Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [102]
‘We’ll make it a short trip and you have to do everything Ahmed and Tyndall tell you, absolutely. Understood?’
Tyndall explained the situation to Niah. ‘Too cramped for you and Maya to come. And I want this to be a special event for Hamish. He misses his father and I’d like him to learn to know and love the sea. Just be a short trip.’ He lifted Maya and spun her around in the air, making her giggle. She reached out and grabbed at his earring which always intrigued her. He hugged her to him. ‘You be a good girl while I’m at sea.’
‘Me come to sea.’
‘Maybe next trip.’ He kissed her hair and brushed his fingertips over Niah’s cheek.
The Conrad slid away from the jetty and Hamish waved to Niah and Maya till his arm was tired.
Niah had helped with the preparations for the trip but said little. Olivia tried to make her feel less rejected. ‘Niah, I know you would like to come, but I just think it would be too hard on board with both children. Not just for space but for safety reasons. It’s for Hamish really.’ She looked into Niah’s large eyes and saw a depth of feeling that shook her slightly. A flash of envy, a quizzical questioning, but slowly she smiled with an openness and warmth that Olivia had never seen before. She returned the smile feeling comfortable that Niah understood. But what Niah saw and understood was something Olivia had yet to recognise.
After the Conrad was out of sight Niah decided to take a ride on the little train that ran from the wharf to Chinatown, and held Maya’s hand as the old grey horse pulled the open rail car along the street. She got off close to the foreshore camps.
A dusty track wound above the mangroves to a small hillock where there was a makeshift camp.
An older man rose to his feet and lifted an arm in greeting. ‘Hey girl. Me is Wally. Minnie said ya’d be along.’ He grinned at Niah and rested his hand on Maya’s head. ‘We gonna take girlie meet family, eh?’
Wally had brewed a billy and handed Niah a mug of hot tea and proceeded to tear off chunks of a freshly made damper. ‘Corned beef orright?’ he asked. Niah and Maya nodded and he sliced slabs of the pink meat and put it on the damper and handed it to them.
‘How far do we walk?’ asked Niah.
He shrugged. ‘Long walk. We go tomorra, orright?’
‘All right,’ said Niah, and she felt confident and purposeful for the first time in ages.
They walked slowly back to the bungalow and Niah packed the small dilly bag she planned to take with her.
The following morning, at first light, she said goodbye to Minnie, who enfolded her in a strong hug, kissed Maya and reassured Niah this was the right thing to do.
Niah nodded. ‘My heart tells me too. This Dreaming, important for Maya.’
‘Important for you, too, Niah. You need proper family now.’
Wally was waiting for them. ‘G’day. Gimme bag.’ He took the dilly bag from her and they strode out.
A little later, when the sun had risen properly, Wally paused at a point on the track and signalled for Niah to wait. He went to a hollow log nearby and retrieved a spear, woomera and a large hunting knife.
The small party walked through the morning, rested in the shade during the hot midday and resumed walking in the stillness of afternoon and the coolness of twilight. Wally sometimes carried Maya, or she trotted ahead of them in little energetic bursts. They camped and caught food as they travelled, Niah learning much about the bounty of a land that appeared so barren. She slept peacefully beneath the stars, usually by fires in sandy creekbeds, with her daughter cuddled close.
The Conrad bobbed and rolled as the lugger tacked for a starboard run. The spray blew into Hamish’s face and he shouted with laughter and licked the salt from his lips. He was holding tight to the tiller under Ahmed’s strong hand. Olivia and Tyndall exchanged a warm grin at the boy’s delight. Unlike his father, Hamish had taken to sailing with gusto. The weather had blessed them. At night they sat on the deck,