The Banksia Bay Beach Shack Page 21

  By the time she got down to the beach, after washing up the dinner plates and helping her mother fold the washing, the flames of the bonfire were stretching their orange tendrils up to the indigo sky. Ian and his surfing friends were there, the oldest of the revellers, and Ian was taking snaps of everyone – some posing seriously, some pulling funny expressions.

  The last remaining kids staying in the caravan park were also there, their young faces staring in awe at the older guys drinking beer. Ian photographed them too.

  Off to the side, Gigi saw Lily standing a little way back from the fire, Richard with his arm around her. She drew in a deep breath, forced a happy expression onto her face and walked towards them.

  ‘Oh, Gigi.’ Lily ran towards her, embracing her in a tight hug. ‘You’re here at last. I’ve been waiting for you.’

  ‘Sorry. I had chores.’

  They walked back to Richard.

  ‘Hi, Gigi.’ Richard looked happy to see her. ‘Glad you could come. My girl here would have been a blubbering mess if you’d missed the summer send-off.’

  ‘No chance.’ Gigi smiled at him. Not even you can take this away from us. ‘I have to make the most of our time before you knock her up and have her tied to the kitchen.’ Gigi would have laughed if she hadn’t been so worried it would actually come true.

  ‘We’re both really sorry you won’t be able to make the wedding.’ Richard touched her arm.

  Gigi turned to Lily.

  ‘Um. Well, nothing is finalised yet, but we’ll probably get married in Perth, where Richard’s frail grandparents are, so I was assuming it would be too far for you to come. Of course you’re invited, though.’

  Out of the corner of her eye, Gigi could have sworn she saw Richard flinch.

  ‘You know there is nothing I’d like more than to have you share our big day.’ Lily’s eyes were wide.

  ‘I know.’ Gigi held back tears. ‘But it is what it is, I suppose. Just make sure you come back and visit afterwards.’

  ‘We’ll honeymoon here, won’t we, love.’ Lily turned to Richard.

  He touched her cheek. ‘Of course. Anything my girl wants, she can have.’

  Lily threw her arms around him, the great big diamond on her finger catching the orange light from the bonfire. Richard certainly hadn’t picked that up from anywhere around here.

  ‘It’s Mrs Prescott’s,’ Lily said, catching Gigi staring at it. ‘Isn’t she generous? She’s been so welcoming of me.’

  I bet, thought Gigi. As much as Lily marrying a doctor was a good match, the advantages of Richard marrying into a senator’s family would not be lost on Mrs Prescott.

  Ian came towards them, camera in hand. He took at least two shots before Lily realised he was there and she berated him for not letting her pose properly.

  ‘Oh, promise me you won’t print those.’

  Ian winked. ‘Candid shots are usually much more interesting.’ He walked back to the bonfire.

  ‘I’ll go have a chat with him over a beer.’ Richard untangled himself from her hold and strode towards Ian’s group of drinking friends.

  The girls moved further away from the noise of the bonfire and sat down on the picnic blanket Gigi had brought with her. Lily adjusted her skirt and sat tall, laying her hands in her lap. Then she played with her hair, pushing the same strand behind her ear repeatedly. She adjusted her skirt again.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Gigi asked.

  ‘Oh, Gigi.’ She reached out and grabbed her hand. ‘What if I’m not good enough to be Mrs Prescott? What if I make a terrible wife? What if I don’t fit in with his friends?’

  Gigi looked deeply into her best friend’s eyes. ‘Lillian Woodhouse, if there’s one thing I know beyond any doubt, it’s how special and wonderful you are. Richard is lucky to have you, and I think he knows it too.’ She pointed towards the men huddled by the fire. Richard was looking over to them, a lovesick smile across his face as he gazed at Lily.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really.’

  ‘I do wish you could come to the wedding. I tried to convince them to have it in Sydney, but Richard’s grandmother can’t travel.’

  ‘It’s okay.’

  Lily squeezed her hand. ‘It won’t be the same without you.’ Her voice caught.

  Gigi suspected marrying into the Prescott family was going to be a little lonely for her friend. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the angel wing pendant.

  ‘Seeing as I won’t be there in body, take this.’ She handed Lily the wings. ‘This was Arthur’s.’ Her voice caught in her throat as she said his name. ‘It was his guardian angel and he left it to me.’ She bit her bottom lip. ‘It can be your something borrowed.’

  Lily shoved it right back into Gigi’s hands. ‘No. I can’t accept this. It obviously means a lot to you.’

  ‘Not as much as you do. Sisters, remember? I want you to have it. If I can’t be there when you get married, then a piece of me can be. Besides, when would I ever get the chance to wear it?’

  ‘You never know.’ Lily pressed it back into Gigi’s hands. ‘Please. I can’t.’

  Gigi looked into her friend’s eyes. ‘You can and you will. You can bring it back to me next summer when you visit.’ She could feel the tears welling up.

  ‘Oh, Gigi. You were the best friend I ever could have asked for.’

  ‘Were? You make it sound like this is goodbye.’

  ‘No.’ Lily’s voice was firm. ‘It’s never goodbye. Not between us.’ Her expression softened. ‘But we can’t pretend things will ever be exactly the same again after tonight. I will come back. Every summer. But it will be . . . different. This,’ she held up the pendant, ‘will remind us of the summers of our childhood.’

  ‘Before adulthood got in the way.’ Gigi looked into her eyes.

  Lily nodded.

  ‘Okay. But we still have tonight, right? Do you want to go for one last childish night-time dip?’

  ‘I don’t have a swimming costume.’

  ‘Neither do I.’ Gigi pulled Lily to standing and dragged her down the beach.

  They ran into the water, fully dressed, giggling and splashing each other. The ocean was warm and the waves small, breaking around their knees. A few of the younger kids by the bonfire saw them and joined in. Ian and his friends stood where the sea foam hugged the sand, pointing and laughing.

  The moon cast light and shadow that bounced off the water and Gigi spun in circles with Lily, round and round. Together they fell into the water and Gigi lay back, letting the waves wash over her. Lily tried to stand. Losing her footing, she fell onto Gigi, sending her under.

  ‘Oh my. Are you all right?’ Lily reached down to lift her friend.

  Gigi came up spluttering. ‘Yes.’ She laughed. ‘I’m fine.’

  They scrambled to the edge of the water and sat on the wet sand. Lily’s skirt floated around her, in and out with each wave.

  ‘Lillian?’

  The girls turned to see Richard standing behind them, his arms folded across his chest. ‘What is this?’

  Lily jumped up and tried to straighten her skirt, but it clung to her legs in soggy patches. ‘Sorry. It’s just . . . We . . . I . . .’

  ‘It’s my fault.’ Gigi stood and stepped to Lily’s side. ‘I dragged her in.’

  Richard shot her a look. Gigi never knew anyone could express anger, revulsion and contempt in one look the way Richard just had. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a step to the side.

  ‘That’s okay.’ He regained his composure, confidence and charm returning. ‘We should probably go now, though, darling.’ He looked at Lily. ‘It’s a long trip back tomorrow.’

  ‘Yes, dear.’ Lily turned and hugged Gigi goodbye.

  As Gigi watched them walk up the beach, she sucked on her bottom lip to stop the tears she could feel welling up.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Ian walked towards her.

  Great. Just what she needed. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Are you s
ure, squirt?’ He rubbed the top of her head so roughly she had to duck away. He always did that. She always hated it.

  ‘Go away, you big buffoon.’ She thrust her hands in her overall pockets and stormed up the sand.

  Drying off by the bonfire, Gigi watched the flames dance as they made strange elegant shapes that crackled and popped. She stepped closer and reached out her hand.

  ‘Hey.’ Costas appeared beside her. Where had he come from?

  She pulled her hand back and turned to face him. ‘You came.’

  ‘I did.’

  ‘What’s that wog doing here?’ Todd swayed as he walked towards them.

  ‘I invited him.’ Gigi squared her shoulders and put her hands on her hips.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Costas whispered. ‘I’ll go.’

  ‘No. You’re as welcome here as anyone else.’

  Todd took a wobbly step forward. ‘Is this why you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder?’ He pushed Costas but kept his eyes on Gigi. ‘Hanging out with this wog? Don’t tell me you’re sweet on him.’

  Gigi stepped in front of Costas. ‘I said he was welcome.’

  ‘Virginia.’ Costas touched her on the shoulder. ‘It’s okay. I’ll just leave.’

  ‘Oh.’ Todd tapped his chest and spread out his arms. ‘Wog-boy’s a poofter, too. Needs a little girl to stand up for him.’

  Ian came around the bonfire and put his arm around Todd’s shoulders. ‘Come on, mate. Leave these two be. They’re not worth your trouble.’

  Todd twisted himself free. ‘Not you too? Bloody wogs taking our jobs and our women. Are you going to let this scum take your pretend sister?’ He pushed his sleeves up and centred his stance.

  Gigi backed up a little. She’d need some space to duck and weave when he threw his first punch. And she’d need some leverage to counter-attack. Ian had taught her well. Hopefully she could put all those boxing lessons into practice.

  Ian moved between them. At six feet tall with the broad shoulders of someone who’d spent his life working and playing in the ocean, he was much bigger than weedy Todd.

  ‘Let’s go get another drink, mate.’ His voice was low, his hand on Todd’s chest. Todd’s stern expression faltered. ‘Why don’t you head home, squirt,’ Ian said over his shoulder.

  Gigi stood her ground. She wasn’t going to let Todd intimidate her, despite her instinct to sit down and cry.

  Costas touched her shoulder as he backed away from the bonfire. She stood there, just a moment longer, staring Todd down. His shoulders lost their tension. ‘All right, mate. Let’s have another beer.’

  As soon as the older boys moved away, Gigi spun around and ran down the beach after Costas. He’d covered a fair distance in the short moments that had passed.

  ‘Wait. Costas. Please.’

  Costas stopped just as he reached the other side of the dunes.

  ‘I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Virginia.’ He spat the words at her.

  Her eyes pricked with salt and, despite sucking on her bottom lip, the tears fell. ‘That’s not . . . not what I was doing.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ He walked towards her. ‘I know you were just trying to help. But really. There’s no point. Not with a malaka like that.’

  Gigi laughed. She always liked it when Costas spoke Greek. She didn’t know what malaka meant, but she could tell it wasn’t nice. And that was just fine by her. Todd, despite a momentary lapse into decency over the past few months, was undoubtedly a malaka at his core.

  ‘Tonight really didn’t go the way I was hoping.’ Her bottom lip quivered. ‘I didn’t get to say goodbye to Lily properly. Richard wasn’t very impressed with me dragging her in for a swim. Todd . . . was Todd. And now I’ve upset you.’ She plonked herself onto the sand dune and hugged her legs.

  Costas sat down beside her and bumped her shoulder with his. ‘It’ll be okay’.

  ‘How do you do it?’ Gigi looked into his dark eyes. ‘Always find the positive? Put up with it? Them?’ She pointed towards the bonfire.

  He took in a deep breath. ‘There’s no point getting into it with them. You’re never going to change the mind of a bigot like Todd. It would just end in a fight and then that confirms for them that I’m a bad guy. My yiayia, my grandmother, always said, “Don’t fight against the hate, fight for the love.”’

  His gaze bore into Gigi and her cheeks burned. She tried to look away, but couldn’t. His hand inched towards hers, brushing her fingers. She held her breath.

  A loud bang came from the direction of the bonfire as one of the branches exploded and a cheer went up from the crowd. Costas stood and held out his hand. ‘Come on, Virginia. I’ll walk you home.’

  She took his hand and he pulled her up. She stopped, an inch away from his face. She could feel his warm breath caress her forehead. ‘Why do you do that?’ she whispered.

  ‘Do what?’ He brushed her straggly fringe off her face.

  ‘Call me Virginia. Why don’t you ever call me Gigi?’

  ‘Gigi is a child’s name. And you’re not a child. You’re a woman. A beautiful woman.’

  Gigi turned away. ‘I’m a bait-catching, overall-wearing tomboy with curly straw for hair.’

  He moved around and stood in front of her, no space between them. ‘You are a kind, brave, spirited breath of fresh air, with the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever gazed into.’

  Gigi tried to come up with a funny retort – how many eyes has he been gazing into; ‘spirited’ is just another word for wild – but her brain wouldn’t send any messages to her mouth.

  Costas stared into her and she had trouble breathing. She leaned in. She’d never kissed a boy before, but she was pretty sure leaning in helped. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

  ‘We cannot, Virginia. It’s not how the world works.’

  Costas turned and walked off into the night, leaving her behind to sink into the dune as tears streamed down her face.

  For three afternoons in a row, Laura had met Heath by the ocean’s edge and they’d surfed together. She was getting better. At least she thought she was. He did tell her so, but she assumed he would say that regardless.

  She would never admit it to anyone, but the moments she was out in the waves with Heath were the most peaceful she could ever remember having. While paddling out, or waiting in the undulating swell, or riding a wave she’d managed to catch, she didn’t think about Lillian or her mystery; she didn’t think about work.

  Even being dumped, which happened more often than she liked to own up to, was a welcome distraction. Despite the fact that every time she was being rolled and pummelled by the force of surging waves she thought she might not survive. Funny how something so terrifying could be such an integral part of something so gloriously serene.

  On the fourth afternoon, Laura and Heath were joined by Yvonne and Ryan. Laura didn’t mind whenever Heath saw her fall, or miss a wave, or come up spluttering unceremoniously after being nearly drowned. One person watching her fail – a person she’d grown to trust – was one thing. Having an audience of experienced surfers was another matter entirely.

  After her second dumping in three waves, Laura called it quits and waded in to shore. As she sat on the sand watching the real surfers do their thing, a pang of jealousy hit her. Would she ever be that good? Of course not. They all had a lifetime of surfing experience behind them. Once she left Banksia Bay and headed back to her quiet inner-city life, everything she’d learned would be forgotten.

  She dug her hand into the sand and grabbed a fistful of tiny yellow grains. She raised her hand up and let the grains sift between her fingers. Once she left Banksia Bay, what would her life be like? What truths, or not, would she be taking with her? Was her mother right, in some way at least? Clearly Lillian had secrets. Was it possible that she’d kept them apart, especially if she knew Donna had the photo? It was looking more and more likely that the seemingly innocent picture of two young girls in the sand was carrying more
meaning than Laura had imagined.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw two figures walking up the beach. Well, one was walking, one was running, a small board under his arm.

  Charlotte waved to Laura as she neared and Aiden stood at the edge of the water, waiting for his mum’s okay to go in. Ryan came in out of the surf and spoke with Charlotte for a moment. He reached out his hand and touched her shoulder briefly, which Laura most certainly noticed, and then Aiden was off with him, to join in the surfing fun.

  Charlotte sat herself on the sand beside Laura. ‘Have you given up?’

  ‘Embarrassing myself in front of my teacher is bad enough. With everyone else watching on . . .’ She pointed to the water. ‘And now Aiden is out there. Being shown up by a seven-year-old is not exactly my idea of fun.’

  ‘I know what you mean,’ Charlotte said. ‘I did try it, growing up. It’s kind of hard with a brother like that –’ she pointed to Heath, who’d just caught a wave – ‘not to at least give it a go. But I wasn’t very good. Even Ian, the master of all surfing gurus, couldn’t manage to bring out my natural surfer.’

  Heath finished his ride and ran up the sand, shaking his head when he got to them, spraying them with sea water.

  ‘Thank you, brother mine.’ Charlotte frowned. ‘That never gets old.’

  Heath hugged her as she tried to squirm free.

  ‘How old are you?’ she squealed.

  ‘Never too old to do that.’ His grin was wide. ‘Are you done, Laura?’

  ‘I think for today, yes. But you keep going.’

  He hesitated, only for a moment, and when she shooed him away with a flick of her hands, he ran back into the ocean.

  Aiden and Ryan rode the next wave together, Ryan waving to Charlotte as he fell off the back of the wave, and Charlotte went red.