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“Yep…twenty-four.”
“The other?”
"This one is really interesting. She's the same age, but the reception was poor, so I couldn't see her except for a hazy outline. She sounded sweet and her life has been very different from what most of us experience. Her family owns and runs one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cattle station in Australia. It straddles the Western Australian/Northern Territory border up in the Kimberley region. The northern boundary is along part of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and the Timor Sea. She was in school of the air to year ten and then distance education to year twelve, no uni…she wasn't interested. She stayed working full-time at the station for the past six years. She has limited computer experience because satellite was costly and unpredictable. She's raw, Hudson, but there was just something about her."
“Kids growing up on stations know what hard work is all about and they’d be more likely to be reliable. So, we have nothing to lose. Someone has to give these kids a chance and if she doesn’t work out you can look for someone else. Well done.”
“Thanks. Now enough shop talk. How are things with you?”
“Same old…same old. The renovations to the house are almost done and the landscaping should be finished next week. It’s been six months since I bought the place, and I still haven’t gotten tired of sitting on the back deck looking out over the harbour.”
“When does Lizzie-Sue get delivered to the new mooring?”
Lizzie-Sue was my 34-metre sleek, white, explorer-style motor yacht. There were five staterooms, including a luxury master suite with a queen-sized bed, wall-to-wall white cabinetry, an ensuite bathroom decorated in white marble with a peach-coloured thread throughout, gold fittings, and exquisite appointments. The decks throughout were highly polished teak, and cabinets and shelving were made from mahogany. In the living room were two white leather couches and four reclinable chairs. A large wide-screen television was fixed to the wall, and I had every imaginable electronic entertainment game and device on the market and there was a well-stocked bar. The other four suites were similar to the master, but they shared a large bathroom in the same colouring as the ensuite and it had a spa bath installed. The kitchen had an array of mahogany cabinets, with white marble benchtops and every gadget and appliance available. Most were manufactured by my company. Off the kitchen was an eight-person dining suite with white leather chairs, perfect for entertaining, which I rarely did.
Although I had a captain and two deckhands, I often enjoyed taking the wheel myself. When I could squeeze in a few days off, I took Lizzie along the coast—south in the summer and north in the winter months. When I didn’t have a lot of time, I was content with taking her out on the magnificent Sydney Harbour. I didn’t want to be someone who owned a boat for the sake of appearances, a boat that did nothing but float at its mooring collecting barnacles.
“She’ll be at her mooring from this Friday. Want to take her out next weekend?”
“Ask Lewis and Tony?”
“Yep, I’ll call and ask anyone else you’d like to bring.”
Lewis and Tony were married and partners in an ice cream venture that had become huge. Their products were now exported to countries all over the world. Owen and I had met them at Flaherty’s, and over the past seven years, we’d all become good friends.
Ken set the bowl of chicken wings in front of me, and Owen plucked one from the top, which was the reason I’d chosen the large bowl.
While we ate and sipped at our beers, we watched the rugby league game on the large television behind the bar. The game between Penrith Panthers and West Tigers had only started a few minutes earlier and the Panthers already had a 12-0 lead. I had a feeling the game was going to be a whitewash but didn’t mind since I was a Panthers supporter.
Owen and I were huge fans of league and I’d played back in high school as a front-row forward because, even then, I’d been tall and broad-shouldered. While we watched the game, we criticized the bad plays and admired the smart moves. The game finished up at 46-4—a shellacking.
Chapter Three
ELIZABETH
After another bear hug from our foreman, who had known me for most of my life, Mum and Dad walked me to the plane my brothers had pushed from the hangar.
Mathew and Lucas were checking around the aircraft, part of their pre-flight checks. They had already collected my luggage and I assumed it was on board as it was nowhere in sight. They completed the checks as we approached and joined us at the bottom of the steps. I turned to Mum, and with tears in our eyes, we had one last hug.
“Call me when you arrive in Sydney, baby girl. I love you very much. Enjoy yourself but be careful.”
After telling her I loved her, I turned to Dad, and he almost crushed the life out of me when we hugged. He ran a hand over my hair before lowering his eyes to mine. “Be careful down there, Sweetheart. Remember, not all people in the city can be trusted like those here. If you need anything, call me, and your brothers will be there before you blink.”
“We sure will be; you can count on us,” Mathew answered for both of my brothers.
“Be careful, boys, and get there and back safely.” It was the same thing Mum said every time her sons flew.
“I promise I’ll be fine, and I’ll be back at Christmas. I know the year will fly past and I’ll be here before you even notice I’ve gone.”
I gave Mum and Dad a final kiss on the cheek before climbing the steps leading into the aircraft. Mathew and Lucas followed me in, pulled up the steps, and secured the door while I settled into a plush black leather seat by the window at the front of the aircraft. Both men settled into the cockpit and began their pre-flight routine. After a few moments, Mathew spoke over the intercom.
“Sis, Lucas is captaining the flight today. We’ve been given a flight path north over the Timor Sea, then easterly before turning south into Darwin airport. Flight time will be one hour and seven minutes, so we’ll have you deplaning with around two hours to spare before your flight to Sydney boards.”
I didn’t acknowledge the message because it wasn’t expected. Instead, after pulling out the latest book I was reading, I stowed my handbag under the seat and settled back to enjoy the flight. The engines burst into life and the plane taxied to our grass airstrip, ready for takeoff. Mum and Dad stood watching with their arms wrapped around each other and I waved. They blew a kiss back before waving.
A message over the radio gave the men permission for takeoff and we sped down the runway before the plane lifted into the clear blue sky. Lucas banked the aircraft to the right as we climbed towards the clouds and the ground fell away. The slight bump after we were airborne was a reminder the wheels had been stowed. A few minutes later, Mathew came back over the intercom. “We’re at cruising altitude, Liz. You know the drill—stay seated with your seat belt tightened.
I mouthed the last few words as he spoke them since I’d heard them so many times before.
