Chapter 12 Prepare a blind date

Cairns airport. Three weeks later.

Nikki and Dylan stood in the noisy arrival hall of the airport. It was crowded as always. They were looking at the screen of the arrivals.

"The flight from Sydney has landed. They're taxiing now", Dylan said.

"Yeah, and then waiting for the luggage", Nikki added.

"If she has a hand-luggage, then she's out within a minute", he said.

"Are you really sure that Kate is coming?", he asked.

"Absolutely! She told me and she's always keeping her word", she replied.

"But, I'm feeling quite nervous. It's just like I'm betraying her", Nikki said.

"Did you tell her everything?", he asked.

"Well uh…not exactly. I've told her something, but not everything", she said ill-at-ease.

"And what have you told her?"

"Like we've said. We've invited her for a weekend and that we are going to have a dinner to catch up and she has to bring her best clothes."

"Hmm, nothing about Mike?".

"No".

"Okay! I'm looking forward to see her reaction. They have their dinner tonight, so, you'll have to hurry to tell her", he said.

Nikki gave him a slap on his arm, "Oh great! That encourages me tremendously!. Thank you very much Mullholland!"

At the same moment the sliding doors opened and the first passengers came out. They watched carefully all the people.

"There she is!" He said while poking her.

Kate padded through the door, pulling a hand-luggage and carrying a backpack. She was wearing a T-shirt, a cotton trousers, flat shoes and her hair was tied in a loose pony tail. While she got out she looked at the people who were waiting to see familiar faces.

"Hey Kate! Here!" Nikki yelled.

Kate recognised the voice, looked in their direction and walked to them.

"Hi, you both! Thanks for you offer to spend a weekend here!", she answered in a good mood.

"With pleasure." Nikki replied as they shook hands.

Dylan took over her luggage as they walked to their car.

"How was your flight?", Nikki asked.

"Pfft, It was hot in Sydney and the atmosphere was sticky in the plane", she said.

"No worries. Enjoy a good shower when we'll be at home", Nikki replied.

"How is it here?", Kate asked.

"Oh, business as usual. Patrols, FFV, refugees, unexperienced tourists who were lost in the middle of the sea", Nikki answered.

In the car on the way to their house, they continued their conversation.

"Well, I'm really looking forward to attend our dinner tonight! It has been an eternity that I have not had an activity like that!", Kate said joyously.

"I do believe that! And I'm happy to hear that!", Nikki said looking over her shoulder to Kate who sat at the back.

She moved a little so that she could see Kate more easily.

"You know, Mike and Maxine are going to have an informal dinner with the commander of HMAS Kuttabul from Sydney tonight. He's going to arrive today as well", Nikki told her.

Kate scowled. "That's a nice piece of news, but what does this has to do with me?", she asked.

"Well, Maxine will decline due to headache and the commander cannot come but he will send his second in line", Nikki deadpanned.

Kate frowned even more, "But, how do you know that?"

"Moreover, his second in line has just arrived as well!"

"Yeah, so what?", she asked slightly irritated.

"Come on Kate, you're a clever girl, even cleverer than me, but sometimes I have to make a drawing.

You are the second in line. Just you two."

"Ah, come on! I knew it. You've became insane! Really!"

"Yep, I did it that way, otherwise you would have found an excuse to decline", Nikki said.

"I'm not going!", Kate said decisively.

"Come on Kate, you're not going to start! You did not make this trip just to say no? Listen, last time on board I've promised you that I was going to do efforts to bring you both back together. So, I've kept my word. Thus, keep yours as well, just to do me a favour, ok?"

"Hmm"

'It's not that bad you know. Just food, a dinner, a chat. See what it gives", Nikki insisted.

"Ok,okokok, I'll go, but he will go away. Years ago I asked him to go away."

"Yeah, he did it, but just only because you begged him to go away, but he didn't believe that it came from your heart."

"You say so." Kate looked gloomily at her hands as she recalled the dramatic moment when she collapsed at the ground behind the door crying like a little schoolgirl when she heard him leave.

"Yes indeed. You will see."

A few hours later in Nikki's and Dylan's house,Kate came out of the guest room and entered the living room. "I'm ready!", she announced and she showed herself to them by making a turn of 360 degrees.

"So, this is it. What do you think?" Kate asked with a smile.

She had put a little make-up and let her hair down. She wore a light green blouse on a light olive green skirt.

"Hmm, nice", Nikki answered with doubtful glance.

"Huh? Just only nice? Can't I get something more? This is the newest combination I've got," Kate said slightly upset.

Nikki grimaced, "Of course it's nice. But it's too virtuous. It's the commander who's going out with the crew and who wants to keep her dignity. Come on Kate, you have to win Mike for you. Don't you have something more sexy with you?"

"Uh, no. Casual things like a cotton dress, tops, T-shirts. Like I said, I've bought this during my last shore leave."

Nikki shook her head, "Kate, Kate, when I thought that everything was ok, now this again."

Kate looked all of a sudden sad to Nikki realising she was going to screw up it again.

"Wait, I have a cocktail dress that could fit you perfectly. I don't wear it anymore because it is too tight for me. It will work because Dylan was crazy about it.", Nikki said all of a sudden and she left the living room. Kate looked questioningly at Dylan who simply shrugged with a I-don't-know glance.

A minute later, Nikki was back and held a wonderful fuchsia colour dress that closed in the neck with a deep cleavage in the back. "This will do !"

"Hmm, not too long." Kate said doubtfully.

"Exactly ! Now put it on !", she ordered.

Kate took the dress and padded back to the guest room to switch. A minute later she came out again.

"It has a rather deep cleavage in the back?", Kate mentioned surprised.

"Exactly." Nikki looked at Kate's feet and sighed. "I think that I'm getting hopeless of you. These white sandals doesn't match! The heel of these is only medium!", she said disapprovingly.

"What else can I do? The green pumps that match with the skirt are even worse." Kate said irritated.

Nikki walked to the bedroom without saying a word and a few seconds later she was back holding her own fuchsia colour heeled pumps.

"Use mine ! And hurry up, otherwise you'll be late."

"Ok, thanks", Kate said by slipping inside. "But they are too large!" , she noticed .

"Don't you remember anymore that I have a bigger size? You had discovered that while we were together on board when you had borrowed my white shoes with laces", Nikki said.

"Yeah, but…"

Nikki started to lose her patience, "Kate, it's not that bad. It's just for sitting at a table, Ok? Come on now! We take you there."

"Ok, ok, ok", Kate said grabbing her handbag and she padded outside taking care not to stumble with the borrowed shoes.

They started to drive to the restaurant. Dylan was driving, Nikki sat next to him and Kate at the back. All of a sudden she chuckled which made them look over their shoulders.

"What?", Nikki asked.

"Oh, this borrowed outfit remembers me to a school party", Kate said.

"Ah!? Tell us", Nikki encouraged her.

"Well, I had borrowed a dress from a girl next door and I had nicked a pair of mum's shoes, but they were far too large and I stuffed them with tissues. Initially it worked, but not for long. Unfortunately the others had noticed that too and I was pestered again that I was running around in my mother's shoes. That was true in fact, but my evening was screwed up", Kate told gloomily.

Dylan and Nikki looked sombrely at each other and Nikki turned to Kate, "Kate, can't you never tell something joyous or cheerful about your past?!", she asked irritated.

"I can't help it if it's not!", she snapped back.

"Girls, girls, shhht. The intention is to spend a good evening. It's not the moment to argue. But, Kate, was there really nothing pleasant in your childhood?", he asked.

"Hmm, yeah. We had a dog. Such a light brown Labrador. It was a silly, cute and lovely animal", Kate told with slight smile.

"Well, then. You see", he replied.

"He died. He ran in front of the milkman's van and was crushed. And mother didn't want anymore another one", Kate deadpanned.

Dylan's and Nikki's shoulders slumped and they didn't say anything further.

They stopped at the restaurant "C'est Bon" at the Lake street near the Chinaman Creek.

"It's here?", she asked, "That's one of the best!"

Dylan turned to look at Kate. "Yep, the best for you both. So Kate, good luck!", he said.

"I'm a bit nervous. What if he wants to have nothing more to do with me ?", she said worried.

"For God's sake Kate! I'm getting desperate with you. He's still waiting for you. How can I ram that into your brain? Go inside, enjoy your evening and win him for you! And that's an order!", Nikki said rolling her eyes.

Kate dropped her eyes, "Hmm."

Nikki rummaged in her handbag, "Here, the spare keys of the house. So, it doesn't matter when you come back home", she said while handing over the keys.

Kate took a deep breath and returned a smile, "Ok, thanks a lot you both." She said and got out the car and walked to the restaurant.

Nikki and Dylan watched Kate enter the restaurant and Nikki put her head on his shoulder. "Pfft, finally. At times I thought it would never work."

"She can be very stubborn", he said dryly.

"Honestly, she's older than me, but from time to time I've got the impression that I'm her older sister", she mused.

She looked at the door of the restaurant, half expecting to see Kate back, "This was harder than I had expected. Pffft"

"Trust. It will work." He answered caressing her cheek.

Nikki sat upright again.

"With these two, you'll never know. I'll only believe it when they'll move in together.

Come on, let's go home, I'm starving too and I have to prepare some food as well. But first I need a drink, a big one. I think we've deserved it!"

To be continued