Ch 22. Home Sweet Home
Cairns, 2038
It was a splendid day. Temperature was good and the sun was shining. Even though it was still morning it looked that it was going to be a warm day but without thunderstorms. A perfect day.
Helen was walking along the paths from one bungalow block to the other.
She wore a bright blue summer dress and heeled sandals. The wind toyed with her loose hair.
She had a bunch of keys in her hand and she opened bungalow by bungalow to check if everything was ok inside to welcome the guests.
After the last one she nodded with a smile.
This one is also ok, now just waiting for our guests.
She saw the bench with the view at the sea and she walked to it to sit down. From there she could see the path to the jetty where their motorboat was moored. Helen looked at it and then over her shoulder to the bungalows, spread in the lawn and then she looked back at the sea.
Now, a few moments of peace for myself before all the guests arrive and before my family is going to bombard me with questions of all kind.
I wanted to start over with a simple B&B, but Mike saw it bigger. I thought that it never was going to work, but I was wrong. Now we have a good working small holiday resort with bungalows and the possibility to make tours to the reefs with our boat.
It's still a B&B formula, but there's the possibility to eat in the restaurant.
Helen smiled.
We kept the name from Belgium, Flanders Ridge. Surprisingly we've had already several customers who visited us when we were still in Ypers. They were completely surprised to find us here. They were even more surprised to see that we've decorated the entrance lounge with huge photos from the environment of Ypres.
She stroke through her hair.
My birthday today. 62. It's really great that they didn't change the date of my birthday when they gave me a new identity. Getting used to be Helen Porter took me more time that I could imagine. Even my family and my friends couldn't. Nikki calls me still Kate and Mike calls me alternating Helen or Kate. And that causes of course confusion by Kate. He declares often that he's proud of having two Kates.
She lifted her eyebrows.
If you would have asked me 40 years ago, then I never would have thought that I would have a holiday resort. It's a great realisation when I look around. And it's good that Kate and David are in the business as well, they have a job now and within several years, they can take it over from us.
We've been lucky. David Tomasewski is like a son for us as well, he calls us also mum and dad, just like Kate does to Nikki and Pete.
Never thought that they would become our family when I think back to our time at Hammersley.
We've been more than lucky because we became grandparents as well. Their little Matthew is now one and a half years old.
She looked at her watch.
I expect that the first guests will arrive within every minute. All the bungalows are booked, nice business and the weather is promising. Great!
But, I'm afraid that there won't be much time to celebrate my birthday with four of us. The customers come at the first place.
She smiled.
I've got flowers from Mike and a voucher to pass a weekend in Sydney with tickets to see a musical. From Kate and David I've a voucher to do some shopping in the shopping centre in Cairns.
She giggled. That means always fun!
Then she frowned.
It's weird, normally they organise a little party, but now nothing. Maybe they've been too busy with Matthew and all the bookings, because it's the first time that all our guests will arrive at the same day. It's going to be a funny house today I'm afraid.
But exactly now, now that we're going to make welcome all our guests on one day, Kate wants to take a photo off me and Mike in our Navy uniform. Why for god's sake? When I said that I wanted to pull on it again on another day and (Helen rolled her eyes) to stuff Mike in it again because his belly became too thick, then she insisted that it had to be today. Exactly today when we have to attend a lot of people!
Kate shook annoyed her head by the idea.
"Maaaa? Waar ben je?" (muuuum, where are you), she heard Kate yelling from far.
Helen chuckled.
When she really needs something, or she's angry, nervous, worried or exited, she speaks Dutch, her native language.
"Ik ben hier schat!" (I'm here darling), Helen yelled back.
Kate stood upright and looked at her daughter.
She's the female version of Mike, but with my size. And the character? A real mixture of both. Stubborn in the first place, with an eye for details, intelligent and a dare-devil. But the latter, that's something that she doesn't have from me!
"Mum, can you pull on your uniform?", she asked as she walked close to her mother with the camera in her hand.
"Now? Our guests can arrive in any minute?", Helen asked lifting one eyebrow.
"Mum, it won't take that long. Time enough", Kate said as she held the camera up to show her mother that she was meaning it.
"Just only one difference, you always think that there's time enough", Helen replied annoyed.
"Yes, there's enough time!", she insisted.
Helen sighed.
What did I say? Stubborn?
"I chased dad also, he's actually struggling to close his jacket over his belly", she chuckled.
"I still fit in it!", Helen replied proudly.
"Is it?", Kate asked seemingly innocently.
"You don't believe me huh? Wait a bit and then we'll see who can laugh!", Helen said fiercely as she started to walk to their house.
She grimaced.
I'm getting the impression, or better said, I'm persuaded that she has set me up! And I stepped blindly into it!
Kate and David were waiting together with Mike in his service dress uniform, complete with medals as Helen arrived. She walked fiercely to them, the lieutenant-commander shoulder boards shining in the sun. He could clearly see that she didn't like the moment for the initiative.
"So, here I am", she said annoyed.
"Hey Katie, you're looking good!", he said to cheer up his wife.
"Seriously?", she replied suspiciously and she looked doubtfully at his jacket that was extreme tight around his belly. She poked in it with her finger. "When are you going to consider walking again?"
Kate looked at her mum and shook her head. "Mum, can't you put on white shoes? These blue sandals doesn't match the uniform."
"Kate, you ought to know that dad didn't have kept the white shoes with laces", Helen said frowning.
"Yeah, but you can put on others, you've white pumps as well", Kate insisted.
"Ooh you! The customers can arrive every minute!", she groused as she stepped fiercely inside.
"En vergeet je hoed niet!", (and don't forget your hat) Kate yelled after her mother.
"Aargh!", they could hear.
A minute later Helen appeared again with white pumps and her hat. She put it up and walked to stand next to Mike. Her hair was spread over her shoulders.
"Mum? Can you tie your hair in a bun? It would make the photo more real", Kate asked.
"Come on! The customers are going to arrive now and I have to change myself again. Moreover I don't have an elastic string here", she answered as she found the clue.
Kate grabbed in the pocket of her shorts. "Here I have one", she said as offered it her mother.
Helen accepted it baffled and started to tie her hair in a pony tail.
"Hurry up! Because I don't want to appear to the customers in uniform. I'm not going to make a fool of myself."
Finally she was ready and walked to a spot at the lawn with the sea at the background. They turned and looked at the camera.
"Lachen!" (smile), Kate said.
When she had taken a few photos, they heard the sound of the bell at the welcome lounge, the signal that there were customers.
"Oh no! What have I told you?", Helen said disappointed.
"Listen Kate you go, I …", she said but she got cut off by Kate.
"Oh, sorry mum, but I have to go to the toilet right now, it's really urgent", she said and put down the camera.
Kate looked startled at her and then at David, but he waved with his hand holding his mobile to his ear. "Sorry, incoming call", he said.
Helen's face became pale and then red of anger.
"Kate Flynn! You've made a fool of me! What will the customers think of me now? I'm not ready with you yet!", she yelled fuming after her daughter who was hurrying away to the toilet.
Damn! I feared it. Here I am, complete in uniform with medals and like this I have to welcome our customers. What will they think of me, us now? A madhouse, carnival?
I'll kill her! I'll do something to her!
Katherine, smile! Always smile to the customers whatever happens!
She entered the welcome lounge and she was instantly nailed at the ground. Her mouth felt open and she stared at the new customers.
Nikki and Pete stood in front of the reception desk, in uniform. Behind them Helen saw Maxine White and Andrew, Ryan and Jessica, Bomber Rebecca Brown with her husband, Dutchy Dylan Mullholland, Charge Andy Thorpe with Lani, 2Dads Leo Kosov-Meyer, RO Robert Dixon and Harpie Andrew Harper with his wife, all in uniform.
"Hi boss", they greeted her.
"Hi, … hi all… I didn't know this…", Helen stammered.
"Of course not my dear", Nikki said, "that's the intention of a surprise. You're in uniform as well?", Nikki said with a grin.
"I … uh… it was not the intention…", she stammered again.
Nikki peered over Helen's shoulder to Kate who stood in the door frame. "Perfect timing Kate", she said.
"Pleasure", was the answer.
Meanwhile David had ushered Mike inside as well and he stood also nailed at the ground.
"Hey, there's the big boss!", he was greeted by his former crew.
While Helen did the registrations he walked around to shake hands.
Later on when everyone got their bungalow they found themselves back at the lawn with a drink.
"Well Kate?", Nikki asked as she wrapped her arm around Helen's shoulder.
"I'm baffled, really! I've never expected this", she said.
You see, Nikki refuses bluntly to use Helen. The others barely know, so I'm becoming Kate McGregor back again for this weekend.
Helen looked with a bit pain in her heart to the shoulder boards of Nikki.
"It's the first time that I see you in your commander's uniform", she said.
Nikki shrugged, "I never thought to become the CO at Navcom. You have some expectations but Mother Nature decides on another way about it."
"You deserve it Nikki, really!", Helen said.
She gave Helen a smile and started another topic because she knew what was going on inside Helen. "I'm happy that you like the event. It has cost me a huge effort to bring them all together at the same moment."
"Well Nikki, it's great and I don't know if I can keep my emotions under control", she said with a thick voice.
"Don't worry about that, just enjoy it", Nikki replied.
At the same moment Ryan and Jessica walked to them.
"Kate, congratulations, and I must admit it's a confusing moment for me as well. I haven't seen mum and Mike for almost 23 years. I really didn't know what was going on back then. He disappeared and mum did me a lip service and has made me angry. It was only three years ago that I saw Mike again as you both returned to Australia, but uh… I must see mum too, I think", he said unsure.
"Thanks Ryan, maybe it's the moment to make it right with your mum?", Helen suggested.
"Yeah I'll try", he said as he looked in the direction where Mike was chatting with Maxine.
"What are you doing actually?", she asked.
"I'm the XO on board of the frigate Darwin and Jess is Petty Officer in the Navy hospital in Sydney."
Helen looked at Bird. She has changed the most, becoming a mature woman and her hair had already lots of silver strokes.
"If you weren't with Ryan, I didn't recognise you anymore."
"Yeah, I understand, but you can't wipe away 27 years huh, albeit you're still the same", she said with a smile.
"Thank you! Come.", Helen replied and ushered the couple to Mike and Maxine.
"Do you think?", he said unsure.
"Now it's the moment", Helen replied as they arrived Mike and Maxine.
They are a bit family as well. He's Mike's son.
"Mike, Max, maybe it's the moment to clear out the misunderstandings that have been created by the undercover operation with me?", she said looking from one to the other.
"Ryan, I'm happy to see you again! Are you still angry at me?", Maxine asked.
Helen left them to resolve their problem and bumped on Rebecca. She and her husband were chatting with Charge, Lani and 2Dads.
"Hey guys!", she greeted them.
"Hey Kate, please don't laugh at me, I haven't worn my uniform since I left the Navy and it became a bit too small for me! ", Bomber said with a smile.
Helen looked at her. Except to the fact that she became more sturdy, she was still the same, same style of hair and colour.
"Rebecca, you didn't change!", she said.
"Aha, you believe that huh? If I hadn't used hair colour I was as grey as a pigeon", Rebecca said with a grin.
"What are you doing now?", Helen asked.
"After I've left the Navy, I've done quite some things, all different until I bumped on Mark here", she nodded to her husband, "and we started a restaurant in Adelaide."
"Great! If we ever manage to get there, then we'll visit you, for sure! And you?", Helen asked as she looked at 2Dads.
"Hey ma'am, as you can see I'm a Petty Officer again and this time I'm going to keep my crossed anchors on my sleeve, I'm damn sure of it! Moreover, my sailors don't have to tell me tricks because I know them all!", he said with his well known smirk.
"Keep it like that 2Dads! On which ship are you serving now?", Helen asked.
"Still the Hammersley ma'am, together with that bastard Harpie there. We and the CO are the veterans on board", he said.
"Nice, the backbone of the boat thus. Great!", Helen replied and she looked at Charge and Lani.
"I'm retired and we live in Darwin now. My pass time is renting a few motor boats."
Before Helen could say anything, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hi handsome", she heard behind her.
Helen turned quickly around and looked straight into the broad smiling face of Dylan.
"You big fella! How are you?", she said as both embraced each other.
"You can't believe how happy I was when I heard that you were still alive!", he said.
"Indeed, it caused me pain to know that I couldn't have said a proper goodbye to you all", she replied sadly.
"Jeez Dylan, you're silver-grey!", she blurted out baffled.
"A wise captain has to look grey you know. I took over Nikki's chair at the Hammersley", he said.
"And you've a few veterans on board as well?", she replied with a smirk.
"Yep, 2Dads and Harpie became my dearest friends", he answered.
Helen nodded and looked at his lieutenant-commander shoulder boards.
"I never thought that there would be a day that we were going to be equal. In fact it had to be your ship", he said.
Helen grimaced. "Dylan, don't make it worse", she said.
He shrugged. "Can I help it? There's not a single day that I don't think about it. It was so damn unfair."
"I know, but the facts are the facts huh. Moreover I can't imagine a better captain for the Hammersley than you", she said giving him a poke on his arm.
"Yeah, still a couple of years and then I'm retiring too", he said looking at her.
"What's that? An accident?", he added as he stroke with his finger over the little white scar on her upper lip.
"No, it happened back then during the undercover operation. It went terribly wrong and I've got this souvenir from a gun barrel", she said with a shrug.
He gave her a hug as answer.
"Come on, let's make a group photo", he said to bring the conversation at another subject.
"Hey guys, group photo!", he yelled.
After a few minutes the group was more or less gathered and Dylan was ushering some people to a more appropriate place.
Kate and Mike took a position aside but Dylan remarked that quickly and he ushered them to the middle of the group and he moved her to the first place.
"But Dylan", she protested.
"No, your place is here!", he said, "there are only two real CO's for the Hammersley and that are you both".
He looked at 2Dads and Harpie and threw them his car keys. "Harp, 2Dads, get that bloody plate from out of my car and put it here".
He turned towards Kate and Mike and grinned.
A few minutes later both men came back with the wooden name plate of the Hammersley. They put it in front of the entire group and they joined it as well.
"Dylan, what does that mean?", Mike asked.
"That's the original. As you can see there's a huge scratch on it due to a bad movement of a crane in a harbour and I had to have a new one made. But, a stomach feeling told me to keep the damaged one. And here you go. It's yours now. A nice souvenir from the time that you served on it."
Kate was speechless and blinked with her eyes to keep her emotions under control. Mike reacted. "Thanks mate, a wonderful souvenir for both of us."
It was almost around midnight when it became calm at the resort. Mike checked if the front door was locked and switched off the light at the reception lounge. He walked outside and saw in the distance the silhouette of his wife sitting at the bench from which you have a nice view at the sea. He turned and walked to the kitchen. In the fridge he found an open bottle of champagne and poured two glasses. With the glasses he walked to her.
Helen had untied a few buttons of her uniform jacket a she had put her hat next to her at the bench. He noticed that she had slipped out of her pumps and that she was wriggling with her toes in the grass.
She saw him, smiled and tapped with her hand on the bench next to her.
"Come, it's beautiful now", she said faintly.
Mike sat down and offered her a glass. "Here honey for your birthday."
She accepted the glass and they toasted.
She smiled as she saw that his jacket hung loose and she tapped on his belly.
"Feels better, not?"
He sighed, "Yeah, too much Trappist beers, frites and Flemish stew hasn't made it better."
"How do you feel now?"
Mike saw in the light of the moon how a broad smile deployed on her face.
"Great! It has been the best day of my Navy career and one of the best days of my life. Don't understand me wrong. The day that you've showed up in Ypres for the first time and then when you've said that you didn't go back anymore were the best. But, this was different. It felt so good to be myself again, Katherine, Kate McGregor, not that Helen Porter chick that has hidden herself in Flanders Fields", she said.
He wrapped his arm around her and both looked at the reflection of the moon at the sea.
"Helen Porter, Kate McGregor, whatever. You are you and that is still the same", he said.
Both looked at each other and slowly their heads moved to each other until their lips touched and they gave a passionate kiss.
When they broke apart, he tapped on her thigh.
"Come Katie, let's go to bed. We're not 30 anymore and the crew expects a breakfast from the galley tomorrow."
They emptied their glasses and they stood upright. Mike took the glasses, Helen her hat and shoes and both walked to their house.
END