Chapter 5
Robert was right. Kate disappeared. Her number no longer existed.
Nikki was the last one to receive a message from her, "Sorry Nik, I can't do this anymore. Bye".
Dutchy called her back later in the day and said that he hadn't found her and that he couldn't remember anything. Obviously, he had drunk too much.
Since then the crew fell apart.
Days passed and Rebecca went to Sydney to cook for the admiral and the conference attendees. Everything went well. All the goods she had ordered, were stored in the kitchen.
On the second day, she left the kitchen, checking a list of ingredients and didn't see the other woman who just turned at the corner of the hallway. They collided with each other.
"Oh, sorry", she said and quickly added "ma'am" seeing the three bands of a commander on the shoulder boards.
The other one was clearly unhappy and started a remark, "Can't you…", but her tone of voice changed as she recognised an old friend, "Rebecca! What are you doing here?"
Rebecca recognised her too, "X! Uh, ma'am, what a surprise! I didn't know you were here".
"I work here and you?", Kate said.
"I'm only here temporarily. I'm the cook of the Vice-Admiral and his staff in Canberra. He's here for a conference and asked me to come with him to prepare the dinners", she said.
"Well, the lunch was marvellous. I'm also attending the conference and already thought we had another chef in the kitchen. Can't you stay here?", Kate asked with a smile.
"Then I think that you are going to have to explain a lot to the Vice-Admiral", Rebecca grinned.
She cocked her nose, "Nah, maybe not".
"What function do you have here?"
"I run the Intelligence Department", she said.
"Wow, that sounds great". She looked closer at Kate.
After all these years, you still look good. However, I do notice a few small silver highlights in your hair and you are wearing spectacles.
"Listen, Becca, I've got to go now. Another meeting, you see. But, come and have supper at my place tonight and we can chat quietly. If it is convenient to you, of course", Kate said, scribbling her address on a page in her notebook. "Here you go".
"Oh, nice. Thank you. At what time?"
"Hmm, at six?"
"Yeah, fine. I'll be there", Rebecca said.
That night, Rebecca headed for the Darling Point address. It was far from the base, but even further from her hotel. In the nearby supermarket, she had bought a bottle of Chardonnay, knowing it was one of Kate's favorite wines. She found the little cottage fairly quickly and rang the doorbell. She hadn't expected to be invited and had no special outfit in her suitcase. So, Rebecca hoped she wasn't underdressed, knowing Kate's sense of perfection. She had put on a fancy T-shirt, skirt and pumps.
The door swung open, "Hey Becca! Come in!", Kate greeted her.
"Good evening ma'am. ", Rebecca greeted he as she entered.
"This is for you", she said offering her the bottle.
She looked at Kate quickly, as women usually do.
A regular T-shirt, jeans and flat-heeled slippers. Hmm, obviously I'm not underdressed but overdressed.
"Thank you. You haven't forgot my wine preferences! And Becca, please call me Kate. I would love to hear my name instead of Madam, Commander or Mum", she said, heading for the living room.
"Oh, okay, Kate. Uh, did I hear mum? Are you married with children?", Rebecca asked following her.
Kate turned around, looked at her and said, "I have a son, Duncan. He's twelve years old and no, I'm not married. Wine as an aperitif or do you want something else?".
She put her handbag down on the couch, "The wine will be perfect and Duncan, uh….", Rebecca hesitantly replied, not really knowing what to say or ask.
Kate laughed, "Sorry for being so straight Becca, really", Kate said, heading for the kitchen and followed by Rebecca.
Kate opened the fridge and took a bottle.
"Sauvignon Gris. It has a particular taste, but I like it. Knowing you, I thought you would like to taste something different".
Rebecca smiled broadly, "Sure! I'm always up to discover new tastes and flavours".
Kate poured two glasses and gave her one, "Here you go. Cheers!"
"Cheers".
"I'm not a chef like you, but I'm going to cook roast pork with port sauce, peas and potatoes".
"It looks perfect Kate", Rebecca said.
"Is Duncan around?"
"Kate looked at the clock on the wall, "He will be here in fifteen minutes. I insisted that he takes a language course. He's learning French now. Languages are very important nowadays. Especially if you have contact with people from abroad", Kate said.
She smiled at Rebecca, "Now, do you have any questions about Duncan, uh?"
"Well uh,…."
"No worries, I know. When I tell this, people look surprised. For them, I'm neither married nor even divorced. I just don't know who the father is and it's not like I'm joining another male in my bed every night! Far from it! A few weeks after that disastrous day, I noticed I wasn't getting my period. An examination at my gynaecologist revealed that I was pregnant", Kate said simply.
Rebecca looked at her frowning.
"Yeah Becca, I know. It's weird. It's not me, but it happened. I assure you, I didn't share my bed with random blokes to forget about Mike. I must have done something stupid that night", Kate said.
Kate?", started Rebecca, unsure.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for what happened that night. I saw what happened, but I didn't know what to do or say. All of a sudden you were gone".
Kate raised her hand to stop Rebecca, "I never talk about that day", she grumbled.
"But I remember you were there. So, I think I owe you an explanation", she continued, lowering her voice and taking a big gulp.
"I was deeply hurt, humiliated and furious. I was so ashamed. You have no idea. I grabbed my purse and ran out. If I could have done it, I would have sunk into the earth. I needed to clear my head, put things in order and I needed a drink to calm me down. I remember entering a pub and taking a seat at the bar and then I can't remember anything. The only thing I remember is waking up in a motel room with a terrible headache. I had a shower and left. The bill was already paid. I went straight to a café to have a strong coffee to feel better".
She huffed, "to feel better? How could I feel better?. Everyone was looking at me in that fucking white dress. So, I decided to disappear! Far from Cairns! To forget everything that could remind me of that day. I cut all ties. I went home to change and I went straight to the cell phone store. I stopped my existing number and took a new one. I called the Brass in Canberra and requested for an immediate transfer. I didn't care where they would send me, as long it wasn't Cairns. I was lucky. I could start in Perth", Kate said.
"Pfft, that's a hell of a story", Rebecca said taking a sip.
Kate looked at her frowning, "I never understood Mike, but other than that, do you know what I never understood either?"
"No, what?"
"Well, my dress and my underwear were full of sand! And for God's sake, I don't know why!"
"Sand?"
"Yes, sand!"
Before Rebecca could ask something for anything more, the door swung open and they heard a boy's voice shouting, "Mum, I'm home".
"Hey Duncan, how did the class go?", Kate replied.
"Difficult, hey?", he replied, entering the kitchen and seeing Rebecca.
"Oh yes, sure, you texted me that we had a visitor. Hi", the boy said.
"Hi Duncan, I'm Rebecca", she said reaching out.
"Hi Rebecca, I'm Duncan".
"Duncan! Watch your language. Use two words!", Kate reprimanded him.
"Uh, sorry, Mrs Rebecca", he tried again hesitantly.
Rebecca tried to soothe the situation, "You can use my call sign. I'm Bomber or Chef, which I'm now".
"Yes, sure, uh… what are we going to eat?", he asked quickly to change the subject.
"Roast pork with port sauce, peas and potatoes, okay?", Kate replied.
"Yeah, okay, I'll… have to do some homework", he said pointing to the staircase.
"Okay and I'll help you with the French", Kate said before he left. Meanwhile she started to cook dinner.
Rebecca had taken a good look at the boy. He was tall for his age and fair-haired. His face had something familiar over his face but she couldn't nail it down.
"He's a handsome boy. If I didn't know his age, I would think he was sixteen", she said.
Kate sighed, "Yeah, it's his height. Most people think he's older. Sorry, I forgot to ask you how you were doing. I see you're married", Kate said looking at Rebecca's hand.
"Yes, indeed, with Robert" she said looking at Kate, expecting a surprised look. "You don't look surprised. Most people are".
Kate smiled, "Becca, you were the only one Robert had a connection with and you never brushed him off. As XO and as a woman, I saw those signs".
"Ah, well, uh. He was also the only one who didn't see me as a sex object. I could feel he was a genuine person. Okay, sometimes, he acts weird, but he's Robert, uh", Rebecca said with a shrug.
"Yes, indeed. Do you have children?"
"Yes, two. Edward and Jonathan. They are eleven and eight years old".
"Oh nice. So, you are our boss' cook and what does Robert do?", Kate asked.
"He's petty officer and run a team at the Transmission Department".
"Yeah, that suits him perfectly and how did you become the admiral's cook?"
"Well, by accident actually. I like cooking and I wanted to do something more. So every once in a while, I looked for vacancies and found one in Sydney for the officers' mess. I was transferred and after a few months I must have made a good impression on the head of the Navy as I was invited to cook for him and his staff. That's something you can't say no to, huh?"
"That's a wonderful achievement. But, with your skills, have you ever considered being a chef in a restaurant or having your own?", Kate asked.
Rebecca sighed, "That's a good question, quite difficult in fact. Let's say if I can't continue what I'm doing now, then I'll look for something else. I meet a lot of important people and they all love my dishes, so".
Kate nodded, "Yes, I understand. But, keep in mind that working in a restaurant means that you won't be home for your family".
Rebecca sighed, "Yes, I know. If it were that simple, then I would already have my own restaurant".
Kate looked at her, "Becca, life is too short and you only have one. Do what your heart tells you and it will make you happy. And don't forget to involve Robert. You have to decide together. A happy marriage is more important", Kate said.
She looked at the frying pan. "It's ready. I'll call Duncan".
They sat down at the table and Kate served the meal.
"It's delicious", Rebecca said, tasting it.
"Thank you, but it's just something ordinary".
"Yes, but it's still very good. What did you do in Perth and how did you get to Sydney?"
Kate took a sip of wine, "When I arrived in Perth, I started out as an XO on a frigate with my rank of Lieutenant-Commander and my experience as the CO of a patrol boat. It was only for one tour because aboard, I found out that I was pregnant. After that tour, I stayed ashore as an assistant in the Operations Room. After I gave birth, I continued as an assistant but after three years I became head of the Planning Group. Two years ago, I was transferred to Sydney to run the Intelligence Department which I still do".
"And are you happy at what you do?", Rebecca asked.
Kate shrugged, "Well, I can't complain. It was better to command a warship, but I have responsibilities towards Duncan. I have to learn to like it, huh".
"Mum, I've to check geography and maths for tomorrow", Duncan said.
"Yes, dear, if you need some help, call me", Kate replied.
The boy returned to his room.
"I can consider myself happy with such a boy", Kate said before taking a sip.
"Yes indeed, ours also do well at school. I hope it will continue like this. Uh, Kate did you get a chance to move on after Mike? Or have boyfriend?", Rebecca asked.
Kate shrugged, "No. It's hard with a small child. You can't leave him, and I don't have family to take care for him, you see. So, there's very little room, no room in fact to start a new romantic relationship".
She rolled her eyes, "The bad thing is that my sex life is nil, except for a few love affairs at conferences", Kate confessed.
A few? TWO, to be precise, but I can't say it out loud!
"Yeah, I can imagine. Being in dry dock for twelve years is though", Rebecca replied, rather surprised.
She didn't expect Kate to speak freely about her personal life. The Kate she knew had always been very private person. But twelve years is a lot. Rebecca was no longer the young party girl she had been and Kate was happy to have a friend with whom she could talk to freely.
The dinner went well and afterwards they had a pleasant chat while having coffee and glass of Baileys.
They said goodbye and Rebecca left her visiting card. She wanted to walk back to her hotel, but Kate insisted on calling a cab. When she lay in bed, she thought back to the evening, surprised and delighted to know a different side of Kate. She was no longer the stern and upright officer, but just another woman talking about a thousand and one things, with a dry sense of humour. She had also discovered that Kate was in fact a sensitive and vulnerable person who defended herself with a wall of sternness and invulnerability. They became friends. But, Rebecca somewhat worried about Kate's behaviour towards her son.
There's something wrong. She want to do everything for him, but something is missing. I sense by his behaviour that he is not happy. But what? Hmmm….
Everything was perfect in that house. I haven't seen a newspaper or a magazine lying around. It was just a showcase. Princess Perfect strikes again. Hey! That's it. Perfect! She wants everything to be perfect because she hates to fail and she transfers her feelings onto her son. She doesn't want him to make mistakes. Study and knowledge, the boy must be an adult before being a child. There's no room for coziness or banter. She just continues to be the commander at home.
And yet, she wants the best for him. But how can I tell her this without screwing up our friendship or breaking her heart?
Hmm…
Rebecca fell asleep thinking about this problem.
Kate cleaned the table and started the dish washer. She poured herself a glass of Glenrothers single malt whisky. It was something she seldom did, but now, was the right time. She sat down in a deck chair on her terrace, which overlooked Sydney Bay with the Harbor Bridge in the distance. She was no longer alone because she had a new friend. She had discovered that Rebecca was no longer the young girl from the galley, but a mature woman with a family and two children and a lot of empathy for others. They promised to call each other every week.
To be continued
