Ch 21. To be or not to be
4 years later.
"Ma? (Mum)", Kate walked into the office where Helen was busy with the bills and booking orders of the B&B.
"Hmm, tell me", she mumbled above the papers.
"The academy has a project for foreign education and student exchange. If you're agree I would like to participate, because I think that it will be not that difficult seeing my knowledge of English", Kate said.
"Yeah, and for how many weeks?", Helen has stopped writing, leaned back in the chair and looked at her daughter.
"Oh, 8 weeks, let's say 2 months."
"Yeah, and what are the possibilities? I guess Anglo-Saxon countries? The UK?", Helen replied interested.
"Nope, Australia", Kate deadpanned.
Helen sat upright immediately. "What?", she exclaimed, "that's not next door!"
"No Mum, but I know already where", she said light hearted.
"Oh yeah! It's always the same with you. You know always where, when and who! And when did you think to tell us about it?", Helen raged.
"Uh, now?", Kate answered logically.
"Hmm", she grumbled. "Does know dad about this already?"
"No, you're the first. If you can give him the intro?"
"Oh great!", I can do the difficult job for you, getting the hot potatoes out of the fire! And who are you going to stay that long? And are you aware that your counterpart is coming to us also and he or she is going to stay here", Helen said doubtfully.
"It's a he", she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Aha! Thus it's more than only studying! And who is that famous guy?", Helen asked as she leaned back in her chair giving her daughter her famous XO stare.
"David Tomasewski."
"No? Nikki's son?", she said astonished widening her eyes.
"Yep, good huh?", Kate said with a cheeky grin.
"Hmm, I doubted already that you didn't forget him. But I'm really wondering if you have thought about the consequences of having a boy friend at the other end of the planet?"
"Oh yeah! Webcam and Skype do wonders", she said unconcerned.
"And what about later on? Have you thought about that? You have to decide, you know. Belgium or Australia", Helen said.
"Oh, mum, no worries, time enough", she replied tapping her mother on her shoulder while she padded away. Helen looked after her with a glance of a thundercloud.
That evening Mike was looking for Helen.
"Kate, you've seen mum?", he asked his daughter as he entered the living room.
"Nope, maybe in the garden? By the way, has she said something to you?", she replied from out of the couch.
"Uh? No, she didn't. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. Never mind", Kate said innocently.
Mike looked at her frowning when he headed to the garden.
He smiled because there was only one place where she could be, at the quarterdeck. The quarterdeck. Something we invented together, or she started with it. That's the part of the garden that borders the adjacent field and which is the furthest away from the house. From there you have a splendid view towards the city downwards the slope. At that spot there was always wind. The wind, the view and the space gave you the idea you stood at the quarterdeck overlooking the sea.
He noticed a tiny figure at the end of the garden.
Yeah, there she is, her yellow-brown hair waving in the wind. Since Maxine solved the problem Helen had her hair growing longer just like we were still in duty, but she kept the colour. 'I have to maintain that otherwise I'm as grey as a pigeon' she had said.
"Hey honey, I knew you were here", he said putting his hands in her waist and he gave her a kiss in the neck.
"Hmm".
She wore a jumper, trousers, boots and a cardigan. Helen had folded her arms and was staring at the towers of Ypres in the distance.
"Darling", she said faintly and leaned back to his chest. She threw a quick glance up at him.
"Don't catch a cold, it's rather windy".
"No, I won't", he said giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Each time you're here I know you're worried about something. What's up?", he asked her.
"It's about Kate", she said.
"Hmm, me too. By the way, she asked me if you have told me something".
"Oh?", was the only thing Helen said.
"She's almost 20 now and normally a girl of her age has a boy friend, but she doesn't, apart from a few friends", he continued.
"Well, that's something you really don't have to worry about", she said beaten.
"Why not? Isn't it normal she has a boy friend?"
Helen turned towards him. "The fact is, that she has one and for four years already."
"What?", Mike exclaimed, "I wasn't aware of this!"
"Neither did I but you know him too."
"Uh?", he mumbled frowning.
"It's Nikki's and Pete's son, David."
"Oh? But, that's 4 years ago. I thought it was a flush?"
"No dear, it wasn't. They kept in touch by Facebook, email and Skype."
"I see. And what's your problem with her?", he asked her.
"Well, as a matter of fact, the same. The academy has a program of students exchange with abroad and she wants to participate."
"Hmm, is that a problem? That's not that bad, but what's the link with David?"
She leaned even firmer to his chest now.
"She wants to go to Australia and stay by him and his parents. That means also that he will come to us as well. They've planned it already more or less."
"Australia? Back to the roots. Hmm it could have been easier, though she knows where to stay, with known people. That's good, not?"
She threw a glance upwards to him.
"Mike, you're going over it rather light-hearted. Having a relation at the other part of the world is fairly impossible. And assume it becomes something real, what are they going to do? Is he coming to here or is she going to there?", she asked him desperately.
"Uh?"
"Yeah, I knew that you were going to answer that", she said a little annoyed and she turned to the city view again.
He chuckled. "I never could have imagined that Nikki at the Hammersley would become once family."
All a sudden she turned back to him. "Listen Mike, I've made up my mind. If they decide to come to Belgium, then I'll stay. If they decide to move to Australia, I'm going to there as well. We're not going to stay here, alone, while our friends and family are there!", she said fiercely.
"Wow!", he said widening his eyes. "Hmm, yeah, you're right. But what are we going to do there then?"
"Ah! Start over again huh? What else? We're still too young to sit in a chair staring out over the sea. We've enough money to do that. We sell everything here, the boat, the house and the car and there we start a new B&B with a boat to make tours to the reefs", she said determined.
"Yeah, that makes sense . Hmm, a few years ago you were thinking otherwise."
"Indeed, but now, the situation is different!"
2 years later
"Honey, you've been running around with your camera already for a few days. I think you've already taken a couple of hundred photos", Mike said as he was looking how Helen took a photo from the view to the city from the quarterdeck.
"I know darling, I know. Can you open the tripod, there, where you stand?", she asked him.
"Ok", he said and he took the folded tripod. He unfolded it and put it where he stood.
"Yeah, come here, I'll fix the camera, so we can have a photo of both of us with Ypres in the background."
She walked back and poked him. "Smile!"
He noticed that her smile was not in sync with her eyes. There was a kind of sadness in them.
When she detached the camera she looked at him. "You've got everything for tomorrow?"
"Yes honey. I think you've asked that already 50 times. Be calm. It's just a travel", Mike said to her with a smile.
She shrugged. "I know, I know, but …", she couldn't say anything anymore and she buried her head in his chest and sobbed.
"It has been too much last time", she said after she composed herself. "Too much emotions I think. The upcoming marriage of Kate and David. They are there and we here. Selling everything here. Than this region, this view, our B&B. it's hard to leave it all behind, you know. I've loved it. So I want to catch some memories. Probably we'll never come back here again", she said and she finished with a sigh, wiping a few tears away. Kate turned her head to the city to throw again a glance at it.
He wrapped his arm around her thin shoulders and took the tripod in his other hand. "Come honey, a last diner in the city and tomorrow we're off and before you know we're on Australian soil again."
2 days later at Cairns airport
The Quantas airplane has shut down its engines and the cabin door was opened. Passengers took their luggage and stepped down the staircase.
Once from the staircase Helen stopped, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath like she wanted to sense the air.
Mike placed his hand at the lower part of her back and ushered her towards the exit.
"Come honey, I really want to stretch my legs and I'm longing for a good beer in one of our favourite bars, if they still exist, of course."
Helen looked around and sighed. "Yeah, you're right, a good glass of wine will do miracles. It's weird, it's almost 22 years ago when I left here and it seems to be just like yesterday."
"Indeed, it feels for me the same you know. I'm interested to see the place that Kate and David have found for us. Meanwhile we can look for something decent to start over again."
Meanwhile they've entered the airport building and they headed to the hall to pick up their luggage.
"You've got everything?", he asked her.
Helen had swung her handbag diagonally over her shoulder and she took her suitcase and a bag.
"Yeah, it has to huh? These bloody things are damn heavy and I'll be happy when I can take a shower."
They left the airport building and looked around.
"Hmm, let's find a cab", Mike said.
"Here's one!", they heard a familiar voice saying behind them and they both turned to see the four smiling faces of Kate, David, Nikki and Pete.
"Welcome home !", Nikki said.
To be continued