Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [16]
‘I’ve done all three,’ Lily admitted.
‘But that’s good. It’s a process that can be painful, but you come out of it feeling renewed and more focused. It gives you a stronger sense of yourself and then good things happen.’ Deidre topped up their glasses. ‘Let it unfold, don’t go chasing butterflies in circles. Up here, in this kind of crazy place, things have a strange way of falling into place.’
The sun had now slipped into the wine bottle, its fat gold shape glowing through the green glass. The two women were comfortable and at ease together in the way that women often make instant contact. Men find the immediate self-revelation of women unfathomable, but women understand its natural and intrinsic value.
Lily finished her wine and rose from her seat. ‘Thanks for the sundowner. It was really very kind of you. I think I’ll head into town and treat myself to a seafood meal. Where’s a good place to eat?’
‘Noshi’s. Next to the Pearl Palace,’ Deidre suggested. ‘By the way I’m arranging an art exhibition at the Cable Beach Club on Thursday night. Would you like to come?’
‘I’d love to. Whose work is it?’
‘Rosie Wallangou. I’ll drop an invitation to you at the Conti. What’s your last name?’
‘Barton. Lily Barton.’ She slipped into her sandals and went down the steps.
Deidre called after her, ‘Take the dirt road around the back of town, it’s quicker. You’ll see the track past Captain Tyndall’s house.’
Lily turned around. ‘Where’s that?’ she asked.
‘Just up the road there on the bluff. Great old house. Enjoy your dinner.’
Lily stood in the twilight staring at the beautiful old bungalow that faced across the bay. It was surrounded by spacious verandahs, and embraced by huge frangipani and rioting bougainvillea. ‘Well, Captain Tyndall,’ she thought, ‘you certainly knew how to pick a place and make a great house.’ She was entranced by the romance of the setting. The view was breathtaking and she wondered if Captain Tyndall, whoever he was, had sat on the verandah enjoying the tranquil panorama of the mangroves, creeks and brilliant waters of Roebuck Bay.
In the distance, she watched a lone sail boat inch its way across the water.
Lily continued her walk into town and found a trattoria-style restaurant and ate in the open air garden by flickering flame torches. Lily had long adjusted to being a woman alone in a restaurant and treated herself to a three course meal, chatting with the young waitress who was over from Denmark on a working holiday. Then, feeling pleasantly satisfied, she strolled back to the hotel in the cool evening air.
There was a message from Tony waiting for her—he was off to New York and would call when he could and sent his love. Lily felt the flush of love she always did when she thought of him, and tucked the message away …
In the bright morning, she pushed her breakfast tray to one side—still no croissants or newspaper—and studied the basic map of the country north of Broome. She packed a bag of mandarins and two litres of bottled water in a holdall and set off in the four-wheel drive. In a few minutes she had reached open road and within half an hour the bitumen had given way to a long stretch of orange dirt road. The lightweight four-wheel drive was difficult to control in the loose dust and she forced herself to slow down.
Lily drove in silence as there was no radio reception and no tape deck. Through her sunglasses the road looked deep sienna and it was obvious that no vehicle had passed this way for some time. She was glad she’d taken the precaution of telling the girl at the reception desk she was making this trip and if she wasn’t back by 8.00 p.m., to let the police know.
The driving now required intense concentration as the wheels were wandering in deep powdery red dust. She tried to drive in the centre of the road, hopeful of finding a firmer surface. But in a moment, before she was aware of what happened, the little vehicle slewed and spun across the road towards a great red bank. Lily struggled