Ch. 17 Pete's guts feeling
One month later
Gold Coast
Charge
In a house near the river in Tweeds Head.
"Andy?", Lani shouted with the receiver in her hand.
"ANDY! Phone for you!", she yelled again.
"Yeah! I'm coming!", he yelled back out of the garden.
"Who is it?", he asked as he entered the living room.
"Don't know, it's a male voice", Lani replied.
"Andy Thorpe", he said as he picked up the receiver.
"Charge! Buddy! I'm glad to hear you! How are you?", 2Dads said.
"Leo, I've not heard you since the dismissal. We're fine here, but I guess it's not the same for you otherwise you wouldn't have called me", Andy said suspiciously.
"Well uh Charge, buddy, you've to help me because I'm in a kind of trouble", he said guilty.
"Oh no! What have you figured out again?", Charge replied.
"Well, it's the fault of the other poker players. They used faulty tricks and I got into trouble and now I'm in jail. They allowed me to make a phone call", he said.
Charge sighed. "Ok, let's translate 2Dads language into normal English. You're in trouble because you've used vicious tricks with your poker game huh?", Charge replied.
"Well, you say that, but I'm in jail and I will be able to leave only out when the bail will be paid, but I don't have the money. So I thought that you could lend me some money", tried 2Dads.
"Hmm, there's always something with you huh? Ok, I'll fix it once and for all! Where are you?", Charge said.
"Brisbane".
"All right, I'll get you out of there!", Charge said.
"Oh Charge, buddy, I'll never forget that!", 2Dads answered.
"And I'll ensure that you'll never forget it!", Charge grumbled.
One day later both men stood on the pavement outside the Brisbane police station.
"Thanks Charge, really! I mean it. I'll call you as soon as I get the money", 2Dads said trying to get away but Charge held him by his sleeve.
"And where are you going to?"
"Uh? To my studio", 2Dads replied frowning.
"I go with you!", Charge replied.
"But, it's really small you know", 2Dads tried to defend himself.
"Never mind, we're going to stop the rent and you come with me", Charge replied as both men started to walk.
"But?"
"I've paid money for you, you know. As I said we're going to stop the rent and you come with me and Lani. I've some work for you!"
"Uh, You've paid money for me? It looks like you've bought me?"
"Yep, sort of".
"Then I'm somewhat your slave?", 2Dads said baffled.
"Yep, your own fault! Let's make a deal. If you stay away from booze and poker then you won't have to pay me back. If you make a mistake, then you'll pay me back the entire amount plus interest!"
"Aah? Uh? Do I have a choice?", 2Dads stammered.
"No!"
"Hmm, that's what I feared", 2Dads mumbled gloomily.
HMAS Sydney
The Sydney was patrolling in the Coral Sea.
Nikki saw the opportunity to be alone with Mike. He stood at the outer bridge and she stepped out. She went to stand next to him.
"Hey boss", she greeted him.
"X, it runs smooth, not?", he replied.
"Yep, as good as it can be", she replied.
"Uh boss, about Kate, you both had a love affair. What went wrong?", she asked.
He glared at her. "X, let's focus on the business will you?", he reprimanded her and walked back inside.
Nikki looked at him irritated.
Something is not normal here. I'll have to find out. You are not rid of me yet Mike!
On the he outskirts of Sydney
It was already dusk when Kate arrived with a bag of groceries at her flat. After climbing the staircase to the first floor, she entered and closed slowly the door. She got rid of her sneakers with her feet, then she went further and put the groceries bag on the cupboard in the small kitchen. She unpacked and put the milk and butter in the fridge and a packet of coffee in the cupboard. Kate looked gloomily at the baguette with cheese and ham.
This is my supper. Great!
Her gaze lingered to the cheap bottle of wine she just had put out of the bag.
Now I always have a choice to make! Count every dollar before spending it and for what? But this time I switched from fresh fruits to wine. In fact there's no difference. After all it's a bottle of liquid grapes, so.
She put down the baguette and padded to the bathroom. Kate switched on the light, looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.
An old jeans, a worn out grey Navy T-shirt and a pair of the cheapest sneakers I could find. Dark circles under your eyes that make you look like a coal miner. What a splendid view Kate, great!
She freshened up her face and walked back to the kitchen.
She wanted to unpack the baguette but her gaze landed on the bottle.
A drink first. Food can wait.
Kate uncorked the bottle and walked to the living room with a glass. She turned on the TV, poured the glass and plopped down on the couch. She took a gulp and closed her eyes.
Where's the time when I drank wine for fun with friends? Now I drink it to forget.
The last few months were worse than hell. Fired, Mike dumped me, I lost my baby and I'm out of work.
She took another gulp.
And finally my bitch mother. She took me every dime I had. My lawyer appealed against the first judgment of the court. I did not have to pay the 20 years of food rent she claimed but I had to pay her something, enough to become penniless. I had to sell everything to pay the debts. I had no luck! Yes Kate, You had some! If you had read this letter more carefully, you could have contacted a lawyer and limited the damage or maybe you would have won. But no, you were always upset by the burglary. Your fault, again! And now you are here, working to stay alive. With what you have left at the end of the month, you can't get out
Kate filled her glass again
Over time, the clothes I still own will worn out more and more. Where's my future? Where are my dreams of starting a family and having a nice shore posting to allow me to raise my kids and later, when they grow up, a new command?
Kate blinked and got up to take a box of tissues.
She sat down, dried her eyes and continued to drink but she didn't realise that drinking on an empty stomach she would soon be drunk.
Where's the house with the white picket fence I've always dreamed of. The garden with heaps of flowers. The view in the distance on the sea. A lovely husband? He dumped me, I was probably not good enough for him. Maybe, I said things that should not be!
Look at this stupid flat for which I pay a tad too much!
Damn it! My mother finally got the better of me.
"Are you happy now? Just like you were happy to leave my father!", she yelled angrily and drained her glass in one take.
Later on she stumbled into the bedroom for the final act…
Two weeks later.
The HMAS Sydney had just left Auckland and was sailing to Sydney after a joint exercise with the New Zealand Navy.
Pete was sitting in the NCO's mess with a cup of coffee, leafing through a newspaper brought back on board in Auckland.
"Pete, mind that these are already two weeks old", his mate Charles said.
"Yep, I know, I take just a quick look at what has happened since we left Sydney", he replied.
All of a sudden he focused on a small article.
"Well, I'll be damned!", he mumbled.
He stood up, grabbed the newspaper and left the mess. He went straight to Nikki's cabin and knocked at the door.
"Come in", he heard and opened the door.
Nikki sat behind her desk, busy with some paperwork that was created during the day. She was still wearing the dinner uniform, a white shirt and a black trousers, but she had untied her hair which cascaded over her shoulders.
"Ah Pete! It's you!", she said joyously as she saw him.
"Good evening ma'am", he said as he entered. He smiled when he saw that she had took off her shoes and had slipped her barefeet in a pair of pink open toes slippers.
Typically Nikki, on the one hand the stern XO and on the other hand so disarming with these slippers, although she would not hesitate to come on the bridge with them if she was requested at once because she doesn't care about her appearance.
"What's up Pete? You look worried", she said.
xxx
"Nik, you've to read this", he said showing her the the small article in the newspaper and he sat down in the chair in front of her desk.
"Hmm, …female navy officer tried to commit suicide with a gun. She was brought heavily injured to the hospital…. Doctors fear for her life… Left an embittered note next to her officer's sword…. First fatal victim of the Navy, reorganization imposed by the government…", she mumbled and she looked up at Pete.
"Such a thing was to be expected. It's never pleasant to lose your job at once and what can you do about it?", she said.
"Yeah, Nik, but why do I have an odd feeling about this. It's just like it's about one of us", he said.
"But Pete, it's Navy, this is of course one of us", Nikki said.
"Yeah, but I mean, one of us, our small Hammersley group", he said.
She tilted her head to one side "Hmm, there's no name in it and it doesn't mention the base nor the ship. I think you see ghosts Pete."
He shrugged and stood up as well as Nikki. "You're probably right. Pure fantasy from my side", he said.
She walked around the desk and stood in front of him.
They looked at each other.
"A kiss?", he asked.
She looked unhappily, "I would like but I don't dare. Imagine that…", she said.
Pete made a face, "Yeah, you're right."
Nikki raised her hand and chased away some few imaginary dust particles from his collar, "I'm looking forward to be on shore again darling, so brace yourself! It's going to make sparks!", she said with sparkling eyes.
"No problem for me!", he replied with a smirk.
"I'll leave you now, otherwise I'm going to feel the need to check if we can fit together in your rack".
"Silly!", she replied poking him with two fingers.
Still grinning he looked at her feet, "Nice contrast, black and pink".
"Go away!", Nikki said giving him a pat on his shoulder.
"All right good evening ma'am", he said opening the door and he left.
Nikki padded back to her chair and plopped down. She crossed her legs and stared blankly in front of her desk.
Pete, why do you have that feeling? One of us. Female officer, sword. There are other female officers on the patrol boats. It's not strange in our Navy. But why do I think about Kate now? I haven't had any connection with her since our last phone call. Would it be her? No! She's not like that. Although, she had a tough youth, she's not as hard as she wanted to show. But going that far? No, she isn't that desperate!
Hmm, I'm going to talk to Mike again and this time he won't pay a lip service!
The next evening, Nikki got lucky.
She was rather late for supper as well as Mike. As usual they sat at the same table.
"Boss", she started after a few minutes.
"Tell me", he said.
"I'm really worried about Kate, you know we're friends and I haven't heard from her in months", she said between two bites.
He looked at her while cutting the piece of chicken.
"Nothing! I've sent her emails, text-messages, I tried to call her and I've even sent her a letter but it came back with the mention "unknown addressee". What do you know about her?", she asked.
"Nikki, nothing, really. What you tell me is new to me as well", he said.
"But boss, Kate's also my friend, what happened between you two? She always told me that you were a couple", Nikki asked again with concern.
Mike put down his cutlery and took a sip of his glass of water.
"It's over Nikki. Without warning. Relationship ended overnight. The last time I spoke to her we were on board just before mooring the Hammersley for the last time. And not even a private word! Her cabin was empty and I haven't seen her since. She didn't come to the pub for the farewell drink. She just left and didn't even give me the reason! And I thought it might have had something between us", he said embittered.
"Have you had a quarrel? Maybe that could have been the reason?", Nikki asked prudently.
He shrugged, "No, not at all. I really don't understand".
Nikki looked at him.
"How was she on board?", Nikki asked.
He took a deep breath and looked to the wall as if he saw a projection of her image of her, "Hmm, she didn't look happy, but they knew they were going to be fired. She didn't talk to me much either. Oh, yes, there was something with her eyes. They were red and puffy, I assumed it was an eye infection and I advised her to see Swain about it", he said seemingly relieved he could say something useful.
"I see, so she was sitting with something", she replied.
"Apparently, the dismissal", he concluded.
She looked at him.
You're sure?
Nikki nodded.
"And now, have you ever met someone else?", she asked to change the subject.
Mike smiled, "Luckily for me, I reconciled with an old friend and it seems to work. We're sharing a flat now", he said.
"And you? Did you move on after…", he asked.
Be careful of what you'll say Nikki.
"I've a new friend", she said prudently.
"Ah? That's good. Recently?", he asked enthusiastically.
"Yeah, we met each other at the beach", she said.
That's not a lie.
"And we had some dinners".
That's not a lie either.
"Nice! Remember that there's the Navy ball next Saturday. We'll be lucky to be at the port. Bring your friend, OK? If you intend to come, of course", he replied.
"I'll come, of course, but I don't know if he'll be free, his job you know", Nikki said quickly to get rid of it.
Later at night, lying in her rack, listening to the vibrations of the ship.
There're so much differences between their explanations. Of course I don't know everything. I remember my last phone call with her.
'Do you know that he didn't said anything about my dismissal?' 'You two are a couple?'. 'I thought so, but Mister Flynn apparently has other ideas on this subject. He just didn't say literally 'I don't want you anymore'.' He must have told her something, but what? He said they didn't fight, but what happened next. A quarrel? Maybe there was no quarrel at all! Maybe it had to do with what has NOT been said! I can only fill in the blanks knowing them both. If you make them talk about ships, then they can chat for hours, but when it comes to feelings… then they are lost in the dark. He, to be blunt, is unaware of what a woman wants or doesn't want to hear. Women need a clear signal and Mike is not an expert on the subject. And Kate? She's too touchy and too proud to engage in intimate confidences.
Something wrong with her eyes? An eye infection he said. I saw her on TV and I recognized her as she cried. But if saw it on board too then she must be really upset with something?!
But what's so delicate to create such a break? A pregnancy?
Hmm, no, for sure Kate would have come to me to open her heart.
What else? …
To be continued