Drowning in Her Eyes (23 page)

They slept entwined, complete, as one. In the morning, Jack met with Ollie and his mother on the veranda for tea and scones. They discussed the work plan for the next few months. In a week, shearing would begin.
“Ollie, if you and Mick can get everything ready, I will come back on the weekend to give you a hand. Dad said he was going to sell the sheep after shearing; what do you think of that?
”

“Sounds like a good move, Boss; the forecast doesn
't look too good for next year. If it turns dry, we don
't want to have them on our hands. They
're already five years old.
” Five years was the limit for a wool growing flock. As sheep age, their wool growth declines and their mortality rate rises. Old sheep are not worth owning.

“Tell you what,
” said Ollie,
“you might want to think about selling them in the wool. It will avoid the shearing costs and save a lot of work. They
're pretty fat too and the meat market is on the rise.
”

Jack looked at Helen.
“I think it
's a good idea, let
's do that
,
”
she said.

Jack agreed
, and
they left it to Ollie to arrange. Jack and Susan left next morning. Denni was going to stay with her mother for a while
,
to help her with all that had to be done about Paddy
's estate. Before he left, Jack had a private talk with Ollie.

“Ollie, we are asking you to take on a lot of responsibi
l
ity from now on. I hope I can measure up eventually, but for the moment, I am going to need a great deal of help from you. If I get out of order, make sure I get put on the right track, won
't you?
”

“Listen here,
” said Ollie,
“Paddy was more than my boss, he was a bloody good bloke, and he treated me more than fairly, and he knew I was more than an employee. He was my mate; there is no way I will let him down now. So don
't worry about a thing. She
'll be right. I hope you turn out to be as good a bloke and as good a mate, and I think you will. You
're too much like your father for it to be any other way. Now, go and look after your little Yankee shelia, and I
'll look after
Ballinrobe
.
”

Jack had never heard Ollie say so much at one time. It would be a long time before he did it again. Humbled, he set off for Armidale.

Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
—1964

Marci felt as if her world was coming apart. Jimmy was gone
.
Susan was spending more and more time with Jack and his family. Sarah was becoming increasingly engrossed with John Starr, and as she neared her eighteenth birthday, she was more and more likely to ignore her mother
's instru
c
tions. Marci had confronted her over her suspicions. Sarah, rather defiantly, had admitted that she and John
were
having a sexual relationship. It was no one
's fault. All over the world, young men and women were throwing off the chains of conservative religion and parental control. The popular music and films, San Francisco, Carnaby Street,
and
Flower Power were changing society. It would never again be what it had been.

In her fragile mental state, Marci could not handle the pressure.
She was in a foreign country, thou
sands of miles from home
—
a widow with two
children (as she still regar
d
ed Susan and Sarah)
defiant and
immoral daughters and a teenage
boy who missed his father and
who
needed a male confidante.
She lived in constant fear
her daughters would fall pregnant, that they would abandon her for their lovers and leave her adrift, alone, and far from home.

She had mixed feelings about these Australian boys (as she saw them). Jack Riordan seemed a nice boy; he had been a good friend to them all after Jimmy
's death, especially to Jimbo. However, she was almost paranoid about the Sveng
a
li-
like hold she imagined Jack had over Susan. He had turned her against her mother, and it was simply too much to bear. She could not see that it was just a case of two young adults very much in love. As for the Starr boy. Marci was confused. She knew he was like a lap dog in his devotion to Sarah, but she wondered about Sarah
's feelings toward him. She had always regarded h
er second daughter as a little
flighty
—
she had no
reliable guide to her behavior

As September neared its end, Marci Baker was a
p
proaching a crisis point in her own mind. She did not know what to do and had no one to help her. She did not seek help, fearing people would think badly about her and the daug
h
ters
. S
he feared bring
ing
shame on her. Sophie and her dead Marine visited her mind with increasing regularity.

* *
*
*

Jack had lost no time in lodging his enlistment papers. At first, he had to undergo a medical examination. This proved to be a perfunctory affair. Then
the New England
Company Commander, a Major McIntosh, interviewed him
. He
was asked questions about his interest in military history and his skill at arms. The Major swore him in. As he took the oath to
…
“
well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen
…
” he felt his national pride stirring. Finally, he went to the company depot to collect his uniform and equipment. Here he reacquainted himself with CSM Raymond, and the Company Quartermaster Sergeant
—
a third year student, Staff Sergeant Tom Beresford. An hour later, he emerged from the depot with a kit bag stuffed with his clothing and equipment, and a brand new slouch hat. He was now 120343
,
Private Riordan.

He and Susan spent as much time together as possible. As often as they could, they met at the Union, and on Saturday nights, after the rugby party, in Jack
's room. Their ardour never flagged. Several times, they had returned to
Ballinrobe
, where Jack was pleased to see everything was progressing well. The sheep realised a good price, and the land so released made more space for the cattle. The wheat crop was about average, but there had been no rain for some time. Perhaps the drought forecast for 1965 had already started. His mother and Susan got on well together, and she raised no objection as they continued to share a bedroom.

One Sunday in the middle of October, Jack went to the Bakers for supper. He had just completed the weekend bivouac required once a month by the Regiment. It was late, and he did not have time to change, so he went in his uniform. They had been practising contact drills all day and Jack was weary. Marci, he could see, was a little disturbed by this soldier in her sitting room. Since Congress had passed the Gulf of Tonkin Res
olution, she was convinced
the USA would get embroiled in the war now escalating in Vietnam. She was right. She was terrified it would eventually ensnare Jimbo. She was right again.

The next evening, Susan came to his room.
Oh, God
, he thought,
I will never get over how beautiful she is
. Her eyes seemed to be darker and more inviting than ever. She clung to him as they kissed and kissed and kissed. Jack helped her to take off her coat and began to unbutton her blouse, gasping with pleasure as he revealed her beautiful breasts, encased in soft cream lace. Soon she was standing naked before him. Soon he
,
too
,
was naked. They looked at each other for a long time, reaching out to touch each other gently, teasingly.

Jack drew her near and gazed into those eyes again. He thought of the first time he had looked into her eyes, that first night at Aunt Lil
's. Once again he thought,
I am going to fall into
your eyes. I am going to love you forever. I am going to drown in your eyes, and go to heaven.

He eased her down to the bed. Slowly, lovingly, they fondled each other. He marveled at her soft skin, her raven hair, and her perfect breasts, her long and supple legs. Afterwards, and long into the night, they lay in a breathless silence, feeling their sweat cool on their bodies. From time to time, one or the other kissed or fondled, delivering little shivers of ecstasy. They drifted off to sleep. Hours later as daylight approached, they woke and exchanged kiss
es.

“My darling
,
” Susan said,
“
I have something to tell you. I think I may have started a baby.
” Jack took a moment to let this news sink in. Then he said,
“Are you sure?
”

“No
,
but I missed my last period and I have been throwing up some mornings.
”

Jack looked at her, a slow smile spreading over his face.
“My God,
” he said,
“I
'm going to be a father!
” Susan looked at him, her dark brown eyes wider and deeper than e
ver.
“You mean, you don
't mind?
”

“Well, it
's a bit earlier than I planned, but I love it. Our own little one. Oh, Susan, ho
w wonderful!
”

“It was that night at
Ballinrobe
,
” she said.
“
I could feel it.
”

“We must take our baby to the thinking place,
” said Jack,
“so her spirit will be tied to ours and to the land.
”

“Her?
”
Susan questioned.
“
H
ow do you know?
”

“I know,
” he said,
“I
just
know.
”

* *
*
*

They decided
not
to tell
anyone
about the baby
, at least
for the
time being
. Jack
thought
Helen had enough to worry about right now.
Susan thought her mother couldn
'
t handle this kind of explosive revelation
at all
.

“Let
's wait unti
l we
'
re absolutely sure,
” she said
.
“
T
hen we can let everyone know. Surely Mom will agree to our marriage now.
”