Читать книгу Palmerstone Ridge - Kim Allen - Страница 5

At 10:35am, Jeanette’s eyes snapped open. The sunlight was streaming through her window and had woken her as it hit her face. Her first thought was the big football game. She didn’t know if Bill and Debbie would make it back in time, and she still had the meat to grab before the cafe could open. Even worse, when she looked at the time, she was late. No time to waste, she threw on some clothes, grabbed her shopping list and was out the front door.

‘Good morning, Sunshine! Bit of a late morning for you isn’t it?’ came the warm, smiling greeting from Bruce the butcher as she exploded through his door. The butcher was already busy, as the rest of the town needed their snags for the football game fundraising as well. Jeanette pushed her way to the side of the counter for her preferred customer treatment, which on days like today, she was thankful for.

‘You have no idea’ Jeanette managed to get out. Bruce was a welcoming face to see in the morning. She had been dealing with him almost as long as she had been working at the cafe, and he knew the way the town worked better than anyone. He was always two steps ahead of her. ‘Oh, I’ve got a fair idea,’ Bruce said cheerfully as he leaned on the counter, ‘You can’t take home a lost puppy around here without someone seeing it’. His cheeky smile made Jeanette blush. She realised she didn’t even notice if Richard was still in the house. ‘Oh, I forgot about that!’ was all that she could get out.

‘Well, I hope he is well trained. You could use the companionship, missy. Now what can I get you?’ Jeanette produced the list of meats she needed for the cafe, and as Bruce went to get her order, she started to think about Richard. She didn’t have time to go back and check on him, and she hoped that he didn’t just walk out of the place.

Bruce returned with a big bag of meats. ‘Who’s your tip to win today?’ he asked as he lifted the bag over the counter.

‘I think the Blues are due for a big win!’ Jeanette replied, taking the bag in both hands and turning to leave.

‘I’ll believe it when I see it, ComeOn the Blues!’ Bruce shouted after her as she shuffled past the waiting customers and out the front door.

As she crossed the street and was digging for her keys in the pocket of her pants, she realised that the cafe was already opened. People were emerging from the front door with their purchases. As she got closer, she could hear Bill inside, ‘Of cause the Blues will crush ‘em. We’re ready for a win!’

The cafe wasn’t crowded, but in the small space, five people felt like a crowd. Jeanette squeezed behind everyone with her bags of meat and tried to get to the kitchen unnoticed. ‘And everyone give it up for Joey who has finally shown up! Great to see you Joey!’ Bill boomed so that everyone knew she was there. ‘Were you having too much fun last night, Joey?’ Bill jeered with a cheeky sparkle in his eye

Jeanette was embarrassed again. She vanished into the kitchen quickly. She found Debbie feverishly making fresh sandwiches. ‘Oh, don’t mind him, dear.’ Debbie jeered and raised her voice a little, ‘He’s just jealous that the Redlegs are going to win!’

‘There is no way they are going to be able to stop Crawly from kicking a ton! Davyes may be good, but with both Knuckles and Spider-Long in the middle, the Legs are going to need a miracle to beat us!’ he called. ‘That’s 5 for the pie, 3 for the slice and 2 for the coffee, $10 please’ returning to his customers.

Debbie chuckled, ‘Arrgh, I love winding him up. The front of the shop looked nice, I heard it wasn’t the young Matthews boy that you helped off the veranda’

‘Seriously, how does everyone know about this?’ Jeanette was already in work mode, unpacking the meats into the cabinet, grabbing her apron. The cooker was in place and already warming up. ‘Mrs Hobbs from the bakery dropped off the bread when we opened. You know what she is like. Recons he was quite dashing, when he wasn't face down.’ Debbie was at the sandwich counter making more sandwiches for the front display. This was second nature to her and she was like an octopus moving so fast making them. Like any concerned parent, she wanted to know that Jeanette was safe.

Jeanette felt awkward and didn’t want to talk about it. Especially since she left Richard at her house and didn’t even see him this morning. ‘It was really weird, he’d made a huge mess on the front, it would have been horrible to clean up this morning and I couldn’t just leave him there, could I?’

‘No, you’re right.’ Debbie stopped making the sandwich and looked straight into Jeanette’s eyes, ‘But you didn’t answer my question’

Jeanette paused and went bright red and couldn’t help a big cheeky smile come across her face. ‘Arrrgh, I knew it!’ Debbie boomed, and a huge smile came across her face. Returning back to the next sandwich, she continued, ‘Now get into making some eggs. We’re doing breakfasts without eggs at the moment and that is ridiculous. Did you get more bacon?’ The busy day had begun.

It wasn’t until the main game kick off at 3pm before the kitchen in the cafe slowed down. Even then, she only managed to make it behind the counter where there were still plenty of customers that wanted something quick to munch on, and cold drinks were a premium.

As the clock crept up to 5pm, Bill slid up beside Jeanette, ‘You better take off, Joey. It’s been a big couple of days. Deb and I will look after the church crowd tomorrow. We’ll see you on Monday.’

She smiled back at him, ‘Thanks Bill,’ and she threw her arms around him then headed for the kitchen. ‘Hope the Blues win,’ she joked as she vanished behind the door.

‘Argh, by the sounds of it, they were down at three quarter time. And we haven’t heard much racket since then, so I’m not holding my breath,’ he muttered as he turned toward the next customer. Jeanette untied her apron and hung it back in the back room, before saying goodbye to Debbie and heading out the door.

‘Good job today, Joey.’ Debbie said as she squeezed Jeanette for a goodbye hug. ‘Everything was set up just right.’

‘Thanks, Deb. Only because you taught me well.’

‘Psst. We didn’t teach you anything, love. You’ve picked it up on your own. Now get out of here. I want to hear some more about this young puppy you have taken home on Monday!’ and Debbie let out a laugh, as Jeanette went red in the cheeks.

She was exhausted, but very excited to be heading home, not knowing what she would find when she got there. Would Richard even still be there? Even though she was exhausted, she found herself at a quick walk to get home.

As she stepped through the front door, the smell of a roast meal hit her. She took in a deep breath, and it smelt really good.

‘Well, seems he can do something,’ she muttered as she walks toward the kitchen. While he had been cooking, he had not cleaned up the kitchen. The dishes were all over the sink. She went out the back door and found that all the washing had been done and was hanging on the line. She even noticed that his white undergarments were on the line. A cheeky smile crossed her face, as she wondered what he would be wearing, and where could he be?

She went to the bedroom, and gently pushed open the door. She spied his feet hanging over the end of her bed. She followed his legs up over his calves, his toned thighs and up to, he had squeezed himself into a pair of her favorite panties. Her jaw fell agape. It was clear that she would not be able to wear those again. She quietly closed the bedroom door.

‘Best to let sleeping dogs lie,’ she said as headed back to the kitchen. She filled the kettle with water and put more wood in the stove. She grabbed a cup and put in some coffee before sitting down to wait for it to boil. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She awoke from a hand shaking her shoulder. It took a moment before she realised she had fallen asleep, and it was Richard that had woken her. He took a step away from her. He was still wearing her panties, and that was all he was wearing. ‘Are you awake now?’ he asked.

Jeanette wasn’t sure if she was angry for being found asleep or embarrassed, but she exploded out of her chair and headed to the linen cupboard. There she found one of her biggest towels and took it back with her. Avoiding looking straight at him, she held the towel out with outstretched arms. ‘While you are in my house, I would appreciate it if you would cover yourself a little better,’ she feigned modesty.

Richard tilted his head a little to one side, with a cheeky one-sided grin. He looked at the towel, then looked up at Jeanette. He straightened his stance a little and held out his hands, as if to say, ‘What do I do with that?’

‘Oh, for Pete’s sake,’ Jeanette spat as she stepped up close to him, wrapping the towel around his waist and tucking the ends in. She could smell that he had showered and when she was up close to him, he smelt good. She stepped back to admire her work. Richard was looking down at her handy work. He looked up at her, with his arms still out, and the towel fell to his ankles. She let out a gasp in shock. How to fix this? She didn’t have any safety pins around, but she had an idea. Jeanette headed out the back door, toward the steel netting she was using to protect the tomatoes from the birds. She unravelled a short piece, flicked it back and forward and bent it into shape. It was a bit crude, but it should do the job of holding up a towel. She returned to Richard and fastened the towel with her new pin.

This time the towel held. He looked back up at her with that cheeky smile. ‘Nice work, but I was going to tell you that the washing was dry. Think I like what you have put me in a little better.’ Jeanette paused for a moment, and then just burst out laughing. Richard smiled and chuckled too.

Jeanette went and retrieved all the washing while Richard prepared the food. He then changed out of the towel, before serving up his masterful creation.

‘So where did you learn to cook like this, Mr Pilman?’ Jeanette asked as she laid out the cutlery onto the table

‘Please, just call me Ric, Mr Pilman was my Dad.’

‘Was?’

‘Yeah, he was drafted to the war,’ Richard took the carving knife and started to carve off slices of meat. ‘He was the one that got me into cooking. He was really great with a camp oven. But I’ve developed my own style since then.’ He took two slices and put them on a plate for Jeanette before putting three slices of meat on his plate.

‘My Dad was drafted too.’ Jeanette put the bowl of vegetables onto the table. ‘He had his aeroplane license and was good with the wireless radio. He was aiming to be working within the communications crew.’

Richard poured the gravy over the meat. ‘My dad was drafted as infantry. He was a bit rough around the edges, my old man, but he taught me a few tricks. Are you a Cobar native?’

‘No. I was born in Bathurst. Only child. A few months after we received the letter that Dad’s battalion had been hit, mum got really sick and passed away. I was shuffled to a few different foster homes, but it wasn’t until I landed with Bill and Debbie that I found a home.’

‘And you’ve been scooping drunks off the street ever since,’ Richard jibbed.

Jeanette smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. ‘No. Well, yes. But you’re the first that I have given shelter.’

Richard had shovelling a large portion of vegetables onto his plate. He then sat across the table from Jeanette, facing her.

Jeanette continued, ‘Bill and Debbie helped me finish my schooling, up until year 10 anyway. They couldn’t have their own kids, but I feel like I am part of their family. By the time I left school, I was working with them in the cafe. That is where I’m at now.’ Jeanette took a bite of the roast. It was delicious, and just melted in her mouth. ’And what is your story, Richard Pilman. Where did you start from?’

Richard pondered while he chewed. Once he swallowed, he answered. ‘Originally, I’m from Burra, down south. Didn’t finish my year 10. Started working in the shearing sheds as a rouser, til I tried shearing. I’m pretty good at it. Well, the boss says I am. He said I should try for the national championships.’ He paused for a moment, watching Jeanette. Feeling a little uncomfortable with the pause, he nervously continued ‘I’m seeing a lot of the country and the shearing team is a bit like my family. But I guess eventually, I’ll settle down and I want to be like the Dad I had but do it for a longer time.’

Jeanette thought about this. She hadn’t stopped to think much about what had happened to her and how that would have shaped her. Richard could feel Jeanette watching him, as he put some more vegetables in his mouth.

Once he finished chewing, ‘And what about you, Jeanette. Where are you going?’

Jeanette had just been pondering this, but no one had asked her where she was going before. She didn’t really believe that she had a choice in her path. ‘I’m really still finding that out’ she blurted, and quickly turned back to her food.

‘Mmm,’ Richard noted. He cut up another piece of meat, dragging it through his gravy before putting it in his mouth.

For the rest of the meal, they chattered and bantered with each other. Jeanette found that Richard was a very charming man. As they finished the meal, they both cleaned up the table and did the dishes together. They sat on the back porch and watched the sun set.

‘So,’ ventured Jeanette once the burning color of the sun had left the sky, ‘Where are you staying for your time here in Cobar? Shouldn’t you tell the rest of the team where you are?’

‘Boofa’s set us up down at the caravan park. He’s got us a cabin there.’

Jeanette looked at him with inquisitive look, ‘Boofa?’

‘Yeah, Boofa. He’s the crew chief. I think his name is Colwitz or something. But everyone seems to call him Boofa.’

‘Well’, continued Jeanette, ‘Shouldn’t we let Boofa know where you are?’

Richard made a grumbling sound in the back of his throat. He looked at the ground tilting his head and awkwardly shuffled his feet. ‘If you don’t mind,’ he started, a little nervously, ‘I’d rather stay with you. The guys won’t be leaving until next Monday, I’ll catch up with them before then, and you’re much better company than the guys’

Jeanette couldn’t hide the smile that crossed her face. Richard didn’t see it as he couldn’t make eye contact with her. As the question hung in the air, Jeanette enjoyed watching his awkwardness. She felt all giddy inside but was trying to prolong this moment for as long as it was worth. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want to say goodbye to Richard either. Not after such a lovely evening.

‘Sure,’ was all she managed to say without exploding with excitement.