Drowning in Her Eyes (20 page)

They kissed for a long, long time
, then
they undressed each other very slowly, kissing profusely each newly bared spot. They lay on his bed
,
and he stroked and kissed her with a new gentleness. He kissed her lips, drinking in the scent and taste of her.

Susan looked down on her little bush boy, taking in those green eyes and hard
,
lean body
. S
he began to kiss his eyes, his mouth, his chest. They kissed again, drinking in each other. Jack rolled over and entered her gently. They moved slowly, then faster and faster. She cried out
“Oh
,
God, Oh
,
Jack, how I love you, love me forever!
”

They climaxed together, relaxing slowly, holding each other until they drifted away to sleep.

Meanwhile, in a small o
f
fice in a five-
sided building in Washington DC, orders go out to the fleet off the coast of a small country in Indochina instructing ships to assist that country
's forces with tran
s
portation, fire support, and radio countermeasures.

Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia
—1964

Jack
looked
out
across the last paddock at
the g
reen tractor
drawing
a planter
almost obscured by a cloud of dust
. He
had come out to the field to help the ever-
reliable Ollie move the tractor and seed truck back to the homestead. The planting was almost over.
T
he sweet smell of
the
newly di
s
turbed soil drifted into his nostrils.
It
'
s kind of elemental,
he thought,
planting the soil with wheat
. It
was
the oldest cult
i
vated crop. More than
two thousand
years ago, other men u
s
ing oxen and a sharp stick had done this very thing.

Ollie had worked for Paddy for many years. As a young man, he had come from Brisbane to seek employment in the field of agriculture. He had met Paddy
on occasions because
working
for another
nearby
station
. T
hey worked together a few times
,
because neighbours all helped each other out when needed. They had fought bushfires together, ferried mail and supplies across flooded creeks and had dug out each other
's bogged
down
vehicles. They had often shared a beer at such times and Paddy found Ollie to be a likeable and clever man. The man he worked for had become a
hopeless alcoholic. Ollie was a loyal employee and liked his boss when he had been sober, but there
was
a limit to any man
's patience.

One day Ollie turned up at
Ballinrobe
, complete with his swag, his horses and dogs. Paddy found him there when he returned
to the homestead
.
“Had enough?
”
Paddy asked
.
”I
'm surprised you lasted
this
long.
”
Ollie
had worked at
Ballinrobe
ever since. He was a loyal employee, and comp
e
tent, but he was a
‘good mate
' to everyone on the station. For a few years before his marriage, he lived with them as one of the family. He was fond of the children and they r
e
ciprocated.

Jack could not wait to get back to Susan. She had b
e
come an integ
ral part of his world. He couldn
'
t imagine life without her. They had
spoken several times since he
'
d left for
Ballinrobe
. However, th
at
was hardly satisfactory, with other people on the party line and at the telephone exchange ready to listen in. He knew old Mrs. Owens always picked up the hand piece. She could never remember her own ring code, so she answered them all and was very slow to hang up again, especially if there was some juicy gossip around.

He
worked three daily shifts with Ollie and Mick. Eight hours on the tractor, eight hours work around the station and eight hours to eat and sleep. Paddy was unable to help much. He was feeling weaker and often had chest pains. When that happened, he had to rest for a while to recover. Jack, co
n
cerned by his father
's condition, noticed
his
weight loss, the grey, almost translucent skin, and the lack of the old Paddy Riordan sparkle.
Jack confided his concern to Helen.

She was worried too; the medical profession could not help
Paddy
any
more. She tried to keep him rested, but he was a difficult man to control. Despite medical advice, he would not relinquish his afternoon beer.
It doesn
't matter,
thought Jack
; it won
't make him any worse
. He might as well enjoy his last years.

Paddy knew he was coming to the end.
“Can
't do a bloody thing anymore,
” he said to Jack
.
“
Y
ou had better put a leg rope on that little Yankee shelia of yours soon.
Balli
n
robe
will need you both before too long.
”

Denni had taken to coming home regularly to be with her father. They shared many long conversations on the v
e
randa tog
ether, some about Jack and his
little Yankee shelia
. Denni was anxious to meet Susan
;
maybe she would
finally
have that sister she
'd
always
wante
d
.

Jack and Ollie finished their work by nightfall. He would have liked to go to Armidale straight away, but co
m
mon sense told him it would only worry his parents. In the morning, he bade them farewell. Paddy took his hand, hol
d
ing it between his for a long time.
“Goodbye, mate. You might not see me again. You have been the best mate a f
a
ther could have asked for. Marry your little Yankee and bring her home. That
's the best thing you could do for me and your mother.
”

Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
—1964

It was early afternoon when Jack reached Armidal
e,
too early to see Susan, so he continued to Robb College. He had some housekeeping to do and an assignment already ove
r
due. He showered and shaved, did some washing and began his assignment. His interest in his studies was waning. Sooner rather than later, he knew he would be needed at home, and he had doubts about the value of his education when all he wanted to do was marry Susan and settle into life at
Ballinrobe
. He worked for a couple of hours, and was about to pack up to drive to Susan
's house, when there was a knock on his door.
“Come in,
” he called. He turned in his chair to see Bob O
'Connor and Mike Barratt standing there.

“G
'day, men
.
I just got back. The crop is planted so I will be here for a while now. How was the rugby on the weekend?
”

“Not too good,
” said Bob,
“We got a hammering from Page College, but that
's not why we
're here.
” He stood aside. Susan walked between them into the room.
“We
've been looking out for your girl,
” said Mike,
“she
's been pi
n
ing away. We tried to console her, but all she wants is you. See you for breakfast.
”

Jack stood. He looked at her as if he had not seen her before. She wore a bright red roll neck sweater and black ski pants. They showed her lovely figure off to perfection. She had her shy smile switched on, and it was only for him.
“Oh, God,
” he said,
“I
've died and gone to
H
eaven.
”

He crossed the room in a bound and swept her up in a bear hug, swinging her around in delight. She clung to him like a limpet, tears of joy in her eyes. He put her down gently and kissed her as if it was the first time all over again.
“God, how have I survived three weeks without you?
” Susan looked at him, brown eyes shining, lips slightly parted.
“Don
't ever leave me again,
” she said.
“Now, make love with me. We have three weeks to make up for.
”

Afterwards, as they lay spent and entwined together from head to foot, she said,
“I love you, little bush kid, with all my heart.
” He could not reply, for emotion had choked him up. He placed his head on her breast while tears trickled from his eyes down her side. He was so happy. They lay in silence for a long time.
“The boys picked me up in the St
u
dent Union and pretended they needed a lift down to co
l
lege,
” she said.
“I have Mom
's car today. They smuggled me in with an old army greatcoat. Aren
't you glad?
”

“My prayers have been answered,
” he said,
“How are your mother and the kids?
”

“Mom is coping; she has begun to clear out Daddy
's thi
ngs and attend to all the paper
work. Sarah has taken so
l
ace from John. I think they have become lovers. They seem so happy in each other
's company. I think Mom knows and it is burning her up. She worries so that we will stay here and she will never see us again. However, Jimbo is the wors
t. He is inconsolable, and he
's missed you
too.
”