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Bea sent her a text, smiling slyly to herself.
She watched as Dani tapped out a response.
I made it to Proserpine, waiting for the bus.
I wish I could join you.
Don’t worry, Mum. I’ll see you soon enough.
Maybe sooner than later???
Definitely.
Bea gritted her teeth. Surely her daughter wouldn’t be angry with her for coming all this way. Besides, she still hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about the divorce. At first, she’d waited for Preston to do it, and then she hadn’t wanted to interrupt her daughter’s frenzied preparations for life on the island. Now she had a sinking feeling she should’ve made the effort and gotten the conversation out of the way. How would Dani react to it all? She could be a tad dramatic at times. Didn’t much like change.
She’d been diagnosed with autism around the age of ten. It was unusual for girls to be diagnosed at all, since they were so good at hiding it most of the time. But Dani’s strong emotions had led them through several counsellors until one had suggested that a psychologist might be able to give them a diagnosis that would help. And it had. They’d found professionals who could give Dani the tools she needed to manage most things in her day-to-day life, but big changes and big emotions were still a challenge. Bea was amazed at how well her daughter had coped with quitting university and packing up to move to Coral Island.
The bus pulled into the parking lot and steered towards the front of the line. There was no time like the present.
Turn around.
Dani stared at the screen, then spun on her heel and locked eyes with Bea. Her sunglasses hid her response, and her mouth opened slightly. She pushed her phone into her pocket and beckoned Bea over. Bea apologised profusely to everyone in the line she passed until she stood in front of Dani.
“Surprise!”
Dani shook her head. “Mum, what are you doing here?”
She hugged Bea, then stepped back.
“Let’s talk on the bus.” Bea waved at the line ahead of them, and Dani saw it was moving.
The two of them walked slowly to the bus, giving the driver their luggage to store beneath the vehicle before they stepped inside. Dani found two empty seats and sat by the window. Bea slid in next to her.
“Please tell me what’s going on,” Dani said.
Bea turned to face her. “There’s a lot to digest. So, I’m going to start at the beginning.”
The bus lurched forward and pulled out onto the road. A sign pointed in the direction of Airlie Beach. The landscape was vividly green, with luscious vegetation and tall grass. The airport was surrounded by fields and seemed to have been dropped into the middle of nowhere. Brown and white cattle grazed nearby. The bus growled down the road, bumping over a pothole.
Bea held on to the seat in front of her. “Your father and I have grown apart. We’ve been fighting a lot.”
“Really?”
“Since you moved out, things have gotten a lot worse.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mum.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to patch things up though. You love each other.”
Bea swallowed. “Yes, we do love each other. But there’s a bit more to it now, I’m afraid. Your Dad met someone else and they’re having a baby.”
Dani’s eyes widened. “A baby? Does he love her?”
“It seems so. He wants a divorce.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
