Part Two

Two weeks later

Mart drove down familiar roads towards his parents’ house, feeling his throat tighten as he approached. His old car was packed with almost everything he owned. Once he had begun, things had moved quickly. Job offers had been made and accepted, his parents had agreed to house him at low cost for the duration and friends and relatives had offered help of various kinds. He turned into the drive, looking out for signs that someone was home to greet him. At the sound of the car, his mother came hurrying out, smiling.

“You’ve made good time,” she told him, kissing his cheek. “Do you need a hand with your luggage?”

He shook his head. “I’ll leave most of it where it is for the moment. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this stuff. I can’t take much of it with me when I go. I guess I was wondering if I could keep some of it here.”

“Of course,” she answered. “It’ll be here, ready for you, when you get back.”

Mart tried to smile in return, but felt slightly sick. He had known that this was going to be a problem with his mother. In contrast to the way that Trixie had known all along that he would go, Moms was still thoroughly convinced that this was a temporary situation and that her prodigal son would soon be home again. Steeling himself, he followed her into the house, carrying a suitcase and two smaller bags.

“I’ve made up the guest room for you,” she was saying, as she led him in that direction. “It’s not that you’re not welcome in your old room, of course, it’s just that I knew you would have a lot of things with you and that you would probably need the extra space. I can change it, though, if you’d prefer.”

“Moms,” he put in gently, interrupting the stream of words. “It’s fine. I’ll be comfortable here. You don’t need to apologise.”

“Make sure you tell me if you need anything else,” she added, seemingly ready to start all over again. “There’s some extra towels in the closet here, and an extra blanket, in case you need it.”

He smiled. “Moms, it’s just me. I know where everything is; you don’t have to worry.”

He looked down into eyes that were brimming with tears. A moment later, she was gone and he was left with the task of settling in to the room that would be home for the next ten weeks, as he earned the money he needed for his big move. The small amount of unpacking that he intended to do that day was soon done. That was the easy part; he felt sure that he would always feel comfortable in this house. The difficult part of his task was to reconcile his mother to the situation that would soon become his reality. He did not look forward to this task at all.

“Moms? Are you here?” Trixie called through the kitchen door of her parents’ old farmhouse.

“Come in, Trixie!” came the faint reply.

With a little searching, Trixie found her mother descending the attic stairs, cobwebs in her hair and a smudge of dust on her clothes.

“I was just trying to clear a space up there for Mart to store some things while he’s away,” she explained, dusting herself off a little as she spoke. “I wasn’t having too much success, though. I don’t suppose you have space somewhere?”

“I guess I could clear a space in the barn,” Trixie considered, frowning. “It’s dusty out there, but the building is good and weather tight. I don’t think it would be too bad, if he seals everything up well.”

Helen shrugged. “I don’t suppose it matters. He’ll be back soon enough and he can sort it out then.”

“Moms!” Trixie cried, horrified. “Whatever you do, don’t say that to Mart.”

Her mother looked bewildered. “Why not? Why shouldn’t I?”

Trixie let out a puff of breath. “He’s not going on vacation; he’s moving there. He’s going to marry her, Moms, and they’re going to live there – in the short term, at least.”

Helen frowned. “You don’t know that. He hasn’t said anything like that to me.”

“He hasn’t said it to me, either,” Trixie conceded, “but I know it anyway.”

“He didn’t say he was going there with the intention of asking her to marry him.” Helen was insistent on this point.

Trixie gave her mother a hug. “I know, Moms. But he’s going there because he can’t live without her. It amounts to the same thing.”

Tears began to leak from Helen’s eyes. “I don’t want him to live so far away. Why couldn’t he have stayed with Diana?”

“Because he really messed that up,” Trixie pointed out. “I don’t blame Di for not wanting to trust him again. He really hurt her. And now he has a chance to get it right. Don’t you want him to have that?”

“Of course I do,” Helen retorted. “Don’t ever suggest that I don’t. I just wish it could have been closer to home.”

Trixie sighed. “Moms, you have me almost as close to home as you can handle. I think you’ll have to put up with the boys spreading a little further afield.”

“It’s your father and his brothers all over again,” she grumbled, “except that none of them is staying here.”

“I don’t think it’s forever, Moms. I’m sure that one of them will come and take over the farm one day, in the far-distant future, when it’s too much for you and Dad.”

“That’s not a terribly distant future,” her mother disagreed. “I think we’ll be ready to leave in five to ten years – and what will happen then with your brothers the way they are?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “You worry too much, Moms. If the boys are still causing trouble then, all you have to do is tell me and I’ll fix them.”

Helen shook her head. “You can’t fix them any more than I can.”

Her daughter grinned. “Yes, I can, Moms. Just leave that part to me.”

Instead of being comforted, or even distracted, her mother seemed ready to cry once more. She pulled Trixie into a hug. “I think this is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a parent.”

“I’m here for you, Moms,” Trixie answered, squeezing back. “I’m not going anywhere at the moment, except on wildly random work trips at the drop of a hat. Honestly, I think my boss is getting worse. He just can’t seem to keep his nose out of holes that other people dig in the ground. And, if no one has dug any interesting holes, he goes around suggesting good places to dig them.”

“He is an archaeologist,” her mother reminded her, picking up the distraction this time. “That sort of behaviour should be par for the course.”

Trixie shrugged. “I think he’s even more curious than I am, if that’s possible.”

Helen shuddered at the thought. “In that case, I might just have to be glad that you’re the one in my family and not your boss.” She smiled, though the tears were still not far away. “Come down to the kitchen. I think I might be able to find some cookies, if your brother hasn’t eaten them all.”

Trixie smiled back and followed her downstairs.

“Why don’t you go and sit down, Moms?” Mart suggested after dinner. “You cooked this wonderful meal; the least I can do is clean up for you.”

“Nonsense,” she replied. “You’re a guest in our house at the moment, though perhaps one day you’ll live here again.”

“I’m one of your own children. I get to help out. And staying for ten weeks is not exactly being a guest.” He shook his head and shooed her off in the direction of the living room. “I’ll be fine in here. I’m sure I remember where everything goes.”

With one more round of protests, she gave in and let him help. Mart carried the rest of the dishes to the sink and began his task. He was so intent on his work that he did not hear another set of footsteps approaching.

“She’ll come around.”

Mart looked up to see his father watching him. “She doesn’t seem to be, so far,” he noted.

Peter shook his head. “She will, though. It’s a lot to adjust to.”

“I’m just moving further away,” he pointed out, frowning. The sink was filling with sudsy water and Mart swatted at the column that was forming under the spout. “It’s not like I’m dying. I’ll still exist, even if she doesn’t see me so often.”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t see it that way.” His father’s expression was grim. “I understand that you want to be with Daphne, but please consider your mother’s emotional state. She’s terribly upset that her child will be on the other side of the world. I really expect you to take the responsibility of keeping the lines of communication open.”

Mart dropped his gaze, staring into the sink. “I didn’t mean to upset her so much. I just don’t know how to make it better.”

His father patted him on the shoulder as Mart put the first dish up to drain. “Give her time.”

“Maybe I should have told her sooner. I mean, I’ve been thinking about this for a while…”

“You told us as soon as you’d made definite plans, didn’t you?” At his son’s nod, he continued, “It wouldn’t have made any difference if you’d told us any earlier. She was in denial about the possibility when it was only that; you verbalising the idea wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

“I still feel bad about it.”

Peter smiled. “In a way, I’m glad of that. I wouldn’t want you to be callous about this – that would make matters very much worse.”

Mart nodded, his expression glum, and washed another dish. “I don’t suppose she’d consider coming to visit me, would she? She’s going to expect me to come back every so often.”

His father shrugged. “We’ll see. I know we’ll be saving up, though, no matter what our plans. We’ll want to have money in reserve in case we need to make a quick trip.”

A slow smile crossed Mart’s face. “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”

June, 1996

It seemed to Mart that almost everyone he knew had turned out to see him off at the airport. Family and friends mingled amongst themselves, talking and laughing as they waited for the moment when he would walk away from them. He made the rounds of those he was least close to first, making sure he spoke a few words to everyone. When those formalities were dealt with, he closed in on the knot of people who mattered most: his immediate family and fellow Bob-Whites.

“Only a few minutes left,” his mother fretted, glancing at her watch, then hugging him for about the fourth time.

“Fifteen,” Brian corrected in an undertone.

“You’d better get on with hugging everyone, Mart, or you’ll run out of time,” Bobby told his brother, in mock serious tones. “Moms needs at least twelve more hugs before you’re allowed to leave.”

“And you’ll have to give at least twice that many, before you’re allowed to leave home,” Brian teased his younger brother. “You think Moms is unhappy now, just wait until you try to leave for college next year.”

“Yes, that’s very true,” Trixie added, a serious expression on her face. “Her last baby leaving the nest? I don’t think so. You’re going to have to attend community college and stay at home for her to look after.”

“I think I’ll move in with Mart and go to college in Australia,” Bobby announced and his mother swatted his arm.

“Let your brother say his goodbyes to everyone and stop teasing,” Helen chastised, giving Mart a little push. “Go on. You’re running out of time.”

Mart made his way around the group, receiving hugs, kisses, pats on the back and words of farewell. He left his sister until almost last, pulling her into a hug.

“I’ll miss you, almost-twin,” he told her, giving her a ferocious squeeze.

“I’ll miss you, too,” she answered, right in his ear, “but I’ll see you at the wedding.”

He pulled back enough to see her face. “Whose?”

“Yours,” she answered, smirking.

His breath caught. “You think that will be the next time we see each other?”

A tear spilled down her cheek as she nodded. “It’s okay, though. I know you won’t take too long getting to that point.”

Mart laughed, even as his own tears started flowing. “I’ll do my best.”

Trixie let him go and he turned to farewell his parents.

“Come back soon, please, Mart,” his mother breathed into his ear. “Stay safe and keep in touch.”

“I’ll do my best,” he told her.

He glanced at his watch. The time had come for him to depart and, drawing a calming breath, he waved and called a final goodbye before turning to leave. He thought he heard his mother give a muffled sob, but did not turn to look. For him, it was time to look forward and not back. With head held high, he set off on the next part of his journey.

After the plane had lifted off, the rest of the Bob-Whites went for coffee together. They crowded around two tiny tables, which they pushed together, but the noise in the busy shop was enough that conversation could not be heard from one end of their group to the other. Diana found herself at one end, squeezed between Trixie and Honey, with their significant others on their other sides and Brian directly opposite her, but a long way away.

“So, are you okay?” Honey asked in her ear, so low that no one else could hear her.

Di nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Honey gave her a knowing look.

“I’m fine; really.” Di leaned towards her friend. “He was my first love. He wasn’t my true love, though. He showed me that pretty clearly by his actions. I don’t have to be upset about him going away, because it really, truly is over between us. I wasn’t wanting to try to get him back or anything.”

Something in Honey’s posture shifting, as if a tension was eased. “I’m glad,” she answered, squeezing Di’s hand for a moment. “I didn’t know what to think about the two of you, but if you’re really not upset…”

“I’m really not. And maybe this will be good for us, even if it’s not so good for the Bob-Whites. Maybe, when he comes back, things can be just a bit more normal between us.”

Honey looked at the table. “Do you think he will come back?”

For a long moment, Di considered her answer. “It might just be to visit, I guess, but yes, I’m sure he’ll come back sometime.”

“It would make me sad to think that he was going away forever,” Honey mused, frowning.

Di laughed. “You can afford to visit him a lot more often than the rest of us. You don’t need to be unhappy about it, Honey.”

Honey smiled. “I guess so, but I’ll miss having all the Bob-Whites together.”

Sobering, Di nodded. “I’ll miss that, too. But we’ll all be together again, I’m sure of it.”

His journey almost at an end, Mart walked out of customs and into Daphne’s waiting arms. Too soon, she pulled back from the embrace and smiled up at him. Her hand closed around his upper arm and she gave a tug.

“Come on. Let’s get out in the sun. You’ll need it to get your body clock lined up right.” She grinned. “And I wouldn’t mind taking you somewhere a little more private, either.”

He nodded, not trusting his voice and followed her outside.

It seemed strange to Mart that even though he had suddenly switched from summer to winter, he had also arrived to see brilliant sunshine and clear, blue skies. After being cooped up in the plane for so long, it was refreshing to feel the breeze on his cheeks and the heat of the sun. He followed Daphne, pushing his luggage on the trolley, to the place where she had parked her car. Several times, his eyes strayed to her hips and the trolley began to wander off course. Each time, she turned to see what the trouble was and laughed at him. He found this tantalising.

“Toss everything in here,” she told him, having unlocked the car and opened the trunk.

He did so, as quickly as possible. He wanted nothing more than to leave the airport quickly, but his girlfriend had other ideas. She closed the lid and moved to unlock the front doors. She had parked with the passenger side of the car next to a clump of golden cane palms, the fronds of which almost brushed the side of the vehicle. As she passed him, Daphne leaned in and offered herself to be kissed. Mart could not resist temptation.

Several minutes later, while he still felt light-headed from lack of oxygen, she pulled away and hopped in to the driver’s seat. When he did not sit down, she leaned over to push the door open.

“Are you coming?” she asked, laughing.

Shaking his head to clear it, Mart got into the car and slammed the door. He tried to pay attention to their surroundings, as Daphne navigated out of the airport, through the inner-city area and across the river. He tried to keep his bearings, to be able to tell where they ended up, but his knowledge of the area was sketchy at best and he was soon completely lost. Daphne seemed to have no trouble at all, chattering away as she drove.

She pulled in to the garage under a block of 1960s flats perched high on a hill with a busy road right at the door. The building and those next to it had the shabby appearance of long neglect. Daphne jumped out and waved him to his luggage.

“You don’t expect me to lug all that stuff up the stairs, do you?” she asked, a cheeky grin on her face. “I’m on the top floor.”

Stepping out of the garage, Mart glanced up to the top of the building, to what he would call the third floor, but he knew Daphne would call the second.

“It will be a trial,” he told her, in dry tones, “but I will haul my own belongings. I would not want to burden you this early in my stay. You might decide I was not worth the trouble.”

The next thing he knew, she was pulling him back inside the garage and pressing him against the wall in a searing kiss. They were both breathing heavily by the time it ended.

“I think I’ll find that you’re worth every bit of trouble,” she answered.

A moment later, she had left him. He looked up to see her opening the trunk – or, as she called it, the boot – and pulling out his carry-on. Her glance at the remaining suitcases gave him the hint that his help was required. He set them both down outside of the garage. Daphne secured the vehicle and pulled down the old, rusty tilting garage door with a screech, wriggling the handle to make sure it locked.

“Race you to the top,” she challenged, taking off with only the carry-on bag.

Mart grabbed his two suitcases, and followed at a more sedate pace. He reached the top of the flight to see one of the doors standing open. He peeked through the door, seeing a room painted in plain white. The carpet on the floor had probably once been beige. The furniture was well-worn, but looked clean and comfortable.

“Daphne?” he called, not seeing any sign that this was the right place.

The door swung on its hinges and she appeared from behind it, grinning. She crooked a finger and he took her invitation to come inside. The door slammed, echoing down the stairwell. Daphne locked the door and slid the chain into place. She smiled a long, slow smile, dropped his bag on the floor and then they were kissing and nothing else mattered.

Later that afternoon, as he lay next to Daphne, Mart knew that he had made the right choice. As much as he would miss his family and friends, he needed to be here, now, to find out where this relationship could take him. For the first time since she left the States, Mart felt like himself again.

“So, are you ready for the grand tour?” Daphne asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “We could go clubbing tonight, if you want to, or just go out for coffee.”

“Not clubbing,” he answered, rolling his eyes. “You know I’m not into that scene.”

She nodded, smirking. “Neither am I, really. I just wanted to see your reaction.”

“I think dinner is more to the point,” he went on. “Where would you like to eat? Somewhere kind of nice – this is a celebration, after all.”

“Hmm,” she answered, considering. “I’m not really sure. Why don’t we just go down to Southbank and see if we can find somewhere we both like.”

The place she mentioned had been the site of a World Expo a few years previous and had been redeveloped into a parkland and entertainment district. There were numerous restaurants and cafes to choose from and it should be easy to find one to suit.

“Sounds like a plan,” he answered. “Is that far away from here?”

She shook her head at him. “Weren’t you paying attention to where we were going? Of course it’s not far. If you didn’t mind the walk back up the hill, we could just walk there.”

Mart gave her a rueful smile. “My sense of direction failed me, I’m afraid. It’s going to take a while to learn my way around.”

For a moment, she frowned. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “I’m asking a lot of you, aren’t I?”

He smiled and pulled her closer. “It’s worth it. You’re worth it. And, yes, this is going to take a lot of getting used to, but I need to be near you and you need to be here.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, against his chest. “I need to be near you, too. Thank you for being willing to come to me.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he answered. “Now, is it time to eat? I’m getting hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” she protested, giving him a shove. “Okay. Let me get dressed and we can go.”

Mart stayed where he was for a moment to admire the view, but soon followed her to get ready for their celebration.

Continue to part three.