old ticker and have to have by-pass surgery done if I want see my little Chrissie graduate.”

Just then Chrissie came over and hugged her father and said “Daddy you'll be ok and will live a long time to see your grand kids.” It is not very often that any of us girls say 'Daddy' any more but when there are emotions involved that is when the little girl comes to the forefront in us.

Of course we all had to stay and be fed by Mum, and as Christine's parents were staying at Mum's house we could have a good old gossip about what was happening out at Quilpie. Well just where do you think the boys were going to sleep that night? We girls got together and Jenny said, “Um Aunty Donna, I hope you haven't made up a bed for Billy and Alan have you?”

Mum replied, “Well I thought about it but that would be a bit mean now wouldn't it?!”

The boys looked expectantly at us girls, all except Ricky who knew he was in my bed.

Dad said, “Ahh young love! We know what it was like.” and the others all agreed and told us to go and get acquainted and they would see us sometime tomorrow. We didn't wait to be told twice and were on our way back to our own space quick smart.

Christine and Jenny both had king-size beds, not that all of the space was going to be used that night! I don’t think that there would be any extra heating required either! Myself and Ricky were also included in this scenario and I mustn’t leave my ever-present twin Jean out. She is connected to me in spirit and of course Ricky gets a double dose of love every time I touch him. I often wonder just how many people there on this planet that are as lucky as me to have a twin that has passed over to the other side and still lives within us.

I said earlier that I would tell you more about Doc Rose's study on twins in general but in my case it is a little bit different in that Jean is not on the earth plane so to speak. Anyway as it worked out Greg and Toby are also part of her study which has been going on for at least the last seven years that I have known her, and I guess it must just about be coming to an end. She has asked me Greg and Toby to do one last interview where Jean is involved and it will all be filmed for a further study group at the university that I attend. I just hoped that I wouldn't be asked to give a talk on myself and Jean and how she lives inside my my head and can also communicate with others that are connected to me.

Anyway I will keep you all posted on what happens when the time comes. Back to the present in our own rooms and in the arms of our lovers. I know that the boys won't tell each other about what happens in their sex lives but we three girls sure do. Well we are the Three Musketeers and we have to know every thing about everything and that hasn't changed since we were little girls in Quilpie. ''It's what girls do,'' and of course Jean joins in with the gossip as well.

Authors Note: "Jennifer speaks in the first person"

This has been a really good day for me seeing I have my future husband in my bed with me tonight, I am going to make this a special occasion because it is my first time as it is for Billy. I of course am worried about falling pregnant but Carla came to the rescue because she had kept a pack of condoms from when she still wasn’t on the pill, but they didn't have sex till after she was on the pill anyway. I am going to try and talk Billy into staying here with me. It's not as though we haven’t got the room, I mean these days everyone is living together. Don’t get me wrong, I want a wedding just as much as any girl but I also want to be happy right now and I am so in love with Billy that it hurts to think that I almost spoiled it by telling him to stay in Quilpie. If it wasn't for Mum doing her usual thing in knowing what to do for us kids both Billy and myself would have had a miserable time of it.

We waited for Christine and Alan to have their shower together and went to have ours together as well. We passed each other in the hall as we were heading to the bathroom and we didn't say anything but gave each other a big smile and a knowing look, and I and Chrissie started to giggle so we moved on quickly. It was sheer heaven to have Billy in the shower with me, His touch was like an electric shock and I could hardly wait to get to our room and on the bed. I was not disappointed in our first try at making love. From what Carla has told me about Ricky, Billy seems to be just as gentle and it was like an explosion at the end. We were both breathless and fell asleep in each others arms.

Thursday morning 19/1/67 "Back with Carla"

Well last night was special because I know for a fact that Jenny and Chrissie were virgins and as far as I know so were the boys, so yes it was a special event that all Three Musketeers were now complete women in their own right. Seeing that two of us had to have a bit of rectification surgery, it made it all the more special. And I’m sure the boys are now feeling like men as well. We all decided to take a sickie and not go to Uni or work, and ring in sick. I know it is naughty but we will just have to catch up. Life is meant to be fun as well, don’t you think?'

((A sickie is a bit of an Aussie tradition if you wanted a day off work, The boss sort of expects it to happen occasionally in the Australian work force!!!!))

After breakfast we all had voted on what we should do that day to celebrate our becoming full blown adults. I know it was a bit cheeky but I went down to the flat and knocked on Debbie's door. She opened the door and was still in her silk night gown and looked like I had just woken her up.

I said, “Oops sorry, late night?”

She replied, “Yeah late shift at the airport - what's up luv?”

I said, “How would you like to go to the beach today and be paid for it?”

She replied, “Well I could do with a day off and so could Jan. We haven't had a day off since we moved in here so who wants to go to the beach and what beach?”

“Well it is perfect weather and I think Surfer's Paradise would be perfect don’t you?”

She replied, “You're on Carla, but I couldn’t charge you luv, you have done so much for me and Jan, we owe you ok!!”

I said, “Well at least let us pay for the fuel.”

“Ok but the rest is on me and Jan. Did I hear other people upstairs last night?”

“You sure did Debbie, that is why we are taking a sickie today to celebrate Billy and Alan coming to Brisbane, They have agreed to live with Jenny and Chrissie as house mates.”

Debbie looked at me with a big smile and said, “'House-mates - yeah right!!! Whatever.” But she then said “Well I guess you are adults and know what you are doing. Does your Mum know?”

“Yes Debbie she does, and even if she objected, which she doesn't, we would still go ahead and all live together, so stop being a mother hen and take us to the beach!”

I went back upstairs and told the others to get ready and make sure to all have their swimming gear because we were going to go swimming at Surfer's main beach. It wasn't long before we were all packed up and in Debbie's mini bus travelling to the Gold Coast. It took about half an hour to fight the traffic through Brisbane before we were on the Pacific Highway to Surfer's. It took roughly an hour to get to Surfer's main beach, so by the time we arrived what with all the delays we had this morning, it was nine-thirty before we arrived, and Debbie parked the bus in a side street because we didn't want to have to feed the parking meter all day while we having fun on the beach and swimming in the surf.

The surf gets quite rough and there were life savers on duty all the time in case someone got caught in a rip and dragged out to sea, which happens at least three or four times a day in the busy season. For us it is not a problem because we were all very good swimmers, and also swam 'between the flags'. You would think where we come from that no-one goes swimming. Well let me tell you the outback kids are better swimmers than any city kid because there are a lot of rivers in the outback and they are in flood at least once a year. You have to be a strong swimmer to swim in flooded rivers and creeks but we all did it and survived. Most of us were self taught which is the best way because we all have a unique way of swimming. Anyway you get the idea - we are good swimmers.

Author's note: Life-savers erect flags on the beach to indicate the area they patrol and urge all swimmers to keep to that area to make rescues easier if necessary.

Authors note -:'' Ricky speaking in first person ''.

I know why I love Carla so much - she is so straight in her thinking that it almost hurts, and with Jean inside her head it is hard sometimes to keep up with them as one person. It reminds me when we are in the water together how we first met when I challenged her to a race out to where the drum was in the middle of the Bulloo River that runs by Quilpie. I almost drowned when I got a cramp in one of my legs. Carla swam out to get me to where the drum was anchored to the bottom with a block of concrete. She literately saved my life and here we were seven years later still together living as a couple planing our future for marriage, a career, and having a tribe of kids.

The three girls and us three men will always remain the best of friends. We are family and look out for each other and that will never change.

''Back with Carla''

Once we had our fun in the rough and tumble in the surf we all had an enormous appetite, so we decide to go to the Surf Lifesavers Club for a well earned lunch of Barramundi and the works. It wasn't cheap but we wouldn't get a chance to do this again for a while so we went for it. We all shared in the cost of the meal except Debbie and Jan whom we wouldn't let pay because without them today wouldn't have been possible. It was getting late and it was time to get in the bus and hit the road home after a really enjoyable day with my friends. We were like a family now seeing that we all lived in the same house and cohabited with each other. It's what people do these days much to the concern of our parents, but it is a different world we live in today.

We arrived back home just in time to hear the phone ring and answer it. Of course it was Mum wondering where the hell we were all day and why she wasn't told about us going away without telling her. I hope she goes back out to Quilpie soon, she is going to drive us all nuts with her mothering everyone.

Christine's Dad has to have a bypass operation for his heart problem and Shirley will be staying with Mum while he is in hospital, so I’m afraid that we will have to put up with a bit more mothering for a couple of weeks yet. Dad has to get back to Quilpie so Ricky and myself will be taking him back in 'Angel' at the weekend. With two pilots it won't be too bad and besides we have to put in a certain amount of flying hours to be able to keep our licence from lapsing and that would never do for me and Ricky, we love flying too much to let that happen.

Friday 20/1/67
~~~~~~~~~~~

We went to Uni and Christine and Jenny went to work, while Billy talked Mum and Dad into running them around Brisbane all day to sort out the jobs as well. Nothing much happened yesterday and some of the other students said they wished they had taken a sickie as well and joined us at the beach, but it would be on a weekend next time we did it again or we would be in trouble with our masters, and Mum of course !!! The day soon passed and we were finished for the week and we made our way to the bus stop to catch a ride down to the river ferry for the ride across to West End and home.

When we arrived home there was a note on our bedroom door that read 'When you are ready come down to our house, signed Mum.'

I said, “Ricky she is going to drive me nuts if she keeps this up”

He replied, “Carla, she is your Mum and my future Mum in law and I think she is just doing what mothers do and you will probably be the same when we have our own kids.” That put me firmly in my place and I said, “Ricky now I know why I love you so much.”

We had a quick shower, 'I said 'shower' nothing else that comes later concentrate will you?' and got changed and then headed down the road to Mum and Dad's probably to be fed again. If this kept up we were all going to balloon out of our clothes. Mum greeted us at the door and gave me a hug and kiss and said “Carla I know I have been a pain, and do far too much organising so I am going to fly back with your father tomorrow as well. Shirley is quite happy to stay here by herself while Dave is in hospital and has his operation and she can borrow my car so she will not be stuck here all the time.”

As usual Mum fed the lot of us and we said good night and went back to our own abode for some extracurricular activity in the bed rooms!!!! ''I told you it would be later didn't I?''.

Saturday morning,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was an early start. We got Debbie to run us out to Archerfield to where the hanger is and when we arrived Angel was still in the hanger.

I said, “Dad what is going on, why is Angel still in the hanger? It will take at least an hour to get her ready to fly.”

Dad said, “Look behind you Carla and Ricky.”

We turned around and there in the Croft colours was a brand new twin engined Cessna. Just as I was about to say something, Rodney appeared from inside the office in the hanger and said “Do you like her?”

Ricky said, “Wow look Carla, the name ''Angel Two'' is on the nose.”

Mum and Dad looked at us and said ''Well!!”

I said, “Dad, are we taking her out to Quilpie for her first flight?”

Dad replied, “No Carla, her second flight. The first one was when Rodney flew her from Sydney yesterday.”

We wasted no time doing the pre-flight checks and were given permission by the tower to take off once we had given them our flight plan. The cockpit was a little bit different to 'Angel One' but everything was basically the same. I took the first leg of the flight. The power that the extra engine gave us was just amazing.

I decided to fly at fifteen thousand feet which is not the altitude that I normally fly at but in this machine I could not resist going higher than I normally fly and of course we were flying at three hundred and fifty knots, and that was not even at full throttle. I would hate to think what she would do if you were pushed for time. I did half-way and handed over to my darling man and he was as impressed as me about the handling of this 'bird' as Jean calls them.

We arrived in Quilpie in good time even with the head wind we encountered. It was strange flying that much higher. The layout of the land below seemed a lot different. I couldn't make up my mind whether I like flying higher or not. Ricky thinks it is better and maybe he is right. Uncle Tony was there to take us home and also then come back and refuel the plane for our return trip tomorrow.

It was a bit sad because I was going to have to put Ginger to sleep. She was just suffering too much and was in a lot of pain and almost blind. This wouldn't be easy for me as she had been a long time friend. ''There would be tears.''

To be continued

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