The Plantation - Di Morrissey [140]
Her mother started putting glasses and plates on the tray. ‘Let’s see Bette first. Why don’t we compose the letter together tonight?’
After much discussion about how much to put in the letter and deciding to keep it brief and simple, they finally posted it.
Dear Aunt Bette,
I am Caroline, Margaret’s daughter, and I have only just discovered that you are living in Cairns. I am living in the family home in Brisbane since Mother died. My daughter Julie and I would love to talk to you, if that is at all possible. Here is my phone number. With love and warm wishes – after such a long time!
Caroline Reagan, nee Elliott
‘We’ll give her a couple of weeks to reply and then if we don’t hear from her we’ll call her,’ said Julie.
‘She might take awhile to digest this news and my hunch is she’ll send a note rather than phone,’ said Caroline. ‘She’s of that generation.’
Julie emailed Christopher, telling him how she felt about being home, and how she and Caroline hoped to go to Cairns in the near future. But once she returned to work, she had a lot of catching up to do. She was swamped and found that she was working late – there was a marketing project in Melbourne that would take up all her time for the next few weeks.
Then all thoughts of Bette were swept away when Caroline rang Julie one evening with some very exciting news.
‘It’s Adam and Heather,’ she exclaimed breathlessly.
‘Mum, what’s up? What’s happened to Adam and Heather? Are they all right?’
‘They’re expecting a baby! At last! I’m beside myself. I’m so thrilled. I have to go and visit them immediately.’
‘Mum! They’ve just announced it. When is it due?’
‘Not for seven months. But I want to be there now, help them celebrate. I’ve been longing to be a grandmother.’
Julie smiled to herself. ‘Mum, you can’t stay with them for seven months. Make it a quick trip. I’m sure they’ll want you back when the baby is due. What about the bypass? And what about visiting Bette?’
‘Well, there’s not much happening with the bypass since we heard from the lawyer, and you’re flat out at work anyway, and we haven’t heard from Bette at all, so maybe she doesn’t want to speak with us. And I know, you’re right, I can’t stay with Adam and Heather for seven months, but I just have to go now.’
Julie was pleased that her mother was so happy about her brother’s news. She shared the excitement with Christopher.
I’m very pleased that you’re going to be an aunt. I bet you’ll be the best aunt ever. I like the sound of your family and I know when you meet Bette, she’ll warm to you no matter what happened in the past. I’m waiting for the next exciting episode. My life seems pretty dull and empty compared with yours! Have to say I miss seeing you. Chris x
11
HOW QUICKLY SHE SLIPPED back into her old life, and how crazy and frustrating that life suddenly seemed to Julie. She was hardly ever home. She made two trips to Melbourne to help launch a new company, she wrote reports, and she tried to spend time with her father while her mother was away in Adelaide. There just didn’t seem to be time to sit back and relax in peace, with space and openness around her.
She found herself thinking about the ritual in the longhouse after the evening meal when everyone sat quietly on mats, mothers singing or talking softly to children, men smoking their pipes staring into the flames of the little fire while discussing the events of the day, and women and girls weaving by lantern and firelight. By the time the jungle night creatures stirred and began foraging, the Iban were asleep. At the same hour in Australia, Julie was just getting home from work, wondering what she had in the freezer that she could heat up quickly for supper, before she sat down at her computer to look at her emails.
Having to come home by train one evening, Julie thought of the sundowners she’d shared on the verandah at Utopia as the chick blinds were raised to let in the cool night breeze and delicious smells wafted from the kitchen. Meals with her cousins were relaxed gatherings of friends