Chapter 10

The holiday ended and the Dixon family returned to Canberra. They had called Kate and she had insisted on picking Duncan up so he wouldn't have to travel to Sydney alone.

They arrived in the late afternoon and as promised, Kate rang their doorbell an hour later.

Robert opened the door, "Hi Kate. Come in. How was the ride?"

"Hi Robert, Pfft, almost three hundred kilometres. Thank God I have air conditioning in the car", she said entering.

"Becca is upstairs with the kids. Do you want to drink something?", he asked.

"Yeah, a good coffee will do. Otherwise water will do as well", Kate said stretching her back.

He saw it, "Didn't you stop for a break? Three hundred kilometres is at least a three-hour drive".

She shook her head, "Nah, it's fine. I wanted to see my son again".

At the same time Rebecca came downstairs and saw the sloppy appearance of Kate, her hair in a messy ponytail, T-shirt, jeans and flats. "Hi Kate, thanks for coming. Do you want to freshen up?"

"MUM!", Duncan yelled, pelting down the staircase. He hugged her before she could answer.

"Hey boy! You have no idea how happy I am to see you again", she said trying to stay strong.

"Mum, I'm happy to be with you again", he said and looked at Rebecca and Robert, "It's not that I didn't like to be with you, it was great, but I also like to be with my mum", he said.

"Yeah, of course, we understand. You're always welcome", Rebecca said.

She looked at Kate, "Do you want to freshen up and eat something?"

"Aahum", Kate stammered and looked at her watch, "You're too kind, but I know myself. If I stay, it'll usually be longer than expected and tomorrow I have to be at the office. Moreover, you just got home, so I guess that you have a lot to sort out. But uh, Robert offered me a coffee".

"Yeah, sure. Please take a seat", Robert said before rushing to the kitchen.

"For me too darling!", Rebecca yelled.

Kate sat down on the couch with Duncan next to her and sighed, "How was your holiday?"

Rebecca sat down in the opposite club chair, "Great! Perfect weather. We saw a lot and the kids had a great experience!"

"Mum? When are we going to eat?", Eddy asked. The children came downstairs to greet their visitor as well.

"Very soon. Did you unpack your toys yet?", Robert answered which sent the two boys back to their room.

"Nice, nice, but uh… how was Cairns?", Kate asked hesitantly.

"Gosh, the well-known pubs and restaurants are still there. A few new ones, yes. And the shops? Some disappeared, some are new, but most are the same".

Kate nodded, "Yeah, okay, but I wanted more…. about people. Did you meet people we knew back then?"

Meanwhile, Robert put down three cups of coffee and a packet of Tim Tams.

"Thank you", Kate said, "Ooh Tim Tams!", she said, taking a cookie longingly.

Rebecca and Robert laughed, "Kate, you haven't changed after all these years!"

"What?", she mumbled between bites.

"Well, the whole crew knew you like it, so behind your back they nicknamed you Cookie Monster. I really had to hide the packets", Rebecca smiled.

Kate raised an eyebrow, "Is it? Hmm, in that case, I'll take another one. Princess Perfect was much worse. And what about people?"

Rebecca nodded, "Yeah, believe me or not, but the kernel is still there. Nikki commands the Hammersley, amazing, no?"

"Nikki? How is she?", Kate asked quickly.

"Aah, uhm, fine….yeah she's fine", Rebecca answered a bit surprised by the direct question.

"Hmm", Kate murmured raising an eyebrow.

"Bird is leading seaman, the medic and the cook aboard, Harpie is the swain and 2Dads the buffer", Rebecca told.

"2Dads?", Kate reacted flabbergasted.

Rebecca chuckled, "Weird, no? Yeah, he made it to petty officer and he grew up. I spoke to him and he's no longer the rascal of yesteryear".

"Well, looks like miracles still exist", Kate answered.

"Oh, and Dylan is her XO. He's a full lieutenant now", Rebecca said.

"Dylan? Oh? Is he there too? Has he moved on?", Kate asked.

I should have bitten my tongue. Why on earth did I blurt out that last question?

"Nope, he's still single", she replied looking at Kate's body language.

"Oh, I see", she said on a neutral tone and emptied her cup.

"Ah, something else too. Did you hear that we're going to have a new Chief of Navy? It'll be Vice-Admiral Michael Noonan. He was the CO of Fleet Base West in Perth", Kate said.

"Oh? This is new to us. Did you hear this before, Rob?", she asked, but Robert shook his head.

"Hmm, okay, another client. Hope he doesn't have strange requests or so".

"Becca, keep yourself in check. Don't bombard him with vegetables", Kate said with a grin.

Rebecca rolled her eyes, "I think I'm going to drag that event my whole career!".

"Rob, Becca. We have to leave. The way back is still long. Thanks for coffee and don't forget, huh! Send me Duncan's holiday expenses and I'll pay you back", she said standing up.

"Come on dear. It's time to go home".

They said goodbye and Kate and Duncan drove off.

Rebecca looked at Robert, "Rob, did you hear her question?"

"Yes, she wanted coffee", he said deadpan.

"Oh Rob, you'll never change, will you? No, she asked in one breath if Dylan had already moved on. She didn't ask for anything more than that! That means something, no?"

"If you say so".

Rebecca rolled her eyes, "Never mind, let's set the table and eat", she grumbled as she headed for the kitchen.

In the car.

"I'm so happy you're back", Kate said.

"Sorry mum", Duncan said.

"No, I have to say sorry too. I wanted too much for you to achieve the same things I did and I forgot that you also have your ideas about free time and what you want to do in the future. I promise I'll listen to you more. Alright?", Kate said.

"Yes mum, I promise you I won't run away again. It's not always better elsewhere", he said.

"I believe you. We will talk more. But, what do you mean it's not always better elsewhere? Wasn't it funny with Aunt Bomber and Uncle Robert?"

"Oh yes, it was. Eddy and Jo are funny guys, but still a bit young. I also got to know Hazel! She has my age and I like her. But, she's not happy because her parents drink", he said.

"Ouch, it's sad and who are her parents?"

"Nikki and Pete".

"WHAT?", Kate exclaimed flabbergasted and she almost lost control of the car.

"MUM, the car!", he yelled.

"SHIT yes. Sorry, sorry", Kate said wide-eyed, focussing back on the road.

"Dear, what did you say? Are Nikki and Pete drinking?"

"Yes, that's what I saw at the barbecue and what I heard from Hazel".

"Shiiit", Kate mumbled.

That's why Becca hesitated when I asked her how she was doing. She probably thought I was going to start worrying. And she is right. I am worried. Why is she doing this? I've to stop her! Wait McGregor, wait! You disappeared from her life for twelve years, without a single phone call, without an email, or a SMS and now you're going to pop up, saying, hey Nik, what did I hear? It seems that you drink? Bad idea girl, bad idea. You better stop right now. No no, it's not okay. What the hell am I supposed to do?

"Mum?"

There must be a reason for that? Hmm. I'm afraid you screwed up to solve this problem, McGregor. Too late. Too bad. You better focus on what you can really fix and that's your son's future.

"Mum?"

"Huh?", mumbled Kate, frowning and looking at Duncan.

"You were lost in thought. Did you hear what I said?", he asked.

Damn!

"Sorry dear, what did you say? Did you have a nice holiday?", Kate asked quickly.

"Oh yes! We did a lot of things. We went scuba diving, we saw the waterfalls and Dylan taught me how to ride a horse", he said.

"What?", she asked suddenly full of attention.

"I know how to ride a horse", he said proudly.

"That's wonderful! When I was a kid I rode a horse once too. A pony in fact because I was a little girl. In England, you know. And Dylan, Dylan Mulholland taught you?"

"Yes, they called him Dutchy. He also taught me how to drive a car", he said proudly.

"I beg your pardon! He taught you how to drive a car? You're only twelve. It's damn dangerous!", Kate said irritably.

"No mum. It was a deserted road. We didn't see a single car for more than three hours. He has an amazing convertible".

"Hmm. And why did he teach you to ride horses and drive cars?", she asked suspiciously.

"Because he likes me. And I like him too. He's a cool and tall guy. I'm sure you will like him too. And I think he will fit perfectly with you. Mum, you're a nice mum and you need a friend too. I wouldn't say no if he became my dad", he said.

"Ahum, uuuuuh, aaah, I uuuh", Kate mumbled.

"Mum, what are you saying?"

"Pffft nothing special", she mumbled again.

Dylan! Shit, it's been so long? Why do you have to suddenly reappear. It took me years to get you out of my mind. I wanted to break all ties with Mike's whole environment and you were the hardest part. And when I thought I could look ahead, when I can think of exploring a new relationship, you come back to my mind like a boomerang. Although my attempts of a new relationship were nil. Why am I always attracted to cowardly and immature men. Luckily I never shared my bed with one of them. But you were different.

"Mum! You're lost in thought again! Maybe we could stop and have a drink. I'm hungry, actually", Duncan said.

"Ah, yes, of course. Maybe it's better to stop for an hour. I drove three hours non-stop to Canberra and I have to admit I'm getting hungry too. Maybe we can find a place to eat chicken and chips. What do you think?", she replied.

"Chicken and chips! Great!", he reacted enthusiastically.

"Well, then I'm going to find a good place to eat. Oh, by the way, did you tell who you are over there?"

"No. Aunt Bomber said it was better not to tell anything", he said.

"That was clever, otherwise you would have been bombarded with a lot of questions", Kate replied.

When they arrived in Sydney, Duncan went to bed and Kate sorted through his sport bag. Afterwards, she also went to her bedroom and put on her pyjama. She opened her wardrobe and hesitated a moment before pulling out a plastic bag from the bottom. She sat down on her bed and pulled out a photo album. She opened the book and smiled sadly as she saw photos of her training period with her roommate Lisa. She leafed through photos of her posting on HMAS Anzac until she arrived at the Hammersley chapter. Nikki, Pete, Cheffo, ET, ET and Nikki, Harpie, Charge and 2Dads. She smiled seeing a very young Bomber, hard to compare with the mature woman she left a few hours ago. There were also a lot of empty places in the book with remnants of torn out photos. These were the places where Mike's photos were sticked that she had torn out long ago. And last but not least Dutchy then she and Dutchy. Smiling she looked at the photos and finally shrugged her shoulders. The photo album didn't continue, just like her life. Another posting, another city, another horizon. She closed it and put it back in the bag at the bottom of the wardrobe. She got into bed and switched off the light.

Little did she know that her life was about to take another serious turn!

To be continued