Page 65 of Return to the Waratah Inn

Mima raised her eyes to look into Edie’s tear-soaked blue ones. “No, not you. That’s true. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She lowered her knees and fell into Edie’s arms. Edie stroked her hair and shushed her. She told her that she would never be alone. That she’d always have a home with Edie as long as she wanted it. And that they were family, the two of them. No matter what else happened in the world around them and who abandoned them, they had each other.

They sat there crying loudly, in an embrace that soothed Mima’s pain and helped bring a small spark of hope back into her heart, until they could cry no more.

Chapter Thirty-Four

February 1998

Coolangatta

The following week, Mima drove to the Coolangatta Airport to pick up Jack after his trip down south to Bathurst to visit his sister. She pulled up to the curb outside the airport, and Jack climbed into her brand-new Corolla. She adjusted the radio to turn down the volume on Gold FM, which played her favourite classic rock songs. “Great Balls of Fire” blasted through the speakers, and she knew it would drive Jack crazy. He’d say something like “I can’t hear myself think with all that racket.”

He took off his Akubra hat and set it on the back seat of the car. “Nice ride.”

She pulled away from the curb. “Thanks, I like it. It’s got electric windows and door locks.”

He glanced down at the door beside him. “Huh… I hope we don’t get stuck in this contraption.”

“We’re not going to get stuck, Grandpa. You always think the worst will happen.”

“In my experience, that’s exactly what happens.”

She couldn’t argue with him. He’d been shot down in his Kittyhawk over the Bay of Tunis by the Nazis, captured as a prisoner of the Italians, and then lost his memory after being injured by more Germans while escaping from the POW camp where he’d been interned. If anyone could claim that the worst was likely to happen, it was Jack. Between the two of them, they’d endured far more than anyone should have to face.

“Thanks for picking me up,” Jack said as he settled into his seat.

She turned in the direction of New South Wales and merged onto the highway. “You’re welcome. I can’t have you hitching a ride at your age, and taxis are so expensive. You should park your truck at the airport if I’m not around.”

“Costs too much,” he replied. “It’s daylight robbery.”

“How’s Sylvia?”

“She’s fine. Kept asking me about her dogs.”

“What dogs?”

“Those two Pomeranians she used to have in that big house on the outskirts of town. Before she got sick. Their names were Banjo and Bingo. Can you believe it? What kind of names are those?”

“Dog names…” Mima offered with a palm raised.

He grunted. “All she could say when I first arrived was, ‘Where are Banjo and Bingo? Do you have them? Get them some treats. They love those treats.’”

“Poor Syl,” Mima replied with a shake of her head. “It’s sad things have come to that.”

“Yeah, I hate seeing her that way. She was happy I visited, though. Recognised me almost right away. Of course, she thinks we’re still young and that I live nearby, but that’s fine with me. We got to reminisce about the old days, which was nice. She’s one of the few people left in my life who knew me back then and can talk about what it was like growing up with Mum and Dad in Bathurst.”

“I’m really glad you had that chance. We never know how long we have people for. Did you get to catch up with anyone else?”

“My cousin and his son. Plus, I visited my parents’ graves and left some flowers, and I checked on my investment property. I’ve got a nice family living there as tenants, and everything looks good.”

“Seems like a worthwhile trip.”

“I think so. It was good to be back home again, even for a brief while.”

“You still call it home, huh?” Mima asked.

He grunted. “I guess I do, although it hasn’t been my home for a very long time. It’s changed, but not so much that I don’t recognise it. It’s still the same small country town. Still has a lot of the same buildings as it did back then. I even drove past the high school. It hasn’t changed.”