Ch. 31 Reunited

Kate had a day off the next day and they took the opportunity to sleep a bit longer. Dylan had set the table for breakfast when she entered. He smiled when he saw that she was wearing the same dress as the evening before.

During breakfast they talked about her show so he avoided talking about the captain case. They had just finished breakfast when the doorbell rang.

She had just stacked in a pile the dirty plates and the cups. "Who could that be?"

"Someone who still believes in you", he said walking to the door.

I didn't expect you so early mate!

"Uh?", she mumbled confused.

He opened the door and found Arthur on the doorstep holding a huge bunch of flowers in his hands.

"That's not for you old chap!", he greeted Dylan.

Dylan heard another 'Uh?' from Kate in the background when she heard Arthur's voice.

"Thank god no! Come in mate", he said stepping aside.

Arthur waited in the entrance hall and Dylan closed the door. He passed the old man and entered the living room, "Honey, here's someone you have wanted for a long, long time", he said.

Kate came back from the kitchen, frowning, "What do you…", she mumbled, but when she saw her father she turned pale.

"Katherine! I'm happy to see you again! I've some flowers for you.", he greeted her.

Kate looked at him, rooted to the spot. Then something happened that both men didn't have foresee. They took in account, an angry Kate, an uninterested Kate, an unpleasant Kate, but…

She walked a few quick steps towards him, wrapped him in her arms, put her head against his chest and began to sob. Both men looked at each other baffled.

"Dad… where… did you…stay….so long?", she sobbed.

Arthur handed the flowers to Dylan and closed his arms around her while stroking and patting her back gently. "I couldn't find you. Everything's fine dolly, everything's fine. We're together now", he soothed her.

After a minute she freed herself from his embrace and looked at him with a tear-stained face. "You're changed dad!", she said dryly.

"No wonder dear, I'm twenty-nine year older", he replied.

"I've got flowers for you", he said again taking back the bunch of flowers from Dylan's hands to give it to her.

Kate accepted the flowers and looked at them, "Thanks dad!" I…I'll put them in a vase", she said in a choked voice. She padded to the kitchen and all of a sudden she realised she'd forgotten something, "Dad? Coffee? Or tea? I remember you were a tea drinker", she asked aloud grabbing a tissue to dry her eyes and blow her nose.

"Coffee dear! I left the tea behind me", he said giving Dylan a wink.

"Ok, I'll make a new pot of coffee", she replied.

"Take a seat Arthur, I'll get the cups", he said padding also to the kitchen.

There he mumbled to her "Dolly" with a grin.

Kate slapped him on his arm, "Mulholland, behave yourself!"

With a broad grin he came back with the cups, saucers and a milk jug. Kate followed with a cake she had just unpacked.

"Sorry dad, I didn't know that you were coming, so it's just a cake!", she apologized.

"Never mind dear", he said watching her cut the cake into slices.

She sat down and looked radiant at her father. "Dad, how did you find me? And what are you doing in Australia?", she asked.

"Well, by him", he said pointing to Dylan, "When did we meet in Melbourne in that pub opposite of Lisa McCune's poster?", he asked.

Dylan rubbed his face, "Pfft, it's been several months already", he said.

"What!? And you've never told me!", Kate exclaimed slapping his arm.

"Honey, be honest, you were not ready for that when I found you. You've made a lot of progress, you know", he said.

Kate looked down and fiddled with her cup, "Yeah, you're right", she said faintly.

Arthur looked at them frowning, "What?...", he began to ask.

It was just an instant and she held her head high again, "But, what are you doing here? Were you looking for me? Or, for something else?", she fired the questions.

"Well Kate, hmm meanwhile I've understood you prefer to be called Kate instead of Katherine, I was on the run because of your mother….", he said but she interrupted him.

"What?!"

He nodded, "Yes, she has tried to accuse me and to relieve me of my money, but she barely made it. She claimed alimony and played the victim saying it was my fault that we had divorced. Luckily I saw it coming and I was able to transfer my capital to various legal entities so that I finally have almost nothing left. Of course, these companies were mine, but from a legal point of view they were not. I was accused and sentenced to pay a ridiculous amount of money that I didn't even have. She ran away with the little I had, but the majority of the capital was safe. Unfortunately her lawyer kept on stalking me and I found it wise to leave England to flee to a country where she didn't expect me at all, Australia. Here I kept a low profile and observed the Australian society to find a good opportunity. Well that's it", he said.

Kate covered her mouth with her hand, "Jeez! You too!".

He frowned again, "What? What do you mean by 'you too'?", he asked.

"Mother also accused me of dereliction of duty because I was the only one to have an income which was completely wrong. She had become a hooker and was earning more than I could scrape together with the cleaning job", she said bitterly.

"No…", he mumbled in disbelief.

"One day, I saw a recruitment advertisement for the Navy and I signed it. I never told her about it and on the final day, early in the morning, I left. Unfortunately, with the last reorganisation in the Navy, I lost my job and she found me after seeing me on TV. But I haven't been as lucky as you. I made a standing jump into the trap she had set for me thinking that I only had to testify, but sadly enough, I was the accused. Over and out, I lost the case and I spent my whole capital to pay her back. Finally I ended up in a grubby flat with a pathetic job just like I started here", Kate told with glassy eyes.

Arthur saw red and lost control of his British phlegm, "Goddamn! The bitch! The tart! The slut! How for God's sake can you do that to your own flesh and blood! I'll strangle her when I have her in my hands!", he raged.

"Coffee?", Dylan said deadpan to calm him down.

"Uh? Yes please", Arthur grumbled.

"But… you said that you ended like you started here. What happened since you arrived in Australia?", he asked dangerously calm.

Kate looked at her father desperately.

"Dear, I need to know everything! Everything!", he insisted.

Kate sighed and started to tell how they arrived in Sydney. Initially they lived together with her mother's new boyfriend. Life was pretty good and so was the apartment , but after a couple of months he threw her out as well as Kate after some fierce quarrels. She got another flat, but not of the same quality. Two years later, her mother lost her job and she found another one with a lower salary resulting in another move to a smaller and older flat. It's from that moment that the situation has worsened. She started drinking and receiving men to earn an additional income. She seemed to settle in this new job and was entrusting more and more the household chores to Kate who had to manage them with her school work.

In the end her mother no longer worked officially and Kate had to do a cleaning job after school hours until the final day she saw the recruitment advertisement for the Navy.

Both men listened baffled by her sad story as tears ran down her cheeks.

Dylan was the first to speak again, "Honey, I've never known that".

She looked at him dejected, "What did you expect? This isn't a pleasant story to tell. No one would have been interested. Moreover it would have compromised the role I wanted to play aboard!", she said.

He nodded.

Arthur was leaning against his chair, "I really need a drink!" , he said.

Dylan stood up, "I'll get you one", he said and walked to the cupboard from where he took a bottle of whisky. He poured a good dose of the amber liquid in a glass and padded back to him. "Here you go", Dylan said.

"Thanks", Arthur said taking a sip. "Playing a role?", he asked.

Kate shrugged, "I was nothing in mother's eyes and I wanted to achieve something. I worked hard at school and ADFA..."

Arthur interrupted her, "What's ADFA?"

"Australian Defence Force Academy", Kate answered.

"I see".

She continued, "At the ADFA I finally had a real goal and I wanted to achieve it. I worked even harder because my future was beginning to take shape. But the other cadets didn't appreciate my efforts. I was working too hard and was too asocial to be able to follow them. Then I started to play a role there because I was afraid that one of them would discover where I came from. They started pranking me by calling me Princess Perfect. They didn't know I had no other choice. I couldn't fail! To my great surprise I got the highest score ever achieved at the academy in years. For that I received an engraved sword, but I missed the friendship of others. ", Kate said sighing.

Arthur shook his head, "If I had known that!"

She looked at him irritated. All suppressed sorrows resurfaced again, "Oh yes, you did!", she snapped. "You made no effort to contact me while you had the address because I wrote you several times. But I didn't get any answer, so in the end you just became a dream of the past!", she snapped.

Arthur looked like he had just eaten something rotten, "Huh? Letters? I never got them and have always lived at the same address for years! And my letters? You don't speak about them. I knew where you went to", he replied indignantly.

She shook her head, "Never got them!"

"Bitch! She intercepted them! For sure", he grumbled.

Kate shook her head slightly realising what her father had just told her. "Damn! I had never thought of that! Indeed she's really able to act like that", Kate replied dejected and feeling guilty about what she had thought and told her father.

"Never mind dear, it's over and we're together now", he said.

"Do you still have that sword?", he asked to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, even after my stay in hospital it was still there", she said.

"Hospital?"

Her look went from her father to Dylan who shook barely his head.

"Depression, too much bad luck in a short period of time", she quickly answered by straightening up to go to the bedroom.

A few moments later she returned with the famous sword in her hands.

"Here it is dad", she said by handing it him.

He accepted it and pulled it out of the scabbard, "Wow, what a master piece!", he said admiringly.

"Is it the sword you used during official ceremonies?", Dylan asked.

"Yes, it is", she replied quite proud.

"It's different from Mike's, isn't it?", he said again.

"Yeah, sure, mine is more stylised. He has always been jealous of it", she replied and displaying a cheeky smile again.

This little interlude helped to lighten the mood for good.

"But dad, you were on the run because of mother, but what are you doing nowadays?", she asked.

"Dear, I started a shipping company with your boyfriend", he replied officially.

Kate looked at Dylan indignantly, "Bugger! You didn't tell me you started a business with my father!", she said while slapping his arm.

"But how do you get to Mark Gibson Shipping Lines? Who's Mark Gibson?", she asked.

Arthur raised his eyebrows, "No of course not, it's McGregor Shipping Lines, MGSL", he said filling in the blanks.

"Ooh you! Bugger!", Kate said irritated slapping his arm again.

"Honey, if you continue like that, then I'll end up in hospital", he said rubbing his arm.

"Your own bloody fault", she grumbled.

"Why?"

"I didn't know how you'd react, and I agree, I waited too long to tell you. It was Bomber," he looked at Arthur and then at Kate, "Rebecca Brown, our cook", who kept harping on to me about this sensitive situation and who advised me to talk to you both right away".

"Do you remember how you reacted last night?", he said.

Kate's gaze went from Dylan to her father, "No?"

Arthur nodded, "Yes dear, as Dylan said, I wanted to come earlier, but we didn't know how you'd react."

"Am I that terrible?", she asked.

"No, but considering how you had to leave England and the fact that you've never heard anything from your father… you see", Dylan said.

Kate looked at her cup sombrely and nodded, "Yeah I can follow you…. I didn't know either until this morning when you entered", she said dejected.

Arthur grabbed her hand, "Dear you can't imagine how happy I am to have found you, but I also need your help. Maybe Dylan told you about it, but we need a captain for our ship and in view of your work experience, then it would something that would suit you", he said.

She looked at him desperately, "Dad, you don't know what you're asking me. I'm screwing up everything I touch. The Navy was pretty clear, no? If I had been so good then I would still be employed. I couldn't find another job, I was assaulted, my apartment was ransacked, my mother dispossessed me of my capital and I couldn't even keep a child", she said gloomily.

Arthur straightened all at once, "What? You lost a child? What happened dear?", he exclaimed worried.

After Kate had explained the mess with Mike and how she was assaulted in the cinema car park, he sank into his chair and handed Dylan his glass, "I think I need another one", he said.

After he has taken a sip, he calmed down, "But Katie,", he pointed at Dylan, "he and I believe in you and the results at ADFA are pretty clear. The Navy doesn't give such an award to just anyone!"

Kate frowned, "Hmm"

"Kate, do you want to do it for me? You're the only I really trust for hundred percent to command my ship", he said.

Kate looked an instant in the same pair of green eyes and finally sighed. "Ok, dad you won, I'll do it, but don't be angry with me if it fails because I'll have warned you", she said.

"Great! I knew it!", he said beaming. "Now still find a name for the ship! You know Dylan, Kate, I received a message late yesterday informing me that the ship is ready! If we want we can sail in a few days!", he said enthusiastically.

"Is it?!", Dylan joined in the conversation, "Do we have cargo?"

"Yes, we do! Not that much, but it's a good start. Five 20 feet containers from Melbourne to Sydney and then we can take 25 in Melbourne and Adelaide. The factory was waiting until we got our ship", he said.

"But now a name! We need it for the Lloyds", and he looked at Kate, "What do you think of the MV Katherine?", he asked.

"Oh dad, is that really necessary? There are millions of other possibilities!", she reacted ill-at-ease.

He looked at Dylan who raised his hands, "It's your investment Arthur, you've the right to choose the name".

"Kate, darling, it's a kind of homage to you. I'm proud to call my first ship after you", he said.

Kate looked at him dejected, "I guess arguing will not help?"

He shrugged, "If you really don't want to, then…"

Kate sighed, "Ok dad, go for it. If only a name can make you happy, then it's ridiculous to start a fight about it. I'm not mother", she said resigned.

"Great! Do we have something to drink? We're going to celebrate!", he announced happily.

Kate looked at him concerned, "Dad? What are your plans? Do you intend to stay here in the village?"

"Oh? I don't know, I only have a bit stuff with me because I was thinking of driving back to Melbourne later in the day", he said.

Kate replied fiercely, "Oh no! You're not going to drive home. You've already two whisky's in your body and within a couple of minutes I don't know what else will be. No, no,… there's a B&B in the village. "

She looked at her watch, "it's already noon. Stay with us, I'll prepare lunch", she said.

They chatted throughout lunch and the whole afternoon, trying to catch up two decades in a few hours. After supper they drove Arthur to the B&B.

Once at home again Kate sank to her couch, her head lying against the seatback. Dylan came back from the kitchen and saw his girlfriend. He shook slightly his head.

Just a rag doll. It must have been a hell of day full of emotion for her.

He sat down next to her and put his hand on her knee.

"Honey, you're OK?"

She looked at him and smiled faintly. "No", she simply said.

"Tell me".

Kate shrugged and looked at the night through the window. "It's like I've been thrown to the four corners of the room. I don't know what to think anymore. One moment I've an urge to laugh and then I want to cry my eyes out. What did I miss in all these years? I could have spared myself a lot of misery. Why didn't he come to fetch me? Why did mother take me with her? I was just burden for her. What if I had stayed in England? Then I would never have known you all! I was angry with my father and I realise now that I had no reason to be. Yesterday I was a simple waitress and tomorrow I'll be captain of a merchant vessel. It's hard to believe. A broken dream when I was in the Navy suddenly comes true. Mike dumped me and I lost a child and now I have a caring boyfriend again, who, along with my father, is the owner of the company I'm going to work for. A few months ago I tried to put and end to my life and now the way to go is not a dirt road but a highway!", she said almost in one breath.

Kate looked at him again, "Do you understand? It's too much for me!"

He gently tapped her thigh, "I understand, when I was lying in my hospital bed after the bombing I never thought I'd find myself where I'm now. I was so surprised to be alive and able to walk that I travelled all over the country. Charlie kicked my ass several times for me to look for a job, but I wasn't ready for that. So, I know what's going on in your head", he said.

Kate simply nodded her head.

"Come, let's go to bed and let it rest for the night. Tomorrow we'll see further", he said standing up.

"Yeah, you're right", she answered tiredly.

To be continued