Secrets in Pelican Crossing (Pelican Crossing #2)

Twenty-eight

It was two days since the lunch with Liz’s mum and Tilly’s amazing suggestion, and Liz had thought of little else. But neither Julie nor Tilly had raised the subject again, and Liz didn’t want to pre-empt them.

Liz was meeting Julie and Tilly this morning to go on a cruise. It was the wrong season for whale watching, but that didn’t deter Tilly who discovered an eco-cruise setting out from the marina, which guaranteed sightings of dolphins, turtles and dugongs. It lasted for four hours and included morning tea. Liz wasn’t sure about the guaranteed sightings but didn’t want to dent Tilly’s enthusiasm so was willing to go along.

Before she left, she turned on the television to check the latest weather. While it was fine here in Pelican Crossing, there was the threat of a cyclone farther north. It was still out at sea, and she’d been following its progress over the past few days. The cyclone was predicted to be heading for Townsville and Magnetic Island with landfall expected on the weekend. Magnetic Island was where Mandy had gone on the dive trip. Liz hoped she was safe.

This morning the news reported the cyclone was now category three and might be changing direction; residents in the affected areas – between Cairns and Mackay – were warned to take precautions. A further news item reported shopping centres had been inundated with crowds stocking up on water, bread, batteries and other essential items after agencies urged residents to stock up on supplies to last them three days .

Liz’s forehead creased, her stomach lurched. She took out her phone and pressed Mandy’s number on speed dial, but it went to voicemail. She bit her lip. She could only hope Mandy was safe. It was time to go.

‘You okay?’ Julie asked when they met at the marina.

‘Fine.’

‘You don’t look fine.’

‘It’s the cyclone. It’s heading for Magnetic Island where Mandy is. I tried to call her but there was no answer.’

Julie put her hand on Liz’s arm. ‘I’m sure she’ll be fine. From what you’ve told me, there have been lots of warnings. Surely she’d make sure she was safe?’

‘I hope so. Mandy can be very headstrong.’

‘What about the guy she’s with?’

‘Gary?’ Liz pictured the calm young man who had been brought up on the ocean, whose father had owned a fishing boat and now a fishing charter, whose brother worked at the marina. ‘He’s sensible. He wouldn’t take any risks.’ Liz felt better having said this and decided to put the cyclone to the back of her mind and enjoy the day. There was nothing she could do about the weather, and Mandy would contact her if she was in trouble – wouldn’t she?

The cruise lived up to Tilly’s expectations. Although they didn’t see any dugongs, they did see a number of dolphins and turtles and the commentary on the way was very informative.

After a pleasant lunch at The Blue Dolphin Café , they were walking along the beach, Tilly trailing behind, eyes on her phone as usual, when Julie said, ‘Tilly said she’d spoken to you.’

‘She was asking me about when I was pregnant, about my parents’ reaction, how they handled it.’

‘She said you’d moved away.’

‘I was pregnant, Julie. It was a small town. The gossips would have had a field day. I’d always have been known as the girl who… My family would never have lived it down, even if I’d left as soon as I finished school.’

‘Sometimes the city can seem like a small town too. Tilly’s afraid to go back to school. I’d hoped… coming here… talking with you… she might have found a way through things, but…’ Julie shook her head.

‘ Could you move to Pelican Crossing? It would mean a huge upheaval, your home, your job… ’

Julie sighed. ‘Not as much as you might think. We’re renting, so no house to sell, and my position at the library’s casual. I would have to give notice, find a job here, somewhere to live…’

‘I’d love to have you with me but…’ Liz pictured her spare room, all Mandy’s belongings scattered about. She’d said till after the dive trip. They’d be back in a week, but she’d need to find somewhere to live too.

‘I couldn’t expect you to…’

‘No, I would offer, but at present Mandy’s staying there, or rather her belongings are. She spends most of her time at work or at her boyfriend’s place. But it is her home.’

‘And it’s not mine. I understand.’

‘That’s not what I mean at all.’ This was becoming too complicated. If it was this difficult when Mandy didn’t know about Julie, when she wasn’t even here, what would it be like once she got back? If Liz had considered it at all, she’d thought Julie would have returned to Brisbane and she could gradually bring the conversation round to the fact she had another daughter, that Mandy and Tara each had another sister. ‘I’d be thrilled to have you and Tilly living here. We just have to work out the logistics. Can we talk about it tonight?’

‘Sure. Sorry if I came on a bit strong. It hasn’t been easy… Tilly’s troubles at school, contacting you…’

‘I know. I’m so glad you did.’ Liz knew she couldn’t repeat it often enough.

*

After a dinner of takeaway pizza, which was Tilly’s choice, followed by chocolate chip ice cream from the local gelato shop, the three moved into the living room where Tilly immediately turned on the television.

‘Not tonight, honey,’ Julie said.

‘But it’s Home and Away . I always watch it,’ Tilly complained.

‘Not tonight,’ Julie repeated. ‘We have something to discuss.’

‘Okay.’

‘I’ll get us some wine,’ Liz said, feeling the need for something stronger than tea or coffee to sustain her for the discussion ahead. ‘Coke for you, Tilly? ’

‘Yes, please.’

In the kitchen, Liz checked the weather again to learn the cyclone was still out at sea moving at seventeen kilometres an hour and was predicted to reach landfall that evening. The blood drained from her face as she tried to call Mandy again with no more success than before.

‘You okay?’ Julie asked when she returned with the wine and Coke.

‘Mmm’

‘Is it the cyclone?’

Liz nodded.

‘I read about it,’ Tilly said. ‘It sounds scary, huge winds, high seas, heavy rain. But it’s a long way from here, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, Tilly, but Liz’s daughter is up there.’

‘My aunt?’

‘Mandy,’ Liz said. ‘She’s on a dive trip with some friends.’

‘Won’t the weather be too fierce for diving? I’d love to learn to dive.’

‘Yes, it will, and maybe you can… one day.’

‘Okay.’ Tilly took a gulp from the can of Coke earning her a glare from her mother. ‘What are we going to discuss? What’s so important it can’t wait?’

‘I know you spoke to Liz about moving here.’

‘Can we?’ Tilly’s face brightened. ‘It would be awesome. Then I wouldn’t need to go back to school. Up here, no one would know… You moved,’ she accused Liz.

‘Liz’s situation was different.’ Julie said sharply.

‘But…’ Tilly drooped.

‘Let’s discuss this rationally,’ Liz said. She took a sip of wine. ‘Tilly, you told me you hate your school, you’re afraid this boy will act on his threats if you don’t give in to him.’

Tilly nodded.

Julie took her daughter’s hand and squeezed it.

‘One option is to stand up to him, let him do his worst.’

‘I can’t…’ A wild expression appeared in Tillys eyes.

Liz continued, ‘Another option is for you both to leave the city, move somewhere else, start again where no one knows you. The most obvious place to move to is here, to Pelican Crossing.’

‘Yay!’ Tilly said with a grin.

‘It’s not so easy,’ Julie said. ‘We’d have to find somewhere to live. I’d need to find a job. ’

‘But we could do that, couldn’t we?’ Tilly looked to Liz for reassurance.

‘Let your mum finish,’ Liz said.

‘We could, but not immediately. These things take time. Even if we find somewhere to live and I find a job, we have a house to pack up, notice to give on our home and at the library, and…’ She shook her head as if it was all too much for her.

‘Couldn’t we stay here?’ Tilly gazed around the room.

‘Liz doesn’t have space.’

Tilly stared at Liz.

‘I’m sorry, Tilly. But my spare room is filled with Mandy’s belongings. She moved out of her old accommodation and is keeping her things here till she finds somewhere else to live.’

‘Oh!’ Tilly sagged like a deflated balloon.

‘So, even if we do decide to come here, you’d need to go back to school until we sort things out.’

Tilly started to tremble. ‘I can’t. You don’t know what it will be like, with him taunting me, me never knowing what he and his mates are going to do or say next. I can’t do it, Mum. You can’t make me.’

Julie looked at Liz, an expression of hopelessness on her face. Liz felt for Tilly. This could have been her. She hadn’t appreciated it at the time, but now she was so glad her parents had taken the steps they had to protect her and her reputation, even it had meant giving up her precious daughter.

‘Let’s have a think, shall we?’ Liz said, refilling her and Julie’s glasses which had somehow become empty.

They sat in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, then Liz said. ‘What it seems to me is this. There’s no way you, Julie, can move immediately. Even if you found somewhere to live and a job here tomorrow, you would still need time to organise everything back home. But for Tilly, it may be different.’

Tilly looked at Liz, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Julie appeared puzzled.

‘Theres no reason why Tilly can’t be enrolled in Pelican Crossing High for the start of next term. It’s a good school. I should know, I went there. And I started in Year Ten. We can work something out regarding accommodation. I doubt Mandy will be here for much longer. She’s been spending most of her time at Gary’s, anyway, and this sofa pulls out into a bed. It wouldn’t do for long, but for a bit, until you get yourselves sorted. What do you think?’ Liz held her breath, wondering if she’d just set the cat among the pigeons. How would Mandy react if she came home to find Tilly had moved in, that her mother had a daughter and granddaughter who she’d kept secret? She’d face that problem if and when it arose.

‘Really?’ Tilly beamed. ‘Could I, Mum?’

An expression of relief flitted across Julie’s face, mixed with one of concern. ‘It would solve Tilly’s issues,’ she said slowly.

‘But? I sense there’s a but,’ Liz said.

‘We’ve never been apart,’ Julie said, ‘and there’s all your stuff, Tilly. How would you manage without it? We only packed for two weeks. And a new school…’

‘It would be ace. I love it here. And there’s Liz… and Joan… and two new aunts.’

Liz’s stomach churned at the thought of telling those two aunts. But they’d have had to know sooner or later. This was only going to be sooner than she’d anticipated… much sooner.

Before Julie and Tilly left, it had been agreed Julie would take Tilly to be enrolled in Pelican Crossing High School the following week and would buy her school uniform and other things she might need in the short term, until either Julie could join them or send up more of Tilly’s belongings. Liz didn’t want to think about how she was going to find space for everything in her already overfilled apartment, but she’d figure out something. The important thing was to get Tilly settled in a school and place she felt safe from the bullying she’d experienced. Tilly had already checked out the school online and declared it to be cool.

Liz accompanied the pair down to the street entrance to the apartment block and farewelled them with the hugs to which all three had now become accustomed, but which were still a novelty for Liz, one she couldn’t get enough of. She had just waved them off when she became aware of a ute stopping nearby and two people getting out.

‘Who was that?’

Liz turned to see Mandy standing there, Gary behind her. She was flooded with an enormous sense of relief. ‘Oh, my darling! I’m so glad you’re safe. I’ve been trying to call you.’ Liz hugged her daughter .

‘My phone died. Who was that?’ Mandy asked again, pulling herself out of her mother’s arms.