Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [190]
Later when she was alone, Olivia returned to the freshly planted little tree. Kneeling down, she unwrapped a small jar filled with powdery red soil. She unscrewed the lid and sprinkled the soil from James’ first grave around the tree. Then, digging a small hole, she reached into a pocket and took out Hamish’s war medal and buried it.
‘Now my sons are home at last,’ she whispered. ‘Be at peace, my boys. Grow strong, little tree.’ She lightly touched the feathery leaves and turned to go indoors with tears in her eyes.
Olivia slowly withdrew from her role in the office at Star of the Sea as Maya became increasingly competent. It pleased her that Maya was so committed to the business and that her father got such joy from having her involved. One day as they were getting letters and parcels together for the mail south, Olivia remarked how much Maya seemed to enjoy the business and life in Broome generally.
‘I thought you might find it all a little dull after living in the south with so many amenities, so many attractions,’ said Olivia.
‘But I was white then,’ responded Maya almost casually, tightening a knot in the string around a parcel.
Olivia was stunned. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
Maya looked up, slightly puzzled at her reaction. ‘Well, life down south isn’t that great if you’re an Aborigine.’
‘But you’re … ’ paused Olivia, searching for the right word.
‘Different?’ suggested Maya with a raised eyebrow.
Olivia paced a little nervously around the office. ‘No, I don’t want to say that. It’s just that, well, I really hadn’t thought about it much since we came here. You just fitted in so well. Everything seems so … normal.’
‘Ah yes, but that’s because this is Broome and Broome is not normal, is it? Being part Aboriginal here isn’t much of a problem, is it? Nobody really makes a big issue of it, do they? You can see it every day in the streets, Aboriginal blood mixed with God knows how many races.’ She flipped a rubber band around a pile of letters, then went on. ‘I hid from my real self for most of my life. Now I am being me, and that means being Aboriginal as well. It’s pretty easy to do that here, I couldn’t do it in Perth, or Fremantle. Down there hardly anyone wants to know an Aborigine, even a white-looking one,’ and she laughed, breaking the tension she knew the issue had created between them. ‘I can never go back down there, not to live anyway.’
Olivia took Maya’s hand in hers. ‘Maya, I’m sorry I haven’t talked about this with you before. I really took too much for granted. I just haven’t thought about how you were adjusting to your Aboriginality.’
‘There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Olivia. But I do feel sorry for Georgie. How she has reacted to Minnie’s tribe, how she doesn’t want anything to do with our people. It saddens me a lot, but I don’t think she wants to know. She listens to you more than she listens to me. But I can’t change, Olivia. What I’ve found is too valuable to give up.’
‘I know what you’re saying, my dear Maya. I know,’ said Olivia softly and they embraced.
Maya then hoisted herself up on the desk and motioned Olivia to sit in the swingback chair. ‘Sit down and I’ll tell you something I’ve not talked about much to anyone, except Dad.’ She paused, looked down for a moment in contemplation, then gave a little sigh. ‘Remember after you left here and I wrote to you saying that I had been down the coast to see my family.’ Olivia nodded and Maya went on. ‘My family,’ she repeated thoughtfully. ‘Sounds odd doesn’t it when you know them—still bush blacks mostly. Anyway, it was fun, it was exciting and they were beautiful and warm and wonderful. But there was much I didn’t write because I just couldn’t find the right words, and, well, it seemed to be a very private thing. Something very spiritual happened that has changed me forever. It will help you understand why I feel like I do now.’
Maya leaned back, hands on the desk behind her. ‘It was the