Читать книгу When Boys Kiss Boys - Richard Crlik - Страница 3

Back on the verandah Hope drank greedily, downing the glass in one mouthful. She was trying desperately not to remember. She wanted to think about her childhood, about happy days, about her loving, hen-pecked father, her bossy mother and her wonderful gentle brother. The harder she tried to remember the more she kept forgetting. Her mind kept jumping ahead to times she would rather forget and then further forward to the nightmare that she wanted desperately to blank out.

She stared out over the bushland valley that she loved so much. The place where she had found happiness and contentment. The place where she had found herself. Now it looked gloomy and threatening. The tall gum trees swaying and quivering with each gust of wind. The massive purple sandstone rocks which formed the steep valley wall growing darker as the heavy drops of rain began to build and fall in large plops. Trees and rocks as far as the eye could see.

Hope poured herself another glass. She would make this her last. She knew that she had to pull herself together for Ben. He had been so good and she knew she had failed him miserably. She didn't want to count the days in the past weeks when he had come home to see her in this state. She knew it was wrong, she knew she should try harder, but damn it was so much easier like this.

'Cooee love, it's only me'. Mrs T's voice rang cheerily up the back stairs. 'Ooh I've come at the right time then? No love, you stay there and I'll go get meself a glass and join you if you don't mind?'

Hope didn't mind. Oh god love Mrs T. She had been a rock since the accident, no, she had always been a rock ever since the day Hope and Peter had come to view the land which Mr and Mr T had been selling. Hope thought back to that wonderfully happy day when Peter had brought her here. They had been looking at land all over the city for nearly a year. Every weekend driving from one end of Sydney to the other looking for that perfect place to build their dream home.

She remembered the long drive from her mother's place. How she had fallen in love with the leafy suburbs with their grand houses which seemed to get more and more lovely the further north they drove. Then the disappointment as the lovely suburbs gave way to more modern suburban plots. Red brick and fibro housing lining the roads standing out like huge scabs against the bushland which fell away in steep valleys behind them.

Then they had turned a corner and driven down a hill lined by modest houses. Further along the road where steep, sandstone rocks began to thrust out and the bush came right up to the road, before the trees and rocks fell back as the road ended in a short hill leading back up the valley.

At the foot of the hill was an old house. Sandstone foundations and chimney with mellowed weatherboard walls. It looked so right to her. Their block was above the house. Almost at the top of the valley but not quite. The land sloped back gently for a short distance before falling steeply and then leveling out again sloping gently towards a creek which lay at the bottom. Beyond the creek, which could just be seen glistening between the trees, the land rose again sharply. Beautiful dark green gums with white and pink trunks clinging onto the rounded and weathered, purple and orange sandstone rocks which formed a majestic backdrop.

Hope thought about that wonderful afternoon. How she and Peter had spent nearly an hour walking all around the huge block in amazed delight. Delighted because it was just what they had been looking for and amazed because it was priced within their budget. Mr Thorne had explained that the block had been up for sale for over two years, ever since he had retired, but although many people had been interested it seemed that the steep site had put most potential buyers off so he had reduced the price on the advice of the real estate agent.

Mr Thorne took them around the block, proudly telling them how his sons had worn out the tracks which wound through the property and down to the creek and beyond when they had been growing up. All three boys were grown up and married now with children of their own he told them. Too busy to visit much but they usually all made it for Christmas. Peter had been too engrossed in taking photographs of the block with his Polaroid camera to notice the slight touch of sadness in Mr Thorne's voice when he told them this, but Hope had picked up on it and her heart went out to him.

After they had finished the tour, Peter making them wait while he went back to a few spots to take more photos, they had been invited, well told really, to have afternoon tea with the elderly couple.

'I know Mrs T has already got it waiting. She will want to size you both up if you are to be our new neighbours and she wont take no for an answer. She already has once today. The last couple said they had to rush off to see another plot so they couldn't stay. Can't say as I was bothered though. He seemed alright but she was full of herself. Ha ha- wouldn't walk down the track in case she got her skirt torn. Now I ask you what sort of woman wears a cashmere skirt to see a bush block? Matching coat and hat too! Thought she was Jackie Kennedy- ha!'

So they had stayed for afternoon tea, which turned out to be beer for the two men and gin and tonics for the women. The home made scones and fruit cake were more in keeping with the occasion not to mention delicious. Mrs T or 'Beryl love', as she told them to call her, was just as friendly and easy going as her husband George.

By the time they left they had been given a full history of the block from when Mr and Mrs T had bought it before the war as a large 3 acre plot till the present day when they were selling the plot Hope and Peter had just viewed, and two smaller roadside plots on the other side of their house to keep them 'comfortable' now that George was retired. They also knew that they needn't worry that their views would be spoiled. Mr and Mrs T would be keeping the larger part of their block, 'until the grave pet', and the rest of the valley was a council reserve so it would never be built out.

'Ooh I say love, I do enjoy a nice drop of wine'.

Mr's T popped herself into a chair next to Hope bringing her back to the present.