Читать книгу Bangalore - Roger Crook - Страница 6

The meeting at the Pool.

The ‘Pool’ as Rachael had called it, was really a billabong kept full by a spring of water that bubbled out of the ground and flowed into a big dam, probably one hundred metres in diameter and surrounded by old shady eucalypts. By the side of the track, about ten metres from the water edge there was a bough shed used for a changing room. Behind that a small toilet and at water’s edge a gazebo-like bough shed with table and benches all made out of bush timber, and close by, a stone barbecue.

Rachael stopped the car and turned to Pat. “Welcome to the site of the annual Bangalore Olympics, a place where all the kids and at the weekends parents and anyone else who happened to be at Bangalore, would meet and play. Almost every day in the summer we used to ride our horses down here. Ewen and I, and I am sure all the other kids, learned to swim here, and as we got older some of us fell into and out of love down here. Bathers were never compulsory when we were kids; they became compulsory as we got older unless parents and Alice weren’t around. C’mon, let’s have a swim and cool off; then we can sit in the shade. There are couple of aluminium lounges, or there should be, in the changing shed.”

They got out of the car and walked to the gazebo where Rachael quickly took off all her clothes except a pair of skimpy briefs, almost a G-string. Without looking at Pat she ran the five metres or so to the water’s edge, waded in, let out a little squeal as the cold water splashed over her body and then dived. She surfaced ten metres out and obviously treading water shouted, “C’mon, Pat, it’s wonderful.”

Pat hadn’t swum in the nude since she was a child, maybe ten or eleven. With friends she’d gone to the Collie River on a hot summer’s day, boys and girls, and as a dare they had all taken their clothes off and gone swimming in one of the deep pools. They had been seen by a local busybody, who had told their parents. Her dad had smiled and said that they meant no harm, but added bathers would be a good idea in future. Her mother had gone ballistic and grounded her for two weeks of the summer holidays.

Pat took off her clothes down to her pants and bra, then she hesitated. She watched the bra-less Rachael swimming strongly in the middle of the pool. So she reached behind her back and undid the clip on her bra and shrugged it off. The water was cold, so she dived and it took her breath away. Then it became a welcome luxury as her body cooled and she swam after Rachael.

They stayed in the water for ten or fifteen minutes, swimming and talking. As they were standing at the water’s edge drying themselves, Pat saw someone sitting on a horse in the shadow of one of the big trees on the far side of the pool. She continued drying herself and said, “Rachael, we’re being watched. There’s someone on a horse over on the other side.”

Rachael stopped and turned to look at the shadowy figure. She made no attempt to cover herself as Pat turned her back on whoever it was and grabbed her tee-shirt and put it on. Rachael stood there looking without a trace of embarrassment as she faced the shadowy figure and then she shouted, “Is that you, Ali?” The figure waved, nudged the horse in the ribs and man and horse started walking round the pool towards them.

Still Rachael didn’t get dressed; she just watched the man and horse as they slowly approached. Pat watched Rachael and couldn’t help but admire her body as she stood in the rays of the evening sun; it wasn’t the body of an athlete like hers, but nonetheless it was trim and well proportioned. It showed no sign of marks from wearing bathers or any sort of covering; the tan was even and almost coffee coloured. Now she was smiling as the man and horse got closer and she reached for her tee-shirt and put it on. “It’s Ali; might have known he would turn up.”

“Who’s Ali?”

“Barnaby Kamran, known to all as Ali. As kids we reckoned he was Ali Barber and the name stuck. Even Alice calls him Ali. He’s Alice’s son.”

He stopped in front of them and looked down from his horse. “Hello, Princess. Didn’t expect to see you here. Alice told me you were coming.”

“Hello, Ali. It’s good to see you again.” Rachael stood quite still, looking at him.

He was wearing a faded blue shirt and jeans and a big felt hat; he didn’t get off the horse and the horse stood still. “Heard any more about Ew?”

“Nothing, we expect to hear good news tonight sometime.”

“Poor bugger. He’ll be all right though. Has to be, doesn’t he? The Three Musketeers must go on.” His face was sombre and he looked at Rachael from under the wide brim of his hat. Pat couldn’t see his eyes.

Suddenly tears welled up in Rachael’s eyes and she said softly, “Get off that bloody nag, Ali.”

He slipped his feet out of the stirrups, lifted his right leg over the horse’s neck and slid to the ground not taking his eyes off Rachael and letting the reins fall to the ground. They stood with their arms around each other Rachael resting her head on his chest. “Look at me. I haven’t cried since…”

“That’s when we became the Three Musketeers, ‘all for one and one for all’, remember?”

“Of course I do, that’s what made me cry…because there are only two of us here. Oh Ali, I’m sorry.” She turned to Pat and disentangled herself from his arms. “Ali, this is Pat; she’s engaged to Ewen. Pat, this is Ali, my friend.” She gave a little laugh. “And my fellow Musketeer.”

Ali held out his hand to her and it was hard and calloused but his touch was gentle. He’d taken his hat off and Pat could see his face. He was darker than Rachael but not much. She could see Alice in his eyes except that years squinting into the sun had given him wrinkles, but again, like Alice’s, the eyes were blue. He smiled and looked her. It was an easy smile. “Pleased to meet you, Pat. Alice told me you were here. Long drive from Perth for a city girl.”

“Hello, Ali. Yes, it was. I’ve never been up here before; flown over it a few times.”

“Alice said you're a pilot.”

Rachael took hold of his hand. “Come and talk to us under the bough shed. We can sit down there.”

As they walked the few metres to the gazebo-like structure Pat noticed Ali had a pronounced limp. As if reading her mind Rachael asked him, “Leg no better?”

“Not really, Rach. This weather seems to stir it up. It’s all right when I’m riding, but the motor bike gets it going.”

“Well, I’ve told you, they can work wonders these days, but the longer you leave it, the older you get, the more difficult it becomes. You should have it done.”

He laughed at her. “Yes, Doctor. I’ve told you the only way that I’ll have it done is if you are there as my nurse.”

“Then you’ll have to come to Sydney.”

“What, for a month?”

“You can stay with me.”

“What about the re-hab, physio and all that? I can’t go off into Carnarvon twice a week.”

“Then you’ll have to stay for three months.”

Now seated facing each other across the table Ali looked at Rachael. “Can’t do that. Might get to like it.”

Rachael was looking into his eyes. “What, me or Sydney?”

For a moment he just looked at her, oblivious of Pat. Neither of them really smiled. Rachael returned his gaze; there was a challenge in her eyes.

Without answering her challenge he smiled and said, “Angus couldn’t manage on his own for three months out here anyway.”

“You haven’t answered my question, and yes he could.”

Ali stood up, “Must get going, Princess. Got a yard full of horses; better go and feed ’em before it gets dark.” The horse he’d been riding was pulling on tussocks of green around the pool. Rachael got up and walked to it with him, holding his hand. Before he got on the horse he put his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him. Rachael kissed him and the kiss lasted for long enough for Pat to realise that both Rachael and Ali might have been happier if she hadn’t been there.

On the short trip back to the homestead Rachael answered the question posed by the kiss. “Ali and I have been lovers since I was about sixteen. Don’t know how I didn’t get pregnant… long school holidays. The doctor at school was good. I went to her, worried and frightened; she put me on the pill.”

“You miss him?”

“Ali, is a constant ache in me. I’m just over thirty now. I left this place to go to medical school when I was nineteen, I think to please my mother. She was a huge influence on me when I was young, dominant in many ways.” They reached the homestead and put the Mercedes in the bough shed. Rachael didn’t move to get out. “I did medicine in Perth so I got home at the end of every semester. As time went by going back to Perth got harder and harder, but for some bloody reason I kept on doing it. Then I started working at Princess Margaret with kids and babies; time passed. Then I got offered this job in Sydney and the chance to do some further study…so, I don’t know why, I took it.”

“What did Ali say?”

“What he always bloody says – nothing. He just said it’s a long way to Sydney.”

“How long since you’ve seen him?”

“Nearly twelve months. I’ve been out with other men, but every time I do I think of Ali and it just ends. I think some of my colleagues think I’m gay.” With a rueful little laugh Rachael said, “C’mon, let’s go and have a shower, I’m getting hungry and I could do with a beer.”